Sakamoto Ryoma
Encyclopedia
was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate
during the Bakumatsu period in Japan
. Ryōma used the alias .
, of Tosa
han
(present day Kōchi Prefecture
, Shikoku
). By the Japanese calendar
, this was the sixth year of Tenpō
. His family in previous generations had acquired enough wealth as sake brewers to purchase the rank of merchant samurai
, which was the lowest rank in the samurai social hierarchy. After he was bullied at school, his older sister enrolled him in a fencing school. By the time he reached adulthood he was a master swordsman. In 1853, he was in Edo
as a disciple of Chiba Sadakichi, a master swordsman of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style of kenjutsu
when Commodore Perry of the United States
arrived with a fleet of ships to force Japan out of its centuries-old national isolation policy
. Ryōma was drawn to patriotic elements within the samurai-class who supported the Sonnō Jōi
(‘revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians’) political philosophy. He was recruited into an anti-Tokugawa
, pro-Emperor party within the Tosa domain by Takechi Hanpeita
, but was forced to flee into exile as a ronin
when their plot to seize control of the domain was revealed.
, a high-ranking official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a supporter of both modernization and westernization. However, Katsu Kaishū persuaded Ryōma of the necessity of a long-term plan to increase Japan’s military strength. Instead of killing Katsu Kaishū, Ryōma started working as his assistant and protégé.
In 1864, as the Tokugawa shogunate started taking a hard line, Ryōma fled to Kagoshima in Satsuma domain, which was developing as a major centre for the anti-Tokugawa movement. Ryōma negotiated the secret alliance
between Chōshū and Satsuma provinces. Satsuma and Chōshū historically had been absolute enemies, and Ryōma's position as a "neutral outsider" was critical in bridging the gap in trust.
Ryōma is often regarded as the "father of the Imperial Japanese Navy
", as he worked under Katsu Kaishū
's direction toward creating a modern naval force (with the aid of western powers) to enable Satsuma and Chōshū to hold their own against the naval forces of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ryōma founded the private navy and trading company Kameyama Shachū (亀山社中) in Nagasaki City by the help of Satsuma. Later Kameyama Shachū became Kaientai
or Ocean Support Fleet.
Chōshū’s subsequent victory over the Tokugawa army in 1866 and the impending collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate made Ryōma a valuable commodity to his former masters in Tosa. Ryōma was recalled to Kōchi with honours. The Tosa domain was anxious to obtain a negotiated settlement between the Shogun 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. Ryōma played a crucial role in the subsequent negotiations that led to the voluntary resignation of the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu
in 1867, thus bringing about the Meiji Restoration
.
Ryōma was assassinated
at the age of 33 (according to the old lunar calendar he was born on 15 November 1835 and killed on his birthday in 1867) at the Ōmiya (近江屋) inn in Kyoto
, not long before the Meiji Restoration took place. Initial reports accused members of the Shinsengumi
for Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō's deaths (and Shinsengumi leader Kondō Isami
was allegedly executed on that pretense), but another pro-Shogun
group, the Mimawarigumi
's Imai Nobuo confessed to the murder in 1870. Although Sasaki Tadasaburō and Imai Nobuo carry the blame, the true assassin has never been proven in a court of law.
trappings. He read about and was inspired by the example of the United States
where "all men are created equal
". He realized that in order to compete with an industrially and technologically advanced outside world, the Japanese people needed to modernize. He has also been seen as an intriguing mix of the traditional and modern, symbolized by his preference for samurai dress while favoring western footwear.
There is a Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum (坂本龍馬記念館) in Kōchi.
On 15 November 2009, Hokkaidō Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum was built in Hakodate, Hokkaidō
.
Asteroid 2835 Ryoma
is named after him. Asteroid 5823 Oryo is named after his wife.
Stepmother
Brother
Sisters
Wife
Child
described his role playing him in the NHK
drama Ryōmaden
.
He is also depicted in the Japanese medical/historical-fiction manga
series Jin
.
Sakamoto is also a recurring character in the NHK
Taiga Drama
: Shinsengumi!
. He is portrayed as a friend of Kondō Isami
since their younger days. In the drama he is assassinated by Sasaki Tadasaburō and the Mimawarigumi
.
Sakamoto appears in the historical manga, Shura no Toki, which was later adapted into the anime, Mutsuen Meiryū Gaiden: Shura no Toki.
In the popular Gintama
series have been a character named Sakamoto Tatsuma, head chief of Kaientai
, which is based on Ryōma.
He appears in the Bakumatsu chapter of the SNES game Live A Live
as a prisoner that the player must rescue.
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
during the Bakumatsu period in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Ryōma used the alias .
Early life
Ryōma was born in KōchiKochi, Kochi
is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of...
, of Tosa
Tosa Domain
The was a feudal domain in Tosa Province of Japan during the Edo period. Its official name is . Some from the domain played important roles in events in the late Tokugawa shogunate...
han
Han (Japan)
The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
(present day Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
). By the Japanese calendar
Japanese calendar
On January 1, 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before 1873, the Chinese style lunisolar calendar had been in use since 7th century. Japanese eras are still in use.-System:...
, this was the sixth year of Tenpō
Tenpo
was a , also known as Tempō, after Bunsei and before Kōka. The period spanned the years from December 1830 through December 1844...
. His family in previous generations had acquired enough wealth as sake brewers to purchase the rank of merchant samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, which was the lowest rank in the samurai social hierarchy. After he was bullied at school, his older sister enrolled him in a fencing school. By the time he reached adulthood he was a master swordsman. In 1853, he was in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
as a disciple of Chiba Sadakichi, a master swordsman of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style of kenjutsu
Kenjutsu
, meaning "the method, or technique, of the sword." This is opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. Kenjutsu is the umbrella term for all traditional schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration...
when Commodore Perry of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
arrived with a fleet of ships to force Japan out of its centuries-old national isolation policy
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
. Ryōma was drawn to patriotic elements within the samurai-class who supported the Sonnō Jōi
Sonno joi
is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement derived from Neo-Confucianism; it became a political slogan in the 1850s and 1860s in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, during the Bakumatsu period.-Origin:...
(‘revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians’) political philosophy. He was recruited into an anti-Tokugawa
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, pro-Emperor party within the Tosa domain by Takechi Hanpeita
Takechi Hanpeita
, also known as , was a samurai of the Tosa han during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. As leader of the Tosa Kin no To, which supported the Sonnō Jōi movement, he tried to take control of the Tosa Han and receive the support of Sakamoto Ryōma, but was arrested for the assassination of Yoshida Tōyō...
, but was forced to flee into exile as a ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
when their plot to seize control of the domain was revealed.
Bakumatsu period
While a ronin, Ryōma decided to assassinate Katsu KaishūKatsu Kaishu
was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy by Sakuma Shōzan. He went through a series of given names throughout his life; his childhood name was and his real name was...
, a high-ranking official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a supporter of both modernization and westernization. However, Katsu Kaishū persuaded Ryōma of the necessity of a long-term plan to increase Japan’s military strength. Instead of killing Katsu Kaishū, Ryōma started working as his assistant and protégé.
In 1864, as the Tokugawa shogunate started taking a hard line, Ryōma fled to Kagoshima in Satsuma domain, which was developing as a major centre for the anti-Tokugawa movement. Ryōma negotiated the secret alliance
Satcho Alliance
The ', or Satchō Alliance was a military alliance between the feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū formed in 1866 to combine their efforts to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan....
between Chōshū and Satsuma provinces. Satsuma and Chōshū historically had been absolute enemies, and Ryōma's position as a "neutral outsider" was critical in bridging the gap in trust.
Ryōma is often regarded as the "father of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
", as he worked under Katsu Kaishū
Katsu Kaishu
was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy by Sakuma Shōzan. He went through a series of given names throughout his life; his childhood name was and his real name was...
's direction toward creating a modern naval force (with the aid of western powers) to enable Satsuma and Chōshū to hold their own against the naval forces of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ryōma founded the private navy and trading company Kameyama Shachū (亀山社中) in Nagasaki City by the help of Satsuma. Later Kameyama Shachū became Kaientai
Kaientai
The ' was a trading and shipping company and private navy, considered to be the first modern corporation in Japan. Originally named Kameyama Shachū , it was founded by Sakamoto Ryōma in Nagasaki in 1865 during the Bakumatsu – a period of upheaval when Japan was seeking modernisation and shedding...
or Ocean Support Fleet.
Chōshū’s subsequent victory over the Tokugawa army in 1866 and the impending collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate made Ryōma a valuable commodity to his former masters in Tosa. Ryōma was recalled to Kōchi with honours. The Tosa domain was anxious to obtain a negotiated settlement between the Shogun 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. Ryōma played a crucial role in the subsequent negotiations that led to the voluntary resignation of the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful...
in 1867, thus bringing about the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
Ryōma was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
at the age of 33 (according to the old lunar calendar he was born on 15 November 1835 and killed on his birthday in 1867) at the Ōmiya (近江屋) inn in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, not long before the Meiji Restoration took place. Initial reports accused members of the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
for Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō's deaths (and Shinsengumi leader Kondō Isami
Kondo Isami
was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo Period, famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi.-Background:Isami, who was first known as Katsugorō, was born to Miyagawa Hisajirō, a farmer residing in Kami-Ishihara village in Musashi Province, now in the city of Chōfu in Western...
was allegedly executed on that pretense), but another pro-Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
group, the Mimawarigumi
Mimawarigumi
The was a special police force created by the Tokugawa shogunate during the late Bakumatsu period to restore public order to Kyoto.In the unsettled period after to ending of the national isolation policy, the political situation in Japan became increasing chaotic...
's Imai Nobuo confessed to the murder in 1870. Although Sasaki Tadasaburō and Imai Nobuo carry the blame, the true assassin has never been proven in a court of law.
Legacy
Ryōma was a visionary who envisioned a Japan without any feudalFeudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
trappings. He read about and was inspired by the example of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where "all men are created equal
All men are created equal
The quotation "All men are created equal" has been called an "immortal declaration", and "perhaps" the single phrase of the United States Revolutionary period with the greatest "continuing importance". Thomas Jefferson first used the phrase in the Declaration of Independence as a rebuttal to the...
". He realized that in order to compete with an industrially and technologically advanced outside world, the Japanese people needed to modernize. He has also been seen as an intriguing mix of the traditional and modern, symbolized by his preference for samurai dress while favoring western footwear.
Honors in modern times
On 15 November 2003, the Kōchi Airport was renamed to the Kōchi Ryōma Airport in his honor.There is a Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum (坂本龍馬記念館) in Kōchi.
On 15 November 2009, Hokkaidō Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum was built in Hakodate, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
.
Asteroid 2835 Ryoma
2835 Ryoma
2835 Ryoma is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 20, 1982 by T. Seki at Geisei.- External links :*...
is named after him. Asteroid 5823 Oryo is named after his wife.
Family
Parents- Father Yahei (Imina Naotari)
- Mother Sachi
Stepmother
- Iyo
Brother
- Gonbei (the elder)
Sisters
- Chizu (the eldest)
- Ei (the second)
- Tome (the third)
Wife
- Narasaki RyōNarasaki Ryōwas a Japanese woman and the wife of Sakamoto Ryōma, an architect of the Meiji Restoration. She was active in political affairs via her husband during the Late Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Period. She is commonly called Oryō in Japan....
(commonly called Oryō)
Child
- Tarō (adopted child, Chizu's child)
In popular culture
An April 2010 Japan Times article wrote "Ryōma has inspired at least seven television drama series, six novels, seven manga and five films." His appeal stems from being "the kind of person onto whom anyone can project themselves", as actor Masaharu FukuyamaMasaharu Fukuyama
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, actor, radio personality, and photographer from Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture. He is the best-selling male solo artist in Japan. He is a member of entertainment company Amuse, Inc. and is known for his low, deep voice. Among fans, he is...
described his role playing him in the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
drama Ryōmaden
Ryōmaden
is the 49th NHK Taiga drama. It was shown on NHK from January 3 to November 28, 2010 spanning 48 episodes. The story centers on the life of 19th century Japanese historical figures Iwasaki Yatarō and Sakamoto Ryōma...
.
He is also depicted in the Japanese medical/historical-fiction manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series Jin
Jin (manga)
is a Japanese seinen manga written and illustrated by Motoka Murakami, which was featured on Super Jump during its original run from 2000 to 2010....
.
Sakamoto is also a recurring character in the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
Taiga Drama
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
: Shinsengumi!
Shinsengumi!
is a Taiga drama television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about shinsengumi, the Japanese special police from the Shogun period....
. He is portrayed as a friend of Kondō Isami
Kondo Isami
was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo Period, famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi.-Background:Isami, who was first known as Katsugorō, was born to Miyagawa Hisajirō, a farmer residing in Kami-Ishihara village in Musashi Province, now in the city of Chōfu in Western...
since their younger days. In the drama he is assassinated by Sasaki Tadasaburō and the Mimawarigumi
Mimawarigumi
The was a special police force created by the Tokugawa shogunate during the late Bakumatsu period to restore public order to Kyoto.In the unsettled period after to ending of the national isolation policy, the political situation in Japan became increasing chaotic...
.
Sakamoto appears in the historical manga, Shura no Toki, which was later adapted into the anime, Mutsuen Meiryū Gaiden: Shura no Toki.
In the popular Gintama
Gintama
, also known as Gintama, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi and serialized, beginning on December 8, 2003, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump...
series have been a character named Sakamoto Tatsuma, head chief of Kaientai
Kaientai
The ' was a trading and shipping company and private navy, considered to be the first modern corporation in Japan. Originally named Kameyama Shachū , it was founded by Sakamoto Ryōma in Nagasaki in 1865 during the Bakumatsu – a period of upheaval when Japan was seeking modernisation and shedding...
, which is based on Ryōma.
He appears in the Bakumatsu chapter of the SNES game Live A Live
Live A Live
is a console role-playing game developed by Square for the Super Famicom released in Japan on September 2, 1994. It was never released outside Japan, but it has been unofficially translated into English....
as a prisoner that the player must rescue.
External links
- Kōchi Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum
- Hokkaidō Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum
- Nagasaki Kameyamashachū Memorial Museum
- Kyōto National Museum 2005 - Sakamoto Ryōma exhibitions
- 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden"
- Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture "Ryōmaden Kan 2010"
- National Diet Library electronic library"Kanketsu senri no koma"'
- National Diet Library biography & photo
- National Diet Library Shin seifu koryō hassaku
- Japan MintJapan MintThe is an Incorporated Administrative Agency of the Japanese government. This agency has its Head office in Osaka with branches in Tokyo and Hiroshima.-History:...
: Sakamoto Ryōma 2007 Proof Coin Set