Sakamoto Ryouma
The low-ranking Tosa samurai who became a key negotiator for the Satchō Alliance and the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Sakamoto Ryōma was a Japanese samurai, a shishi and influential figure of the Bakumatsu, and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. He was a low-ranking samurai from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an active opponent of the Tokugawa Shogunate after the end of Japan's sakoku isolationist policy. Under the alias Saitani Umetarō, he worked against the Bakufu and was often hunted by their supporters and the Shinsengumi. Sakamoto 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 powerful rival Chōshū and Satsuma domains and united them against the Bakufu. Sakamoto was assassinated in December 1867 with his companion Nakaoka Shintarō, shortly before the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Samurai
- shishi
- influential figure of the Bakumatsu
- Affiliation
- Tosa Domain, Kameyama Shachū/kaientai
- Weapon
- Smith and Wesson revolver, sword (master swordsman of Hokushin Ittō-ryū)
- Notable alias
- Saitani Umetarō
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.
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.
- 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.
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