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He was born in Choshu (present-day Yamaguchi prefecture) as the second son of Wada Masakage (和田昌景), a clan doctor. Together with Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, he is counted among what was known as the Ishin-no-Sanketsu (維新の三傑), which means, roughly, "three nobles of the restoration". His younger sister's grandson was Tokyo politician Kidoko Uichi (木戸幸一).
He was a representative of the Sonno joi movement in Choshu. He represented Choshu in the Satsuma-Choshu alliance, or Satchodomei (薩長同盟).
He was a member of the Iwakura mission that toured America and Europe to study western forms of government.
During the height of the southwestern revolt of 1877 (led by Saigo Takamori), he died of natural causes. He was 45.