Sakamoto Ryoma stands as a pivotal figure in the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate, revered as one of the Edo period's greatest heroes. Born on January 3, 1836, in Kochi, Toda domain in Shikoku, Ryoma hailed from a lineage of affluent sake brewers. His great grandfather's investment secured the family the status of merchant samurai, known as Goshi, within the samurai hierarchy.
Demonstrating exceptional swordsmanship from a young age, Ryoma earned the privilege to travel to Edo to hone his skills further. He underwent training at the prestigious Hokushin Itto-Ryu school, achieving the esteemed rank of Shihan (master instructor) and later imparting his knowledge of sword techniques at the same institution. Upon his return to Kochi in 1858, Ryoma found Japan grappling with the repercussions of Commodore Matthew C. Perry's arrival in 1854, which shattered the nation's self-imposed isolation and sparked anti-foreign and anti-Tokugawa sentiments.
While rebel factions in Tosa, Ryoma's home domain, initially advocated for localized reforms, Ryoma championed nationwide change. Despite the risk of death (as demonstrated by his sister's suicide), Ryoma defied orders and targeted Katsu Kaishu, a prominent Tokugawa official, for assassination. However, upon confronting Kaishu, Ryoma was swayed by the latter's vision of modernizing Japan's military strength and opted to become his assistant instead of an assassin. Together, they established a formidable naval force.
Ryoma's most significant contribution came from uniting former adversaries—the Satsuma and Choshu clans—forming a coalition that would ultimately dismantle the Tokugawa Shogunate after 260 years of rule.
Unfortunately, on December 10, 1867, Ryoma and his companion Nakaoka Shintaro fell victim to an ambush at the Omiya Inn in Kyoto. Assassins, purportedly from the Shinsengumi, attacked, fatally injuring both Ryoma and Nakaoka. Ryoma succumbed to his wounds that night, while Nakaoka passed away two days later. Despite accusations and executions within the Shinsengumi, the identities of Ryoma's assailants remain undisclosed.
Ryoma's legacy endures as a symbol of selfless devotion to Japan's welfare. His principles and untimely demise have immortalized him as a national hero, revered to this day.
See also
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
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Matsudaira Hirotada
Matsudaira Hirotada (June 9, 1526 – April 3, 1549) was a daimyo and lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province during Japan’s turbulent Sengoku Period. He is best known as the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Ikeda Tsuneoki
Ikeda Tsuneoki (1536 – May 18, 1584), also known as Ikeda Nobuteru, was a prominent daimyo of the Ikeda clan and a distinguished military commander during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He served under the influential warlords Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Tsuneoki’s connection to Nobunaga began early, as his mother, Yotokuin, was Nobunaga’s wet nurse and later became a concubine to Oda Nobuhide, Nobunaga's father.
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Oda Nobutaka
Oda Nobutaka (1558–1583) was a samurai of the Oda clan, also known as Kanbe Nobutaka after being adopted as the head of the Kanbe clan, which governed the central region of Ise Province. He was the third son of Oda Nobunaga, born to a concubine named Sakashi. Nobutaka was referred to as "San Shichi," possibly because he was born on the seventh day of the third month in the Japanese lunar calendar. However, there is a theory suggesting he was born twenty days earlier than his elder brother, Oda Nobukatsu, but due to delays in reporting and the low status of his mother’s family, he was acknowledged as Nobunaga’s third son.
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Yamauchi Kazutoyo
Yamauchi Kazutoyo (also spelled Yamanouchi; 1545/1546? – November 1, 1605) was a prominent samurai and retainer who served Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. His father, Yamauchi Moritoyo, was a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato and a senior retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan, which opposed Oda Nobunaga. Moritoyo was also the lord of Kuroda Castle in Owari Province. Kazutoyo is especially renowned for his marriage to Yamauchi Chiyo, whose wisdom and resourcefulness played a key role in his rise to prominence.
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Saito Tatsuoki
Saito Tatsuoki (6 September 1548 - 1573) was a daimyo of Mino Province during Japan's Sengoku period and the third-generation lord of the Saito clan. He was the son of Saito Yoshitatsu and grandson of Saito Dosan. His mother was a daughter of Azai Hisamasa, making him a nephew of Azai Nagamasa and a relative of Oda Nobunaga's first wife, Nohime, who was also a daughter of Saito Dosan.
