Ryoma : Life of a Renaissance Samurai by Hillsborough, Romulus

Part III

A Declaration of Freedom

The Road to Revolution

"A Tosa man attached to Katsu in Kobe is anxious to borrow a foreign-style ship and operate it. His name is Sakamoto Ryoma. Another man from the same han, Takamatsu Taro, has come too. It seems that just now the political situation in Tosa is so bad, and that they are carrying on in such an extreme manner there, that these men would lose their lives if they went back. It is true that even if a ship was available it would be some trouble to hide this man until he can board; but since Saigo and others who are in Kyoto have talked it over and think it would be a good idea to make use of this ronin in sailing, we are putting him up in the Osaka residence."
The above letter, dated November 26,1864, was written, at Kaishu's request, by Satsuma Councilor Komatsu Tatewaki to Okubo Ichizo, another leading Satsuma Loyalist who, like Komatsu, was a close friend of Saigo's. Although Ryoma and his men had lost Kaishu's support, they now at least had a place to bide from the Bakufu police, and the possibility of using a Satsuma ship to begin the shipping business they had long planned. But while they spent the following winter out of harm's way at Satsuma's headquarters in Osaka, national politics underwent some very significant changes.

Although by mid-November the Bakufu had massed some 150,000 troops at the Choshu borders awaiting the command to attack, the expedition was not yet to be launched. Since the failed countercoup in Kyoto the previous summer, followed by the bombardment of Shimonoseki by the combined fleets of four foreign powers, Choshu had split into two factions. The conservative Common Party blamed the radical Righteous Party for the great losses the han had suffered over the previous summer, not the least of which was Choshu's having been branded an "Imperial Enemy." The conservatives favored "pledging allegiance to the Bakufu" at any cost in order to preserve the ruling House of Mori. The Loyalists, meanwhile, called for "military preparation to fight the Bakufu." But with the death of the movement for Imperial Reverence and Expelling the Barbarians, the conservatives, for the time being, had gained the upper hand.

Is Satsuma, Saigo had undergone a change of heart concerning his clan's relationships with both Choshu and Edo. Saigo, whose position as staff officer in Edo's expeditionary forces against Choshu put him in command of the troops of twenty-three han, no longer thought it necessary to crush Choshu. Rather, he realized that the mere presence of this most radical of clans was a constant menace to the Tokugawa, which served to neutralize Edo's authority. Using the internal discord in Choshu, Saigo was able to arrive at a compromise with the Choshu conservatives that the Bakufu could swallow, avoid a costly war for all concerned, and even save face for the Choshu daimyo. Braving the very real possibility of assassination, Saigo personally went to Shimonoseki to present Choshu with four conditions by which war could be avoided, the boldness of which earned him the respect of allies and foes alike. First, the Lord of Choshu would send a letter of apology to the Bakufu for his "criminal attack on the Imperial capital." Second, the three Choshu ministers officially responsible for the attack would be ordered to commit seppuku, and their four staff commanders executed. (Since the other Loyalist leaders responsible for the attack had died in battle, this was considered sufficient. The Bakufu representatives did, however, demand to know the whereabouts of two other important Loyalist leaders: Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku. The Choshu representative negotiating with Saigo denied any knowledge of their whereabouts, but actually be was well aware where both men were hiding: Katsura had fled to the island of Tsushima shortly after Choshu's defeat; Takasugi, forced into hiding to avoid assassination by die-hard xenophobes for his role in treaty negotiations with the foreigners, was now at the home of a woman Loyalist in northern Kyushu.) Saigo's third condition called for the destruction of all fortresses at Yamaguchi Castle. (Yamaguchi, located inland about a day's journey from Hagi, was the secondary castle of the Lord or Choshu, and the center of the government when it was under Loyalist control.) Lastly, it was insisted that the Five Banished Nobles (one of the original seven had died, another joined the Loyalist uprising) be moved from Choshu to another domain, as a sign of atonement by the daimyo for having sheltered them in the first place. With 150,000 enemy troops massed at the borders of his domain, the Choshu daimyo accepted Saigo's conditions and war was avoided, but the Choshu Loyalists bitterly opposed the compromise.

The Bakufu, however, gained little in prestige from Choshu's capitulation. As Kaishu had told Saigo, Edo was no longer powerful enough to govern Japan, and ironically, while Saigo was basking in his newfound glory Tokugawa authority continued to wane, as if absorbed by the powerful commander of the Satsuma Army.

Nevertheless, most of the "potato-heads in Edo" continued to believe that the Bakufu still wielded the power to control Japan. They were, of course, greatly mistaken. Perhaps the most vivid example of the deterioration of Edo's authority was its attempt in the previous September to reinstate the centuries-old Law of Alternate Attendance in Edo, which had been abolished two years before. Having crushed the Loyalists in Kyoto, the Bakufu was under the false impression that it had regained its past power, and when it issued an order for the wives and heirs of all the daimyo in Japan to return to their residences in Edo, the order was simply ignored, and the Bakufu was left with no choice but to back off.

As the Bakufu continued to deteriorate so did the Choshu conservatives, while the Loyalists prepared to regain power. The most radical among the Loyalists, now that Kusaka and Kijima were dead, was the twenty-five-year-old Takasugi Shinsaku, who was born for nothing if not revolution.

While Katsura Kogoro was the most scrupulous of the Choshu revolutionary leaders, Takasugi was certainly the most dynamic. His explosiveness notwithstanding, Takasugi shared Katsura's uncanny ability to stay out of harm's way, although he was not the escape artist that Katsura was. Neither man had attended the ill-fated gathering at the Ikedaya inn, nor fought in the countercoup in Kyoto. But unlike Katsura, who was in Kyoto during both events, Takasugi had throughout that time been under house arrest in Hagi, nominal punishment for having left Choshu without official permission. After the bombardment of Shimonoseki by the combined foreign fleets, during which time Takasugi was still confined to his home, the previously ardent xenophobe was recalled to negotiate a treaty with the foreigners, the success of which behooved him to go into exile across Shimonoseki Strait to avoid assassination.

After Choshu's capitulation in November, Takasugi returned from hiding, and it was from this point on that he deviated completely from the discrete revolutionary tactics which he had previously shared with Katsura. Nakaoka Shintaro's evaluation of the two Choshu leaders clearly sums up their differences: "Courage, knowledge, discretion, and the ability to hold his own in discussions even at court describes Choshu's Katsura Kogoro. Courage and resourcefulness, the abilities to face an enemy without wavering, move when opportunity strikes, and v by extraordinary means describes Takasugi Shinsaku."

Determined to crush the conservatives as the Loyalists' last chance to regain power and stand up against the Bakufu, Takasugi proceeded to raise an army. Before the snowy dawn of December 16, with less than eighty men, he invaded the Choshu government offices in Shimonoseki, where he set up his base of operation against the conservatives. Having met little resistance, Takasugi's rebels seized guns, ammunition, food, gold and other supplies, before marching eastward into the Port of Mitajiri on the Inland Sea. Here they captured three Choshu warships to anchor offshore of Shimonoseki as floating forts to be used against the conservative troops who would come by land.

Takasugi's great risk-not only to his own life and the lives of his men, but to the entire Loyalist movement-cannot be overemphasized Had he failed-and with Bakufu troops still surrounding Choshu he may very well have-the odds are that Choshu would have continued indefinitely under conservative rule, instead of playing its all-important role in the impending revolution. The Bakufu troops, however, chose not to intervene in Choshu's domestic trouble, reasoning that the rebels were far too few to represent a significant threat. And, indeed they were!

But Takasugi was confident that if even only a small band of men would stand up and fight at this crucial lime, then surely the other Loyalist militias in Choshu would join them in "the righteous cause to overthrow the evil Bakufu, to which the 'common' forces have shamefully surrendered."

Takasugi's intuition proved correct. By the New Year of 1865, the first year of the Era of Keio, his rebel army had swelled to 3,000 strong, and on January 3 marched northeast from Shimonoseki toward Hagi on the Sea o Japan to crush the conservatives. By mid-January the rebels had driven the government troops all the way back to Hagi, where they pounded them from the rear with cannon fire from the warships they had captured earlier.

After one month of fighting, the rebels were victorious in a coup d'etat which would prove to be a turning point in their struggle to overthrow the Bakufu, and greatly influence the subsequent history of Asia. Soon the daimyo returned from Hagi to the rebel stronghold at Yamaguchi, and thereafter Choshu received its direction from the revolutionary commander Takasugi Shinsaku and his rebels, who now declared war on the Edo regime.
February had come and Ryoma was still at Satsuma headquarters in Osaka, waiting for Saigo to return. He had two pressing matters to discuss with the Satsuma commander securing the loan of a Satsuma ship, and the necessity of a Satsuma-Choshu alliance. Even some of his own men, who rarely questioned his judgment, thought it strange that Ryoma should be content simply waiting for Saigo's return while other Tosa men like Nakaoka Shintaro were risking their lives running between Kyoto and Choshu, working for the Loyalists and the Five Banished Nobles against the Bakufu.

"What Shinta is doing is important," Ryoma told Yonosuke.

"Then shouldn't we go to Choshu to help?"

"No," Ryoma said bluntly.

"But you yourself have always said that things are never accomplished without action."

"Exactly. And in order for us to act we need a ship. I'm not leaving here until I have a chance to talk with Saigo about getting one."

"Then what about overthrowing the Bakufu?"

"Yonosuke," Ryoma groaned, "I thought that you, of all people, understood. The time is just not right for us to go to war against the Bakufu. And k won't be right until the boil is ready to burst. Like I've told you before, we must prepare ourselves. In other words, we need warships. Hanpeita never understood this, nor did a lot of other men who are either dead or in jail."

One snowy morning in February Ryoma paid a visit to the Osaka residence of Okubo Ichio, who until recently had been serving in the powerful post of the Bakufu's commissioner of finance. Passing through the front gate of Okubo house, located at the edge of the moat near Osaka Castle, Ryoma felt a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. His main purpose for the visit was to inquire about the circumstances of Katsu Kaishu, whom he had not heard from since Kaishu was recalled to Edo in the previous November. The servant who greeted Ryoma at the door recognized him, and immediately led him to the study, where Okubo was sitting at his desk near a brazier of burning charcoal. He wore a short light blue jacket of heavy silk cloth, his graying hair oiled and tied neatly into a topknot; the lines on his pale face were more pronounced than Ryoma had remembered, scars from the turbulent times it had been the fate of this enlightened thinker to inherit.

"Welcome, Ryoma," Okubo said, receiving the outlaw warmly. Although he knew that Ryoma was intent on overthrowing the Bakufu, he shared his concern for the overall welfare of Japan, and indeed had enlightened Ryoma as to his own ideas for establishing a republican form of government. "Bring hot sake," he told the servant.

Ryoma removed his sword, leaned it against the wall in the alcove, took a seat near the brazier. "I've come to inquire about Katsu-sensei," he said. Ryoma was more indignant than ever with the "potato-heads in Edo," who were not only too ignorant to recognize Kaishu's brilliance, but so impertinent as to force him out of office, and even punish him.

"Katsu is still under house arrest at his home in Edo, and is being investigated. That's all I know." Okubo shook his head slowly, warming his hands over the brazier. "But I have something else to tell you. I've been dismissed from my post as commissioner of finance, and recalled to Edo myself."

"Why?” Ryoma exclaimed.

"For the same reasons that Katsu was recalled, I suppose."

"What are those reasons?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Okubo sighed, "Katsu was recalled ostensibly for harboring you and your men, and for allegedly being in cahoots with the Choshu radicals, which is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I suspect that petty jealousy for his brilliance was the main reason for his punishment"

"When are those idiots in Edo going to realize that you and Katsu-sensei are the only men of any worth in the whole damn government?"

"Ah, yes, Ryoma. My feelings exactly. But I wish you'd keep your voice down."

"Of course," Ryoma said, glancing around the study, as the servant appeared with two large flasks of hot sake. "Then you do agree with me that there is nothing more useless in this world, and more harmful to Japan, than the Tokugawa Bakufu," Ryoma said.

Okubo cleared his throat, gave the outlaw a long, hard look. "Ryoma, I understand how you feel. But please remember that I am a direct retainer of the Shogun." He filled a sake cup, which Ryoma drained immediately, then said, "That's what Katsu-sensei has always said, and look at what those idiots have done to him. In all due respect to you, the Bakufu must be toppled."

"I understand your feelings, Ryoma." Unable to propose an argument, Okubo refilled Ryoma's cup, then asked, "What do you think about the situation of Choshu?"

"We're still not ready," Ryoma said bluntly.

"Ready?" Okubo asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes," Ryoma paused, stared hard at this brilliant Tokugawa official. "I'm going to get Choshu and Satsuma together. Then we'll be ready."

"Ready for what?" "To topple the Bakufu."

"Choshu and Satsuma?" Okubo said incredulously. Ryoma's words were indeed incredible, and it was for this very reason that he felt safe divulging his plans to a Tokugawa official. Choshu would no sooner unite with Satsuma than it would with the Bakufu. Choshu loathed Satsuma, perhaps even more than it did the Tokugawa. Hadn't Satsuma joined hands with Edo to improve its own position in Kyoto? Hadn't it been Satsuma which was most responsible for Choshu's original fall in Kyoto in 1863? Again it was Satsuma who united with the most powerful of the Tokugawa-related domains, Aizu, to defeat Choshu the following year. Then just a few months later, after Choshu had been attacked by the combined foreign fleets, Satsuma had jumped on the bandwagon, with Saigo as staff officer, in the expedition against Choshu, that had only been postponed when the Choshu conservatives agreed to surrender. Saigo's complete distrust for Choshu, on the other hand, was representative of all Satsuma samurai. Near die end of the previous year, Saigo had written to the powerful secretary to the Lord of Satsuma, Okubo Ichizo, that Choshu must be crushed, so that it can never rise again. "Otherwise," Saigo warned, "it will surely cause disaster for our hart in the future." But since his meeting with Kaishu, Saigo had reconsidered his clan's relationship with Choshu, and this Ryoma knew. (Although Ryoma did tell Okubo of his hopes to unite Satsuma and Choshu, he wisely chose not to impart Saigo's apparent change of heart; for although Okubo was indeed a trusted member of Kaishu's Group of Four, he was nevertheless a direct retainer of the Shogun.)

"Yes, Choshu and Satsuma," Ryoma repeated, as if possessed by me idea of an alliance. He had long been friends with the Choshu men; notwithstanding their explosive nature, he understood as well as anyone their suffering and their pure dedication to Imperial Loyalism. And having spent the past winter at Satsuma's headquarters in Osaka, Ryoma had developed a mutual understanding and friendship with the men of that han. "Once I get them together, the Bakufu can send all of its forces against Choshu, but it will lose," Ryoma said. "Ryoma," Okubo raised his voice, "have you ever heard the name Oguri Tadamasa?"

"No."

"Then listen to what 1 have to say, because not only was it Oguri who had Katsu dismissed, but he is now trying to get me French to sponsor the Bakufu, in order to crush not only Choshu, but Satsuma, and if possible even Tosa and Fukui."

"The French?" Ryoma exclaimed. "Crush Satsuma, Tosa and Fukui? Tell me some more about Oguri," he said, taking the flask and pouring himself a drink.

Okubo released a heavy sigh. "First, there is one other thing that you should know, he said.

"What's that?" Ryoma asked, bracing himself.

"I'm sure that the Bakufu will be ordering another military expedition against Choshu."

"Of all the damn..." Ryoma paused. "1 can't say that I'm surprised to hear that The Bakufu might eventually beat Choshu, crush the entire domain confiscate its land and even execute its daimyo, but it will never be able to crush the spirit of the Choshu men. The Choshu Loyalists are resolved to fight until the very last one of them is dead, and I don't believe that even the Bakufu can exterminate the entire clan." As Ryoma spoke, his face grew red with anger.

"I see your point, Ryoma. Now relax and listen to what I have to tell you about Oguri and the French, because it is with Oguri that Choshu, and even Satsuma and Tosa are going to have to contend." "Please tell me."

"After arranging for Katsu's dismissal and subsequent house arrest. Oguri replaced him at his post of navy commissioner last December. Oguri is now the most powerful man in the government. He's no longer navy commissioner, but instead will soon be filling my former post of commissioner of finance, which means that he'll decide how the Bakufu spends its money." Okubo paused, warmed his hands over the brazier. "But what has me worried most is that Oguri is now intent on saving the House of Tokugawa at any cost, even if it means selling out to the French for military assistance." "What is Oguri's relation with the French?"

"Let me ask you this," Okubo said, refilling Ryoma's cup. "How do you think the Bakufu was able to afford its recent expedition against Choshu, and the second expedition which is being planned now?" "I don't know."

"Well, certainly not from the gold we have in our coffers. The Tokugawa government is almost broke." "Broke?" Ryoma exclaimed, a look of disbelief on his face. "Yes, As you know, it was the Bakufu which paid indemnities to Britain for the murder of that Englishman by Satsuma men at Namamugi, and for the burning down of the British Ministry in Shinagawa by Choshu radicals. These two incidents alone cost us 440,000 Mexican silver dollars." "How much is that?"

"About one-tenth of the Bakufu's annual income. And it was the Bakufu again which had to pay the United States, France, Britain and Holland for the damage done to their ships by Choshu in the attacks off Shimonoseki. Add to this the great costs of administering Edo, Kyoto, Osaka, and the three open Ports of Nagasaki, Yokohama and Hakodate, and you can see that there is not much money left for anything else, including military expedition*,"

"You mean that the Bakufu got the money from the French for the expedition against Choshu?" Ryoma said, his eyes on fire.

"Yes. Emperor Napoleon III sponsored it." Ryoma tried to speak, but was silenced by the older man. "And now Oguri plans to modernize the military with the help of the French."
"What's in it for the French?"

"Ezo."

"Ezo?" Ryoma started. "You mean to say the he's promised the northern

territory to the French in exchange for military aid?" "Apparently."

"The rotten traitor," Ryoma seethed.

"Ryoma, calm down and listen. I still have more to tell you." Ryoma stared silently into Okubo's eyes, waiting for him to continue. "In order to centralize Tokugawa strength," Okubo said, "Oguri is also planning to abolish all of the clans, and turn their lands into prefectures under the control of a centralized, autocratic government in Edo. And that is why he is intent on first crushing Choshu, Satsuma and Tosa, the three most powerful han which are sure to oppose him. But to do this, Oguri needs money. The French have money, and Oguri has Ezo at his disposal." "And he plans to sell Ezo to the French?"

"Yes, for gold, modern weaponry and warships. And he plans to get French assistance to build a modern shipyard at Yokosuka."

"A shipyard," Ryoma exclaimed, his eyes opened wide. "Let him build it, and we'll take it from him," he thought to himself.

"In short," Okubo said," Oguri is planning the ruin of every daimyo in Japan, not to mention the abolition of the Imperial Court itself."

"What you're telling me is that Oguri would sacrifice the rest of the nation to save the House of Tokugawa," Ryoma said.

"Yes. The man is crazy. I'm a Tokugawa samurai, but I would never dream of such a thing. Not only is Oguri crazy, but he's dangerous because he's

brilliant" "But apparently not brilliant enough to see that if he goes through with

these plans Japan will become another China."

"That's my biggest fear."

'That's why there's no time to waste uniting Satsuma I Choshu," Ryoma said, his voice strained.

"Ryoma, you know I can't openly encourage you to tight against my own government but with a madman like Oguri at the helm, my heart and spirit are with you." Notwithstanding Okubo's hate for Oguri, that he would divulge such information to an activist intent on overthrowing the Bakufu was indicative of his deep trust for Ryoma. and his unwavering confidence in Ryoma's ability to fight his political enemy Oguri Tadamasa.

"I need all the help 1 can get," Ryoma said as he slowly stood up, and despite himself, felt a shiver run down his spine for the feasibility of Oguri's plan. "We must beat him," he said, excused himself and left Okubo alone in his study.

Ryoma spent the following two months beside himself with anxiety, waiting for Saigo to return to Osaka. Since hearing of the Bakufu's dangerous relationship with the French, he wanted more than ever to speak with Saigo, not only to persuade him of the importance of at least improving relations with

Choshu, but also to arrange for Satsuma to purchase a steamer that he and his men could lease. With this ship they would transport merchandise between the southern island of Kyushu and the mercantile center in Osaka, and with the profits earned purchase weapons from foreign traders in Nagasaki Ryoma had cherished these ideas since his talks with Kawada Shoryo years ago, and his service under Katsu Kaishu had prepared him to realize them All business transactions would be conducted under the Satsuma name with the Satsuma flag flying above the ship Ryoma's men would use to smuggle weapons into Choshu to defend against the Bakufu forces. Such was Ryoma's plan, the realization of which necessitated a union between Satsuma and Choshu.

One morning at the beginning of April Ryoma received a message from a Tosa man by the name of Hijikata Kusuzaemon, inviting him to an inn in Kyoto to "talk about some very important matters concerning an alliance between Satsuma and Choshu." Needless to say, Ryoma wasted no time catching a riverboat to Kyoto, where Hijikata, and two others whom Ryoma did not expect to meet, were waiting for him. These were Nakaoka Shintaro, whom Ryoma had not seen since fleeing Tosa, and Yoshii Kozuke of Satsuma.

Nakaoka had been working and fighting for Choshu since fleeing Tosa, just before Takechi Hanpeita's arrest in the fall of 1863. He had fought in Kusaka's Corps of Loyalty and Bravery during the attack on the Forbidden Gates, when he received a gunshot wound near the very spot where Kusaka had died. Nakaoka had also fought against the combined foreign fleets at Shimonoseki, and co-commanded the Corps of Loyalty and Bravery for a time during the following winter. As a leading disciple of Hanpeita in Kochi, Nakaoka had acted as one of his mentor's chief lieutenants in the glory days of the Tosa Loyalist Party in Kyoto. And despite having plotted with Takasugi Shinsaku the assassination of the Satsuma daimyo just one year ago, Nakaoka had, his loyalty to Choshu notwithstanding, recently established friendly relations with the Satsuma men. In fact, Nakaoka and Hijikata were now guests at Satsuma'* Kyoto headquarters. With the Tosa Loyalists crushed by Lord Yodo, and Hanpeita in a Kochi prison cell, Nakaoka was now in an ideal position to advise those Loyalists who remained free in Tosa Han-but were cut off from almost every source of outside information-concerning the trends in national politics, particularly in Satsuma and Choshu. Nakaoka well understood the mind-set of these Tosa men, having shared their still xenophobic convictions until recently. But his experience with Choshu-particularly the bombardment of Shimonoseki-and his extensive reading, opened his eyes to the awesome power of Western technology, convincing him to throw off his xenophobia. The last time Ryoma had met Nakaoka, he was as firmly against opening Japan as was Hanpeita himself; but now, as Ryoma had recently heard from the Satsuma men, even this strict traditionalist had undergone a metamorphosis similar to his own "A wealthy country, strong defense," had become Nakaoka s new motto and he, like the Choshu and Satsuma leaders, now realized that in order become strong enough to wage war with the foreigners it would first be necessary to trade with them. Indeed, in the spring of 1865 Nakaoka Shintaro saw eye to eye with Sakamoto Ryoma.

The lower-samurai Hijikata Kusuzaemon, like Ryoma and Nakaoka, had refused Lord Yodo's orders to return to Tosa in the summer of 1863. and instead remained in Kyoto until the coup which drove Choshu and the seven radical nobles from the Imperial capital. Since then, Hijikata had, with Nakaoka, taken refuge in Choshu Han, where they served as personal bodyguards to Sanjo Sanetomi, the leader of the banished nobles. They accompanied the nobles on their recent move from Choshu to northern Kyushu, and were now in Kyoto as intelligence agents for Lord Sanjo, gathering information on the state of things in the Imperial capital, particularly the court's current relationship with the Bakufu.

Like many of the Tosa men who had fled, Hijikata and Nakaoka now felt more loyalty for Choshu than for their native hat. After all, Lord Yodo had crushed the Tosa Loyalist Party, executing or incarcerating many of those members who did not flee. Despite Yodo's professed loyalty to the Emperor, he refused to take any action whatsoever that might be construed as anti-Tokugawa. In fact, when the Bakufu ordered the first expedition against Choshu, Yodo's heir had put aside his young bride for a few months: she was a daughter of the Lord of Choshu, and Tosa wanted to avoid possible charges of sympathy to the renegade han.

Until recently, most Tosa ronin had resented Satsuma as much as they did Yodo, and Nakaoka and Hijikata had particularly despised everything that the commander in chief of the Satsuma forces stood for. (As Saigo had told Ryoma, Nakaoka had come to his military headquarters in Kyoto with intent to kill him.) But since Saigo's recent intervention between Edo and Choshu, and his subsequent mediation to arrange a safe haven for the Five Banished Nobles, the Tosa men had come to see Saigo in a different light. Nakaoka had met Saigo on several occasions since the failed countercoup, and described him in a letter to his comrades in Tosa: "He is wise, learned, courageous, and usually quiet; but when he does occasionally utter a few words they are filled with resolution, and have a depth of thought which directly penetrates the listener's heart." (Nakaoka's description of Saigo resembles Ryoma's "the harder you hit him, the louder he roars," albeit Ryoma's simple rhetoric is, to say the least, more to the point than Nakaoka's erudite style.) "Saigo is a man of great virtue who overcomes others," Nakaoka continued, "and having gone through frequent hardships, he is rich in experience as. well. Indeed, in the way he combines towledge and action he is comparable to Takechi Zuizan himself"

When the Bakufu insisted that Choshu surrender the radical nobles as a sign of atonement, it intended to take them into custody as criminals. But since the nobles symbolized to the Loyalists the only part of their dream which remained alive, their safety was of prime importance to Choshu, and incarceration in Edo was not to be tolerated. Instead it was arranged that the nobles be sent to Fukuoka Han, across the strait from Choshu in northern Kyushu, where they were kept as virtual prisoners, not even allowed to

associate with one another. When the Loyalist guards accompanying them

Hijikata and Nakaoka among them-reported the outrage, Saigo quickly intervened to secure better conditions for the nobles at a Shinto shrine in nearby Dazaifu.

Ryoma sat cross-legged, to the left of Nakaoka, opposite Hijikata and Yoshii, his sword on his lap. He thought it pleasantly strange that his Tosa comrades should be in the company of a Satsuma man, particularly since Yoshii was Saigo "s private secretary. "Do you have any word about Hanpeita?" Ryoma asked.

Nakaoka gave Ryoma a hard look, his wide jaw intensifying the strength in his powerful eyes. "Nothing. Not a word," he growled. "Zuizan-sensei can't move because he's in jail. But what have you been doing for the past six months, Ryoma?" Ryoma smiled. "Nothing," he said.

"Nothing? How can you be doing nothing when there's so much that needs to be done?" "I have to see Saigo before I can move," Ryoma said matter-of-factly. "Saigo!" Nakaoka said. "Why?"

"Two reasons: to borrow a ship from Satsuma, and to convince Saigo to unite with Choshu." Ryoma spoke these words with complete confidence, as he looked hard into Nakaoka's eyes. "Where is Saigo anyway?" he asked, shifting his eyes to the Satsuma man.

"Saigo is expected to return to Osaka any day now," replied Yoshii, whom Ernest Satow described as "a little man, very vivacious and talked with a perfect Satsuma brogue."

"It's about time," Ryoma roared excitedly. "I've been waiting to speak with him for the past two months." "Ryoma!" Nakaoka suddenly shouted, "that's just what we've been planning." "To borrow a ship from Satsuma?" Ryoma said. "No. I'm talking about a Satsuma-Choshu alliance." "I know." Ryoma grinned, gesturing with his chin toward the other Tosa man. "Hijikata mentioned it in his note to me."

"Yoshii-san," Hijikata interrupted, as if to calm Nakaoka, "what does Saigo think about the planned expedition against Choshu?" "He's certainly not happy about it," the Satsuma man assured. "And what about a union between Choshu and Satsuma?" Nakaoka asked. his dark eyes on fire. "Because the only hope we have of wiping clean the insults of the barbarians and defending our sacred nation is if Choshu and Satsuma, the two most powerful clans in western Japan, agree to work together, import state-of-the-art weaponry from the West and use it to crush the Bakufu."

"But a union between our hem and Choshu will depend on Choshu," Yoshii said solemnly.

"Let Nakaoka and me handle Choshu," Hijikata said. "But what about Saigo? Will he ever agree to a union?"

"Leave Saigo to me," Ryoma said with conviction. "If anyone can convince Saigo, 1 can."

Ryoma spoke with such self-confidence that Hijikata began snickering: "You'll never change, will you Ryoma."

"Then it's settled," Ryoma said, ignoring the remark. "I'll work on Saigo while the two of you talk to the Choshu men."

"We've already begun," Nakaoka said grimly. "Ryoma, had I known you were thinking the same thing, I'd have contacted you sooner. You should be traveling with us."

"No! I've waited here for Saigo all winter. A few more days isn't going to matter now. But tell me, any word of Katsura Kogoro?"

"Katsura's recently returned to Choshu," Hijikata said. "He knew that it would be just a matter of time before he would be arrested in Kyoto, so he disguised himself as a beggar and waited under the Sanjo Bridge for the right time to leave the city. One day when he was questioned by a group of Aizu samurai, he told them that he had an upset stomach and was looking for a toilet. The Aizu men arranged for him to use a toilet in a nearby house, and stood guard outside the door while Katsura was inside." Hijikata started laughing. "At least they thought he was inside. Actually he snuck through the water hole and escaped."

Katsura is a survivor," Ryoma snickered, then stood up and thrust his sword though his sash. "I have to go," he said. "I have to get back to Osaka to wait for Saigo."

Since Saigo wasn't expected back for a few days, Ryoma stopped at Satsuma's estate in Fushimi to retrieve Taro and Toranosuke, both of whom were staying there. "Come on, we're going to a brothel," he told them.

Toranosuke gave Ryoma a puzzled look. "I thought you had to get back to Osaka to see Saigo."

"Saigo's not there yet. Besides, a man has to know when to enjoy himself. Even Shinta knows that much. I just saw him and Hijikata in Kyoto. And you know what Hijikata told me!" Ryoma broke out in a deep belly laughter. "What?" Taro said, his curiosity stirred by Ryoma's amusement. "On the night before they were to escort Lord Sanjo out of Choshu, Shinta gave Hijikata one of those hard looks of his, and in all seriousness said, 'Since we might die tomorrow, let's go to a brothel tonight and completely enjoy ourselves.'"

"Sounds like something Nakaoka would say," Toranosuke snickered. "The part about dying, that is. But I must say, I've never known him to patronize a brothel."

"Neither have I. Now, let's go," Ryoma said in a tone more imperative than friendly.

On the next morning, as the three ronin walked southward along the Takasegawa, they spotted a band of sword-bearing men, several of them also armed with long spears, heading straight at them "Ronin-hunters!" Taro gasped, recognizing the large white banner which one of them carried, emblazoned in red with the Chinese character for "sincerity."

"There must be a dozen of them," Toranosuke said. "I hear that once they start questioning you, things can get very dangerous. Let's get out of here."

"Relax," Ryoma said with perfect calm. Unlike the others, this was not his first encounter with the Shinsengumi. "Do either of you have the guts to walk right through their line?"

"What?" Toranosuke said in disbelief.

The line of armed men was approaching fast. As it was common knowledge that the Shinsengumi was under orders to arrest or kill any ronin they encountered, Taro and Toranosuke were terrified.

"You can't take all twelve of them,’' Taro said nervously. "Come on, let's get out of here quickly!"

"Stay right here," Ryoma said nonchalantly. "I'm going to give you two a lesson in human nature." He walked steadily down the narrow street, his sword at his left hip, the ronin-hunters heading directly at him.

The twelve men stopped about fifty paces in front of the lone ronin. "That's Sakamoto Ryoma, from Tosa," one of them whispered, releasing the latch to the sheath of his sword. "We've come across him before.*'

Although Ryoma couldn't make out the words, be recognized the man's face, and the look in his eyes which betrayed his superior ability to kill. "We can't take him," whispered a second man.

"Why's that?" the first man asked under his bream, without removing his eyes from those of the ronin approaching.

"1 can't really say, but I definitely sense something about him, something other than just his swordsmanship, that would make him extremely difficult to cut."

The first man nodded slowly, releasing his grip on his sword as an indication to the others not to attack.

Ryoma swaggered down the center of the narrow street, as if oblivious to the patrol directly ahead. Suddenly he stopped, walked over to the side of the canal, and with his back to the line of men, stooped down to pick up a puppy that was asleep in the grass. "Hey, little one," he said, rubbed the puppy against his face, then broke out in a deep belly laughter. "Is he crazy?" muttered another one of the band. "Let's take him." "No!" hissed the first man, his eyes on fire. "Nobody draws his sword until I give the command."

Meanwhile, Ryoma commenced walking straight at the line of armed men, still holding the puppy. While all twelve of them glared menacingly at him, the line parted at the center to let him pass. "See what I told you," the second man said. "You just can't cut him." "Strange," sneered the first man, as he turned around to watch Ryoma walking away. "He completely controlled us," said the second man. "Yes. And despite that stupid look on his face, something tells me he's up to no good."

When Ryoma returned to Satsuma headquarters in Osaka that evening, Saigo was there waiting for him.

"Saigo-san," he said, as the two sat in the commander in chief’s private quarters, "don't tell me that Satsuma still intends to support the Bakufu even though the Bakufu plans to sell out to the foreigners, and to use the money it gets to crush a Japanese domain." Ryoma had just finished telling Saigo what he had heard from Okubo concerning Oguri's pact with the French.

"Crush Choshu, you mean," Saigo said sternly.

"Yes, but not even you can say that Choshu is not a part of Japan."

Saigo stared silently at Ryoma, in what seemed to the latter either profound thought or utter stupidity.

"Can't you see that the Bakufu's only concern is the preservation of the House of Tokugawa, at the expense of the rest of Japan!" Ryoma hollered, pounding his fist on the floor. "And that includes Satsuma."

Saigo had remained silent for most of the past thirty minutes, listening intently. "Sakamoto-san," he said, "where do you get your information?" Saigo was obviously disturbed by Ryoma's last remark.

"Believe me," Ryoma smiled, "the source is very reliable." He could not mention Okubo's name, for fear of exposing his mentor as a traitor, which he was certainly not.

"I see," Saigo nodded slowly. He had no reason to doubt Ryoma, who until recently had been the right-hand man of Katsu Kaishu, one of the most influential and respected men in Edo.

"Then call off Satsuma's participation in the expedition, and instead agree to unite with Choshu against the Bakufu," Ryoma pleaded, staring hard into the big man's sparkling black eyes. "Because of the two hundred sixty ban in Japan, only Satsuma and Choshu count for anything. Only Satsuma and Choshu can overthrow the Bakufu. The others are either blind in their obeisance to the Bakufu, or just too concerned with their own petty affairs to concern themselves with the rest of the nation."

Without answering, Saigo nodded his heavy head slowly and folded his large arms tightly at his chest, as if seriously considering the idea. After all, Ryoma's words made perfect sense. Saigo realized that the biggest obstacle impeding the Bakufu from regaining its authority of the past was a lack of funds to modernize its military. If indeed the French were to finance Edo, then it would be beyond the power of Satsuma, Choshu or even the Imperial Court to prevent the Bakufu from usurping the entire nation.

Ryoma continued speaking heatedly. "We must act soon, before it's too late. It would cost the Bakufu about two and a half million dollars to build a naval station at the Port of Yokosuka, equipped with an iron foundry, docks and a shipyard. But Edo could never raise that kind of money on its own." He paused to let the effect of his words sink in. "Not without the help of the French "

The idea was no less frightening to Saigo than it was to Ryoma. "I see " Saigo said maintaining an impenetrable stolidity, save his sparkling black eyes which radiated perfect sincerity.

Ryoma sat up straight, thrust his face at the larger man's. "What about an alliance with Choshu?" he prodded.

"Sakamoto-san, I'm sure you understand that Satsuma has its pride. We just can't..."

"Pride?" Ryoma burst out indignantly. "Forget about pride. What's pride going to do for you if your entire domain is crushed?" "We must eliminate Choshu because it refuses to see the light." "The light?" Ryoma shouted. The light will go out for us all unless the Bakufu is destroyed, and soon. I hear that a Yokosuka Naval Station is scheduled to be completed in less than four years."

"I see," Saigo nodded grimly. "But Choshu has always opposed our idea of assembling a council of the powerful daimyo to handle these problems." Ryoma knew well of Saigo's desire for a new form of government: it was similar to his own. Ryoma agreed with Satsuma's call for a council of feudal lords centered around the Imperial Court in Kyoto to govern the nation, the formation of which would be tantamount to the end of Tokugawa rule. But Ryoma also knew that Saigo would never agree with his own desire to abolish the entire feudal system so mat there would be no more clans, no more feudal lords, no more samurai, no more court nobles, and with the exception of the Emperor, no more class distinction at all. For despite Saigo's lifelong slogan "Revere heaven, love mankind," his philosophy was rooted in traditional Confucian thought whereby the population was divided into two immutable categories: those who labored with their bodies, and those who labored with their minds-that is, the peasants and their samurai overlords, respectively. In Saigo's mind-and indeed in the minds of virtually all educated samurai-it was the duty of the warrior class to love and protect the peasantry who had embodied the mainstay of the agricultural economy since time immemorial. Saigo fully believed that the samurai must cherish the farmers, just as a daimyo must love his vassals, a father his sons; but. as Ryoma well knew, Saigo would never condone changing society to allow the peasants to stand on an equal footing with the "warrior-gentlemen," so that class barriers would disappear entirely. This, however, was precisely the goal of Sakamoto Ryoma, who hoped to form a new government by which all Japanese people would be equal, from the lowest peasant to the loftiest feudal lord, Ryoma had cherished these democratic ideals since first hearing of them from Kawada Shoryo, and they had matured in his mind through his contacts with the Group of Four. Not only was Ryoma sure mat Saigo would never agree to abolish the feudal system, but he felt that mere mention of the idea might alienate the great Satsuma leader. In fact, Ryoma decided that be bad said enough about Choshu and the Bakufu for one evening, realizing that if Saigo still could not see the absolute necessity of an alliance, then he probably never would. "One more thing before f leave," Ryoma said nonchalantly. "What ever happened with the talk of Satsuma purchasing a warship for my men and I to lease?" This was the first time Ryoma had ever mentioned the matter to Saigo, although he knew that Kaishu had done so several months earlier.
"I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow,'" Saigo said. "Both Komatsu and Okubo are there. I'll discuss the matter with them."

"Thank you," Ryoma said. Thus assured, he stood up, put on his sword, and left the Satsuma leader alone.

On the following evening Saigo Kichinosuke, Okubo Ichizo and Komatsu Tatewaki-for all means and purposes the Triumvirate of Satsuma-sat in the latter's quarters at Satsuma's Kyoto headquarters.

Like Saigo, Okubo was of low birth, but through sheer brilliance had become Lord Hisamitsu's chief advisor. Although Saigo and Okubo had been close friends since boyhood, they were of contrasting natures. The warm, magnanimous Saigo was loved by his comrades, while the cold, analytical Okubo would never enjoy such reverence. Nevertheless, through Saigo's influence, Okubo had become a leader among Satsuma radicals back in the days of Lord Nariakira's campaign against Ii Naosuke. After Nariakira's death, and Saigo's subsequent exile, Okubo's group petitioned Lord Hisamitsu to lead an attack on Edo against Ii. Hisamitsu, of course, refused, but affectionately dubbed Okubo's men the "Spirited and Loyal Band." It was Okubo who was most responsible for Lord Hisamitsu's march into Kyoto in the summer of 1862 to persuade the court to issue an Imperial decree for shogunal reform, and it is even conjectured that Okubo, Machiavellian in his belief that the end justified the means, supported Hisamitsu's orders in the previous spring for the slaughter of Satsuma Loyalists at the Teradaya. After Satsuma's battle with the British in 1863, Okubo was sent to Yokohama to hold secret negotiations with them. It was also Okubo who insisted that the Bakufu loan Satsuma the money demanded by the British for indemnities, threatening that if Edo refused he would have the British minister assassinated to further complicate the problems facing Edo.

Komatsu Tatewaki, a hereditary councilor to the Lord of Satsuma, was related to the ruling Shimazu family, and one of the highest ranking men from any of the clans to be numbered among the Loyalists. Satow described Komatsu as "owe of the most charming Japanese I have known, a Kara (hereditary councilor) by birth, but unlike most of that class, distinguished for his political ability, excellent manners, and a genial companion. He had a fairer complexion than most, but his large mouth prevented his being good-looking." It was Komatsu who, at Kaishu's request, had arranged to shelter Ryoma and his men at Satsuma's Osaka and Kyoto headquarters over the past winter. At twenty-nine Komatsu was the same age as Ryoma, and though the two had not yet met, the things the Satsuma councilor had heard about the Tosa ronin from Saigo, Kaishu and others opened his heart to him.

"Ichizo," Saigo said, referring to Okubo, who at thirty-five was three years his junior, by his given name. * I had a very interesting discussion last night with Sakamoto Ryoma."

"Sakamoto who?"

"You know. That Tosa ronin who Komatsu and I have been telling you about," Saigo said, glancing at the councilor.

"Oh yes, now 1 remember Sakamoto Ryoma," Okubo said emphatically, scratching his wide jaw, his intelligent eyes focused hard on Saigo's. "That's the man you wrote me about, isn't it, Komatsu-san?"

"Yes, he's apparently been trained in navigation by Katsu Kaishu himself, and is trying to get the use of a ship from our hem."

Saigo burst out laughing. "Ryoma is quite a character. It seems that once he gets his mind set on doing something, he does it. He says he wants to 'lease' a ship from us. He intends to use it for 'business purposes."'

Okubo and Komatsu shared Saigo's interest in Ryoma. "It sounds like we could put Sakamoto's navigational expertise to use," Okubo said. This was precisely Komatsu's idea when he agreed to keep Ryoma and his men at Satsuma headquarters. After all, Kaishu's former students were experts in an extremely sophisticated technology. The steam-powered warships of the mid-nineteenth century could be likened to the nuclear-powered battleships one century later, insofar as they were among the most advanced and expensive forms of military technology in the world In short, Ryoma and his men were experts in an elite field of high-technology which was invaluable to Satsuma. As mat han was engaged in illegal trade between Kagoshima, the Ryukyus and Shanghai to raise capital to rebuild its navy which had been badly destroyed by the British, it desperately needed skilled sailors.

"Believe me," Saigo said, "there's a lot more to Ryoma than just navigational expertise. I strongly urge that the both of you talk with the minister of the treasury in Kagoshima to arrange the use of a ship for him. Because it's only a matter of money that's keeping him down."

"I think that could be arranged," Komatsu said, kneading his long eyebrows.

"And that's not all Ryoma and I talked about," Saigo said in a low voice. After relaying everything he had heard from Ryoma about Edo's relationship with the French, Saigo asked, "What do you think of Ryoma's proposal about an alliance with Choshu?"

Okubo shook his head slowly, sighing deeply. "I just don't know. But 1 don't see that we have any other choice."

"My feelings exactly," Komatsu said.

Saigo looked hard at the other two men. "Mine too! I suggest that Komatsu and I take Ryoma with us back to Kagoshima and let him plead his case about a warship to the minister of the treasury, while the two of us make sure that Satsuma will not participate in the second expedition against Choshu."

"Yes," Komatsu readily agreed, and although Ryoma did not yet know, the first step of his great plan to unite Satsuma and Choshu had been realized.

* * *

Ryoma and six of his men sailed aboard the Satsuma steamer Butterfly with Saigo, Komatsu and several other men of that clan, arriving at Kagoshima under a clear blue sky on the extremely hot first day of May. The former students of Katsu Kaishu, the most knowledgeable navigator in Japan, were not just along for the ride. Before leaving Osaka Ryoma had told them, "We have to convince the Satsuma men to lend us a ship, so let's show them that we can operate one." And this they did, with Ryoma as captain.

"Saigo-san," Ryoma called from the crow's nest halfway up the mainmast, the Shimazu crest-a black cross in a circle-emblazoned on the flag flying

above him. "What is it?" Saigo bellowed from the starboard deck. Ryoma climbed down the netting. "I never thought I'd see it," he said excitedly.

"Ah, yes. Sakurajima," Saigo affectionately uttered the volcano s name. The two men stared at the active volcanic island, the symbol of Kagoshima, rising majestically out of the bay in front of the castletown, spewing a single cloud of white smoke into the clear blue sky.

Ryoma had good reason to be excited. He had never expected to get into Satsuma Han, which throughout history had maintained a strict policy of keeping outsiders out. Not even Tokugawa officials could gain entrance into Satsuma: most of those who had tried over the past two centuries had simply disappeared.

"Look over there," Saigo said, pointing to the batteries at the mouth of the Kotsuki River, which flowed through the center of the castletown into the bay.

"I hear that Satsuma gave the British hell with those guns," Ryoma said, squinting to get a clearer view of the cannon.

"Perhaps, but not enough. Look over there," Saigo said, pointing to the left. Along the shore, backgrounded by heavily wooded green hills, was a group of gray brick buildings with traditional black tile roofs. "Those are our new foundries, where we're manufacturing guns and ammunition. Most of our old foundries were destroyed in the battle with the British."

Indeed, the technology of the Satsuma foundries was so advanced as to impress even the British delegation that would visit Kagoshima in the following year. "The Satsuma people seemed to be making great progress in the civilized arts, and gave me the impression of great courage and straightforwardness" Satow wrote. "/ thought they would soon he far ahead of the rest of Japan." At the beginning of this year Satsuma had secretly sent fifteen men on a study tour to England, in defiance of Tokugawa law. England was also assisting its new allies in the construction of other factories in Kagoshima, also behind the Bakufu's back. But why was Great Britain so anxious to aid her erstwhile enemy? Like Ryoma, she predicted that before long Satsuma, and not Edo, would be the most powerful entity in Japan. Thus, Ryoma's determination to unite Choshu and Satsuma.

Soon the Butterfly anchored, but as all seven outsiders were not permitted to land, only Ryoma and Yonosuke disembarked with the Satsuma men. They were escorted to an inn in the castletown, where they waited anxiously for Saigo to return. Ryoma was concerned about the outcome of the meetings Saigo and Komatsu would be having with the daimyo and his council over the next few days, albeit he was confident that Satsuma would not participate in the expedition against Choshu. Since Ryoma had already convinced the Satsuma commander in chief of the folly of cooperating with the Tokugawa, he reasoned that it was merely a matter of time before Saigo and Komatsu would convince the daimyo to turn official policy against Edo.

Ryoma and Yonosuke waited at the inn for three days, enduring the scorching Satsuma heat, until Saigo finally returned. "Sakamoto-san," he said, “I've arranged for you to talk to the people at the Ministry of the Treasury." "Then Satsuma is going to get us a ship?" Ryoma exclaimed, clapping his hands.

That depends on your ability to persuade. Tomorrow you can talk to the man in charge."

That night Ryoma stayed at Saigo's home. Upon his arrival, he was astonished at the shabbiness of the place. "So, this is where the famous Saigo Kichinosuke lives," he thought to himself as they passed through the dilapidated wooden gate. Indeed, the house of the most powerful man in Satsuma was as mean as that of the most destitute of lower-samurai in Tosa, and certainly far more humble than many of the peasants' homes Ryoma had visited. Soon Saigo’s wife served dinner, and with it three large flasks of strong white liquor diluted in hot water. But as Saigo, despite his massive physique, rarely drank, Ryoma consumed all three flasks by himself. After the meal Saigo suggested that Ryoma get a good night's sleep so that he would be prepared to negotiate with the treasury officials. "Tomorrow you must convince them to get you a ship."

"Yes," Ryoma said, feeling the effect of the liquor, "but what about an alliance with Choshu?"

"Ah, yes," Saigo said, averting Ryoma's hard stare, "I haven't mentioned it to Lord Hisamitsu yet." "You haven't mentioned'" Ryoma said irritably. "No," Saigo said sheepishly. "You see, I've decided to wait until Okubo returns to Kagoshima before bringing up the matter. I have a hard time discussing things with our lord, but Okubo's different."

"I see," Ryoma muttered, a strange look on his face. Although Ryoma had heard from Kaishu of Saigo's bitter feelings for Hisamitsu (Saigo still believed that Hisamitsu had Nariakira poisoned), Saigo was, nevertheless the commander in chief of the Satsuma forces. "To repeat myself," Ryoma said, "it's an absolute necessity that Satsuma and Choshu unite against the Bakufu,"

"Yes, I believe so," Saigo agreed. "But don't worry. I have the utmost of confidence that Okubo will be able to persuade Lord Hisamitsu to see things our way." The huge man spoke slowly, nodded solemnly, sincerity radiating from his dark eyes. "But what about Choshu?" he asked.

"Don't worry about Choshu," Ryoma assured with typical self-confidence. "Nakaoka Shintaro is in Choshu now to convince Katsura Kogoro and the others of the necessity of an alliance.'*

"I think it will take a lot more convincing in Yamaguchi than it will in Kagoshima," Saigo said. "You and I both know that Choshu detests Satsuma."
"Yes, even more than Satsuma detests Choshu," Ryoma added. "But, then again, they have more reason to."

"Perhaps so, Sakamoto-san."

"But you and I also know that with the Bakufu planning another military expedition against Choshu, Choshu needs Western-style warships, cannon and rifles more than anything in this world."

"Even more than they need to hate Satsuma?" Saigo asked, an impetuous look on his large face.

"Yes," Ryoma replied emphatically. "But we also know that the Bakufu has blocked all of Choshu's attempts to purchase such weapons from the foreign traders in Nagasaki."

"What are you suggesting?" Saigo asked

"Don't you see?" Ryoma slapped his knee. "This is how I intend to convince Choshu to form an alliance with Satsuma."

"A brilliant plan," Saigo agreed, and despite the bad taste in his mouth brought on by Ryoma's suggestion that Satsuma purchase weapons for Choshu, the great man was unable to suppress a wide smite. "Komatsu and I will discuss the matter of an alliance with the daimyo as soon as Okubo returns. You have my word" Ryoma sensed from the sincerity in Saigo's eyes that this man would never make a promise without carrying it through. "But now, we should sleep," Saigo said

Ryoma only nodded stood up and went to the next room, where Saigo's wife had laid out bedding for him. Despite the great amount of liquor he had consumed mat evening his mind was clear, and preoccupied with the meeting be would have with the Satsuma officials on the next day. Unable to sleep, he overheard a conversation coming from the darkness of the next room.

"The roof of our house is so badly weathered that it leaks whenever it rains," Saigo's wife said in a low voice. "1 feel so ashamed when we have guests. Do you think you could fix it before long?"

"Right now," answered a deep voice, "all of Japan is leaking from the rain. I have no time to spend fixing our house alone."

Although the magnanimity of the great man struck Ryoma to the heart as he lay alone in the darkness, he could not help but laugh at the notion of this leader of armies laying in bed with his wife discussing a leaky roof.

Before leaving home at dawn the next morning, Saigo instructed his wife to have Ryoma wait until he would return later in the day.

"I've spent more time over the past six months waiting for Saigo than doing anything else," Ryoma told himself after several hours, and instead decided to put his time to use repairing the leaky roof of the house. When Saigo's wife found her guest climbing down from the roof, his face and clothes black from the ubiquitous volcanic ash of Sakurajima. she suggested he take a bath.

Ryoma declined. "But if Saigo-san has some extra underwear, I'll take it"

"The oldest underwear he has will be fine. I haven't changed mine in weeks.

"I see," Saigo's wife answered, before hurrying into the house and returning with her husband's oldest underwear. When Saigo returned, his wife told him that Ryoma had repaired the roof. "But he refused to bathe," she said, grimacing. "So when he asked me if he could have some of your underwear, I gave him the oldest you have." "You what?" Saigo exploded angrily. "But he asked me for..."

"I don't care what he asked you for," Saigo boomed. "Don't you know that Sakamoto Ryoma is risking his life daily for Japan? Go and find the best underwear I have, and give it to him right away, along with anything else he wants.**

Later, Saigo brought Ryoma to the home of Komatsu Tatewaki, a stately mansion overlooking the bay, where he met a high-ranking official from the Ministry of the Treasury, and other influential men of Satsuma. Here, Ryoma negotiated for permission to lease a ship, summoning all of his powers of persuasion to convince Satsuma to sponsor him and his men so that they would be able to establish a shipping agency.

"In times of peace we would transport merchandise between Nagasaki. Osaka and Shanghai," Ryoma proposed. "Since Satsuma would be our sponsor, we would share the profits with your hem. We would set up headquarters is Nagasaki, and in times of war Satsuma could use us as an auxiliary navy. As you have probably heard, all of us have been trained by Katsu Kaishu himself," Ryoma did not neglect to add, and with this use of the name of the former commissioner of the Tokugawa Navy, the Satsuma men seemed all but persuaded.

"But what if the Bakufu should find out that Satsuma is doing business with foreigners?" one of them asked. In order to protect its monopoly on foreign commerce, Edo prohibited any of the clans to trade with foreigners.

"That would be no problem for Satsuma," Ryoma assured. "Since our company would be run by ronin, the blame would fall on us."

Ryoma greatly impressed the Satsuma officials, who promised to procure a ship for him, although they would not say exactly when. After the officials left, however, Komatsu returned with some definite news. "Sakamoto-san," he said, his face alight with a smile, "I'm leaving for Nagasaki soon to purchase a new steamship for our hem." "Then you can lease it to us?" Ryoma said excitedly. "Unfortunately, that would be impossible," Komatsu replied grimly. "It's to be used exclusively for training our men. But you must have made a good impression on the people from the Treasury Ministry because 1 have just received word that each of your men will be receiving a monthly wage of three and a half ryo from Satsuma." "For doing what? We don't have a ship."

"To establish a shipping company in Nagasaki,** Komatsu said. "We would like your men to sail our new steamship from Nagasaki to Kagoshima. But have patience. You'll get your own ship soon enough. I wasn't going to mention it to you because it's not definite yet, but we also have a schooner anchored in Nagasaki which we have recently bought from a Scottish merchant by the name of Glover." "Then we can use it?" Ryoma said.

"I think so. But it's not a steamer. It's just a sailing ship, and quite old." "So what! It's a start. Anyway, we're in no position to be particular.' "Yes," Komatsu agreed, apparently relieved. "As I said, I'll be leaving for Nagasaki soon. I would like you and your men to join me."

"Fine!" Ryoma clapped his hands at the very real prospect of finally commanding his own ship.

Ryoma returned to the Butterfly, where the others were waiting for him. After informing them that Satsuma had all but officially quit the expedition against Choshu, and that Saigo was only waiting for Okubo's return to convince the daimyo of the necessity of an alliance, Ryoma told them about Komatsu's offer. "So now I want you to go to Nagasaki with Komatsu," he said.

"To do what?" Chojiro asked.

"To set up a company! Just what Kawada Shoryo has always talked about." Ryoma looked hard at the bean jam bun maker's son who, along with Umanosuke, had studied under toe progressive thinker of Western ideas several years before in Kochi. Ryoma looked around at all six men. "What do you think I've been telling you for these past two years? And most importantly, why do you think Katsu-sensei spent so much time and effort teaching us to operate a steamship?"

"To form a navy," Toranosuke said.

"Yes, and now we're finally going to do just that in Nagasaki," Ryoma said.

"But," Sonojo said, "I thought you just said we were going to start a company in Nagasaki."

"We are! A shipping company! A shipping company that's also a navy!"

"Won't you be coming with us?" Yonosuke asked Ryoma.

"Not right away. Now that I've convinced Saigo to unite with Choshu, I have to go to Shimonoseki to see Katsura to convince him unite with Satsuma. But in order to do that, first I have to go to Dazaifu in northern Kyushu to convince the Five Banished Nobles of the absolute necessity of an alliance."

Suddenly Yonosuke burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ryoma growled.

"I'm sorry." Yonosuke said, "but it's just that I don't think you ought to visit nobles of the Imperial Court looking like that" While all six of Ryoma's men wore old clothes, none of them were as innately sloppy as Ryoma, whose kimono, as usual, was badly worn, the cuffs frayed, his face dirty and hair tangled.

"What do you mean?" Ryoma feigned indignation.

"Wouldn't it be disrespectful to the Emperor to visit His representatives in anything but clean, formal dress?" Yonosuke said in ha typical monotone, the humor gone from his voice.

"Yonosuke," Ryoma said sharply, "we've spent a lot of time together over these past two years, right."

"Yes."

"All of us have, right" Ryoma eyed each man individually, drawing nods from all of them.

"Well, then," he cast a diabolic look at Yonosuke, "you ought to know me well enough by now to realize that appearance is the least of my concerns." Ryoma paused, took a deep breath. "When the very fate of our nation is at stake, who gives a damn about the way one lousy ronin looks? Certainly not anybody of consequence, least of all the Five Banished Nobles, I'm sure."

"Of course," Yonosuke said apologetically.

"So," Ryoma continued, "while I'm in Dazaifu and Shimonoseki, I want you to go 10 Nagasaki and find a place in the hills overlooking the harbor where we can set up headquarters, from where we will unite Choshu and Satsuma to overthrow the Bakufu,"

• * "

Ryoma and his men set sail on the Butterfly on the hot drizzly morning of May 16, accompanied by Komatsu and several other Satsuma men. The steamer was bound for Nagasaki, but Ryoma's immediate destination was just east of there in Kumamoto Han, where he would visit Yokoi Shonan, still under house confinement in his native village. From here, he would travel on foot to Dazaifu, in northern Kyushu, to speak with the Five Banished Nobles. Meanwhile, the other six men would do as Ryoma had instructed: go to Nagasaki with Komatsu to find a suitable place to set up headquarters for a shipping company, to be sponsored by Satsuma, then sail the Satsuma steamer back to Kagoshima.

On the afternoon of May 17, Ryoma disembarked at the Satsuma town of Akune on the coast of the East China Sea. and followed the coastal route northward until reaching Kumamoto two days later. With the five volcanic peaks of Mount Aso looming in the distance, he walked northeastward, until arriving at Yokoi's native village of Nuyamazu early that afternoon. The rainy season had already reached central Kyushu, and much of Nuyamazu had become a marsh, surrounded as it was for miles by nothing but rice pad-diet and fields, to that the humidity seemed unbearable.

Ryoma increased his pace when he spotted the little man whom Katsu Kaishu called "as frightening as Saigo" for hit "intellect unmatched by any one in Japan" fishing in the stream that flowed past his house. Yokoi, who now wore a long gray beard, was standing knee-deep in the shallows heavily grown with duckweed, a bamboo fishing pole in hit right hand.

"What do you catch around here?" Ryoma asked as nonchalantly as if it hadn't been a whole year since be had last seen Yokoi.

"Sweet smelt and dace." The tip of the pole bent slightly. "Got another one. It looks like we'll have some fresh fish this afternoon." Then roaring with laughter, "Let's go into the house, Ryoma," he said, before swatting a particularly large mosquito on die back of his neck "Damn pests! They'll eat a man alive during this time of year. But it certainly is good to see you."

Ryoma, in fact, looked a perfect mess. He wore a kimono of thin white linen which had been so badly soiled that its dark blue splashed pattern was hard to distinguish from the grime he had picked up during his journey. He did, however, wear both long and short swords at his hip. He had received the kimono and the swords before leaving Kagoshima-gifts from Okubo Ichizo, who had instructed Saigo to pass them on to Ryoma in his absence. Okubo shared the same concern for Ryoma's appearance as did Yonosuke, although certainly for quite different reasons. "We can't have him looking as sloppy as he usually does when he meets the Five Banished Nobles," Okubo had written Saigo in a letter from Kyoto. "Especially since he will have been coming directly from our han."

"I've just come from Kagoshima," Ryoma said, as (he two entered the house. Ryoma disclosed to Yokoi his plans to establish a shipping company in Nagasaki, through which he would run guns to Choshu after uniting that hat with Satsuma.

"And you actually believe you can accomplish such a feat?" Yokoi said.

"We must. It's our only chance. Besides, I've already convinced Saigo." As usual, Ryoma spoke slowly, but in an uncharacteristically melancholy tone, as if he momentarily disdained the Herculean task that fete had dealt him. His mood changed, however, when Yokoi's wife appeared with a tray of grilled dace, and a flask of white liquor.

"What do you think about the pressure the foreigners are putting on the Bakufu to open die Port of Kobe to foreign trade?" Yokoi asked, filling Ryoma's cup.

"Foreign trade is a must," Ryoma replied without hesitation, and just as deliberately drained his cup, grabbed a single chopstick and speared one of the small fish. "But Kobe must only be opened under terms favorable to Japan, not the Tokugawa," be said, devouring the head of the fish in one mouthful. "If it should be opened to foreign trade under the conditions of the present monopoly, me only one to prosper would be the House of Tokugawa, while die rest of us, particularly Satsuma and Choshu, would suffer."

Yokoi's eyes flashed indignation. "The Inland Sea must remain closed to the barbarians," he said. It was on matters concerning Kyoto that this enlightened thinker lagged as far behind Ryoma as the most ignorant of court nobles. "For die time being, that is," Yokoi added in a softer tone. "Unlike Yokohama and Nagasaki, Kobe is just too close to Kyoto for us to allow the foreigners free movement in that port. We are not ready for them yet." Although Yokoi-like the other three members of the Group of Four-had long been a staunch proponent of opening Japan, he was as fanatic about protecting the sacred Emperor as were the xenophobes of Tosa and Choshu. ''And so," Yokoi concluded, "We must develop our military."

"That's how my navy will be of use," Ryoma said. "We'll be prepared to fight while we conduct trade. But first we must unite Choshu and Satsuma."

"We?" Yokoi asked.

"Yes. There's another man from Tosa who's working with me. His name is Nakaoka Shintaro. In fact, he should be in Shimonoseki right now talking to the Choshu men." Although Ryoma was correct about his new partner's intent and actions, chronologically he was mistaken. It was true that Nakaoka had recently been to Shimonoseki to discuss an alliance with Katsura, but what Ryoma did not know was that at this very moment Nakaoka was at Satsuma headquarters in Kyoto making plans to accompany Saigo from Kagoshima to Kyoto, via Shimonoseki, where Nakaoka would arrange a meeting between Saigo and Katsura, to break the ice between the two enemies. The Shogun had just left Edo for Kyoto, where he was to report to the Emperor his reasons for the second expedition against Choshu. With an attack impending, the Satsuma men were now determined to strengthen their opposition, because, as Saigo had long maintained, a defeated Choshu would only enhance the power which Edo had recently regained, much to the detriment of Satsuma. For this, the Satsuma men reasoned, the presence in Kyoto of their commander in chief would be vital.

"When you say that you'll be prepared to fight," Yokoi said, a worried look in his sagacious eyes, "do you mean against the barbarians?"

"If necessary. But more than likely against s Bakufu. I'd rather buy weapons from the barbarians," Ryoma snickered, "than fight them."

Yokoi stared hard at Ryoma, not a little awed by the ominous portent of the young man's words. "Tell me, what is your impression of Saigo? Is he as great a man as I hear?"

"Saigo's definitely not the simpleminded man he makes himself out to be. In fact, he's one of the sharpest men I've ever known. And as for his sincerity, I trust him completely."

"That's quite an appraisal!" Yokoi said, thoughtfully stroking his gray whiskers. "And what about me, Ryoma? How do I fit into the greater scheme of things? You know I've been stuck here for well over a year now, unable to do a thing to help our nation."

"You've already contributed more than a thousand men could ever hope to," Ryoma said. "You should relax, while men like Saigo and Okubo act out the remainder of this play. If they should get stuck in the mud," Ryoma now laughed, "you can always direct them back to their proper course." Ryoma knew well the invaluable role that the brilliant mind of Yokoi Shonan had played thus far in the impetuous drama of these most turbulent times in Japanese history.

The older man also laughed, but not without an air of sadness in his eyes. "You have a way with words, Ryoma," he said with a nod. "And I believe you are right."
Ryoma reached Dazaifu is Fukuoka on May 23. The Five Banished Nobles, he reasoned, would surely have a personal interest in seeing Satsuma and Choshu unite. Not only was Choshu the most dedicated to Imperial Loyalism of all the clans, but it had saved the radical nobles from whatever fate the Bakufu might have had in store for them, both after Choshu's defeat at the Forbidden Gates in August and its surrender to the Tokugawa forces in December. Furthermore, the nobles had been receiving protection from Satsuma since the surrender, and although Satsuma troops had been greatly responsible for their expulsion from Kyoto, it was Saigo himself who arranged for their safe refuge at a Shinto shrine at Dazaifu, despite the Bakufu's intention to send them to Edo. Ryoma's next mission, then, was to use Satsuma's display of goodwill to urge the Five Banished Nobles to pressure Choshu into joining hands with its most bitter enemy. After all, both Satsuma and Choshu were struggling for the same goal: toppling the Bakufu and restoring the Emperor to power.

During his five-day stay at Dazaifu, the outlaw-samurai was granted several audiences with the Five Banished Nobles. "I met with Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa" one of the nobles wrote in his diary of May 25. "Ai a great man with novel ideas." Indeed Ryoma's mission was a success, despite the misgivings of Yonosuke and Okubo concerning his shabby appearance.