Sakamoto Ryoma's Sword

Lore & Background

Sakamoto Ryōma began training in fencing at age 14 after being bullied at school, studying the Oguri-ryū style. In 1853, he traveled to Edo to train at the famous Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hyōhō Chiba-Dōjō, led by Headmaster Chiba Sadakichi Masamichi. Sakamoto received a scroll declaring his mastery and became a shihan (master instructor) at the dojo, teaching kenjutsu alongside Chiba Jūtarō Kazutane. By adulthood, he was by all accounts a master swordsman.

In Their Own Story

In 1866, several agents of the shogunate attempted to assassinate Sakamoto Ryōma by ambushing him at the Teradaya ryokan in Kyoto. He was alerted just in time by his future wife Narasaki Ryō (Oryō), who was surprised in her bath by the attackers and ran across a garden to warn him. Sakamoto used a Western firearm, a Smith and Wesson revolver, to fight off these attackers. The source does not describe any specific sword fight or dramatic battle involving his katana during this or other events.

Reader's Guide

It states that he was a master swordsman trained in the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style, having received a scroll of mastery and taught kenjutsu at the Chiba-Dōjō. The blade itself is not described in terms of balance, sharpness, or special abilities.

Did You Know?

• Sakamoto Ryōma began fencing lessons at age 14 after being bullied at school.
• He received a scroll of mastery from the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hyōhō Chiba-Dōjō and became a shihan (master instructor) there.
• During the Teradaya assassination attempt in March 1866, Sakamoto used a Smith and Wesson revolver, not his sword, to fight off attackers.
• Sakamoto was assassinated on 10 December 1867 at the Ōmiya Inn in Kyoto at age 31.
• He used the alias 'Saitani Umetarō' while working against the Tokugawa shogunate.