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Tokushichi II at militaryIn 1896, he left his duties in the care of his younger brother Jitsusaburo to pursue his already formed ambition to become a stock trader. His father had him apprenticed to Yashiro Shoten, a small stock trading house managed by his son-in-law.
As an Osaka businessman, concerned above all to get on with making money, Tokushichi I doubtless found it galling that his son's career was interrupted after only a few months as a result of another of the Meiji government's reforms - the creation of a modern army based on conscription. To the Meiji authorities, conscious of the military weakness of their country yet determined to eventually put an end to the non-favored diplomatic status and unequal commercial treaties imposed on the former Tokugawa feudal regime by the United States and the European powers, the first political priority was modern, military strength. Shinnosuke was duly conscripted for three years service with the colors. He passed the army assessment test with top grades, and became a footsoldier in the 2nd company of the Fushimi Engineering Corps.
