Ryomaden Travelogue (Episodes 1 - 4)
Season 1: Ryoma the Dreamer
Episodes 1 ~ 13 - here
Season 2: Ryoma the Adventurer
Episodes 14 ~ here
Episode 1 (2010.01.03)
12 km south of Kōchi downtown, we can see the vast majestic Pacific Ocean here. This is Ryōma’s beloved Katsurahara beach.
[Ryūtō Misaki (Cape Ryūtō)]
Most of the tourists come to Katsurahama to visit the Ryōma Statue on Ryūtō Misaki.
[Picture of the Unveiling Ceremony in the year Shōwa 3] (from the archives of the Library of Kōchi City)
It was built in the year Shōwa 3 (1928) from the funds raised by a group of unnamed youths
[(On the banner of the boy) Fund raising for the construction of the Statue of Sakamoto Ryōma-san]
The plaque only shows that it was constructed by the “Youths of the Kōchi Prefecture”
[Kōchi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum, Katsurahama Park]
Close to the Katsurahama is the Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum. Visitors can write letters to Ryōma here. A staggering 13,000 letters have been collected todate. Whether in the past or the present day, Katsurahama continues to serve as a gathering place for people’s zeal and passion.
[The Sakamoto Ryōma Statue]
Take Bus from JR “Kōchi” Station, 10 mins walk from “Katsurahama” bus stop
Episode 2 (2010.01.10)
[Kōchi-jo, Kōchi Castle]
Situated in the centre of Kōchi City is the Kōchi Castle. In a corner of the castle town, is the site of the house where Ryōma was born and grew up.
[Sakamoto Ryōma’s Birthplace / Kamimachi Itchōme]
During the Edo period, there were strict social class regimes in place in the Tosa domain.
[Early Keiō era (1865-1868) Kōchi street map] (From the Hirao archives, Library of Kōchi City)
In the castle town, the upper class Joshi and the lower class Kashi were restricted to live in separate districts.
[(left) Kōchi castle / (right) Ryōma’s Birthplace]
[(top left) Joshi dwelling area / (top right) Kashi dwelling area]
Ryōma was born into a Kashi family. But the Sakamoto family’s main line, the Saidani House, were pawnbrokers and sake distillers, so they were amongst the richest merchants in the city.
[Nichiyō Ichi (Nichiyō Street Market) / Ōtesuji]
Although a warrior (samurai), Ryōma grew up witnessing the hustle and bustle of the people around him
[(Caption) The largest street market in the city, with a purported offering of 500 stalls, and said to have been in operation for the past 300 years]
This contributed to Ryōma’s free nonconformal way of thinking and his active participation in the Bakumatsu.
[Birthplace of Sakamoto Ryoma]
Get off at Tosa Den Tetsu (Tosa Electric Railway) “Kamimachi Itchōme” Station
Episode 3 (2010.01.17)
[Kōchi Prefecture, Aki City]
What appears before us is the refreshing wide open rural landscape. The house where Iwasaki Yataro was born, stands in the midst of this.
[Iwasaki Yataro’s Birthplace]
Yataro’s mother, Miwa, was very keen on education. Her enthusiasm in studies passed on to Yataro at an early age. The rocks in their yard are arranged in the shape of the Japanese islands, telling us even now about Yataro’s aspirations.
[Hoshijinja (Hoshi Shrine) / Myūkenyama (Mount Myūken)]
Situated on Myūkenyama behind his parents’ home, is the Hoshijinja that Yataro often visited. “If I should fail to achieve my goals, I will never climb this mountain again.” It was said that Yataro had written this resolution in the shrine before leaving for Edo.
[Statue of Iwasaki Yataro / Eno Kawakami Kōen (Park)]
Iwasaki Yataro spread his wings and soared high after he became a businessman. Perhaps it was his mother’s deep love and the magnificent hometown scenery, that helped to nurture Yataro’s great aspirations.
[Iwasaki Yataro’s Family Home]
30 mins walk from Tosa Kuroshio Railway* “Aki” Station
* Tosa Kuroshio Railway - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosa_Kuroshio_Railway
Episode 4 (2010.01.24)
[Tokyo Metropolis (Tōkyō-to), Chiyoda City (Chiyoda-ku)]
Departing from Kōchi, and after a month-long journey, Ryōma arrived at Edo, a metropolis said to house a population of 1 million at that time.
[Site of the Edo Castle]
During the Bakumatsu, the kenjutsu dojo founded by Chiba Shusaku had thousands of disciples.
[Site of the Chiba Shusaku Genbukan (dojo) / Kanda-Higashimatsushitachō]
This was the Hokushin Ittō-ryū. It was said that Ryōma studied under the dojo belonging to Shusaku’s brother, Sadakichi.
[(Caption) Children under the Hokushin Ittō-ryū discipline. Photo generally believed to have been taken in pre-war times]
The Hokushin Ittō-ryū thereafter, through the efforts of people aspiring to reach new heights in kenjutsu, spread out across the country.
[Hokushin Ittō-ryū Genbukan (dojo) / Suginami City, Zenpukuji]
This dojo in Suginami City, Tokyo, is one of them. The Hokushin Ittō-ryū, unlike sword-styles of the past, emphasizes straightforward simple instructions. It is a people-oriented new sword-style. The kendo studied by Ryōma and Sana, is being passed on incessantly for generations to come.
[Site of the Chiba Shusaku Genbukan (dojo)]
5 mins walk from JR Akihabara Station
3 mins walk from Toei Shinjuku Line “Iwamotochō” Station
Continue to Travelogue for Episodes 5 - 8.
Season 1: Ryoma the Dreamer
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Episode 1 (I/II)GoEpisode 2 Go To.. Episode 3 Go To.. Episode 4 Go To.. Episode 5
Episode 6 Go To… Episode 7 Go To.. Episode 8 Go To.. Episode 9 Go To.. Episode 10
Episode 11 Go To. Episode 12Go To..Episode 13
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Season 2: Ryoma the Adventurer
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Episode 14 Go To. Episode 15 Go To. Episode 16 Go To. Episode 17 Go To. Episode 18
Episode 19 Go To. Episode 20 Go To. Episode 21 Go To. Episode 22 Go To. Episode 23
Episode 24 Go To. Episode 25 Go To. Episode 26 Go To. Episode 27 Go To. Episode 28
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Translated from the Chinese subtitles on the episode, with reference to the original Japanese subtitles. Many many thanks to the hard work of all these fans, without which this would not have been possible!
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