Person

Sakamoto Ryoma

1836–1867 · 19th century

Sakamoto Ryoma was a samurai of the Tosa domain who became a leading figure in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. He founded a trading and naval company in Nagasaki, brokered the alliance of 1866 between the rival domains of Satsuma and Choshu, and drafted a plan for the peaceful return of power to the emperor, which the shogun accepted in 1867. He was assassinated in Kyoto weeks later.

Sakamoto Ryoma
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Tosa Domain

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sakamoto Ryoma. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sakamoto-ryoma
MLA
“Sakamoto Ryoma.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sakamoto-ryoma. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sakamoto Ryoma.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sakamoto-ryoma.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sakamoto Ryoma’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sakamoto-ryoma (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻