He graduated from the Political Science Section of Tokyo University (1893)
Made headway in political circles on the strength of the influence of Prince Kimmochi Saionji. After serving as a secretary of the Education Ministry (1895) and then the cabinet (1906), he was appointed vice-president of the Bank of Formosa (1912). He established Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, on which he spent all his fortune (1913). Became the president of the university and was appointed a member of the House of Peers.
Eldest son of Rokuzaemon, retainer of the Saionji family in Kyoto.