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Old man Sakugawa described To-te Sakugawa as an exceptionally strong and remarkably talented bujin who had trained since childhood. He also said that Sakugawa was intelligent and, much like Makabe Choken, had been expected since youth to advance as an important statesman for the Ryukyu Kingdom. However, it wasn’t until he was in his thirties that the Ryukyu Kingdom sent Sakugawa to China as a ryugakusei to enhance his physical and intellectual properties.

Having a basic understanding of Okinawa’s changing social matrix can improve a reader’s ability to evaluate the pressure of the Satsuma during the lifetime of To-te Sakugawa. In 1844, the French Warship, Alcmene, arrived in Okinawa, bringing a Catholic missionary named Forcade. Its appearance indicated that the Kingdom was beginning to yield to the demands of the outside world in spite of strict Satsuma control. To protect their interests and further restrict direct commerce with the foreign presence, the Satsuma overlords confiscated local currency and issued a new Okinawan legal tender. Called Ryukyu Tsuho, all islanders were, by law, obliged to use the new currency.