Analysis of Sakamato Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration by Marius Jansen.

        Ryoma was a lower samurai of the Tosa clan.  He was renowned for his ability at Kendo.  His position as a lower samurai endears him too the average Japanese now, as his story is one of successful upward mobility.  Ryoma’s greatest accomplishment was his unification of the Satsuma and Chosu clans.  He brought these two rivals together and with them formed a new government based around the Emperor.

        Ryoma was a member of the group known as the Men of High Purpose.  These men were samurai who turned away from their feudal lords, and instead rallied around the Emperor.  They are viewed as heroes by the Japanese people because they took the initiative and moved their loyalties from their individual lords to the country as a whole.  Their efforts are, in large part, responsible for the unification of Japan.

        A large reason for Sakamato Ryoma’s hero status is due to his assassination following the establishment of the Meiji government.  He, unlike many of the other Men of High Purpose, was never tarnished by the despotism and militarism that occurred later on.  The Japanese people point to Ryoma as a truly democratic man, who would have created a free democracy, and stop the militarism that would eventually lead Japan to utter disaster.  One question to be asked is: Would Ryoma have been able to create a democracy in Japan, or was oligarchy and militarism the only possible course?