Ryoma・Outstanding activities

■Scene 17　
Ryoma's enterprise "Kameyama shachu"

日本商社の原型「亀山社中」

From the left

Thomas Glover, butler, Taro Takamatsu/Ryoma, chojiro Kondo.

After Katsu's dismissal of the Hyogo Naval Academy, this academy was closed. Ryoma first started his commercial company named "Kameyama shachu" being helped by Satsuma's leaders in Nagasaki and with the same members of Naval academy. Ryoma purchased the new steamship "Union" by Western trader Thomas Glover. He wanted to buy lots of guns and weapons with the money they earned to fight against Bakufu if there would happen to be a War.
There were twenty men in the company (Among them was a future Mutsu Munemitsu, Foreing Minister in 1894).

■Scene 18　
The Satuma-ChoShu Alliance
(The Two largest Military Powers)

薩長同盟設立

From the left

Takamori Saigo, Tatewaki Komatsu, Ryoma, Kogoro Katsura.

Satsuma and Choshu were the two strongest realms in south-western Japan. They had gone to great effort and expense to modernize their military establishments.
In early 1860's, in Kyoto, The policy of Bakufu was like a kaleidoscopic. So it was a loyalist ascendancy.
Bakufu utilized the rival for its assistance. Suspicion and jealousy between Satsuma and Choshu retainers grew. There were two different ways of thinking between the rivals at the time of national crisis.

Choshu insisted on the exclusion of foreigners : "Loyalism".
Satsuma prefered for the reconciliation between court and Bakufu (Shogunate) "Kobugattai". The distrust between the two sides had erupted into violence in 1863 ; Choshu guns shelled a Satsuma ship in the Straits of shimonoseki, and Satsuma troops helped Aizu units drive Choshu out of the Imperial capital. Choshu fought against Bakufu, but failed. At this time, Choshu was threated by Bakufu and from foreigners. From this situation, it was inevi- table for those two big han would make sort of working arrangement.

But Ryoma worked hard to make Satsuma-Choshu Alliance with Nakaoka who was with Choshu loyalists.
Ryoma began to help Choshu to by-pass the Bakufu blockade on foreig"n weapons. Ryoma could purchased foreign weapons, using the steamship "Union" from Mr. Thomas Glover, British, for Choshu. Next, Ryoma's good offices were utilized to provide Choshu grain for Satsuma troop needs.
The commercial cooperation already established between the two realms.
Ryoma and Nakaoka devoted their efforts to speeding this cooperation.
Finally, in 1866, March 7, The Agreement was hammered out by Kido and Salgo Ryoma was present as witness.
It was a pledge for united action in the future for the sake of the Imperial Country.
This alliance meant that the Bakufu's chances of retaining" national leader- ship had dwindled, and it made it most unlikely that any attempt to crush the han in favor of a new centralization could succeed. The Satsuma-Cho- shu alliance was an important step in the decline of Bakufu power, and In helping to bring it about that Ryoma and Nakaoka had made a significant contribution to the eventual Tokugawa overthrow.
Having brought the two fiefs together, they would now busv themselves in trying to add Tosa into the coalition as a third power. Ryoma changed from shishi to stateman.

"Kaientai": Naval Auxiliary Force

Ryoma changed the name of his firm to Kaientai. At the beginning of this period, he was a hunted ronin, (warrior who has no master) and narrowly escaped with his life in an attempt by Tokugawa police units to capture him. A vacation in Kagoshima preceded participation in a naval action in the Straits of Shimonoseki during the Tokugawa-Choshu war. Thereafter he was occupied with the affairs of his firm: The Kaientai, in Nagasaki was Ryoma's base. This port had always been most difficult for Bakufu administrations to control and Western traders there helped fiefs anxious to modernize to accumulate shipping, armament and even direct experience in the West. Nagasaki was undoubtedly one of the most exci-ting and stimulating places in Japan for the restless & the ambitious, Ryoma's experiences there contributed to his new maturity.

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