Cheat Sheet

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SAKAMOTO RYOMA

Born 1863 in Kochi on the island of Shikoku, he was a samurai in Tosa domain. However, his family had bought the title of samurai generations earlier thanks to wealth accumulated brewing sake. This meant that the Nakamoto were goshi, “low level merchant samurai.” Unlike many domains, Tosa had very strict rules to differentiate the high class samurai from the lower samurai. Despite these restrictions, Sakamoto was afforded an education (though brief) and attended a fencing classes at a young age. It is said that he was bullied at the school.

As an adult, he received permission to leave and travel to redo to polish his mastered sword skills. It is unclear if he received his menkyo kaiden scroll but it is known that he was accomplished enough to teach kenjutsu along side his instructor. In 1853, he witnessed the arrival of the “black ships.” The incident left him with strong anti-foreigner sentiments but also very curious. A year later, he returned to Tosa and studied under Kawada Shoryo, a scholar of the west.

In 1861, long time friend, Takeuchi Zuizan, forms the Tosa Loyalist Party to expel foreigners. Their motto was “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Foreigners.” Consisting of 200 samurai, mostly of low rank, they wanted to reform the Tosa government. Tosa refused to acknowledge the group and so they decided to assassinate Yoshida Toyo, the current head of the Tosa domain and in charge of reform and modernization. It is said that Ryoma did not advocate for the plot but was involved. Following disagreements about spreading their vision through out Japan, Ryoma left Tosa without permission. He was branded an outlaw and if caught, would be sentenced to death. After he left Tosa, Yoshida Toyo was assassinated. One of his sisters also committed suicide due to Ryoma leaving. As an outlaw, Ryoma adopted the alias “Saitani Umetaro.”

A ronin on the run, Ryoma decided to assassinate Katsu Kaishu, a high ranking official of the Tokugawa shogunate and avid supporter of modernization and westernization. The attempt failed when the two unexpectedly became friends. Ryoma came to share his vision and became one of his disciples. Katsu secured a pardon for Ryoma for leaving Tosa on the condition that he return. However, Ryoma refused and remained an outlaw.

Despite being an outlaw, he enjoyed the freedoms that came from not being bound to a particular clan. He traveled through out Japan and worked to share his image for political and economic reform. He established a foreign trading company, the Kameyama Company. It was the first of it’s kind in Japan, was funded by the Satsuma Domain, and ran supplies to Choshu. He also began Japan’s first modern navy which would earn him the title of “father of the Imperial Japanese Navy.”

Already friends with Satsuma leaders, he came to befriend Choshu leaders as well and became a “trusted neutral third party” between the two rival clans. Ryoma worked closely with the Satsuma and Choshu clans in secret. Eventually, he brokered an alliance to form an anti-Tokugawa alliance. It would become one of his greatest accomplishments. The night after the alliance was made, he was attacked and injured by pro-bakufu police forces. A popular story from Sakamoto himself claims that he fought his way out using a gun. It was said to be a Smith and Wesson revolver.

Still pursued by the Tokugawa government, Ryoma orchestrated successful victories against the Tokugawa armies with the Choshu and Satsuma. His success was so great, he was recalled to Tosa with a second pardon and honors. To the Tosa, it was clear that reform was coming and they hoped Ryoma would broker a deal between the Shogun and Emperor before the Choshu-Satsuma alliance did first and emerged as the dominant power. Ryoma remained with the alliance but worked with the Tosa to reform their navy. He also came to sell rifles and it would be his first time visiting his Tosa family in 5 years. He adopted Taro, son of his eldest sister, Chizu, who committed suicide earlier. In 1867, he played a crucial role in negotiations that resulted in the voluntary resignation of the the Tokugawa Shogun, thus, bringing about the Meiji Restoration.

On 30 November Ryoma returned to Kyoto. He worked out an eight point plan for a new government. Kyoto was in a state of confusion over the state of governmental affairs and there was resentment for Ryoma. Aware of this and the fact that several police forces were likely to be searching for him, Ryoma and his forces faced hostility and danger. He’d already had one brush with death and he was warned to be careful lest he face another attempt on his life.

Aware of the dangers he faced, Ryoma held his headquarters at the Omiya. The owner loaned him a back room above the storehouse which had exits that permitted for a rapid escape to a nearby temple for sanctuary. Upon his arrival this November, however, he became ill and moved to a more accessibly forward room to avoid inconvenience.

On 10 December, he met with his friend, Nakaoka Shintaro and the two talked into the night. Ryoma was still pale from illness. A caller arrived and asked to speak to Ryoma. His bodyguard turned to see if Ryoma would take guests at the hour and was slashed fatally in the back. Ryoma overheard and called out to his bodyguard, thinking he was wrestling with a friend. When he opened the door to his room, he was charged. The lamps were knocked over, the room went dark, by the end of the night, Ryoma was dead. Ryoma in particular was brutally attacked, suffering wounds to his head, face, body, and limbs. Shintaro's injuries were less severe but nonetheless, still fatal. The attack was so quick, neither had a chance to draw their sword. With his last words, he regretted being caught unprepared.

At his service, many spoke highly of Ryoma due to his warm, engaging, and optimistic spirit. He was called "a real hero" by his friends. The epitaph for their tombs in the temple graveyard of Kyoto Higashiyama read,

"The warriors are surrounded by their valor,
And, as gods, they still protect the country."

Ryoma had only survived to see one month of the Meiji. His assassins were never caught. At the time, many believed the Shinsengumi had ordered the assassination, some citing Sanosuke Harada as one of the assassins. When Kondo Isami was caught by the new government, formed mostly of Satsuma and Choshu, he was executed for Sakamoto's assassination. The Shinsengumi never laid claim to the assassination. However, the Mimawarigumi, another police force in Kyoto, laid claim and cited members, Sasaki Tadasaburo and Imai Nobuo, as the assassins. The true assassin was never proven.

Recent speculation accuses Katsura Hayanosuke (Sonosuke), also a member of the Mimawarigumi, of being the one to kill Sakamoto. Katsura’s wakizashi was displayed in a museum in 1996. It was a 42 centimeters and the blade had a broken edge, reportedly from when Katsura and Nakamoto fought. Except there's still the story that Sakamoto never even got a chance to draw his sword SO WHO EVEN FUCKING KNOWS NO ONE DOES SAKAMOTO HIMSELF PROBABLY DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR BEING ALL OVER THE PLACE DUDE

Ryoma was a pretty talented guy, most known for his progress and efforts made in politics, economics, military, and social reform. He's been popularized in various forms of media, often romanticized to different levels of accuracy, often criticizing the Tokugawa government, passionately trying to achieve a dream, occasionally having to run and fight for his life, and always dying with more to accomplish.

Other Sources: ( Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum. ) ( Sakamoto's revolver & second source. ) ( Katsura Hayonosuke (Sonosuke). )
( "We couldn't kill Sakamoto bc we were too busy dealing with another assassination." -Shinsengumi ) ( yue-ciel ) ( mei-tou )

MUTSUNOKAMI YOSHIYUKI

Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki was forged by a blacksmith in Tosa in the mid to late 17th century. It was commissioned by by the Sakamoto clan and became a family heirloom. When Ryoma left Tosa and accepted his banishment, he took the sword with him. Some say his older sister, Otome, gave it to him but others say it was given to him as a present by his elder brother. In the case of the latter, it is said that his brother trusted Ryoma with the fate of the Nakamoto clan and awaited Ryoma’s return home.

One version of Ryoma’s death says that he regretted being caught off guard in his last moments. Another, romanticized version, claims that in his last moments, he became nostalgic for his family and wished to be “reunited” with them. He reached for his sword and died holding on to the sheath.

Ryoma is known for trying to westernize Japan, he also enjoyed tradition. It made him a pretty unique guy! Though he studied, sold, and even used guns, he still carried and used his samurai sword even though, in Mutsu's own words, swords were "old fashioned." Mutsu also suggests that carrying a sword would have been against the law in the Meiji Era but the Haitorei Edict wasn't enacted until 1876. It was a part of a series of edicts that began in 1870. So things come down to what happened to Mutsunokami between after Ryoma was killed and it ending up in display at the Tokyo-Edo Museum. I can't find it exactly but I'm assuming it was returned to the Sakamoto family if it really was an heirloom. So basically his master dies and he ends up stuck back at home after a few years just because there isn't much of a purpose for him anymore. Bites.

Other Sources: ( Tourabu Wiki. ) ( Google Book. )

TIMELINE

I'm lazy leave me alone

EXTRA

Mutsu speaks with a Tosa accent.

Kochi’s famous dish, Katsuo Tataki, is said to have been developed by Sakamoto Ryoma who picked up the technique for lightly searing meat from westerners in Nagasaki.