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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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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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.
