2025.08.28 Update
Among the historical figures, the one who is especially popular with Japanese people is Ryoma Sakamoto, a priest at the end of the Edo period . Even in the ranking of "great people I respect", it usually shines first. It seems that many people have come to like it after reading Ryotaro Shiba's novel "Ryoma Goes His Way".
However, Ryoma was assassinated by someone just before the Meiji Restoration. There are still various theories about who attacked Ryoma, and it is a mystery. Therefore, in the third and final episode of the Waka Web "Three Great Mystery Series of Japanese History", I would like to get closer to the truth of the case while introducing the outline and various theories of the assassination of Ryoma. Please try to make a deduction.
■ 1st
Where was the familiar "Yamatai country" in Himiko? Ancient Japanese history mystery
■ 2nd
Why did the Honnoji Incident happen? Thorough commentary! Why did Akechi Mitsuhide defeat Oda Nobunaga?
The assassination was a momentary event
Assassination of Ryoma (Illustration: Keiya Mori)
November 15th, 1867, is December 10th in the solar calendar. That night was a cold day, raining from morning till afternoon and then cloudy. On the second floor of Omiya Shinsuke, a soy sauce dealer in Takoyakushi, Kyoto Kawaramachi, Ryoma Sakamoto visited Shintaro Nakaoka and Kenzaburo Okamoto of the same Tosa (currently Kochi Prefecture). ) Was talking with. Ryoma's servant, Tokichi, also lives on the second floor, and a nearby bookstore, Kikuya (Nakaoka's inn), Segare, Minekichi, writes a letter to Nakaoka. I came to deliver it. Eventually, Ryoma says, "I want to eat Shamo hotpot," so Minekichi goes to a nearby store to buy meat, and Okamoto also leaves.
Shortly after that, several samurai visit Ryoma. When Fujiyoshi, who acted downstairs, went up the stairs, he was suddenly cut from behind and fell. Ryoma, who misunderstood that Fujiyoshi and Minekichi were playing, scolded him for saying, "Don't make a noise." Immediately after, two samurai rush to the tatami room where Ryoma and Nakaoka are. Ryoma and Nakaoka, who were sitting across the brazier, were slashed and Ryoma was split. Ryoma still tries to take the sword between the floors behind him, but his back is cut into a sword, and he receives the third sword with a scabbard, but the enemy's sword cuts his head again. Fallen down. Nakaoka also suffered a serious injury to the back of his head. The thugs see them stuck and leave. It was just a momentary event.
Details of Ryoma's death
When the thugs left, Ryoma regained consciousness, caring for Nakaoka, saying "Sorry, sorry", "Shinta, hand is good", and calling out to the shop staff downstairs, "Call a doctor." , "Wow, my brain was killed. I don't mind anymore," he said and died. This day was Ryoma's 33rd birthday . Fujiyoshi will die the next day, and Nakaoka will die the day after. Nakaoka 30 years old, Fujiyoshi 20 years old . The site of Oumiya, where Ryoma and Nakaoka were killed, is currently in the downtown area of Kawaramachi-dori, and only the stone monument reports the incident.
Ryoma Sakamoto and Shintaro Nakaoka
A strange rumor that flowed immediately after the incident
Omiya old photographs (National Diet Library collection)
Diary of Teramura Sazen
The news of the incident was immediately transmitted to the Tosa domain and other areas. The fact that Ryoma and others were attacked was reported by Omiya's owner Shinsuke and Mineyoshi at the Tosa Domain's residence in the neighborhood and Shirakawa's Rikuentai (a troupe for armed defeat organized by Nakaoka) Tonsho (currently Kyoto University). This is because the Tosa domain officials who rushed to the Faculty of Agriculture (near the Faculty of Agriculture) were able to hear about the incident from Nakaoka, who was still breathing. Teramura Sazen, a Tosa domain officer who received the news on the day of the incident, wrote in his diary on that day as follows.
"The child is Ryo Sakamoto (Ryoma), then the nickname Juntaro Saidani, and Kiyonosuke Ishikawa (the nickname of Nakaoka), about five tonight (around 20:00), Shijo for both. There is a premature ejaculation in the boarding house in Kawaramachi, three or four people visit, (...) and a sword is pulled out to Saiya and Ishikawa. It's okay to fall down as it is. The younger man is also cut off. The thief runs away and it's okay. Saiya dies instantly. Ishikawa takes a little breath and starts medical treatment. Probably, it is a notification that the work of Shinsengumi etc. should be done "(" Teramura Sazen Dosei Diary ").
Shinsengumi Director Isami Kondo
I'm surprised that the information was transmitted fairly accurately that day, but what should be noted is the last part, "Maybe it was the news that it was the work of the Shinsengumi ." Immediately after the incident, it turns out that Tosa domain officials first suspected the Shinsengumi, a police organization of the Shogunate. However, Nakaoka himself, who was attacked, said that he did not know the enemy. At least it wasn't an attack by someone I knew.
Strange rumors
On the other hand, another strange myth was flowing.
・ "Sakashita (book) Ryoma meets an assassination. (Omitted) The person who stabs Ryoma Kedashi is a Tosa clan (Tosa clan) " (Higo clan Kyubei Ueda "Diary" December 4).
・ "Originally, Tosa's Uchima exploration weather, the feudal lords were divided into two, and (Omitted) Umetaro (Ryoma) and Ichimoku immediately caused disagreement, and almost all of them were killed. "Probably the right (Ryoma) slaughterer is Miyagawa (Sukegoro, Tosa clan) " (Tottori clan "Keio Dingbo").
・ " Insulators that harm Sakamoto are also Satsuma (Satsuma Domain)" ("Revised Higo Domain National Historical Materials", December 9).
In other words, it is supposed that it was the Tosa domain to which he belonged, or the Satsuma domain, who should have been a comrade of Ryoma , who killed Ryoma and Nakaoka. First of all, I would like to introduce Ryoma's history and the situation at that time as to why such a rumor was spread by other clan.
The establishment of the Navy aimed at by Katsu Kaishu's disciples and the Satcho Alliance entrusted with hope
Ryoma's hometown, Katsurahama in Kochi
The Yamauchi family, the lord of the Tosa domain, entered Tosa in place of Chosokabe, who died in the Battle of Sekigahara. Then, in the Yamauchi family, the feudal lord was severely delineated, the original Yamauchi vassal was the superior, and the newly served former Chosokabe vassal was the local priest (lower servant). Ryoma is from a villager . The villagers are discouraged and are not allowed to give their opinions. Eventually, when the lower samurai of the various clan began to take action due to the sense of crisis of the arrival of Kurofune, the villagers departed one after another. Of course, Dappan is a mortal sin, but it was because the villagers never saw the sun even if they were in the national license. Ryoma also departs at the age of 28.
Katsu Kaishu (Illustration: Keiya Mori)
In 1862, when Ryoma departed from the domain, criticism of the shogunate and slaughter were due to the influence of the change outside Sakuradamon, where Naosuke Ii, the elder of the shogunate, was defeated two years ago. The execution (to dispel foreign powers) was also shouted among the lower samurai around Ryoma. Interestingly, however, Ryoma became a disciple of Katsu Kaishu in the Shogunate Hatamoto. It was because Katsu, who had seen the United States, said, "If you really want to get rid of it, you need to create a navy and prevent foreign countries from touching Japan." After that, Ryoma became the head of the Naval Academy of Katsu, and became a core member of the Kobe Naval Training Center of the Shogunate, which opened the victory in the first year of the Genji era (1864).
However, in the same year, the Choshu clan of the anti-Bakufu pioneer was defeated due to the Kinmon Incident that invaded Kyoto in an attempt to eliminate the Shogunate forces. The shogunate, who was nervous, said that many of the students at the training center had sympathy for Choshu, so he dismissed the victory and closed the training center. Disappointed by the shogunate, who did not see the big picture, Ryoma relied on his friends and the Satsuma domain as a messenger of victory, and in the following year (1865), in Nagasaki, a trading and shipping trading company, "Shachu". Established. It is said that the purpose was to master the ship maneuvering technique, purchase the latest weapons from abroad under the name of the Satsuma domain, and distribute them to the isolated Choshu domain in order to reconcile the two domains of dogs and monkeys.
Satsuma feudal lord, Komatsu Kiyokado
There was also an arrangement by Ryoma and Shintaro Nakaoka of the Tosa clan, and on January 21, 1866, at the residence of the Satsuma clan's chief retainer, Komatsu Kiyokado , Ryoma was also present. The "Satsuma Alliance" was formed between Komatsu Kiyokado of Satsuma, Yoshinosuke Saigo and Kogoro Katsura of Choshu. The content is an agreement that Satsuma will provide military and political assistance to Choshu in the upcoming conquest of Choshu by the Shogunate, and the alliance between the two domains will be a step toward a great hope for restoration.
Wanted, confrontation with the Kishu clan, and "Senchū Hachisaku"
Teradaya in Fushimi
It was just after the Satcho Alliance was signed. Ryoma is staying at the Hatago Teradaya in Fushimi, and is stepped into the way of capturing the Fushimi Magistrate's Office at midnight. It was because he was glared at as "a suspicious ronin who calls himself the Satsuma Domain". Ryoma shoots several pistols while injuring his left hand, escapes to the outdoors where the catcher is fluttering, and is hidden by the Fushimi mansion of the Satsuma domain and has a lifetime of nine deaths. However, Ryoma became a "murder wanted criminal" because two capturers were killed in the shooting at the time of escape.
Tosa Domain Sansei, Goto Shojiro
The following January, 1867, a surprising person approaches Ryoma in Nagasaki. Tosa Domain Sansei Goto Shojiro . Suffrage is the chief executive officer of the feudal lord and is second only to the feudal lord. In the Tosa domain, the former feudal lord, Yamauchi Toyoshige, took control, and his political stance was to support the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, the Shogunate failed to conquer Choshu the previous year, and while Satsuma and Choshu were gaining momentum, Tosa also wanted a pipe with them. That was Ryoma and Shintaro Nakaoka. Tosa clan Ryoma, forgive the sins of Dappan of Nakaoka, the Kameyama Shachu of Ryoma "(want Cayenne) Kaientai", also, the warriors Corps Nakaoka is formed after named the "land auxiliary troops", Han It is an outer organization of.
In April of the same year, an unexpected accident hits Ryoma. The Kaientai Iroha Maru , which was carrying luggage from Nagasaki to Osaka, collided with a large ship of the Kishu domain off the coast of Bingo (currently eastern Hiroshima Prefecture) and sank. The opponent was the Kishu Domain of the Tokugawa Gosanke, and it seemed that the Kaientai had no chance of winning, but Ryoma set up a place for negotiations in Nagasaki, and with the advice of the Navigation Act and the Royal Navy, he won the Kishu Domain. .. The clan will pay compensation of 80,000 cars. It is also said that the Kishu domain hated Ryoma with this.
When Ryoma was in Nagasaki in the Iroha Maru incident, the political situation was moving significantly in Kyoto. Following the death of the 14th Shogun Iemochi , Yoshinobu, who became the 15th Shogun of the Tokugawa clan, began to run politically alone. Saigo and the Satsuma domain try to put an end to it, but they are overwhelmed by Yoshinobu's political power and fear that Tokugawa's rule may be strengthened again. We have come to solidify the intention of "armed debate".
Ryoma Sakamoto Statue (Nagasaki City)
On the other hand, Yamauchi Toyoshige, the former feudal lord of the Tosa domain, ordered Goto Shojiro in Nagasaki to go to Joraku in search of a new innovation to save Tokugawa while the momentum of the defeat was increasing. Goto asked Ryoma to accompany him, and Ryoma put together a policy theory called "Senchu Hassaku" on the ship heading to Osaka. Gist than those that return the shogunate government in court (Taiseihokan <Taiseihokan>), newly provided a bicameral parliament, appointed human resources, determine the policy by public discussions, the "public opinion regime theory" Is called. If this is the case, Tokugawa can join the administration as a daimyo, and Goto, who was surprised at Ryoma's plan, immediately proposed to Yamauchi Toyoshige, and Yodo was delighted. It was decided.
Is it a samurai, an armed debate, or a public administration?
Shintaro Nakaoka
Goto, who obtained the "Public Politics Theory", met with Komatsu, Saigo, and Ichizo Okubo of the Satsuma Domain on June 22, the same year, with Ryoma and Shintaro Nakaoka, and asked for their consent. .. The Satsuma side makes a face on the Tosa side and concludes a "Satsuma Pact" for the time being, but Saigo and others have already decided on a policy for armed defeat, and there are not a few people in the Tosa domain who insist on armed defeat. did. Nakaoka, who was present, is actually a tough armed debateist. The first place anyone believes that "there is no going to Shogun Yoshinobu makes a Taiseihokan", the Satsuma to put serious about armed Tobaku preparation, it has led to discard the treaty in early September.
Ryoma is also aware of the difficulty of repatriating the Taisei Hokan, and although he will support Goto and submit the White Paper on the Repatriation of the Taisei Hokan to the Shogunate on October 3, he is preparing to turn to an armed debate at any time. However, on October 13, Shogun Yoshinobu agreed to repatriate the Taisei Hokan, and on October 14, he performed the repatriation to the imperial court . Ryoma is deeply moved by this historic decision, saying, "Let's give up our lives for Yoshinobu." However, on the same day, due to the imperial court work, a "secret imperial religion" was sent to Satsuma and Choshu. With the realization of the Taisei Hokan, the secret imperial religion of the debate was missed, and Satsuma would have had a strong feeling that he had done something extra.
"Shinseifukōryō Eight Measures" (National Diet Library)
While the Satsuma domain and other debates were bitter, many of the people who served the shogunate were also bitter about the repatriation of the Taisei Hokan. For the people of the "Samurai school" who support the shogunate, it is impossible that the shogunate that has served for generations disappears. I don't know how Ryoma felt that, but in November of the same year, he wrote the "New Government Code Eight Measures" that shows the ideal state of the new government, and said that the person who would be the prime minister was "○○○ himself became the ally" . writing. It is said that ○○○ is likely to be former general Yoshinobu, and if so, Satsuma, who is wary of Yoshinobu's political power, could not admit the idea of Ryoma with Yoshinobu as the prime minister of the new government. .. Immediately after this, Ryoma was assassinated on November 15th.
Narrow down the seven theories of perpetrators from the remains of the scene
Ryoma Sakamoto (Illustration: Keiya Mori)
As mentioned above, Ryoma just before being assassinated was in a situation where it could be said that anyone could be targeted in a sense. Therefore, various criminal theories have been advocated from that time to the present day. First, let's list the seven main theories of perpetrators.
1. Shinsengumi theory
It was recorded in the diary of Sazen Teramura, a director of the Tosa domain on the day of the incident, and there were many Tosa domain officials who believed in the Shinsengumi theory even after that. Among them, Kaientai officials believe that the Kishu clan moved the Shinsengumi to assassinate them because they were angry that they were paid compensation in the Iroha Maru case.
2. Kyoto Mimawarigumi
Like the Shinsengumi, it was a police organization of the Shogunate and consisted of Bakushin.
3. Nakaoka Shintaro theory
Suppose Nakaoka in the debate argues with Ryoma in the public politics after a dispute.
4. Tosa domain debate theory
The main culprit is Sukegoro Miyagawa, a Tosa clan, written by the Tottori clan's "Keio Dingu Written".
5. Nakaoka assassination winding theory
In fact, the thug attacked Nakaoka, and Ryoma was a companion.
6. Goryo Eji theory
Suppose that a branch of the Shinsengumi headed by Kashitaro Ito betrayed the Shinsengumi and slashed Ryoma instead of a souvenir for the Satsuma Domain.
7. Satsuma Domain Assassin Theory
Suppose that the Satsuma domain, including Hanjiro Nakamura, who is a human slasher, becomes a thug.
In fact, there was a leftover item of the criminal at the scene of the incident. As "Keio Dingu Written" describes "Sword scabbard Ichimoto, but black paint", one sword scabbard had fallen on the scene. From this, there is no doubt that a third party is involved in the murder, and the debate theory of (3) disappears first.
Site of the Goryo Guardian
By the way, the Tosa clan and others mark the crime of the Shinsengumi and stare at them, show the scabbard of the remains to the former Shinsengumi Goryo guardian, and ask if they are familiar with it. They twisted their heads and suspected that it belonged to executive Harada Sanosuke . However, there are more than 150 soldiers in the Shinsengumi, and it is difficult to identify who the scabbard is, and the testimony of the Imperial Guard is extremely vague. However, the Tosa clan and others decided that this was the crime of the Shinsengumi. By the way, Harada was the commander when the Shinsengumi seized several Tosa feudal lords who had pulled out and discarded the Kosatsu at the Sanjo Ohashi Kosatsu field a year ago and captured Sukegoro Miyagawa. It is unlikely that only the person who stepped on the field will leave the sheath on the scene.
Moreover, the Shinsengumi is holding a meeting on the night of the day, and there is an alibi. The Shinsengumi theory of ① will disappear. In addition, it is probable that Goryo, who testified as Harada's scabbard, was in the process of assassinating Shinsengumi Kondo Isami at that time, and could not afford to attack Ryoma. Furthermore, since the murder scene is Ryoma's hideout, it is unlikely that the criminal's aim was Nakaoka. And Nakaoka testifies that he "does not know the enemy." Tosa's Sukegoro Miyagawa was acquainted with him. If Miyagawa is aiming for Ryoma in the first place, there is no reason to kill Nakaoka, the same debateist. Therefore, the theories of (4), (5) and (6) disappear, and the remaining ones are (2) Kyoto Mimawarigumi theory and (7) Satsuma domain assassin theory. Satsuma's Hanjiro Nakamura is also the same in terms of acquaintance, but it is on hold. The reason will be described later. After that, in the Meiji era, the former Mimawarigumi opened his mouth.
Two former Kyoto Mimawarigumi who talk about the details of the case
Nobuo Imai
"The righteousness of killing Ryoma Sakamoto is from Kumigashira Sasaki Tasaburo (Omitted). I have to say that I have reached this point. "
Nobuo Imai, a former Kyoto Mimawarigumi who surrendered in the Battle of Hakodate in 1869, revealed that he was involved in the assassination of Ryoma during an interrogation by the Ministry of War. According to Imai's statement, a group of seven patrols carried out, and since he was a watchman, he did not know the murder situation. All the members except Imai were already killed in action.
However, about 30 years later, in 1900, Imai announced a discourse saying, "Actually, I was the one who killed Ryoma." There are four performers there. Imai, Yoshitaro Watanabe, and Sanosuke Katsura are one more person. The other one is still alive, so I won't reveal his name. Imai said he had slashed Ryoma and Watanabe had left a sword scabbard on the scene.
Atsushi Watanabe
Knowing this Imai article, another former Mimawarigumi opens his mouth. He was Atsushi Watanabe (Ichiro at that time) . Atsushi Watanabe is a different person from Yoshitaro Watanabe, who Imai talks about, and said that he was also involved in the attack on Ryoma, and Imai's expression "Watanabe left a scabbard" could be misunderstood by his descendants as his mischief. So he decided to tell the truth. Watanabe left behind telling his family and disciples a year before his death, and it is believed that one of Imai's survivors is Atsushi Watanabe.
According to Atsushi Watanabe, the attacks were carried out by a total of 6 and 7 people, headed by Taizaburo Sasaki. Two people were placed on the lookout downstairs of Omiya, and four (or five) went upstairs. The members are Sasaki, Atsushi Watanabe, Toshiro Sera and others. If you believe in Imai's testimony, Nobuo Imai will join us here. Watanabe revealed that "Sera, who has little training in swordsmanship, left a scabbard on the scene ." Watanabe said that Sera was certainly enrolled in the Mimawarigumi, and on the way back from the attack, his friends got together and walked to hide Sera's sword from the eyes, and Sera had difficulty breathing probably because of excitement. There is reality.
In any case, Imai, although the testimony of Atsushi Watanabe there are some differences in the content, which includes many information that can not be know only by the parties, current and "Ryoma assassination of execution who was Kyoto Mimawarigumi" , Many researchers admit. However, this has not solved all the mysteries.
Whose command did the Mimawarigumi move? Why "assassination"?
Wakadoshiyori, Naoyuki Nagai
The day before the incident. When Tose, the proprietress of Fushimi Teradaya, who is close to Ryoma, thought about himself and recommended that he move to the Tosa clan's residence instead of the lodging (Omiya), he said, "Naoyuki Nagai, a young shogunate. I have met with Naoyuki) and Kyoto Shugoshoku Matsudaira Katamori (Aizu feudal lord), and now I don't have to worry about anything . " In fact, Nagai, a senior vassal of the shogunate, was a proponent of the Taisei Hokan, and Ryoma thought that he was a "comrade." While interacting closely, Ryoma may have made a verbal promise to forgive the crime of being chased as a "murder wanted criminal." It is possible that Ryoma was relieved by that and met with the people involved in the Bakufu openly to discuss the future. However, there is no record of Matsudaira Katamori's visit, and did Ryoma meet with a key position in the Aizu clan?
Konkai Komyoji Temple in Kyoto, where the Aizu clan was headquartered
On the other hand, Naoemon Shimizu, the brother of Mimawarigumi Sasaki Taizaburo, who was the official official of the Aizu clan, said in his later years. "Taizaburo was in Tokyo as the head of the Mimawarigumi, but at the behest of certain princes, he led two lords and attacked and killed Sakamoto's hideout in the蛸 药 药" ("Teshiroki Naoemonden") .. These lords are said to be Kyoto Shugoshoku Matsudaira Katamori and Kyoto Shoshidai Matsudaira Sadaaki (Sadaaki, the younger brother of Katamori). In any case, while Ryoma of the "Public Government" is intimately associated with Nagai, who is a young man, the shogunate organization of the "Samurai" who maintains security tries to capture Ryoma, a wanted criminal, and gives an order. The received patrol group will have moved into action.
However, if so, the actions of the Kyoto Mimawarigumi are the "public servants" of police acts, not the "assassinations." In fact, Mimawarigumi Atsushi Watanabe also said that he received the Distinguished Service Award after the assassination of Ryoma, which is even more so. However, the method of the Mimawarigumi who stepped into Ryoma's inn at night, quickly slashed and left was assassination itself. There are two possible reasons for this.
One is that there is a risk of escaping again in the same way as at Fushimi Teradaya, where the captives of the Machi-bugyō are mobilized and captured. The other was that if you catch a large-scale catch, you may notice the Tosa clan's residence in front of you and confuse it with the Tosa clan. The Tosa clan is friendly to the shogunate, with the public affairs as the clan theory. There are some debates, and it is not a monolith, but the Bakufu would have thought that it would be good if only the dangerous molecule Ryoma (and the Samurai faction thought) could be killed without giving any extra stimulus.
After all, the assassination of Ryoma was not an assassination, but a scheme that the police organization of the Shogunate discovered Ryoma who was wanted and the Kyoto Mimawarigumi stepped into the dormitory and killed it so that it would not escape, it was part of the security maintenance activity. .. It is possible to say that "everything has been resolved" , but why was the Tosa Domain or Satsuma Domain suspected immediately after the incident? In fact, there are still some mysterious points.
Was there a mastermind behind Ryoma's murder?
Even if the murderer was a patrol group, there may have been an indirect mover of the patrol group. For example, did you leak Ryoma's whereabouts and erase the obstacles without getting your hands dirty? Let me introduce two mastermind theories born from such doubts.
Goto's mystery to keep silence "Goto Shojiro mastermind theory"
Goto Shojiro after the Meiji Restoration
Goto Shojiro, who should be the driving force behind the Taisei Hokan with the support of Ryoma. However, when Ryoma is murdered, he keeps silence for some reason. This mysterious attitude of Goto raised the suspicion that "Goto might have made a thug kill Ryoma because he wanted to take credit for the idea of the Taisei Hokan." However, Ryoma's plan is known to people other than Goto, and it is unlikely that Goto will be able to monopolize his credit if he kills Ryoma alone. However, until just before the repatriation of the Taisei Hokan, Ryoma was in the position of "Japanese warriors" with a view to armed defeat while hitting Goto's ass. It is possible that Ryoma was unreliable and unhappy with Goto, who was trying to realize the Taisei Hokan.
Fukuoka Fujiji
In addition, Fukuoka Toji (Takachika), who was in the same important position as Goto in the Tosa domain, was a public politician and rented a house next to Ryoma's boarding house Omiya and got close to Ryoma. Was there. Actually, on the afternoon of the incident, Ryoma visited a boarding house in Fukuoka and was absent, so he invited Kayo (later Mrs. Fukuoka) to come to Omiya, but for some reason Fukuoka's servant stopped. I am. When Fukuoka returned home that night, Ryoma had already been killed. However, "When Sakamoto was killed, Fukuoka was boarding next door, but I wouldn't visit him or mourn him. I don't know him," said Kensuke Tanaka, who was in the Rikuentai. I am. When Kayo asked about that, Fukuoka was furious, "Did you know?" What does this mysterious attitude of Fukuoka mean?
And on the day of the incident, Sazen Teramura, who played the role of the Tosa domain, wrote in his diary that "it would be the work of the Shinsengumi." He is also a supporter of public politics, but he wrote in his diary: "Since both Ryoma and Nakaoka are in such a situation, the clan is generously tolerating, but since he was originally a dappan and has not yet returned to work, the clan has no public knowledge of this incident ." Both Ryoma and Nakaoka should have already been pardoned for the crime of dappan, but Teramura said he had not re-registered, and he has a very cold attitude about the case.
A copy of the Tosa Domain Taisei Hokan White Paper. Signed by Teramura, Goto, Fukuoka, etc., but of course Ryoma is not named (National Diet Library)
If you think about it, Goto, Fukuoka, and Teramura are all superiors of the Tosa domain. Ryoma and Nakaoka, on the other hand, are dappan priests. The atmosphere of the villager happened to take advantage of the current trends, and he was praised by the theory of public politics and was on an equal footing with his superiors, but there must have been a deep-rooted class consciousness that the initiative of the clan administration belonged to his superiors. Such consciousness may have made him unaware of the incident and did not defend Ryoma, who was targeted by various forces.
"Satsuma Domain Mastermind Theory"
Hanjiro Nakamura
In the above-mentioned seven theories of perpetrators of murder, the "Satsuma Domain Assassin Theory" has been put on hold. Hanjiro Nakamura, also known as Hanjiro, is an acquaintance of Ryoma and Nakaoka, and although it is hard to think that he is the perpetrator, there is an example of Hanjiro assassinating his acquaintance. It was the assassination of the military scholar Kosaburo Akamatsu.
Kosaburo Akamatsu's name may not be so widely known. Akamatsu, a Shinshu Ueda feudal lord, studied mathematics and Western military studies in Edo, became a disciple of Katsu Kaishu, and absorbed new knowledge at the Nagasaki Naval Training Center. He gained a reputation for opening an English-style military school in Kyoto in the second year of Keio, and was later invited by the Satsuma Domain to become a professor of military science. Hanjiro Nakamura was also one of the students . In May of 3rd year of Keio, Akamatsu submitted a white paper to renew politics to Matsudaira Yoshinaga, the lord of the Fukui domain, and Hisamitsu Shimazu, the father of the Satsuma domain. The content was a table-view, proposing parliamentary politics with a parliamentary bureau based on the idea of Kazuwa Tenmaku, which is similar to the Taisei Hokan. It was one month before Ryoma's "Senchū Hachisaku".
In September of the same year, Akamatsu was ordered to return to the national license by the clan, and was assassinated by two Satsuma clan men, including Hanjiro Nakamura, who was greeting around in Kyoto. It is said that the reason was that he knew the military secrets of the Satsuma domain and that he was a public politician similar to Ryoma. Hanjiro has a cracked face, and if he fails, Satsuma will be denounced, but Hanjiro must have been confident that he would not fail. You can see Satsuma's attitude of assassinating even a benefactor without hesitation in case of emergency. Since Nakaoka said "I don't know the enemy" and dropped the scabbard on the scene, it is unlikely that Ryoma's murder would be Hanjiro, but Satsuma could say "I could have done it" if necessary. Let's do it.
Saigo Yoshinosuke
Next, I would like to introduce a letter from Saigo Yoshinosuke to Minoda Denbey of the Satsuma Domain regarding the death of Ryoma.
"I met Ryoma Sakamoto and Seinosuke Ishikawa (Nakaoka) assassinations, and ... On this (this), depending on the fact that there is no way to join with the party of justice (Satsuma domain and other armed defeat groups), (Omitted) Tosa (Tosa domain) will be in unhappiness. Tosa in the world of Daqing "
The killing of Ryoma jeopardized Goto's position in the theory of public politics, and the Tosa domain had no choice but to use only one armed debate. This means that it is fortunate for the Tosa domain to be unhappy and good for the world. In other words, an armed Tobaku is absolutely Satsuma clan advances, Tosa is not to say that Do was nice to not miss it, along with the belief of unyielding of Saigo of armed Tobaku, such as Ryoma assassination of "important before the Shoji Isn't the nuance of "" transmitted?
Finally, a passage from a letter written by Ryoma. On October 17, immediately after the repatriation of the Taisei Hokan, Kosuke Yoshii of the Satsuma Domain, who grasped that the captives of the Shogunate were chasing Ryoma, could not see Ryoma who could not enter the Tosa Domain's residence due to internal conflicts, Nihonmatsu Ryoma wrote in a letter to Tosa's Seihei Mochizuki the next day that he recommended that he join the Satsuma Domain.
"Nari that of the early-filled climate so in Nihonmatsu薩邸. Small brother (I) think, hide themselves on the inconvenience of the kingdom table (Tosa clan), also Shoototo enter the even shop Marts (Tosa Hantei) Atawazu. In addition to Nihonmatsu House If the weather is really unpleasant, even in the unlikely event that it happens, both the master and the slave (Ryoma and Fujiyoshi) should fight here (Omiya) and take it over to the shop (Omitted). "
"If I take care of the Satsuma domain, I will fight with the captive at Omiya and then enter the Tosa domain's residence ." Ryoma, who was once taken care of, was so far away from the Satsuma domain that he hated going to the domain's residence. Ryoma may have been worried that he would be imprisoned if he went. Of course, that does not prove that the Satsuma Domain was a mastermind. However, there is no doubt that Ryoma hated Satsuma and was wary of it at that time.
As an opportunity to explore one side of the Meiji Restoration
Statue of Ryoma Sakamoto in Katsurahama (Kochi City)
How was it? There is only circumstantial evidence about the mastermind theory, and it should be regarded as one of the possibilities. However, if you do this, you can see that Ryoma, who was about to be assassinated, was in a situation where it would not be strange to be targeted by various forces. If you turn it over, it may be a proof that his existence was so great.
Also, one of the reasons why he is interested in assassinating Ryoma is that he feels that he has become a victim of the plot-related change of the Meiji Restoration, as well as the star character of Ryoma. .. It has always been the case that politics is not done cleanly, but especially during the turbulent period before and after the restoration, the political situation moved with many plots. History is something that the winner will write down after all, and it tends to be a "government army if you win ." The verification of Ryoma's assassination may be an attempt to explore the dark side. It would not be meaningless to think of the assassination of Ryoma as an opportunity to explore one aspect of the Meiji Restoration.
What do you think?
References: "Complete Works of Ryoma Sakamoto" edited by Saichiro Miyaji, Tsukasa Aikawa "Who killed Ryoma", etc.
▼ If you enjoy the novel, Ryotaro Shiba is recommended
Ryoma goes (1)
