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Ryoma・Late period of his life

■Scene 23　The Eight Point Program

船中八策


From the left

Ryoma, Kenkichi Nagaoka, Syojiro Goto, Other 4.

Ryoma and his Tosa sponsers were not alone, for the same was true of the national political scene.
Satsuma & Choshu and Shintaro Nakaoka prepared for the battle.
But Ryoma preferred to work for compromise and peace. In the spring of 1867, Ryoma's ship lroha Maru sailed from Nagasaki with a cargo of small arms for the Tosa station in Osaka. Four days later, in heavy fog, a steamer belonging to the Kii (Tokugawa Bakufu, house of Owari) han bore down on it. The kii steamer was much bigger. As the two neared each other, the lroha Maru turned to port while the Kii steamer turned to star- board. As a result it rammed the Kaientai vessel amidships. Ryoma and his men were safe, transferred to the other ship. But lroha went to the bottom on the inland sea. Both sides had a negotiation. Got6 assisted in the debate.
Ryoma was interested in Western International law. This had the benefit of his opinion. Finally Kii representatives agreed to pay damages in the amount of 83,000 ryo, in installments.
After the solution of the lroha damage suit, Ryoma and Goto sailed to Kyoto tog'ether. Ryoma showed Goto his Eight Point Plan for a new government. It was a document that might the necessity for force in over- throwing the Bakufu.
  1. Political power of the entire country should be returned to the Imperial Court, and all decrees should come from the Court.
  2. Two legislative bodies, an Upper and Lower house, should be established, and a[1 government measures should be decided on the basis of general opinion.
  3. Men of abilitv among the lords, nobles, and people at large should be emplov. ed as councillors, and traditional offices of the past which have lost their purpose should be abolished.
  4. Foreig'n affairs shou[d be carried on according to appropriate regulations worked out on the basis of general opinion.
  5. The leg'islation and regulations of earlier times should be set aside and a new and adequate code should be selected.
  6. The navy should be en[arged.
  7. An Imperial Guard should be set up to defend the capital.
  8. The value of g'oods and silver should be brought into line with that of foreign lands.


■Scene 26　
Assassination of Ryoma Sakamoto

近江屋の惨劇


From the left

Ryoma, Shintaro Nakaoka.

Bukufu supporters were suspicious and resentful of conspirators.
The units had been organized to help police the capital, like Shinsengumi; recruited from ronin in Kyoto and another was Mimawarigumi; made up of younger sons of Tokugawa retainers.
Many of Ryoma's friends warned him that Bakufu agents might make ano- ther attempt to kill him. They were aggressive and dangerous.

Ryoma's Kyoto headquarters had been at the shop of soy sauce merchant, the Omiya. On the evening of December 10, 1867,Ryoma became ill with a cold. Nakaoka came. The night was very cold. The two talked in Ryoma's bedroom. There were two more men. A follower of Nakaoka went to go out for someting to eat. Then came a knock below. T-okichi, Ryoma's servant answered the door. It was a stranger who identified himself as coming from Totsukawa, where Ryoma had contacts, He turned to take the visitor's card upstairs. By the time he came back to the stairway, one of them cut Tokichi down.
The other two rushed past him to attack Ryoma and Nakaoka.
Neither of them had a chance to unsheath his sword. Ryoma was cut down first, with numerous and savage cuts in his head and face, body, and limbs. Nakaoka was less spectacularly wounded, but nevertheless mortally cut.
Nakaoka lingered on for two more days. He was thirty, Ryoma : thirty-three.
Ryoma and Nakaoka did not live to see the Meiji government come existence.
Lots of their friend said, "Nakaoka was sage", "Sakamoto was a real and the poetic tribute was sent from Sanjo Sanetomi;Court noble;

"The warriors are surrounded by their valor,
And, as gods, they still protect the country."

Thanks to Ryoma Sakamoto, we can live in this peaceful country today.

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