Sakamoto Ryōma

Sakamoto Ryōma (坂本 龍馬, January 3, 1836 – December 10, 1867) was a prominent figure in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. One of his most noted accomplishments during this period was the negotiation of peace between Chōshū and Satsuma, two powerful provinces that had long been hostile to each other. He then united them against the Bakufu, the government that supported the Tokugawa shogun. Ryōma frequently used the alias Saitani Umetarō (才谷梅太郎) during this period, as he was often hunted by Bakufu supporters, such as members of the Shinsengumi. He was ultimately attacked and murdered, along with his companion Nakaoka Shintarō, at an inn in Kyoto. Although many suspects have been named the identities of the assassins have never been confirmed.

Early life

Ryōma was born in Kōchi, of Tosa han (present day Kōchi Prefecture), on the island of Shikoku. By the Japanese calendar, he was born on the 15th day of the 11th month, of the sixth year of Tenpō. Previous generations of his family had acquired enough wealth as sake brewers to purchase the rank of merchant samurai, or goshi (ja:郷士), which was the lowest rank in the samurai hierarchy. Unlike other domains, Tosa had a strictly-enforced separation between joshi (high-ranked samurai) and kashi (low-ranked samurai). Joshi and kashi 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 remained kashi. At the age of twelve, Ryōma was enrolled in a private school, but this was a brief episode in his life, as he showed little scholarly inclination.