Ryoma : Life of a Renaissance Samurai by Hillsborough, Romulus

The Iroha Maru Incident
"Recently I feel just like a turtle, stumbling up the rock of life. When I finally reach the top, I see that the world is filled with nothing but empty oyster shells. Now isn 't it strange that human beings have nothing but empty oyster shells in which to live!" Such was Ryoma's view on the absurdity of life in his thirty-first year, as expressed in a letter to Otome in the spring of 1867.
Although the Kaientai now owned a Western-style schooner, in order to run guns to anti-Bakufu clans for use in the coming revolution, Ryoma chartered the steamer Iroha Maru, which belonged to Ohzu Han and aboard which several of his men had worked during the previous year. The charter fee would cost his company 500 ryo per run to Osaka, payable upon return to Nagasaki.

One afternoon in mid-April Ryoma and Eishiro, now an official company member, were at headquarters discussing their first job as the Kaientai. "It's fine that we were able to get the loan on the charter fee," Eishiro said, "but I don't know how we're going to raise enough capital to buy the merchandise you plan to sell in Osaka." Eishiro was referring to 400 breech-loading rifles Ryoma had recently ordered from a foreign trader.

"With so many of the clans preparing for civil war," Ryoma said confidently, folding his arms at his chest, "everybody wants guns. So, I went to the Tosa Company to talk to Iwasaki Yataro, who's in charge there now. Iwasaki's no fool," Ryoma said as a maid served hot tea and rice crackers wrapped in sheets of dried laver. "He knows there's a lot of money to be made in arms sales in Osaka. But he neither has the manpower nor the expertise at his disposal to run guns." Ryoma put an entire cracker in his mouth, washed it down with a mouthful of tea. "And even if he did," he snickered, "Iwasaki would have to worry about how it would make Lord Yodo look in the eyes of the Tokugawa."

"I see," Eishiro said, nodding vigorously.

"I suggested to Iwasaki that we start off with four hundred rifles, and that after a few trial runs we'll be transporting four thousand at a time. I told him that if the Tosa Company wanted a share in the profits, they would have to lend us the money to purchase the merchandise."

"What did Iwasaki say?"

"He agreed," Ryoma said, slapping his the knee.

"How much did he agree to?"

"Two thousand ryo, that we can repay from our profits."

"Which there should be plenty of," Eishiro said, reaching for an abacus. "Let's see," he slid the small wooden knobs across the calculator with the skill of an experienced merchant, "with that two thousand ryo, we'll have to buy coal and oil to run the engines. How much did you figure we'd need for the trip to Osaka?"

Ryoma reached into his kimono and produced a notebook. "The whole trip," he said, opening the notebook, "should take about fifteen days. I calculate we'll need about two hundred eighty thousand pounds of coal and about nine hundred gallons of rape oil per day."

"How much will that cost?"

"One hundred ryo."

"Which leaves us nineteen hundred ryo. With that we can buy about..."

"Four hundred rifles," Ryoma cut in, "which we can sell in Osaka for eighteen ryo each."

Eishiro ran his fingers across the abacus. "Which means we stand to make a profit of over five thousand ryo," he said.

"Ryoma," a voice called, as the paper screen door opened. Kenkichi looked troubled as he sat down next to his old friend. "I've just received some bad news from Shimonoseki."

"What?" Ryoma braced himself.

"Takasugi Shinsaku is dead," Kenkichi said flatly.

"When did he die?" Ryoma asked, his voice badly shaken.

"Early in the morning of April 14."

"Just two days ago," Ryoma moaned, his eyes filled with tears.

"On the day of his death," Kenkichi said, "emaciated from consumption, Takasugi insisted upon going to one of his favorite restaurants in Shimonoseki. Apparently he wouldn't listen to reason, although he was urged to stay in bed. When a palanquin arrived to take him to the restaurant, he could barely climb in of his own strength. Then when he started coughing up blood again, he finally agreed to return to his room, where he died shortly after."

"Takasugi saved my life," Ryoma said in a low voice. "If it hadn't been for that pistol he gave me, I doubt that either Miyoshi or I would have made it out of the Teradaya alive the night we were attacked."

"I see," Eishiro said consolingly.

"We've lost so many good men over these past years," Ryoma said, as if in a trance, "that death seems to have become a way of life. If I can stay alive long enough to see to it that the Bakufu falls, their deaths will not have been in vain." He paused, slapped himself on the back of the neck. "Kenkichi, how's the translation coming?" he asked. In addition to the book on international law, Ryoma was also anxious to begin studying another foreign book he had recently come across at a bookstore in Nagasaki, and which he had given to Kenkichi to translate into Japanese. The book explained the legislative system of the United States of America. "It's only a matter of time," Ryoma had told Kenkichi, "before we're going to have to devise a similar system in Japan," and although he did not yet tell his comrade, he envisioned himself as the founder of such a system.

"I should be done with the translation soon," Kenkichi said.

"How many days will it take to get the Iroha Maru ready for our first run to Osaka?" Eishiro changed the subject to the more immediate matter.

"Two or three days," Ryoma said. "Let's get started."

The sun shone high in a perfectly blue sky as the lroha Maru set sail from

Nagasaki around noon on April 19. For the maiden voyage of the Kaientai, she carried a valuable cargo of 400 rifles and ammunition. Commander Sakamoto Ryoma stood at the bow, issuing orders and relishing the wind on his face, his hair blowing as freely as his spirit was high, while the ship's wooden hull cut a northwesterly course through the calm, emerald blue water of Nagasaki Bay. "Full speed ahead," the Dragon roared, beside himself with the joy of commanding his own ship again. The crew consisted of twenty-two men, including Nagaoka Kenkichi as chief secretary and Kosone Eishiro as purser. The officer of the watch was Sayanagi Takaji, a ronin from Marugame Han on Shikoku, who had been one of the three survivors in the wreck of the Werewolf. Shunme served as chief engineer. The boatswain, Umekichi, was a gutsy sailor who had previously hired onto a Tokugawa warship to spy for Choshu during the war against the Bakufu. Ryoma, as commander of the Kaientai, served as captain. (Ryoma's other men had sailed the Absolute to Osaka, where they were now arranging the sale of the rifles.)

Less than half the size of the Union, the Iroha Maru had only 43 horse power, displaced a mere 160 tons, was just 60 meters long and a meager 6 meters wide. The Kaientai flag of three horizontal stripes—red, white and red—flew atop the mast. On the wooden stern was the image of a Dutch beauty, who would protect the ship from perilous seas but not the folly of man.

On the afternoon of the second day out, the tiny steamer reached the Sea of Genkai off northern Kyushu, where she encountered rough seas, until reaching the calm waters off Shimonoseki on the crystal-clear morning of April 21. For the following two days she cruised slowly through the island-dotted Inland Sea, which, though calm, was of swift current, and as usual during the spring, extremely foggy. By nightfall of April 23, the fog was so dense that visibility was no more than a few yards in any direction.
"Better take her real slow, Shun," Ryoma told his chief engineer as he walked by the engine room later that night. "Sayanagi," he called his officer of the watch, who was standing on deck.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Keep a sharp lookout for other vessels in this fog."

"We have all our lights on, Commander. The green starboard and the red port sidelights, and the white top light above the mainmast are all lit."

"It's not us I'm worried about," Ryoma warned. "Those of us who haven't been trained directly by Katsu Kaishu, have been trained by those of us who have. But there are still plenty of incompetent men in Japan who call themselves sailors. Keep a sharp lookout, Officer of the Watch."

"Yes, Commander," Sayanagi said, as Ryoma walked slowly away, his heavy boots thumping on the wooden deck.

Ryoma returned to the captain's quarters below deck, but unable to sleep, soon joined the helmsman in the pilothouse. "I can't see a thing in this fog, Commander," the helmsman said.

"The chief engineer has orders to take her real slow," Ryoma assured. "With any luck this fog will clear up and we'll reach Osaka Bay by morning."

Ryoma was still in the pilothouse at 11:00 o'clock, as the ship continued slowly eastward through the Inland Sea. The blinding fog was relentless, and the only sounds were the constant humming of the engine and the slapping of the waves against the bow as she cut a steady course through the water.

"According to my charts," the helmsman said, "Hakonomisaki Cape should be coming up on our starboard."

"That's in Marugame," Ryoma said the name of the outside fiefdom in the north of his native Shikoku.

"On our port side," the helmsman pointed to the left, "should be the Port of Tomo, in the province of Bingo."

"In that case, there ought to be a lot of small islands in these waters," Ryoma muttered, when suddenly a giant shadow appeared dead ahead. "What is it?" Ryoma hollered.

"Not an island, that's for sure," the helmsman screamed.

"It's headed straight at us! Port the helm!" Ryoma roared. The white top light on the mainmast of the rapidly approaching ship, and the green sidelight on her starboard were now blatantly visible. The helmsman steered the ship hard to the left, and the following instant the boatswain sounded the steam whistle. But the oncoming steamer, five times the size of the Iroha Maru, cut a sharp right, as if in intentional pursuit. The Iroha Maru s starboard was now completely exposed, and suddenly there was a thunderous crash, as the larger ship rammed her head-on amidships, demolishing the engine room. The center mast and the smoke funnel collapsed with a stunning roar, seawater rushed into the battered hull, and the bow began to sink. Ryoma ran out on deck. "Sayanagi!" he called.

"Yes, Commander?" answered a voice in the darkness.

"How far are we from land?"

"Less than one knot, according to my charts."

"We'd better fasten some hawsers to the bow. We have to get the ship which just rammed us to tow us into port. Otherwise, we're going under."

"Yes, Commander," Sayanagi called out, as the bow was sinking fast.

"Ahoy!" Ryoma hollered at the other ship, with the boatswain, Eishiro and Sayanagi standing nearby. "Ahoy!" he hollered again, then a third time, but still no answer. "Alright, everyone board their ship," Ryoma ordered. "We can't let them get away."

"They'll never get away with this," Sayanagi screamed, grabbing a grapnel from one of the lifeboats. "Especially not in the waters off my own hart." The Marugame ronin heaved the grapnel onto the port side of the other ship. "Let's go!" he hollered, climbed along the rope, with Eishiro, Umekichi and several others following.

Ryoma and Kenkichi watched from the deck of their fast sinking ship, wondering furiously why the other steamer had not answered them. "What are they doing?" Ryoma screamed, as the steamer began moving backward, away from the Iroha Maru. No sooner had she gotten about 100 yards away, than she resumed her forward motion, again heading directly at the Iroha Maru.

"They're intentionally trying to sink us," Kenkichi screamed.

"Or they don't know the first thing about operating a steamer," Ryoma hollered, as the much larger ship again rammed into their battered starboard. Soon Umekichi returned. "Commander," he said frantically, "there wasn't a soul on watch when we boarded. It's complete negligence on their part, but now they refuse to tow us."

"Alright, Umekichi," Ryoma said. "After I go aboard, you throw me the hawsers that are fastened to our bow. Kenkichi, you come with me, and make sure you write everything down exactly as you see and hear it." Without further delay Ryoma and Kenkichi boarded a lifeboat, paddled over to the huge steamer, then climbed up to the deck by one of several rope ladders hanging over the port side. Umekichi heaved two heavy hawsers to Ryoma, who immediately tied them to the stern. "Where's the captain?" he demanded of a group of sailors who glared in belligerent wonder at the strange samurai who wore in his sash only one sword, and imposing black boots.

"I'm the captain of this ship," answered one of them, a middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of a French naval officer. "The name's Takayanagi Kusunosuke, retainer of the Lord of Kii."

"A Kii ship?" Ryoma sneered, noticing only now the Tokugawa crest painted in white along both sides of the British-made steamer Bahama. "Why wasn't there anyone on deck when my men boarded?" Ryoma screamed furiously, suppressing the urge to draw his sword. "You rammed our ship because you didn't have anyone on watch."

"Impudence!" one of the Kii officers roared. "You're speaking to the captain of a ship belonging to Kii Han, one of the Three Tokugawa Branch Houses."

"So what?" Ryoma roared furiously. "Are you a bunch of idiots who don't know how to navigate a ship?"

"Who are you?" Takayanagi demanded.

"Saitani Umetaro," Ryoma boomed his alias, "captain of the ship you've just rammed, and commander of the Kaientai."

"Kaientai?"

"Yes. Under the protection of the Lord of Tosa." Although Ryoma cared no more for Tosa than he did Kii, with the situation being as it was, he chose to use all the resources available him. "I demand that you tow our ship into port," he hollered, "before she goes under."

"I can't do that," Takayanagi growled. "The force of your ship going under would bring us down with her."

"You're right, and it's your responsibility," Ryoma said, again suppressing the urge to draw his sword, and the next moment determining that he would fight these men of the Tokugawa with an even more effective weapon.

"Cut those hawsers," Takayanagi ordered his men," then said to Ryoma," I'll bring you and your crew to Nagasaki."

"No," Ryoma shot back, his eyes flashing in the light of the metal hand lamp which one of the Kii sailors held. "We must settle this matter at Tomo." Ryoma knew that international law required that maritime accidents be settled at the port nearest the scene of the accident.

"We can't stop at Tomo," Takayanagi said firmly. "It's impossible. This ship is bound for Nagasaki. I have my orders, and have no time to waste discussing the matter at Tomo. We can settle things shipboard, on the way to Nagasaki."

"Damn it!" Ryoma exploded violently, drawing his pistol with his left hand, his sword with his right. "If you don't stop at Tomo, I'll blow your head off right here and now. Then," Ryoma paused to check one of the Kii samurai who reached for his sword, "I'll order the rest of my men to cut as many of your crew as they can before we all cut our bellies open and die right here on this rotten deck." So sincere was Ryoma's voice, so matter-of-fact were his words, so powerful his eyes that the Kii naval captain was inclined to believe him. "Alright, we'll go to Tomo," sighed Takayanagi, and Ryoma immediately signaled with a hand lamp for the few men remaining on board the lroha Mam to join him and the others on deck of the Bahama.

"Where's Umekichi?" Ryoma asked of his boatswain, when the last man climbed aboard.

"He wouldn't come, Commander," one of the sailors replied. "He said he wanted to blow the whistle one last time."

"That crazy idiot!" Ryoma roared. "If he isn't here real soon, I'll have to go after him."

Ryoma and the others watched anxiously the shadow of their own ship slowly sinking, but still no sign of the boatswain. Then, just as the hull was about to go under, the steam whistle released a final wail. "Umekichi!" Ryoma screamed. "I'm going after him." He raced down the rope ladder, and just as he was about to dive into the water, spotted the sailor swimming toward him. "Umekichi!" Ryoma shouted, and with one powerful tug, pulled his boatswain from the sea.

"We've lost another ship," Umekichi said despondently, as he and the others watched the lroha Maru, with its cargo of rifles and ammunition, disappear.

"No, we haven't," Ryoma growled, looking up at a half moon, barely visible in the foggy night sky. "This time we're not going to lose."

"What do you mean, Sakamoto-san?" Shunme asked. "Our ship has just sunk."

"Did you get everything written down, Kenkichi?" Ryoma asked.

"It's all right here," Kenkichi said, producing a notebook from his kimono.

"Guard that with your life," Ryoma said in a low voice, "because we're going to need it to beat these sons of bitches in accordance with international shipping law."

The fog began to lift as an orange sun rose in the eastern sky, and the Bahama steamed slowly into the inlet of Tomo, a small fishing port in the province of Bingo. Green islets dotted the Inland Sea just off the coast, which was lined with black tile roofed houses with dark wooden latticed facades and white earthen walls.

Upon landing, Ryoma and Kenkichi went with their adversaries from Kii to the hall of a local temple, built on a promontory on the coast, to negotiate the first settlement of a maritime collision in modern Japanese history.

"Before we begin this discussion," Ryoma said in a calm, deliberate voice, Kenkichi beside him taking notes, "I demand that your ship remain in Tomo until we've settled this problem."

"Exactly what problem are you referring to?" Takayanagi evaded the issue.

"What problem?" Ryoma scoffed. "The problem of your ship running down and sinking our ship. But since there are no maritime laws in Japan, we must refer to international law to settle this problem."

The Kii naval captain gave Ryoma a puzzled look. "I'm not exactly sure what you mean. As a samurai and retainer of the Lord of Kii," Takayanagi said with religious fervor, "my sole concern is the will of my daimyo."

"And that's where your concern stops, with the will of the Lord of Kii?" Ryoma said bitterly.

"Precisely."

"Regardless of international law?

"International law?" Takayanagi snickered. "International law is for foreigners." The Kii man was not mistaken; in fact, Sakamoto Ryoma was the first man in the history of Japan to attempt to settle a domestic problem by international law.

"It's the responsibility of any competent sea captain to abide by those laws," Ryoma said contemptuously.

"And you call yourself a samurai?" Takayanagi said with disgust.

"I call myself a competent sea captain. Now, I'll ask you once more: Do you agree to decide this matter in accordance with international law?"

"Absolutely not!" Takayanagi was firm, complacent with his position as representative of the lord of one of the three Tokugawa domains.

"Then the only alternative is war," Ryoma roared, "between Kii and Tosa, unless you agree to pay us for the loss of our ship and all our cargo."

"What type of cargo were you carrying?"

"Rifles and ammunition."

The Kii naval captain's face dropped. "At the time of the collision we were told by one of your crew that your entire cargo consisted of rice."

Ryoma released a loud guffaw. "Rice?" he blurted. "You must be out of your mind. You don't suppose even for an instant that we would charter a ship just to bring a bunch of rice to Osaka, when it's common knowledge that it's guns and ammunition that everyone is dying to get their hands on. It's guns that are going to make us rich, and it's guns that are going to topple the Tokugawa Bakufu."

The Kii man was speechless with indignation, as Ryoma produced a folded document from his kimono. "But since I don't expect you to take my word for it, here's a copy of the bill of lading. Keep it." Ryoma thrust the document at Takayanagi.

"Since I'm under orders..."

"I don't give a damn about your orders," Ryoma shouted.

"Since I'm under orders," Takayanagi repeated, "to hasten to Nagasaki, the matter will have to be settled there, where we can hold a proper inquiry with the Tokugawa Magistrate."

"To hell with the Tokugawa Magistrate!" Ryoma roared. "If you refuse to settle the matter here at Tomo, as required by international law, then we'll have no choice but to do so at Nagasaki. But," Ryoma paused, looking hard into Takayanagi's eyes, "in a court of international law."

"Saitani-san," the Kii man raised his voice, but was interrupted by Ryoma.

"And before you set sail from Tomo, I demand that you pay us ten thousand ryo."

"Who are you to demand anything from a retainer of the Lord of Kii?"

"You already know," Ryoma said icily. "But just in case you've forgotten, I'm Saitani Umetaro, commander of the Kaientai, under the protection of the Lord of Tosa. Because of your incompetency, our ship, cargo and all the gold we had is at the bottom of the ocean."

"If we agree to pay the ten thousand ryo up front, will you be willing to forget the whole affair?" Takayanagi asked, his previous air of complacency dissipating under Ryoma's piercing eyes.

"You can't be serious!" Ryoma sneered. "We'll need ten times that amount just to cover the damages." Ryoma grabbed his sword, stood up violently. "We'll be back tomorrow morning for your answer," he said before storming out of the temple hall with Kenkichi.

Ryoma and Kenkichi returned to the temple on the following morning, only to be informed, under no uncertain terms, that the Kii ship would sail immediately for Nagasaki. "I can't waste anymore time discussing the matter with you here," Takayanagi said brusquely. "Our negotiations will have to be continued at a formal inquiry with the Tokugawa Magistrate."

"In accordance with international law," Ryoma ascertained.

"Yes," the Kii man hissed, "in accordance with your damn international law."

"Then I'll take the ten thousand ryo before you leave as collateral," Ryoma demanded.

Takayanagi produced a small cloth pouch full of gold coins. "Kii Han has decided to give you this as a token of its regret for having troubled you," he said haughtily.

"A token of its regret?" Ryoma roared, pounding his fist on the floor. "There are no more than twenty or thirty ryo here."

"We've decided that this is all we can pay," Takayanagi declared.

"All you can pay?" Ryoma hollered, beside himself with anger. "After sinking our ship?"

"Take it or leave it," Takayanagi said, throwing the pouch on the tatami mat in front of Ryoma.

"And you call yourself a samurai?" Ryoma's voice shook with rage.

"I see," Takayanagi said, avoiding Ryoma's eyes as he slipped the pouch back into his kimono, and left the room.

Ryoma and Kenkichi returned to their lodgings, and later that afternoon a messenger from Takayanagi appeared. "Saitani-san," the Kii samurai said, "we've decided to loan you the ten thousand ryo you asked for."

"Loan it? Certainly you're not serious. How can you have the audacity to say you'll loan it when it will cost ten times that amount to cover the losses you've caused us?"

"Very well," the Kii man replied.

"What's very well?" Ryoma shouted.

"It's apparent that you don't want the loan."

"Tell Takayanagi that Kii had better prepare for the fight of its life in a court of international law," Ryoma said, before dismissing the distraught messenger.

As afternoon turned into evening, Ryoma's entire crew was burning with rage. "Commander," Officer of the Watch Sayanagi Takaji pleaded, "please permit me to quit our navy."

"What do you have in mind?" Ryoma asked.

"I'm going to kill the captain of the Kii steamer, and as many of its crew as I can. But I don't want the Kaientai to be held responsible."

Ryoma put his hand on Sayanagi's shoulder. "I understand how you feel," he said, as the others listened, "but if you do that you'll never return alive."

"I'm prepared to die," Sayanagi said bitterly, "as long as I kill Takayanagi first."

"I'd rather have you alive," Ryoma said. "Besides, I have a better idea. We're going to make Kii pay more than just gold, although we'll take plenty of that, too."

"How?" Sayanagi asked, gripping the hilt of his sword.

"With this." Ryoma produced his copy of the international law book from his kimono.

"You carry that book around as if it were a pistol," Sayanagi said.

"No, not a pistol, but something more effective. We're going to need all the help we can get to take on and defeat as powerful a hart as Kii."

"I think so," a disconcerted Sayanagi said.

Ryoma glanced around the room at the rest of the men. "I want to publish this book, and others like it, to make people aware that such laws exist, and by so doing gain public support."

"But Sakamoto-san," Sayanagi said, but was immediately silenced by Ryoma.

"We could, of course, cut our way on board the Kii ship, and probably take most of their heads, before dying ourselves. But what would that solve?"

"It would give us revenge."

"Don't forget our main objective," Ryoma said, drawing a blank stare from his officer of the watch, "which is to overthrow the Bakufu and fortify the nation. Don't you see? There are more things involved in revolution than just fighting."

"Like the law book," Shunme offered.

"Exactly! Getting public opinion on our side by spreading knowledge of the West will be as important a weapon in overthrowing the Bakufu as guns and warships." Ryoma turned to his chief secretary. "Kenkichi, I'm putting you in charge of publishing this book after we get back to Nagasaki. Once it has become commonly known that Kii is in the wrong, we'll have no problem defeating them."

The following morning Sakamoto Ryoma and his crew boarded a Satsuma steamer, and arrived at Shimonoseki on April 29.

On the morning of May 8, Ryoma sat with Oryo in a private cottage at the estate of Ito Kuzo, as he had done every morning since his return to Shimonoseki. The cottage, which Ryoma had named "Natural House," was provided especially by Ito for Oryo during Ryoma's absence.

Here Ryoma had spent the past nine days preparing for his legal war against Kii. When he wasn't studying his law book or reviewing the charts and navigational journals of both the Bahama and the Iroha Mam, he would be writing letters to inform people of the incident. "/ think we '11 be seeing blood" he had written his men in Osaka. He sent them copies of the navigational journals of both ships, and of the minutes, recorded by Kenkichi, of his meetings with the Kii naval captain. "After looking them over" he instructed, "forward them to Saigo and Komatsu. In case there's a war, I want Satsuma to know what really happened." He had also written to several others, including Saigo and Goto, to inform these influentials of Kii's injustice. And just this morning he had visited Katsura Kogoro. "We'll need Choshu's support if Kii should refuse to listen to reason," Ryoma told him.

"You have it," Katsura assured.

"There's one more thing," Ryoma said.

"What is it?"

"A personal matter. I'm leaving for Nagasaki later today, and need some money." Ryoma didn't have to explain to Katsura that all of his money was sitting on the ocean floor off the coast of Tomo.

"How much do you need?" Katsura asked.

"About twenty ryo would do."

Katsura went into the next room, returned with three pouches of gold coins. "Here's one hundred ryo" he said. "Never hesitate to ask us for money, Sakamoto-san. This is the least Choshu can do for you."

Sitting at a low desk at Natural House, Ryoma took up his writing brush, and began writing to Miyoshi Shinzo in bold, flowing script. After describing the recent events at Tomo, he turned to Oryo. "How about going out to the well and getting me some cool water?" he asked, and while she was out quickly scrawled out the following message to Miyoshi: "In case anything should happen to me in Nagasaki, please take care of my wife."

Oryo returned with a flask of water, and Ryoma hurriedly signed his name at the end of the letter. "Ah, that's good," he said, after taking a long drink of

water from the flask. From a small rectangular case he removed his engraved personal seal, which he imprinted in vermilion ink to the left of his name. "How do you like it?" he asked, stamping the seal on a separate sheet of paper and showing it to his wife.

Oryo looked closely at the imprint, the image of a five-petaled plum blossom—"ume" in Japanese—inside of which were two Chinese characters pronounced "taro." "Umetaro," Oryo said slowly the second half of Ryoma's alias. "Saitani Umetaro. How clever!" she laughed.

"A gift from Miyoshi," Ryoma said, folding up the letter and sealing it. "There's one more thing I must do before I leave."

"But I was hoping we could spend these last hours together," Oryo protested. "Just the two of us."

"We will." Ryoma produced the three pouches of gold he had received from Katsura. "Keep this money in case of an emergency," he said.

"What kind of emergency?"

"Any kind."

"I see." Oryo gave Ryoma a disturbed look. "By the way, what did you write in the letter to Miyoshi-san?"

"Nothing much," Ryoma lied so that his wife need not fret over his resolve to die in the legal war awaiting him in Nagasaki.

That evening Ryoma and his men sailed aboard a Satsuma ship, and arrived at Nagasaki on the afternoon of May 13. "They're already here," he said to Kenkichi, pointing at the Bahama moored in the bay. Several imposing warships flying the British Union Jack were also anchored in port.

"It looks like the British fleet is here," Kenkichi said.

"Yes. Let's land. I want to talk to Goto right away." Goto had recently returned to Nagasaki for the special purpose of helping Ryoma in his fight against Kii.

Soon Ryoma reported to the office of the Tosa Company, where Goto was waiting for him. Ryoma removed his jacket, lay it on the floor beside his sword, and proceeded to explain the details of the Iroha Maru Incident

"What incompetence!" Goto said with disgust, after Ryoma had finished speaking. "They didn't even have one man on watch?"

"No. And then they had the gall to leave us in Tomo, saying they had urgent business in Nagasaki."

"Takayanagi has already been here," Goto informed. "He told me that he's willing to begin negotiations as soon as you arrive."

"Willing," Ryoma snickered, took his law book from the inside of his kimono, and handed it to Goto. "I'm going to defeat Kii through the justice of international law."

"Yes, you mentioned that in one of your letters," Goto said, paging through the book. "But Ryoma, there's just one problem."

"What?" Ryoma wiped the sweat from his brow on the dirty sleeve of his faded black kimono.

"Since there's no precedent in Japan of a case being settled through international law, I seriously doubt that the Kii men will understand this, let alone take it seriously."

"Then our only alternative will be war," Ryoma said, giving Goto a hard look. "If it comes to war, will Tosa back us?"

"Yes." Goto closed the book, returned it to Ryoma. "But why not let Tosa handle this matter for you?"

"I'd rather do it on my own. You see, Goto, I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past week, and I want a couple of more days to carry out my strategy."

"Which is?"

"Whether this matter turns into a war of words or a war of blood, it will be important for us to have public opinion on our side."

"And?"

"I've thought of a good way to get the people of Nagasaki to support us."

"Oh?" Goto's dark eyes lit up, and a look of intense interest appeared on his round, heavyset face.

"But," Ryoma hesitated.

"But what?"

"I'm short of money. Thanks to Kii, everything we had with us is at the bottom of the ocean."

"How much do you need?"

"The price of a few nights with some geisha at Maruyama."

"Be serious, Ryoma."

"I am serious. You see, I have this plan to use the women of Maruyama to torment Kii Han. Call it 'psychological warfare,' if you will."

"I don't get it."

"Come with me tonight, Goto, and you will."

"This I have to see," the Tosa minister bellowed. "Don't worry about the money. Tosa will take care of that."

"Good. I have some business to attend to at Kaientai headquarters right now. I'll meet you at the House of the Flower Moon in Maruyama tonight at dusk." Ryoma stood up, put on his jacket, thrust his sword through his sash and started for the door.

"Wait!" Goto called him back. "I want you to take a bodyguard. Word has it that there are some Kii samurai in Nagasaki who would like to see you dead."

"So what?" Ryoma laughed sardonically. "There are apparently a lot of people who would like to see me dead. I'm used to it." The commander of Tosa's naval auxiliary force adjusted his long sword, turned around to leave.

"Ryoma!" Goto called again. "I really think you should have some protection. You never know when..."

"Goto-san," Ryoma interrupted, using for the first time the honorific after the Tosa minister's name, "I appreciate your concern. But," he paused, drew his revolver from his kimono, thrust it through his sash in full view at his right hip, "I'll take my chances with this," he said, then took his leave.

Later that afternoon, just before sundown, a well-dressed samurai appeared at the front gate of Kaientai headquarters. "Where's Ryoma?" he demanded of an elderly manservant.

"Ah, ah," the manservant stuttered, bobbing his gray head like a chicken, "I'm terribly sorry, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ryoma slid open the front door. "Katsura-san!" he called in a muffled voice.

The old man was obviously relieved, if not astonished, to hear the name of the famous Choshu revolutionary. "Katsura Kogoro-san?" he gasped.

"Shut up," Katsura hissed, looked quickly around him before hurrying to the front door.

"I didn't expect you here so soon," Ryoma said, after Katsura was safely inside.

"I thought that the sooner I met Goto the better," Katsura said. Ryoma had told Katsura in Shimonoseki that he would arrange a meeting between the two, as a first step toward bringing Tosa into the Satsuma-Choshu military alliance. Choshu wanted such an alliance now more than ever. After defeating the Bakufu in the recent war, it had further fortified its military in preparation to destroy the Bakufu once and for all. When Katsura heard from Ryoma about the incident with Kii, this master of intrigue realized that this could be Choshu's chance to start an all-out war against Edo without arousing the ire of the Imperial Court, which had ordered a cease-fire after the death of the Shogun in the previous summer. "With our Satsuma allies," Katsura had assured Ryoma in Shimonoseki, "Choshu will be eager to help Tosa and the Kaientai in a war against the Tokugawa of Kii." Katsura reasoned an attack on Kii would surely draw Edo into the conflict. Ryoma, however, was less anxious for war than was Katsura. While determined as ever to overthrow the Bakufu, unlike his Satsuma and Choshu allies, and indeed even most of his own men in the Kaientai, Ryoma preferred, if possible, a bloodless revolution. He had recently been giving deep thought to the idea of convincing the Shogun to relinquish power of his own free will. Civil war, he feared, might entice the foreigner powers to invade when Japan was most vulnerable. But Ryoma was not yet ready to share his radical ideas to even as close an ally as Katsura.

"Katsura-san," Ryoma said, closing the front door, "you must be careful. If the Bakufu police were to spot you..."

"You're not one to talk about being careful of the Bakufu police," Katsura snickered.

"You're right," Ryoma laughed. "I guess you and I are in the same situation." While it was known among the Tokugawa officials in Nagasaki that Saitani Umetaro was the commander of Tosa's naval auxiliary force, Sakamoto Ryoma remained on the Bakufu's list of most wanted men, as did Katsura Kogoro of Choshu Han.

"Sakamoto-san," Katsura said, "tell me what's developed with the Iroha Maru Incident since we last met at Shimonoseki."

"I've just arrived here myself. But I have a good plan."

"What's that?"

"It's nearly sundown. Goto ought to be waiting in Maruyama right now to hear about it. Let's go."

Soon the two men arrived at the House of the Flower Moon. Ryoma had chosen this brothel as a meeting place because he could trust the proprietor, a Loyalist sympathizer, to keep his whereabouts a secret. "There's no sense inviting trouble," he told Katsura as they walked through the front gate of the brothel, where Goto was waiting in a private room.

"Ryoma," the Tosa minister greeted him informally, but immediately stood up when he saw that Ryoma was not alone. With Goto were four geisha, one of them Omoto, Ryoma's favorite in Nagasaki.

After the proper introductions and greetings were made, the leaders of Choshu and Tosa sat down with the naval commander and the four courtesans.

"So, Ryoma," Goto began, "as you can see, I've arranged for these beautiful girls to be with us tonight." The Tosa minister smiled at the four geisha. "Now, let's hear your plan."

Ryoma was aware that the news of the Iroha Maru Incident had spread through Nagasaki, and that the overwhelming majority of the townspeople sympathized with the Kaientai, which was, after all, a local company. Although Nagasaki itself belonged to the Tokugawa, unlike Edo and Osaka, there were few samurai living here. Most people of Nagasaki were merchants who resented their Tokugawa overlords. It was only natural that these people should support Ryoma and his group of ronin in their fight against one of the Three Tokugawa Branch Houses.

"Before I discuss my plan," Ryoma said, "first let me tell you about a brief encounter I had earlier today." As Ryoma explained, shortly after he had landed in Nagasaki, a merchant whom he had never seen before, stopped him on the street. "Saitani-san," the man said, "I hear you're going to war with Kii." The Kaientai was so well known among the people of Nagasaki, that its commander had become a celebrity.

Amused, Ryoma urged the merchant to tell him more. The merchant looked warily around him. "The Bakufu is nothing," he whispered. "It lost to Choshu last year, and this year your Kaientai ought to be able to make short work of the likes of Kii Han."

It was with this goal in mind that Ryoma had come to Nagasaki, and to the House of the Flower Moon. "What I have planned," he told Goto and Katsura, as Omoto filled his sake cup, "is a song."

"A song?" Goto gave Ryoma a puzzled look.

"Yes. Actually, it's more of a jingle than a song." Ryoma drained his cup. "Omoto, how many girls are available here tonight?"

"I'm not sure."

"Get as many of them as you can, and bring them here. I want them to hear this song I've made."

Soon Omoto returned with six more girls. "Everyone listen," Ryoma said, reached for a moon guitar which was leaning against the wall, then began singing as he played a familiar tune:

'It won't be only money we take

for sinking our ship at sea.

We won't give up until we 've taken

the entire domain of Kii."

Ryoma burst out laughing, as all ten girls clapped. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Very good," Katsura said, laughing. "How about this for a second stanza?

"// won't be only money we take

for sinking our ship at sea.

We won't give up until we 've taken

the heads of all the men of Kii."

"Terrific!" Ryoma bellowed, with Goto beside himself with laughter. "If the Kii men hear this, they'll be furious," the Tosa minister roared in delight.

"That's my plan," Ryoma said. "I'm going to have people singing this song at every house in Maruyama, until the whole city is making fun of Kii Han."

As usual, Ryoma's prediction proved correct. Geisha sung it, anti-Bakufu samurai reveled in it, and when the local merchants heard Ryoma's song, it soon spread throughout the city. "Saitani has Kii Han running scared," people said. "A single ronin is taking on one of the Tokugawa Branch Houses," they laughed. "The times are certainly changing," they declared. The times were changing, as Sakamoto Ryoma became the first man in the history of Japan to seek justice through public opinion and international law.

Shortly after their arrival in Nagasaki, the Kii men became suspicious of the Kaientai. "Saitani claims that his company belongs to Tosa," the commissioner of the Kii treasury had recently told Captain Takayanagi, "but I'm beginning to think otherwise." Their sharp conjecture notwithstanding, the Kii men still had no idea that Saitani Umetaro was in reality Sakamoto Ryoma, the man most responsible for uniting Satsuma and Choshu. "If you can't convince Saitani to leave this thing alone," the treasury commissioner said, "we're going to have to resort to other means."

"Like seppukul" the captain asked hesitantly.

"Surely you jest," the commissioner snickered.

"I don't find the idea ofseppuku a joking matter."

"You can't believe that Saitani would obey our orders to cut his belly."

"It wasn't Saitani I had in mind," Takayanagi replied, drawing sardonic laughter from his superior.

"Takayanagi, if you're committing seppuku would save Kii from the humiliation of being publicly challenged by a band of ronin—as I suspect the Kaientai to be—I'd order you to cut your belly right here and now. But unfortunately, things are not so simple."
"Of course not," Takayanagi agreed, unable to hide his relief.

"If you can't convince Saitani to listen to reason and forget about this ridiculous matter, then you're going to have to ask the Magistrate of Nagasaki to intervene on our behalf."

"I see."

"But if for any reason this should be impossible, we are going to have to resort to other means." The commissioner looked coldly into the naval captain's eyes.

"Such as?" Takayanagi asked.

"Assassinating Saitani," the commissioner whispered.

It was with such resolution that Captain Takayanagi met Ryoma on the morning of May 15 to begin the legal settlement of the Iroha Maru Incident. With the captain of the Kii steamer were eight of his crew; the Kaientai commander was accompanied by his chief secretary, Kenkichi; Sakutaro, who had just returned from Osaka; the officer of the watch, Sayanagi, and two other Tosa samurai. The Kii men formed a straight line, facing the men from Tosa, with Ryoma, holding his copy of the international law book, sitting directly opposite Takayanagi.

"When we first saw your ship heading straight at us," Ryoma began the discussion abruptly, not bothering with formalities, "we saw her white mast headlight and her green starboard sidelight, and so steered hard to the left to avoid a collision."

"It would have been impossible," the Kii captain objected slowly, deliberately, the confidence of his position apparent, "for any person on board your ship to have seen our green sidelight, as you were on our port side when we first spotted you."

"That's a lie!" Ryoma exploded. "You couldn't have spotted us before the collision, because you didn't have anyone on deck at the time."

"There wasn't a soul on deck," Ryoma's officer of the watch affirmed belligerently.

"That's not true," the Kii captain said. "We..."

"Why did you ram us twice?" Ryoma interrupted.

"Getting back to the issue of the lights," Takayanagi ignored the question. "You couldn't have seen the green light on our starboard, because you were on our port side."

"If we were on your port side, you had to have been on our port side as well," Ryoma said, "since we were traveling in opposite directions. Is that not correct?"

"That's correct," the Kii man acknowledged, drawing a sinister grin from Ryoma.

"If you were on our port side," Ryoma shouted, "how was it that you crashed into our starboard?"

"I don't understand," Takayanagi said, apparently confused, as Ryoma opened the law book and began reading in a loud, clear voice: "'According to the English Board of Trade Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, each steamer must display a green light on her starboard side, and a red light on her port side. If two ships under steam meet head on or nearly head on so as to involve risk of collision, the helms of both shall be put to port, so that each may pass on the port side of the other.'"' Ryoma stopped reading, slammed the book shut. "But," he said, looking hard into the eyes of his

adversary, "since we were on your starboard side, that means that you had to have been on our starboard side. We therefore had no other choice but to steer to our port side to avoid a collision."

"There was no way that you could have seen our green sidelight from the direction you were coming," Takayanagi repeated stupidly. "You had to have seen the red light along our port, because you were on our port side. But nevertheless, you continued recklessly straight at us. And since you didn't have either your red or green sidelights on..."

"That's a rotten lie!" Sayanagi exploded.

"...we naturally assumed you were a small fishing boat or a sailing vessel," the Kii man continued, ignoring the outburst. "But as you moved upon us so suddenly, and at a much greater speed than we expected of a sailing vessel..."

"You're not going to tell us that you didn't know the Iroha Maru was a steamer," Ryoma snickered.

"We didn't know, until it was too late."

"Of course you didn't," Ryoma said with a loud guffaw, "because you didn't have anyone on watch to see us until you hit us. But," Ryoma paused, gave Takayanagi a long, hard look, "if you had seen us you would have undoubtedly realized we were a steamer."

"How's that? You had no lights on," the Kii man said haughtily.

Ryoma folded his arms at his chest. "Takayanagi, have you ever heard of a man by the name of Katsu Kaishu?" he asked.

"Of course. Katsu is..."

"The most knowledgeable navigational expert in Japan," Ryoma interrupted. "A pioneer of the Japanese Navy."

"Yes," the Kii man readily agreed.

"Well," Ryoma grinned sardonically, "since many of my crew have learned how to navigate a steamer directly from Katsu-sensei himself, it only stands to reason that we know the rules and regulations of navigation. Certainly we would never travel under steam at night without our lights on, because that's against regulations. Our lights were on, but since you didn't have anyone on deck at the time, which is, of course, a violation of regulations, you didn't see them."

The Kii naval captain was at a loss for words, as Ryoma added, "Takayanagi-san, if you will admit to two facts, I think we can end this discussion."

"What are they?"

"First, immediately after the collision our officers boarded your ship, and found nobody on deck. Second, after you collided into our starboard a first time, you backed up until you were about one hundred yards from us, then came forward again, ramming us a second time on our starboard."

Takayanagi had no choice but to admit to these two facts, and the negotiations ended.

But the Kii men were not willing to accept defeat quite so easily. On the next day, Takayanagi submitted a report to the Magistrate of Nagasaki, claiming that the Iroha Maru had neither of its sidelights on at the time of the collision.

"You know it's a lie, Goto-san," Ryoma calmly told the Tosa minister in the latter's quarters at the Tosa Company. "Kii has completely ignored what Takayanagi admitted to be true during our meeting yesterday."

"Damn them!" Goto cursed, pounding his fist on the floor. "If Kii wants to play dirty, how about letting me handle things? I'll talk to the commissioner of the Kii treasury. If he doesn't listen to reason, he'll have Tosa to contend with."

"Then here's what you should tell him," Ryoma said.

"What?"

"The commander of the British fleet is in port, right?"

"So I hear."

"Then I think I know how we can convince Kii to retract their false report from the magistrate's office."

Goto's eyes lit up as he immediately realized Ryoma's intentions. "By suggesting that, since there is no precedent of such an accident in Japan, we ask the British commander to advise in the case."

"Exactly," Ryoma said, clapping his hands together. "There's no way that Kii will be able to bear the thought of being humiliated by a foreign officer."

"Then you'll agree to let me handle things?" Goto confirmed.

"It's all yours," Ryoma said, then got up to leave.

"Ryoma," Goto stopped him.

"What?"

"Please be careful."

"Of what?"

"I can't help but feel that your life is in more danger now than ever before."

"I don't think so," Ryoma said, folding his arms into the sleeves of his kimono. "I don't think that Kii would try anything so stupid as to kill me when it would be obvious to the world that it was Kii who did it."

"Yes." Goto nodded soberly, but with deep admiration for this magnanimous man whom until recently he himself had wished dead.

The meeting between Goto and the commissioner of the Kii treasury took place at a local temple on the morning of May 22.

"The Iroha Maru Incident has escalated into a problem between our two han" Goto calmly told the commissioner, who avoided the Tosa man's harsh gaze. "The report," Goto changed his tone of voice to one of censure, as he pulled his fan from his sash, "which you submitted to the Magistrate of Nagasaki, claiming that the Iroha Maru did not have its lights on at the time of the collision is a blatant lie." Goto's face was now red with anger. "It is unbecoming of such a great han as Kii," he roared, slicing violently the air in front of him with his folded fan, "to blame someone else for its own mistake." Goto's penchant for self-confidence, even in front of a high-ranking official of a Tokugawa branch house, was reinforced by a message of monumental importance which had arrived from Nakaoka Shintaro this morning, informing that Tosa and Satsuma were on the verge of forming a

military alliance in Kyoto.

The Kii man avoided Goto's hard stare. "I cannot argue with that," he said his voice strained, his eyes tired, "except to say that from the very start of this whole affair our han has preferred to handle things as discreetly as possible."

"If discretion is your policy," Goto shouted, pounding his fist on the tatami floor, "I demand that you recall your report to the magistrate."

"Consider it done," the commissioner assured.

"I will." Goto smiled triumphantly.

"Goto-san," the commissioner pleaded, "you're a reasonable man. But the Kaientai commander, Saitani," he grimaced, "and that song of his that people have been singing all over this city."

"Yes, quite clever," Goto said, as if to intentionally irritate.

"And that's not all," the Kii man said, forcing an awkward smile. "Saitani keeps harping on international law, which we Japanese really having nothing to do with."

"Oh?" Goto now toyed with the perplexed commissioner, like a cat with a wounded mouse before making the final kill. "One thing is for certain, Commissioner. There is no precedent of two Japanese steamers colliding."

"That's just the point," the commissioner said, looking directly into the minister's eyes for the first time. "It is for that reason we have hoped to settle this matter in a reasonable and discreet manner."

"Of course." The cat's face lit up, as he prepared for the kill. "That's why I suggest that we ask the commander of the British fleet, which is in port right now, how such matters are handled in other countries. Certainly he has a lot more experience than do any of us."

The commissioner's face turned the color of chalk. "Surely you don't suggest we ask a foreigner to settle the matter."

"Of course not. I would merely like to ask his opinion."

"I see," the mouse said blankly, cringing under the cat's stare. "If Kii Han were to agree to pay a certain amount as an indemnity, would you be willing to call the whole thing off?"

"I think that could be arranged. Of course, the final decision would be up to the commander of the Kaientai," Goto lied. Actually, Ryoma had entrusted the whole affair to his discretion.

"Goto-san," the Kii man chuckled meekly, "we're both samurai, you and I. Both in the service of two of the greatest daimyo in Japan." The display of obsequiousness disgusted Goto, who did his best to conceal his feelings. "Certainly we don't need the help of a foreigner to settle our differences."

"Oh?" The cat had not yet tired of toying with his prey. "I think the British commander's advice would be very valuable. Not only for this particular case, but for future maritime accidents as well," Goto echoed Ryoma's thoughts. "As to the time and place of the meeting, I'll let you know after I contact the British commander."

"I see."

"And another thing," Goto looked hard into the distraught man's eyes, "if any harm should come to Saitani," he again pounded his fist on the floor, "I'll know who's guilty."

"What are you insinuating?" the Kii man feigned indignation.

"Let me put it this way. Your han has been extremely cold-hearted in its behavior, not only toward the Kaientai, but toward Tosa as well. If you continue, there's no telling what the consequences might be," Goto threatened, before taking his leave.

That afternoon the commissioner of the Kii treasury summoned Captain Takayanagi to his quarters. After telling him of his promise to retract the report they had submitted to the magistrate, and of Goto's insistence to bring the British commander into the affair, he said, "If the foreign commander intervenes, we won't stand a chance of winning the case. Not only will we have to pay an indemnity of whatever sum is decided upon, but our han will become the laughing stock of Japan."

"Then I'll put into effect our last-resort plan," Takayanagi said coldly, his left eye twitching.

"Idiot!" the commissioner exploded. "Nothing must happen to Saitani," he now whispered. "Cancel all plans. It's better to pay the indemnity."

"And admit that we were wrong?" Takayanagi hissed, his face red with anger.

"We have no other choice."

"Then let me ask Godai of Satsuma to mediate with the Tosa men for us," Takayanagi suggested.

"Yes," the commissioner agreed, "that might save us further humiliation.

The sky was overcast on the afternoon of May 28, as it had been for several straight days, but Ryoma was glowing with a feeling of triumph which he couldn't wait to share with his wife. "The other morning I argued plenty with the captain of the Kii ship," he wrote her. "And Goto Shojiro gave the commissioner of the Kii treasury such hell, that this morning Kii, unable to stand it any longer, asked Satsuma to intervene. Now Satsuma tells us that Kii has offered to pay for the Iroha Mam, and for all our cargo, if we agree to drop the case." The outlaw Sakamoto Ryoma had taken on the highest-ranking han in all of Japan, and won. One month after sinking the Iroha Maru, Kii promised to pay as an indemnity the enormous sum of 83,000 ryo to the Kaientai by the following year.

"Think about it," Ryoma said to Eishiro, as they sat at Kaientai headquarters that evening. "Eighty-three thousand ryo. Nearly one sixth the total annual rice income of the most powerful Tokugawa domain. "Ha!" he laughed, "after we repay Ohzu the cost of the Iroha Maru, and deduct the money for the four hundred rifles we lost, we'll still be left with over forty thousand ryo."

"Forty thousand ryo," Eishiro echoed in amazement. "That's five times as much as we originally expected to make on the run to Osaka."

"If we use that money wisely, and if we topple the Bakufu, we'll be able to bring our Kaientai all over the world," Ryoma boasted, to the wonder of his friend.