Sakamoto Ryouma

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Lore & Background

Sakamoto Ryōma was born on 3 January 1836 in Kōchi in the han of Tosa, located in Tosa Province on the island of Shikoku. The Sakamoto family held the rank of country samurai or gōshi, the lowest rank in the samurai hierarchy, which previous generations had purchased by acquiring enough wealth as sake brewers. At age 14, after being bullied at school, his older sister enrolled him in fencing classes of the Oguri-ryū. By adulthood, he was by all accounts a master swordsman. In 1853, he traveled to Edo to train at the famous Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hyōhō Chiba-Dōjō, led by its first Headmaster Chiba Sadakichi Masamichi. Sakamoto received the scroll from the school that declared his mastery and became a shihan at the Chiba-Dōjō, teaching Kenjutsu together with Chiba Jūtarō Kazutane. During this time, he met Chiba Sana, Sadakichi's daughter, and the two became engaged. In 1858, Sakamoto returned to Tosa to further his studies.

In Their Own Story

In 1853, the Perry Expedition began while Sakamoto was studying and teaching in Edo. Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the United States arrived with a fleet of ships to forcibly end the sakoku policy. In March 1854, Perry pressured the Tokugawa to sign the Convention of Kanagawa, officially ending sakoku but widely perceived in Japan as an 'unequal treaty.' The prestige of the Shōgun was severely damaged. In 1862, Sakamoto's friend Takechi Hanpeita organized the Tosa Loyalist Party 'Kinnoto,' a Sonnō jōi organization of about 2000 samurai. Sakamoto participated in a plot to assassinate Yoshida Toyo but did not advocate; he believed Tosa Kinnoto should do something for all of Japan. He decided to separate from Takechi and leave Tosa without authorization, under penalty of death. One of his sisters committed suicide because she left without permission. Sakamoto later used the alias 'Saitani Umetarō' as he worked against the shōgun. That same year, he returned to the Chiba Dojo, reuniting with Chiba Sana. Her father Sadakichi encouraged a full show of commitment, and Sakamoto gifted Chiba a sleeve with his family crest, after which they were considered a married couple. While a rōnin, Sakamoto decided to assassinate Katsu Kaishū, a high-ranking Tokugawa official, but Katsu persuaded him of the necessity of a long-term plan to increase Japan's military strength. Instead, Sakamoto started working as his assistant and protégé. In 1864, Sakamoto fled to Kagoshima in Satsuma Domain. In 1866, he took part in the negotiation process of the secret Satchō Alliance between Satsuma and Chōshū, though the critical role was played by Komatsu Tatewaki. Sakamoto founded the private navy and trading company Kameyama Shachū in Nagasaki City, which later became kaientai. In March 1866, several agents of the shogunate attempted to assassinate him at the Teradaya ryokan in Kyoto. He was alerted by his future wife Narasaki Ryō, who was surprised in her bath and ran across a garden to warn him. He used a Western firearm, a Smith and Wesson revolver, to fight off the attackers. Sakamoto was assassinated at the Ōmiya Inn in Kyoto on 10 December 1867, at age 31. Assassins knocked at the door; his bodyguard Yamada Tōkichi answered and was fatally slashed when he turned his back. The assassins rushed upstairs, and Sakamoto and his associate Nakaoka Shintarō were killed in a confused melée.

Reader's Guide

Sakamoto Ryōma was a low-ranking samurai from Tosa who became a key figure in the Bakumatsu period. He advocated for democracy, Japanese nationalism, return of power to the Imperial Court, abolition of feudalism, and moderate modernization and industrialization of Japan. He successfully negotiated the Satchō Alliance between the rival Chōshū and Satsuma domains, uniting them against the Bakufu. He founded the Kameyama Shachū, later known as kaientai, a private navy and trading company. He played a crucial role in negotiations leading to the voluntary resignation of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1867, bringing about the Meiji Restoration. His life was cut short by assassination at the Ōmiya Inn in Kyoto on 10 December 1867, alongside his companion Nakaoka Shintarō.

Did You Know?

• Sakamoto was born on 3 January 1836 in Kōchi, Tosa Province, and by the Japanese calendar on the 15th day of the 11th month of the sixth year of Tenpō.
• His family held the rank of country samurai (gōshi), the lowest rank, purchased by previous generations as sake brewers.
• He was a master swordsman and became a shihan at the Chiba-Dōjō, teaching Kenjutsu alongside Chiba Jūtarō Kazutane.
• He used a Smith and Wesson revolver to fight off assassins at the Teradaya ryokan in March 1866, after being warned by his future wife Narasaki Ryō.
• Sakamoto was assassinated at the Ōmiya Inn in Kyoto on 10 December 1867, at age 31, alongside his companion Nakaoka Shintarō.