 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Japanese.Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Sakamoto Ryōma 坂本龍馬 | |
|---|---|
 Ryomac. 1860s | |
| Born | (1836-01-03)3 January 1836 Kōchi, Tosa Province, Tokugawa Shogunate |
| Died | 10 December 1867(1867-12-10) (aged 31) Kyoto, Yamashiro Province, Tokugawa Shogunate |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Other names | Imina Naokage, Naonari |
| Occupation(s) | Samurai,politician |
| Spouse | Narasaki Ryō |
| Parent(s) | Hachihei (Naotari), Sachi |
| Japanese name | |
| Kyūjitai | 坂本 龍馬 |
| Shinjitai | 坂本 竜馬 |
Sakamoto Ryōma (坂本龍馬 or 坂本竜馬; 3 January 1836 – 10 December 1867) was aJapanesesamurai, ashishi and influential figure of theBakumatsu, and establishment of theEmpire of Japan in the lateEdo period.
Sakamoto was a low-ranking samurai from theTosa Domain onShikoku and became an active opponent of theTokugawa Shogunate after the end of Japan'ssakoku isolationist policy. Under the aliasSaitani Umetarō (才谷梅太郎), he worked against theBakufu, the government of theTokugawa shogunate, and was often hunted by their supporters and theShinsengumi. Sakamoto advocated fordemocracy, Japanesenationalism, return of power to theImperial Court, abolition offeudalism, and moderatemodernization andindustrialization of Japan. Sakamoto successfully negotiated theSatchō Alliance between the powerful rivalChōshū andSatsuma domains and united them against the Bakufu. Sakamoto was assassinated in December 1867 with his companionNakaoka Shintarō, shortly before theBoshin War and theMeiji Restoration.
Sakamoto Ryōma was born on 3 January 1836 inKōchi in thehan (domain) ofTosa, located inTosa Province (present-dayKōchi Prefecture) on the island ofShikoku. By theJapanese calendar, Sakamoto was born on the 15th day of the 11th month, of the sixth year ofTenpō. The Sakamoto family held the rank of countrysamurai orgōshi [ja], the lowest rank in thesamurai hierarchy, which previous generations had purchased by acquiring enough wealth assake brewers. Unlike other Japanese domains, Tosa had a strictly-enforced separation between thejoshi (high-ranking samurai) andkashi (low-ranking samurai). The ranks were treated unequally and residential areas were segregated; even in Sakamoto Ryōma's generation (the third in the Sakamoto family), his family's samurai rank remainedkashi.
At the age of twelve, Sakamoto was enrolled in aprivate school, but this was a brief episode in his life as he showed little scholarly inclination. Ryōma's older sister subsequently enrolled him infencing classes of the Oguri-ryū when he was 14 after he was bullied at school. By the time Sakamoto reached adulthood, he was by all accounts a masterswordsman. In 1853, Sakamoto was allowed by his clan to travel toEdo, the seat of the rulingTokugawa shogunate and thede facto capital of Japan, to train and polish his skills as a swordsman. Sakamoto enrolled as a student at the famousHokushin Ittō-ryū HyōhōChiba-Dōjō, which was led by its first Headmaster Chiba Sadakichi Masamichi at that time. Sakamoto received the scroll from the school that declared his mastery.[1] Sakamoto became ashihan at theChiba-Dōjō and taughtKenjutsu to the students together with Chiba Jūtarō Kazutane, in whom he found a close friend.
During his time at the Chiba Dojo, Sakamoto met Chiba Sana, Sadakichi's daughter. Within a few years, the two would become very close, with Ryoma requesting permission from Sadakichi to marry Sana. The two would become engaged. In 1858, Ryoma ended his training at the Chiba Dojo, returning to Tosa to further his studies. Despite their engagement, Sana and Ryoma would lose contact for several years.[2]
In 1853, thePerry Expedition began while Sakamoto was studying and teaching in Edo, beginning theBakumatsu period. CommodoreMatthew C. Perry of theUnited States arrived in Japan with a fleet of ships to forcibly end the centuries-oldsakoku policy of nationalisolationism. In March 1854, Perry pressured the Tokugawa to sign theConvention of Kanagawa, officially ending thesakoku policy but widely perceived in Japan as an "unequal treaty" and a sign of weakness. The prestige and legitimacy of theShōgun, ade factomilitary ruler with a nominal appointment from theEmperor of Japan, was severely damaged to the public. The convention was signed by therōjūAbe Masahiro, acting asregent for the young and sicklyShōgunTokugawa Iesada, against the will of theImperial Court in Kyoto, thede jure ruling authority. Anti-Tokugawa forces considered this evidence that theShōgun could no longer fulfil the Emperor's will, and therefore no longer fit to rule for him. Sakamoto and many of thesamurai class supported returning state power directly to the Imperial Court in Kyoto and beganagitating for the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate.
In 1858, Sakamoto returned to Tosa after completing his studies, and became politically active in the localSonnō jōi, the anti-Tokugawa movement arose in the aftermath of the Convention of Kanagawa.
In 1862, Sakamoto's friendTakechi Hanpeita (or Takechi Zuizan) organized theTosa Loyalist Party "Kinnoto", aSonnō jōi organization of about 2000 samurai (mostly from the lower rank) with the political slogan "Revere theEmperor, Expel the Barbarians" that insisted on the reform of the Tosa government.Yamauchi Toyoshige, thedaimyō (lord) of the Tosa Domain, refused to recognize the group. In response, Tosa Kinnoto plotted to assassinate Yamauchi's governor,Yoshida Toyo, who was appointed as areformer andmodernizer. Yoshida was later assassinated by Tosa Kinnoto after Sakamoto had left Tosa. Sakamoto participated in the plot but did not advocate: he believed Tosa Kinnoto should do something for all of Japan, while Takechi demanded a revolution for only the Tosa clan. Sakamoto decided to separate from Takechi and leave Tosa without authorization. In those days, no one in Japan was permitted to leave their clan without permission under thepenalty of death, known asdappan. One of Sakamoto's sisters committedsuicide because she left without permission. Sakamoto later used the alias "Saitani Umetarō" (才谷 梅太郎) as he worked against theshōgun.[3]
That same year, in 1862, Sakamoto returned to the Chiba Dojo, using it as a safe haven after running away from Tosa. While there, he reunited with Chiba Sana, and it is said that her father Sadakichi encouraged a full show of commitment to Sana from Sakamoto. With nothing else going on, Sakamoto gifted Chiba a sleeve with his family crest on it. Through this gesture, Sakamoto and Chiba were considered a married couple. Chiba would be informed of Sakamoto's death in 1868, when she still held on to the belief that she was his wife, being unaware that Sakamoto had marriedanother woman.[4]
Sakamoto is mentioned under this alias in the diary ofErnest Satow for 30 September 1867: "Mr. Saedani had to be sat up for laughing at the questions put by us, evidently with the object of ridiculing us out of our case, but he got a flea in his lug and shut up making the most diabolical faces."[5]
While arōnin, Sakamoto decided to assassinateKatsu Kaishū, a high-ranking official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a supporter of both modernization andwesternization. However, Katsu Kaishū persuaded Sakamoto of the necessity of a long-term plan to increase Japan's military strength in the face of Western influence which led to the Convention of Kanagawa. Instead of killing Katsu Kaishū, Sakamoto started working as his assistant andprotégé.
In 1864, as the Tokugawa shogunate began taking a hard line againstdissenters, Sakamoto fled toKagoshima inSatsuma Domain, which was developing as a major centre for the anti-Tokugawa movement. In 1866, Sakamoto took part in the negotiation process of the secretSatchō Alliance between the Satsuma andChōshū domains, which historically had been irreconcilable enemies. However, contrary to popular misconception, his position as a "neutral outsider" did not play an important role in the negotiations, as the critical role was in fact played byKomatsu Tatewaki.[6] Sakamoto founded the private navy and trading companyKameyama Shachū inNagasaki City with the help of the Satsuma, which later becamekaientai or Ocean Support Fleet.
Chōshū's subsequent victory over the Tokugawa army in 1866 and the impending collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate made Sakamoto a valuable commodity to his former masters in Tosa, and recalled to Kōchi with honours. The Tosa Domain was anxious to obtain a negotiated settlement between theShōgun and the Emperor, which would prevent the powerful Satchō Alliance from overthrowing the Tokugawa by force and thus emerging as a new dominant force in ruling Japan. Sakamoto again played a crucial role in the subsequent negotiations that led to the voluntary resignation of the ShogunTokugawa Yoshinobu in 1867, thus bringing about theMeiji Restoration.
In March of 1866, several agents of the shogunate attempted to assassinate Sakamoto Ryōma by ambushing him at the Teradayaryokan in Kyoto. Two aspects of this have become famous. Firstly, he was alerted just in time by his future wifeNarasaki Ryō (Oryō), who was surprised in her bath by the attackers and ran across a garden and up to the second floor of the inn to warn Sakamoto. Secondly, he used a Western firearm, aSmith and Wesson revolver, to fight off these attackers.[7]
Sakamoto wasassassinated at theŌmiya Inn (Omiya) in Kyoto on 10 December 1867, not long before theMeiji Restoration took place, at the age of 31. At night, assassins gathered at the door of the inn, one approached and knocked, acting as an ordinary caller. The door was answered by Sakamoto's bodyguard and manservant Yamada Tōkichi (山田藤吉), a formersumo wrestler, who told the stranger he would see if Sakamoto was accepting callers at that hour of the evening. When the bodyguard turned his back, the visitor at the door drew his sword and fatally slashed his back. The team of assassins then rushed in past the dying bodyguard and up the stairs to the guests' rooms. Sakamoto and his associateNakaoka Shintarō were resting and talking in one room. Hearing the scuffle on the first floor, Sakamoto opened the door to yell at his bodyguard, thinking he was wrestling with a friend. The assassins charged the room, some tearing through thepaper doors, and a confused melée ensued as lamps were knocked over and the room went dark. By the end of the fight, both Sakamoto and Shintaro lay badly wounded, and the assassins fled. Sakamoto died that night, regretting with his last words that his assassins caught him unprepared. Shintaro succumbed to injuries two days later, never regaining enough consciousness to identify the assassins, but mentioned hearingIyo dialect among the killers.
The night of the assassination was eventually called theOmiya Incident [ja] (近江屋事件). According to the traditionallunar calendar, Sakamoto was born on the 15th day of the 11th month, and killed on his birthday in 1867. Initial reports of Sakamoto's and Shintarō's deaths accused members of theShinsengumi, aspecial police force of swordsmen from theBakufu (Tokugawa military government) based inKyoto. Shinsengumi leaderKondō Isami was later executed on this charge. However, members of another pro-shōgun group, theMimawarigumi, confessed to the murder in 1870. AlthoughMimawarigumi membersSasaki Tadasaburō (佐々木 只三郎) andImai Nobuo [ja] carry the blame, the identity of the true assassin has never been proven.[8]Okuda Matsugoro, who was known for working since his early adolescence as a spy for Kondō, was rumoured to have taken part in the assassination.[9]
Sakamoto was a visionary who dreamt of an independent Japan withoutfeudalism or thecaste system, inspired by the example of the United States where "all men are created equal". Sakamoto was an admirer ofdemocratic principles and studied democratic governance, particularly theUnited States Congress andBritish Parliament, as a model for the governance of Japan after the Restoration. Sakamoto argued that after centuries of having little-to-no political power, the Imperial Court lacked the resources and wherewithal to run the country. Sakamoto wrote the "Eight Proposals While Shipboard" (『船中八策』) while discussing the future model of the Japanese government withGotō Shōjirō on board a Tosa ship outside Nagasaki in 1867. Sakamoto outlined the need for a democratically electedbicameral legislature, the writing of aconstitution, the formation of a nationalarmy and navy, and the regulation of theexchange rates ofgold andsilver. Sakamoto read about the Western world and realized that for Japan to compete with an industrially and technologically advanced outside world, the Japanese people needed to modernize. Sakamoto's proposals are thought to form the basis for the subsequentparliamentary system implemented in Japan after his death.
Sakamoto has also been seen as an intriguing mix of the traditional and modern, symbolized by his preference for samurai dress while favouring Western footwear.[citation needed]
Sakamoto has been heavily featured and romanticizedin Japanese popular culture.
On 15 November 2003, the Kōchi Airport was renamed theKōchi Ryōma Airport in his honour.
There is aSakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum (坂本龍馬記念館) south of Kōchi, with a large bronze statue of Sakamoto overlooking the sea. The city of Kōchi has a number of Sakamoto-themed attractions and locations, including the Sakamoto Ryōma Birthplace Memorial, and theSakamoto Ryōma Hometown Museum, dedicated to showing what downtown Kōchi was like during his childhood, including relevant aspects that may have influenced his views. On 15 November 2009, the Hokkaidō Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum was built inHakodate,Hokkaido.
Asteroid2835 Ryoma is named after him. Asteroid 5823 Oryo is named after his wife.
Parents
Stepmother
Brother
Sisters
Wife
Child
 | This articlemay containirrelevant references topopular culture. Please helpimprove it by removing such content and addingcitations toreliable,independent sources.(July 2025) |
An April 2010Japan Times article stated "Ryōma has inspired at least seven television drama series, six novels, seven manga and five films." ActorMasaharu Fukuyama said that Ryoma's appeal stems from being "the kind of person onto whom anyone can project themselves", when describing his role as Ryoma in theNHKTaiga dramaRyōmaden.[10]
Sakamoto Ryōma is a prominent character in the 2009–2011 TV seriesJin, portrayed by actorMasaaki Uchino.
In the thirteenth episode of the anime seriesArakawa Under the Bridge (2010), the character known as Last Samurai performs an impression of Ryōma. During his impression, he exclaims "my shoulder huuuuurts," to which the main character, Recruit, responds "that was an everyday Ryōma!"[11]
Sakamoto Ryōma appears as the mainprotagonist ofLike a Dragon: Ishin!, a spin-off of theLike a Dragon game series. He has the visual likeness and voice ofKazuma Kiryu.[12]
He appears as a major supporting character inRise of the Rōnin and as a secondary character inInazuma Eleven Go Chrono Stones.
In the 2018NHKTaiga dramaSegodon, Ryoma is portrayed byShun Oguri.
He is also the inspiration and basis for the character of Sakamoto Tatsuma in themanga andanime seriesGintama created byHideaki Sorachi.
Sakamoto Ryōma is a character in the "Shura no toki" manga.
Sakamoto Ryoma appeared in the 2024 drama "With You I Bloom: The Shinsengumi Youth Chronicle" based on the 1963 Shinsengumi manga byOsamu Tezuka. He was portrayed by Ryuji Sato.[13]
Sakamoto Ryōma is a playable character in the "Infiltrator" chapter ofLive A Live (1994). He is held as a political prisoner by the warlord Ode Iou, but is later freed by the shinobi Oboromaru and joins him in stopping Ode's plans.[14] He also appears as aplayable character in the mobile gameFate/Grand Order, with additional appearances in otherFate media, like the mangaFate/KOHA-ACE and its revised adaptation,Fate/type Redline.[15] Sakamoto is also a playable character inLike a Dragon: Ishin! andRise of the Rōnin.
