Chief retainer of Tahara Domain in Mikawa Province, as well as a painter and scholar of Western learning (rangaku). After becoming chief retainer in 1832, he introduced the 'kakudaka' system of paying stipends by office rather than hereditary rank, tightening domain finances. During the great Tenpo famine of 1836-37, the emergency granaries (Hominso) and crisis manual he had prepared in advance are said to have prevented a single starvation death in Tahara, earning shogunate commendation. He studied world affairs with fellow rangaku scholars including Takano Choei in the 'Shoshikai' study group, but in the 1839 Bansha no Goku crackdown he was accused of criticizing shogunate policy, placed under house confinement in Tahara, and took his own life in 1841.

He combined a painter's keen eye for observation with the resolve of a practical reformer willing to push through domain fiscal reforms. His strong sense of crisis over foreign affairs led him to criticize shogunate policy — outspokenness that is said to have invited the Bansha no Goku crackdown.

Tahara Domain's famine response is remembered as one of the most successful in the late Edo period, and Tahara City today honors him with the Tahara City Museum and Kazan Shrine. As a painter, he is highly regarded for portraits such as his depiction of Takami Senseki (a National Treasure), and his foresight as a rangaku scholar is credited with informing later arguments for opening the country.