[For Seniors] Sakamoto Ryoma Quiz: Learn History through the Kaientai, the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, and the Teradaya Incident

Satcho Alliance

The Satsuma-Choshu Alliance refers to the political and military cooperative relationship concluded in 1866 during the late Edo period between the Satsuma and Choshu domains, brokered by figures such as Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro. The fact that these two powerful domains—once bitter rivals—joined forces became a decisive event that greatly advanced the movement to overthrow the shogunate.

My older sister’s maiden

“I would like to cleanse Japan once more” is a line from a letter Ryoma Sakamoto wrote to his older sister Otome in 1863. At the time, he lamented Japan’s condition—shogunal authority was waning, foreign pressure was mounting, and domestic turmoil persisted—and he expressed a firm resolve to sweep away corrupt officials and rebirth Japan as a new nation.

Tosa Domain

Sakamoto Ryoma was from the Tosa Domain, which corresponds to present-day Kochi Prefecture. He was born into a family of low-ranking samurai in the Tosa Domain. Later, he left his domain, studied under Katsu Kaishu at the Naval Training Center, and founded the Kameyama Company, later known as the Kaientai, energetically traveling and working throughout Japan.

Katsurahama

The bronze statue of Ryoma Sakamoto stands at Katsurahama, a scenic spot in Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture. This impressive statue, which appears to gaze intently over the Pacific Ocean, was erected in 1928 through a fundraising campaign by the youth of Kochi Prefecture. The statue itself is approximately 5.3 meters tall, and about 13.5 meters including its pedestal. Around November 15—Ryoma’s birthday and also the anniversary of his death—a special viewing platform is set up beside the statue, allowing visitors to admire the vast Pacific from the same eye level as Ryoma, drawing many tourists and fans.

Honeymoon

To recover from the wounds he suffered in the Teradaya Incident, Ryoma Sakamoto traveled around hot springs in Satsuma with his wife, Oryo. This is said to be Japan’s first “honeymoon.” They are said to have spent peaceful time together amid the turmoil at the end of the Edo period, climbing Mount Kirishima and taking their time recuperating at Shiobita Onsen.

Katsu Kaishū

Ryoma Sakamoto apprenticed himself to Kaishu Katsu, who was a retainer of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is said that Ryoma initially visited Katsu with the intent to assassinate him because Katsu supported opening the country. However, after hearing from Katsu about the state of the world, the importance of a navy, and a grand vision for Japan’s future, he was deeply impressed by Katsu’s profound insight and broad perspective. As a result, instead of carrying out the assassination, he is famously said to have asked to become Katsu’s disciple on the spot. Thereafter, under Katsu’s tutelage, Ryoma studied navigation and other skills, and went on to make major contributions to Japan’s dawn, including the formation of the Kaientai.

The Omiya Incident

The Omiya Incident is a historical event in which Sakamoto Ryoma and his ally Nakaoka Shintaro were assassinated on November 15, 1867, at Omiya, a soy sauce merchant’s shop in Kyoto. Coincidentally, this day was also Ryoma’s birthday. For a long time, various theories circulated about the assassins—such as the Shinsengumi—but the most widely accepted view today is that it was carried out by the Kyoto Mimawarigumi, including Sasaki Tadasaburo. The tragedy of Ryoma, who fell midway toward his ideals while dreaming of a new future for Japan, is still recounted by many as a significant event at the end of the Edo period.