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{{Short description|Japanese samurai and politician (1836–1867)}}{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio}}{{Family name hatnote|Sakamoto|lang=Japanese}}
{{Distinguish|text=Sakamoto Ryōta, the protagonist of the manga series ''[[Btooom!]]''}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Sakamoto Ryōma<br />{{lang|ja|坂本龍馬}}
| image              = Sakamoto Ryoma.jpg
| caption            = Ryoma {{circa}} 1860s
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1836|01|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Kōchi, Kōchi|Kōchi]], Tosa Province, Tokugawa Shogunate
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1867|12|10|1836|1|3|df=yes}}
| death_cause        = [[#Assassination|Assassination]]
| nationality        = 
| death_place        = [[Kyoto]], Yamashiro Province, Tokugawa Shogunate
| education          = 
| occupation         = [[Samurai]], [[politician]]
| spouse             = [[Narasaki Ryō]]
| parents            = Hachihei (Naotari), Sachi
| other_names        = {{nowrap|'''[[Japanese name#Historical names|Imina]]''' Naokage, Naonari}}
| module             = {{Infobox Chinese | child = yes
| kyujitai           = 坂本 龍馬
| shinjitai          = 坂本 竜馬
}}
}}

{{nihongo|'''Sakamoto Ryōma'''|坂本龍馬 or 坂本竜馬|4=3 January 1836 – 10 December 1867}} was a [[Japan|Japanese]] [[samurai]], a ''[[Shishi (Japan)|shishi]]'' and influential figure of the ''[[Bakumatsu]],'' and establishment of the [[Empire of Japan]] in the late [[Edo period]].

Sakamoto was a low-ranking samurai from the [[Tosa Domain]] on [[Shikoku]] and became an active opponent of the [[Tokugawa Shogunate]] after the end of Japan's ''[[sakoku]]'' isolationist policy. Under the alias {{nihongo|'''Saitani Umetarō'''|才谷梅太郎|}}, he worked against the [[Bakufu]], the government of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], and was often hunted by their supporters and the ''[[Shinsengumi]]''. Sakamoto advocated for [[democracy]], Japanese [[nationalism]], return of power to the [[Imperial Court in Kyoto|Imperial Court]], abolition of [[feudalism]], and moderate [[modernization]] and [[industrialization]] of Japan. Sakamoto successfully negotiated the [[Satchō Alliance]] between the powerful rival [[Chōshū Domain|Chōshū]] and [[Satsuma Domain|Satsuma]] domains and united them against the Bakufu. Sakamoto was assassinated in December 1867 with his companion [[Nakaoka Shintarō]], shortly before the [[Boshin War]] and the [[Meiji Restoration]].

== Early life ==
Sakamoto Ryōma was born on 3 January 1836 in [[Kōchi, Kōchi|Kōchi]] in the [[Han system|han]] (domain) of [[Tosa Domain|Tosa]], located in [[Tosa Province]] (present-day [[Kōchi Prefecture]]) on the island of [[Shikoku]]. By the [[Japanese calendar]], Sakamoto was born on the 15th day of the 11th month, of the sixth year of ''[[Tenpō]]''. The Sakamoto family held the rank of country ''[[samurai]]'' or ''{{illm|Gōshi|ja|ja:郷士|lt=''gōshi''}}'', the lowest rank in the ''samurai'' hierarchy, which previous generations had purchased by acquiring enough wealth as [[sake]] brewers. Unlike other Japanese domains, Tosa had a strictly-enforced separation between the ''joshi'' (high-ranking samurai) and ''kashi'' (low-ranking samurai). The ranks were treated unequally and residential areas were segregated; even in Sakamoto Ryōma's generation (the third in the Sakamoto family), his family's samurai rank remained ''kashi''. 

At the age of twelve, Sakamoto was enrolled in a [[private school]], but this was a brief episode in his life as he showed little scholarly inclination. Ryōma's older sister subsequently enrolled him in [[fencing]] classes of the Oguri-ryū when he was 14 after he was bullied at school. By the time Sakamoto reached adulthood, he was by all accounts a master [[swordsman]]. In 1853, Sakamoto was allowed by his clan to travel to [[Edo]], the seat of the ruling [[Tokugawa shogunate]] and the ''[[de facto]]'' capital of Japan, to train and polish his skills as a swordsman. Sakamoto enrolled as a student at the famous [[Hokushin Ittō-ryū]] Hyōhō [[Hokushin Ittō-ryū|Chiba-Dōjō]], which was led by its first Headmaster Chiba Sadakichi Masamichi at that time. Sakamoto received the scroll from the school that declared his mastery.<ref>Kyodo, Staff Report, "[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/11/09/national/history/sakamoto-swordsmanship-scroll-declared-authentic/ Sakamoto swordsmanship scroll declared authentic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613162035/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/11/09/national/history/sakamoto-swordsmanship-scroll-declared-authentic/ |date=13 June 2018 }}", ''[[The Japan Times]]'', Nov 9, 2015</ref> Sakamoto became a ''[[shihan]]'' at the [[Hokushin Ittō-ryū|Chiba-Dōjō]] and taught [[Kenjutsu]] to the students together with Chiba Jūtarō Kazutane, in whom he found a close friend. 

During his time at the Chiba Dojo, Sakamoto met Chiba Sana, Sadakichi's daughter. Within a few years, the two would become very close, with Ryoma requesting permission from Sadakichi to marry Sana. The two would become engaged. In 1858, Ryoma ended his training at the Chiba Dojo, returning to Tosa to further his studies. Despite their engagement, Sana and Ryoma would lose contact for several years.<ref>{{cite web | title=Chiba Sana: A Warrior and Healer | date=12 March 2019 | url=https://lightinthecloudsblog.com/2019/03/12/chiba-sana-a-warrior-and-healer/ }}</ref>

==Politics==
[[File:Sakamoto_Ryōma.jpg|thumb|Sakamoto Ryōma standing (c. 1866 - 1867) and Ryōma's favored western footwear can be seen]]
===Early ''Bakumatsu''===

In 1853, the [[Perry Expedition]] began while Sakamoto was studying and teaching in Edo, beginning the ''[[Bakumatsu]]'' period. Commodore [[Matthew C. Perry]] of the [[United States]] arrived in Japan with a fleet of ships to forcibly end the centuries-old ''[[sakoku]]'' policy of national [[isolationism]]. In March 1854, Perry pressured the Tokugawa to sign the [[Convention of Kanagawa]], officially ending the ''sakoku'' policy but widely perceived in Japan as an "[[Unequal treaty#Japan and Korea|unequal treaty]]" and a sign of weakness. The prestige and legitimacy of the ''[[Shōgun]]'', a ''de facto'' [[Military dictatorship|military ruler]] with a nominal appointment from the [[Emperor of Japan]], was severely damaged to the public. The convention was signed by the ''[[rōjū]]'' [[Abe Masahiro]], acting as [[regent]] for the young and sickly ''Shōgun'' [[Tokugawa Iesada]], against the will of the [[Imperial Court in Kyoto]], the ''[[de jure]]'' ruling authority. Anti-Tokugawa forces considered this evidence that the ''Shōgun'' could no longer fulfil the Emperor's will, and therefore no longer fit to rule for him. Sakamoto and many of the ''samurai'' class supported returning state power directly to the Imperial Court in Kyoto and began [[Demonstration (political)|agitating]] for the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate.

In 1858, Sakamoto returned to Tosa after completing his studies, and became politically active in the local ''[[Sonnō jōi]]'', the anti-Tokugawa movement arose in the aftermath of the Convention of Kanagawa.

In 1862, Sakamoto's friend [[Takechi Hanpeita]] (or Takechi Zuizan) organized the [[Tosa Kinnō-tō|Tosa Loyalist Party "Kinnoto"]], a ''Sonnō jōi'' organization of about 2000 samurai (mostly from the lower rank) with the political slogan "Revere the [[Emperor Kōmei|Emperor]], Expel the Barbarians" that insisted on the reform of the Tosa government. [[Yamauchi Toyoshige]], the ''[[daimyō]]'' (lord) of the Tosa Domain, refused to recognize the group. In response, Tosa Kinnoto plotted to assassinate Yamauchi's governor, [[Yoshida Toyo]], who was appointed as a [[reform]]er and [[Modernization|modernizer]]. Yoshida was later assassinated by Tosa Kinnoto after Sakamoto had left Tosa. Sakamoto participated in the plot but did not advocate: he believed Tosa Kinnoto should do something for all of Japan, while Takechi demanded a revolution for only the Tosa clan. Sakamoto decided to separate from Takechi and leave Tosa without authorization. In those days, no one in Japan was permitted to leave their clan without permission under the [[penalty of death]], known as ''dappan''. One of Sakamoto's sisters committed [[suicide]] because she left without permission. Sakamoto later used the alias "Saitani Umetarō" (才谷 梅太郎) as he worked against the ''shōgun''.<ref>Hongo, Jun, "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100427i1.html Sakamoto, the man and the myth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430045258/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100427i1.html |date=30 April 2010 }}", ''[[The Japan Times]]'', April 27, 2010, p. 3.</ref> 

That same year, in 1862, Sakamoto returned to the Chiba Dojo, using it as a safe haven after running away from Tosa. While there, he reunited with Chiba Sana, and it is said that her father Sadakichi encouraged a full show of commitment to Sana from Sakamoto. With nothing else going on, Sakamoto gifted Chiba a sleeve with his family crest on it. Through this gesture, Sakamoto and Chiba were considered a married couple. Chiba would be informed of Sakamoto's death in 1868, when she still held on to the belief that she was his wife, being unaware that Sakamoto had married [[Narasaki Ryō|another]] woman.<ref>{{cite web | title=Chiba Sana: A Warrior and Healer | date=12 March 2019 | url=https://lightinthecloudsblog.com/2019/03/12/chiba-sana-a-warrior-and-healer/ }}</ref>

Sakamoto is mentioned under this alias in the diary of [[Ernest Satow]] for 30 September 1867: "Mr. Saedani had to be sat up for laughing at the questions put by us, evidently with the object of ridiculing us out of our case, but he got a flea in his lug and shut up making the most diabolical faces."<ref>R. Morton & I. Ruxton, eds., ''The Diaries of Sir Ernest Mason Satow, 1861–69,'' Kyoto: Eureka Press, 2013, p. 262.</ref>

===Late ''Bakumatsu''===
While a ''[[rōnin]]'', Sakamoto decided to assassinate [[Katsu Kaishū]], a high-ranking official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a supporter of both modernization and [[westernization]]. However, Katsu Kaishū persuaded Sakamoto of the necessity of a long-term plan to increase Japan's military strength in the face of Western influence which led to the Convention of Kanagawa. Instead of killing Katsu Kaishū, Sakamoto started working as his assistant and [[protégé]].

In 1864, as the Tokugawa shogunate began taking a hard line against [[dissenter]]s, Sakamoto fled to [[Kagoshima]] in [[Satsuma Domain]], which was developing as a major centre for the anti-Tokugawa movement. In 1866, Sakamoto took part in the negotiation process of the secret [[Satchō Alliance]] between the Satsuma and [[Chōshū Domain|Chōshū]] domains, which historically had been irreconcilable enemies. However, contrary to popular misconception, his position as a "neutral outsider" did not play an important role in the negotiations, as the critical role was in fact played by [[Komatsu Tatewaki]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaku |first=Kozo |date=2022-04-04 |title=坂本龍馬の伝説はウソだらけ 「幕末に大活躍」は間違いだった |trans-title=Sakamoto Ryōma's legends are riddled with lies: "Extremely active participant in the Bakumatsu period" was a mistake |url=https://business.nikkei.com/atcl/plus/00031/031800006/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=日経ビジネス電子版 |trans-website=[[Nikkei Business]] Online Edition |language=ja}}</ref> Sakamoto founded the private navy and trading company [[kaientai|Kameyama Shachū]] in [[Nagasaki City]] with the help of the Satsuma, which later became ''kaientai'' or Ocean Support Fleet.

Chōshū's subsequent victory over the Tokugawa army in 1866 and the impending collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate made Sakamoto a valuable commodity to his former masters in Tosa, and recalled to Kōchi with honours. The Tosa Domain was anxious to obtain a negotiated settlement between the ''Shōgun'' and the Emperor, which would prevent the powerful Satchō Alliance from overthrowing the Tokugawa by force and thus emerging as a new dominant force in ruling Japan. Sakamoto again played a crucial role in the subsequent negotiations that led to the voluntary resignation of the Shogun [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]] in 1867, thus bringing about the [[Meiji Restoration]].

=== First assassination attempt ===
[[File:Smith and Wesson Army No2 of Sakamoto Ryoma.jpg|thumb|upright|Ryōma's [[Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Army|Nº 2 Army revolver]]]]
{{More|Teradaya incident}}
In March of 1866, several agents of the shogunate attempted to assassinate Sakamoto Ryōma by ambushing him at the Teradaya [[ryokan]] in Kyoto. Two aspects of this have become famous. Firstly, he was alerted just in time by his future wife [[Narasaki Ryō]] (Oryō), who was surprised in her bath by the attackers and ran across a garden and up to the second floor of the inn to warn Sakamoto. Secondly, he used a Western firearm, a [[Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Army|Smith and Wesson revolver]], to fight off these attackers.<ref name=Ryoma>{{Cite web
  |url=https://www.japanbyweb.com/sakamoto-ryoma-at-teradaya-inn/ 
  |title=Sakamoto Ryoma at Teradaya Inn 
  |website=Japan by Web
|date=9 October 2018 
 }}</ref>

== Assassination ==

Sakamoto was [[assassination|assassinated]] at the [[:ja:近江屋事件|Ōmiya Inn]] ([[:ja:近江屋|Omiya]]) in Kyoto on 10 December 1867, not long before the [[Meiji Restoration]] took place, at the age of 31. At night, assassins gathered at the door of the inn, one approached and knocked, acting as an ordinary caller. The door was answered by Sakamoto's bodyguard and manservant Yamada Tōkichi (山田藤吉), a former [[rikishi|sumo wrestler]], who told the stranger he would see if Sakamoto was accepting callers at that hour of the evening. When the bodyguard turned his back, the visitor at the door drew his sword and fatally slashed his back. The team of assassins then rushed in past the dying bodyguard and up the stairs to the guests' rooms. Sakamoto and his associate [[Nakaoka Shintarō]] were resting and talking in one room.  Hearing the scuffle on the first floor, Sakamoto opened the door to yell at his bodyguard, thinking he was wrestling with a friend. The assassins charged the room, some tearing through the [[shōji|paper door]]s, and a confused melée ensued as lamps were knocked over and the room went dark. By the end of the fight, both Sakamoto and Shintaro lay badly wounded, and the assassins fled. Sakamoto died that night, regretting with his last words that his assassins caught him unprepared. Shintaro succumbed to injuries two days later, never regaining enough consciousness to identify the assassins, but mentioned hearing [[Iyo, Ehime|Iyo]] dialect among the killers.

The night of the assassination was eventually called the {{ill|Omiya Incident|ja|近江屋事件|vertical-align=sup}} (近江屋事件). According to the traditional [[lunar calendar]], Sakamoto was born on the 15th day of the 11th month, and killed on his birthday in 1867. Initial reports of Sakamoto's and Shintarō's deaths accused members of the ''[[Shinsengumi]]'', a [[special police]] force of swordsmen from the [[Bakufu]] (Tokugawa military government) based in [[Kyoto]]. Shinsengumi leader [[Kondō Isami]] was later executed on this charge. However, members of another pro-''shōgun'' group, the ''[[Kyoto Mimawarigumi|Mimawarigumi]]'', confessed to the murder in 1870.  Although ''Mimawarigumi'' members [[:ja:佐々木只三郎|Sasaki Tadasaburō]] (佐々木 只三郎) and {{ill|Imai Nobuo|ja|今井信郎|vertical-align=sup}} carry the blame, the identity of the true assassin has never been proven.<ref>Gombrich, Marius, "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fa20100507a1.html Crime scene investigation: Edo: Samurai Sakamoto Ryoma's murder scene makes a grisly but fascinating show]", ''[[The Japan Times]]'', May 7, 2010, p. 15.</ref>  [[Matsugoro Okuda|Okuda Matsugoro]], who was known for working since his early adolescence as a spy for Kondō, was rumoured to have taken part in the assassination.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yawata|first1=Hideo|title=Remnants of Yawara|date=1973|publisher=Danburisha}}</ref>

== Legacy ==

[[Image:Teradaya fg2.jpg|thumb|The Teradaya Inn in Kyoto, where Sakamoto was attacked in a [[Teradaya Incident|failed assassination attempt]], before being fatally injured at Omiya Inn.]]

Sakamoto was a visionary who dreamt of an independent Japan without [[feudalism]] or the [[caste]] system, inspired by the example of the United States where "[[all men are created equal]]". Sakamoto was an admirer of [[Democracy|democratic]] principles and studied democratic governance, particularly the [[United States Congress]] and [[British Parliament]], as a model for the governance of Japan after the Restoration. Sakamoto argued that after centuries of having little-to-no political power, the Imperial Court lacked the resources and wherewithal to run the country. Sakamoto wrote the "Eight Proposals While Shipboard" (『船中八策』) while discussing the future model of the Japanese government with [[Gotō Shōjirō]] on board a Tosa ship outside Nagasaki in 1867. Sakamoto outlined the need for a democratically elected [[bicameral legislature]], the writing of a [[constitution]], the formation of a national [[army]] and navy, and the regulation of the [[exchange rate]]s of [[gold]] and [[silver]]. Sakamoto read about the Western world and realized that for Japan to compete with an industrially and technologically advanced outside world, the Japanese people needed to modernize. Sakamoto's proposals are thought to form the basis for the subsequent [[parliamentary system]] implemented in Japan after his death.

Sakamoto has also been seen as an intriguing mix of the traditional and modern, symbolized by his preference for samurai dress while favouring Western footwear.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}}

Sakamoto has been heavily featured and romanticized [[#In popular culture|in Japanese popular culture]].

=== Honours in modern times ===
On 15 November 2003, the Kōchi Airport was renamed the [[Kōchi Airport|Kōchi Ryōma Airport]] in his honour.

There is a [[Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum]] (坂本龍馬記念館) south of Kōchi, with a large bronze statue of Sakamoto overlooking the sea. The city of Kōchi has a number of Sakamoto-themed attractions and locations, including the Sakamoto Ryōma Birthplace Memorial, and the [[Sakamoto Ryōma Hometown Museum]], dedicated to showing what downtown Kōchi was like during his childhood, including relevant aspects that may have influenced his views. On 15 November 2009, the Hokkaidō Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum was built in [[Hakodate]], [[Hokkaido]].

Asteroid [[2835 Ryoma]] is named after him. Asteroid 5823 Oryo is named after his wife.

== Sakamoto Family ==
'''Parents'''
* Father Sakamoto Yahei ([[Japanese name#Historical names|Imina]] Naotari)
* Mother Sakamoto Sachi (née Hachikura)

'''Stepmother'''
* Iyo

'''Brother'''
* Gonbei (the elder)

'''Sisters'''
* Chizu (the eldest)
* Ei (the second)
* [[:ja:坂本乙女|Sakamoto Tome]] (the third)

'''Wife'''
* [[Narasaki Ryō]] (commonly called Oryō)

'''Child'''
* Tarō (adopted child, Chizu's child)

== In popular culture ==
{{in popular culture|date=July 2025}}
=== Dramas, film and manga ===
An April 2010 ''[[Japan Times]]'' article stated "Ryōma has inspired at least seven television drama series, six novels, seven manga and five films." Actor [[Masaharu Fukuyama]] said that Ryoma's appeal stems from being "the kind of person onto whom anyone can project themselves", when describing his role as Ryoma in the [[NHK]] [[Taiga drama]] ''[[Ryōmaden]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Corkill |first=Edan |title=Legendary, dirty samurai gets makeover |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20091225r1.html |date=January 3, 2010 |access-date=January 3, 2010 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |archive-date=28 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228111131/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20091225r1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sakamoto Ryōma is a prominent character in the 2009–2011 TV series ''[[Jin (TV series)|Jin]]'', portrayed by actor [[Seiyō Uchino|Masaaki Uchino]].

In the thirteenth episode of the anime series ''[[List of Arakawa Under the Bridge episodes|Arakawa Under the Bridge]]'' (2010), the character known as Last Samurai performs an impression of Ryōma. During his impression, he exclaims "my shoulder huuuuurts," to which the main character, Recruit, responds "that was an everyday Ryōma!"<ref>{{Cite episode |title=13 Bridge |episode-link= |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1639471/ |access-date=17 November 2021 |series=Arakawa Under the Bridge |last=Shinbo |first=Aiyuki |network=TV Tokyo |station= |date=28 June 2010 |season=1 |series-no= |number=13 |minutes= |time=06:12 |transcript= |transcript-url= |quote= |language=Japanese |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019012852/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1639471/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sakamoto Ryōma appears as the main [[protagonist]] of ''[[Like a Dragon: Ishin!]]'', a spin-off of the ''[[Like a Dragon]]'' game series. He has the visual likeness and voice of [[Kazuma Kiryu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nakamura |first=Toshi |date=22 August 2013 |title=Be Two Historical Figures For the Price of One in the New Yakuza Game |url=https://kotaku.com/be-two-historical-figures-for-the-price-of-one-in-the-n-1181954406 |access-date=2021-07-12 |website=Kotaku |language=en-gb |archive-date=12 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712144924/https://kotaku.com/be-two-historical-figures-for-the-price-of-one-in-the-n-1181954406 |url-status=live }}</ref>

He appears as a major supporting character in ''[[Rise of the Rōnin]]'' and as a secondary character in ''[[Inazuma Eleven]]'' Go Chrono Stones.

In the 2018 [[NHK]] [[Taiga drama]] ''[[Segodon]]'', Ryoma is portrayed by [[Shun Oguri]].

He is also the inspiration and basis for the character of Sakamoto Tatsuma in the ''[[manga]]'' and ''[[anime]]'' series ''[[Gintama]]'' created by '' [[Hideaki Sorachi]]''.

Sakamoto Ryōma is a character in the "[[Shura no Mon|Shura no toki]]" manga.

Sakamoto Ryoma appeared in the 2024 drama "With You I Bloom: The Shinsengumi Youth Chronicle" based on the 1963 Shinsengumi manga by [[Osamu Tezuka]]. He was portrayed by Ryuji Sato.<ref>{{cite web | title=君とゆきて咲く ～新選組青春録～｜テレビ朝日 | url=https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kimiyuki/ }}</ref>

=== Games ===
Sakamoto Ryōma is a playable character in the "Infiltrator" chapter of ''[[Live A Live]]'' (1994). He is held as a political prisoner by the warlord Ode Iou, but is later freed by the shinobi Oboromaru and joins him in stopping Ode's plans.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 July 2022 |title=Live a Live's characters can't hold the weight of its time-hopping story |url=https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23271849/live-a-live-review-remake-nintendo-switch-square-enix-release-date-takashi-tokita |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=24 August 2023 |archive-date=24 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824193934/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23271849/live-a-live-review-remake-nintendo-switch-square-enix-release-date-takashi-tokita |url-status=live }}</ref> He also appears as a [[Player character|playable character]] in the mobile game ''[[Fate/Grand Order]]'', with additional appearances in other ''Fate'' media, like the manga ''Fate/KOHA-ACE'' and its revised adaptation, ''[[Fate/type Redline]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dennison |first=Kara |date=10 December 2019 |title=Fate/type Redline Manga Will Give KOHA-ACE a Makeover |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2019/12/10/fatetype-redline-manga-will-give-koha-ace-a-makeover |access-date=2020-06-15 |website=Crunchyroll |language=en-gb |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615081321/https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2019/12/10/fatetype-redline-manga-will-give-koha-ace-a-makeover |url-status=live }}</ref> Sakamoto is also a playable character in ''[[Like a Dragon: Ishin!]]'' and ''[[Rise of the Rōnin]]''.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="170px" heights="170px">
File:Sakamoto Ryōma2.jpg|Sakamoto Ryōma in 1867
File:Narasaki_Ryo.jpg|[[Narasaki Ryō]] (Oryō), born in Kyoto, Ryōma's wife
File:Tomb_of_Sakamoto_Ryoma_torii.jpg|Tomb of Sakamoto Ryōma, in ''[[Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine|Ryōzen Gokoku Jinja]]'' (京都霊山護国神社), [[Kyoto]].
File:Tomb_of_Sakamoto_Ryoma_center.jpg|Tomb of Sakamoto Ryōma (detail)
File:Kaientai Flag.svg|Flag of Kaientai
File:Kikyō mon.svg|Sakamoto family crest, Kikyōmon (Chinese bellflower)
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Japan|History|Transport|Biography}}
* [[Nakahama Manjirō]]
* [[Shūsui Kōtoku]]
* [[List of unsolved murders (before the 20th century)|List of unsolved murders]]
* ''[[Ryoma Ansatsu]]'': 1974 film depicting Ryoma's last three days.
* [[The Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan]]

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== General references ==
* [[William G. Beasley|Beasley, William G.]] (1972). ''The Meiji Restoration''. Stanford: Stanford University Press.  {{ISBN|9780804708159}}. {{oclc|579232}}.
* [[Marius Jansen|Jansen, Marius B.]], and [[Gilbert Rozman]], eds. (1986). ''Japan in Transition: From Tokugawa to Meiji''. Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]]. {{ISBN|9780691054599}}. {{oclc|12311985}}.
* Jansen, Marius B. (1961). ''Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration''. Princeton: Princeton University Press. {{oclc|413111}}.

== External links ==
{{Wikisourcelang|ja|坂本龍馬の手紙|Letters of Ryōma Sakamoto}}
{{Wikisourcelang|ja|坂本龍馬/船中八策|Senchū hassaku}}
{{Wikisourcelang|ja|坂本龍馬/新政府綱領八策|Shin seifu koryō hassaku}}
{{Wikisourcelang|ja|坂本龍馬関係文書|The documents about Ryōma Sakamoto}}
{{Commons+cat|Sakamoto Ryoma|Sakamoto Ryoma}}
* [https://www.ryoma-kinenkan.jp/ The Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum in Kochi] {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://www.ryoma1115.com/ Hokkaidō Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum] {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/kameyama/ Nagasaki Kameyamashachū Memorial Museum] {{in lang|ja}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130120174235/http://www.kyohaku.go.jp//eng/tokubetsu/050716/tokubetsu.html#top Kyōto National Museum 2005 - Sakamoto Ryōma exhibitions] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100507051853/http://www.nhk-p.co.jp/tenran/20100427_120229.html 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden"] {{in lang|ja}}
** [http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/kikaku/page/2010/0427/0427.html Edo-Tokyo Museum 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden"]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20110120183427/http://www.bunpaku.or.jp/old/exhi_ryoma.html The Museum of Kyoto 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden"]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20100515175246/http://www.kochi-bunkazaidan.or.jp/~rekimin/exhibit/project2.html Kōchi Prefectural Museum of History 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden"]
** [http://www.nmhc.jp/sakamotoryoma/index.html Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305151616/http://www.nmhc.jp/sakamotoryoma/index.html |date=5 March 2012 }}
* [http://www.nmhc.jp/ryomaden/ Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture "Ryōmaden Kan 2010"]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://kindai.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/880806/1 National Diet Library electronic library "Kanketsu senri no koma"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312064107/http://kindai.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/880806/1 |date=2012-03-12 }} {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/89.html?c=0 National Diet Library biography & photo] 
* [http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/cha1/description02.html National Diet Library Shin seifu koryō hassaku] 
* [[Japan Mint]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110817073616/http://www.mint.go.jp/coin/kahei/tushin_hanbai/page37.html Sakamoto Ryōma 2007 Proof Coin Set] {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://www.shotentai.com/ Shotentai.com -About Sakamoto Ryoma] {{in lang|ja}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakamoto, Ryoma}}
[[Category:1836 births]]
[[Category:1867 deaths]]
[[Category:Assassinated Japanese politicians]]
[[Category:Assassinated revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Politicians assassinated in the 1860s]]
[[Category:Japanese businesspeople]]
[[Category:Japanese revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Japanese swordfighters]]
[[Category:People of the Meiji Restoration]]
[[Category:People from Kōchi Prefecture]]
[[Category:People from Kōchi, Kōchi]]
[[Category:People from Tosa Domain]]
[[Category:People murdered in Kyoto]]
[[Category:Samurai]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in Japan]]