佐賀の乱
After the Meiji Restoration, Kōno was freed and was recruited by fellow Tosa countryman Gotō Shōjirō to assist Etō Shimpei in the administration of Osaka. With the establishment of the Samurai Administration Bureau, he was sent to Hiroshima in 1874. However, with increasing ex-samurai discontent erupted into open rebellion in various locations, he was assigned to assist Ōkubo Toshimichi in restoration of central government authority in Kyūshū. In this capacity, he faced his former mentor Etō Shimpei in the Saga Rebellion. He treated Etō very roughly during his trial, refusing him a chance to defend his actions in court, and pushing for an early death verdict.