Ryoma : Life of a Renaissance Samurai by Hillsborough, Romulus

Persuasion
A lone ronin strode through the false tranquillity of the darkness guided by the light of a full December moon. Snowflakes floated through the biting cold air, and clung to the eyebrows and tangled hair of the sword-bearing ; outlaw who kept a steady pace up the narrow road winding toward Chifuku , Temple, in the maple-studded hills overlooking the Imperial capital from the northeast. Silence permeated the night. The only sounds were the wind blowing through the trees, the man's steady breathing, a soft and constant pounding inside his head and his firm footsteps on the freshly fallen snow. Suddenly, as he was about to pass through the main gate of the Zen temple, he heard the thrashing of someone approaching at a dead run.

"Heaven's Revenge!" shrieked the assailant. The ronin drew his sword: with lightning speed, intercepting flashing steel just above his left shoulder, as sparks flew in the air.
"Izo!" Ryoma roared, staring straight into his friend's eyes. Izo's eyes had changed since the last time the two had met. The change was overwhelming, and Ryoma felt an awful coldness in them, as the snow continued to fall softly. Ryoma could see in Izo's eyes that he had acquired the knowledge of murder, a knowledge which made him thrive on bloodshed.

"Ryoma?" Izo gasped, his eyes flashing in the moonlight. "What are you doing here?"

Although Ryoma was not inclined to explain, he had recently sailed with Kaishu from Edo to Osaka aboard a Tokugawa warship. The navy commissioner had been assigned the job of escorting a member of the Bakufu's Senior Council to Osaka to investigate how Japan might best deal with a foreign invasion of that city. Inner-turmoil had compelled the government to prepare for such an attack, when and if it carried out its promise to the court of expelling the foreigners. Kaishu reasoned that this would be a good opportunity for Ryoma to get his first experience on a steam-powered warship.

"Izo," Ryoma said, obviously annoyed, "I didn't expect to see any of you until tomorrow." Since Ryoma could not himself go to Tosa headquarters in Kyoto for fear of arrest, he had sent a message earlier in the day to three Tosa Loyalists who were stationed there, asking that they meet him at a nearby inn on the next day. Ryoma intended to recruit these three men for Kaishu's naval academy. "And I didn't expect to see you at all," Ryoma said, his heart filled with both anger and pity for his friend whom Hanpeita had transformed J into a murderer.

"I thought you were someone else," Izo said. "Takechi-sensei is in Edo now, but word had it that a traitor would be here trying to recruit Loyalists to fight on the side of the Bakufu."

"Who told you that?" Ryoma snickered.

"A stranger from Mito came looking for me, you see," Izo said hesitantly, scratching his thick black beard, "while I was, ah....while I was..."
"While you were what?" Ryoma growled impatiently.

As Izo explained, he had been at a brothel earlier in the day-a luxury he had only recently been able to afford-when a stranger came looking for him. "I was with a girl, when this samurai from Mito came barging in asking if I was," Izo paused under Ryoma's hard stare, "asking if I was 'The Butcher.'"

"And what did you tell him, Izo?"

"I said that I was," Izo muttered uncomfortably. "But I sure jumped up quick when I heard him at the door. The first thing I did was grab my sword. I thought he was a Bakufu agent. I was banging away pretty hard, and I sure wouldn't want to get attacked in that position." Izo again paused, then quickly added, "I only do it for Imperial Loyalism, you know," he blankly echoed the words he had recently so often heard from Master Zuizan.

From the crazed look in Izo's eyes, Ryoma now realized that his friend actually believed that by simply murdering people he was serving the Imperialist cause.

"Anyway, this samurai from Mito told me that there was a ronin staying at Chifuku Temple, who was working for Katsu Kaishu, the Tokugawa Navy Commissioner."

"That's me, you stupid idiot!"

"That's you?" Izo gaped blankly. "So you're the one I was supposed to..." he stopped himself short. "But, Ryoma, Takechi-sensei has told us Katsu is..."

"What has Hanpeita been saying about Katsu Kaishu?" Ryoma roared indignantly.

"He says that Katsu is trying to sell out to the barbarians."

"Damn it, Izo. Hanpeita has brainwashed you. Does anyone know that you're here?"

"No. I took it upon myself to come and cut you," Izo paused uneasily. "I mean cut the traitor..."

"I want you to come with me to Edo. Wash your hands of the blood you've shed and start being of some use to Japan."

"What do you mean?" Izo gave Ryoma a blank stare.

"I've never seen you like this. How many people have you killed?"

"Heaven's Revenge? Izo said inanely. "Each one of them got what they deserved."

"Let's talk about that tomorrow with the others," Ryoma said sourly.

"What others?" Izo asked, overcome by a deep-rooted paranoia which Ryoma could read on his contorted face. Izo's paranoia had intensified in degrees with each murder he had committed over the past several months, until now the once fearless swordsman shuddered at the thought of his own blood-lust. He had sold his soul to Takechi Hanpeita for the little bit of gold and glory he received each time he eliminated a potential enemy.

I'm going to meet three Tosa men tomorrow evening," Ryoma said.

"Who?" Izo's eyes opened wide.

"Don't worry, Izo. You know all three of them. They're all members of the Tosa Loyalist Party."

"Why are you going to meet them?"

"I have plans. Big plans." Ryoma spoke softly to Izo, as if to calm his friend's agitated soul. "Meet us at the Sakura Inn tomorrow at noon. We'll talk then," Ryoma said, before leaving Izo alone in the snowy darkness at the temple gate.

Ryoma arrived at the Sakura Inn at noon the next day. He was escorted to a private room on the second floor, where three young Tosa men, whom he had not seen since before he had fled, were waiting for him. One was Takamatsu Taro, the twenty-year-old son of Ryoma's eldest sister and devoted Loyalist. The other two men were both old friends of Ryoma's. Chiya Toranosuke was the son of a village headman in Tosa's Aki district, who had succeeded his father while still in his late teens. Since Toranosuke was endowed with a temperament as mild as the coastal region from which he hailed, his parents never expected him to suddenly abandon his duties as village headman to run with Takechi Hanpeita's band of zealots. But Toranosuke was by no means sheltered from the turbulence of the times. Several uncles and cousins were active in the Loyalist movement, and before long he was under their influence. In 1861, at age nineteen, Toranosuke, along with several cousins, joined the Tosa Loyalist Party. He nevertheless continued his duties as headman of his native village, even after his close friends Sawamura Sonojo and Sakamoto Ryoma had given up hope in Tosa and fled. But when Yoshida Toyo was assassinated in the spring of 1861, Toranosuke begged his father's forgiveness and abandoned his home and family to join Hanpeita's renegades. He arrived in Kyoto in the previous fall, around the time Ryoma had met Katsu Kaishu. In October Toranosuke joined Okada Izo in the grisly murders of two Kyoto merchants suspected of supporting the Bakufu. At the beginning of November he took part in the murder of a Tosa police agent who was looking for the assassins of Yoshida Toyo; and in the middle of the same month he assisted in the murder of the mistress of Ii Naosuke's right-hand man, when the assassins tied to the poor woman to a bamboo post by the riverbank and left her naked to die of exposure. On the next day, Toranosuke's group cut down the woman's son, and displayed his head near the same spot where his mother had been left to die.

The third man whom Ryoma had summoned, Mochizuki Kameyata, was as dedicated to the Imperial cause as the other two. It was Ryoma's intention to convince these three to join a naval academy that he and Kaishu had been planning to establish in Kobe, a small fishing village near Osaka.

Ryoma removed his long sword and sat down with the others. "Where's Izo?" he asked, laying his sword at his right side.

"Izo?" Toranosuke said.

"Yes, the stupid idiot tried to cut me last night. It seems that I have more to worry about from my own friends, than I do from the Tosa police," Ryoma snickered. "I told him to meet us here today, but I guess he's not ready yet."

"What do you mean, 'not ready yet'?" Toranosuke asked.

"Forget it." Ryoma avoided the question, choosing to state his purpose for calling this meeting in a more direct manner.

"You must get out of Kyoto," Taro said. "There are Tosa agents all over this city, and who knows when they might..."

"I'm not worried," Ryoma interrupted his nephew. "But," he paused to look directly into the eyes of each of the three men, "that's why I've called you here today. Tora, Kame," he addressed with diminutives his two close friends who trusted him like an older brother, "I want you to join our navy?" "Your navy?" Tora asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Katsu Kaishu's navy," Ryoma said. The room was suddenly silent, as all three of the younger men stared blankly at Ryoma, who began speaking very deliberately. "I've called you here to ask for your help in bringing down the Bakufu," he paused to stress the significance of his words, "and saving Japan from foreign subjugation."

"Katsu Kaishu is a traitor," Kame shouted indignantly. "He's sold out to the barbarians. And now you too have changed sides. You say you want to bring down the Bakufu to save Japan from the barbarians, but you're working for a Tokugawa lackey."

Ryoma gave all three men a hard look. "Before we go any further, let's get some things straight. I haven't changed sides, and I'm not working for a Tokugawa lackey. I'm working for the greatest man in Japan, who I myself considered killing just a few months ago. Katsu Kaishu has sent me to recruit good men who are willing to learn how to operate a warship. We're starting a naval academy and I want the three of you to join."

"If you're working for Katsu, then I guess we can assume that you support Opening the Country" Tora said. "That's right," Ryoma said bluntly.

"But how can you support Opening the Country and at the same time claim that you want to save Japan from the barbarians?" "Do you trust me?" Ryoma asked.

"Of course we trust you. Do you think we'd be sitting here if we didn't? But what you're saying just doesn't make any sense."

"Let me ask all of you this next question," Ryoma said. "How do you suggest protecting Japan from foreign invasion?" None of the three could answer.

"Just as I thought," Ryoma snickered. "There are too many people ranting and raving about expelling the barbarians," Ryoma echoed Kaishu's words, "but nobody seems to have any concrete ideas of how to do it. And that's where Katsu Kaishu comes in. He says that we must open the country for as long as it takes us to acquire the proper military and industrial technology to defend ourselves. Which means that we Japanese have to stop fighting among ourselves, and cooperate to build a powerful and wealthy nation. We need ships, and a lot of them, and men like us with the guts to man them. We need a powerful navy so that we can have the freedom to control our own destiny as a united nation."

"But Katsu is a Tokugawa official," Kame said indignantly. "His only concern is for the House of Tokugawa. He doesn't give a damn about the rest of the nation."

"Kame!" Tora burst out, "don't you understand what Ryoma is saying?" ;

"Kame," Ryoma said, lowering his voice, "have you ever asked Katsu about that? Have you ever met with him to confront him with your opinionated ideas?"

"Of course not. But you can't really believe that a direct retainer of the

Tokugawa is going to accept a crew of anti-Bakufu Loyalists. Katsu is an

elite Bakufu official, and in his eyes we're a bunch of lowly..." '

"Have you ever heard of Abraham Lincoln?" Ryoma uttered the name he had heard Kaishu often speak of.

"Who?"

"The president of the United States of America."

"No."

"Lincoln claims that all men are equal, regardless of class, race or color.'

"Color?"

"Some Americans are black, others white, some have golden hair, others brown, some red."

All three men remained silent, listening intently to Ryoma.

"For years white men in America have used black men as slaves, much like the samurai in Japan use the peasants. But Lincoln, who himself is white, is fighting a civil war to free the black men because the Declaration of Independence of the United States dictates that all men are created equal regardless of race or color." Despite his efforts, Ryoma was unable to make his three friends comprehend these very foreign ideas which had so captivated his mind over the past few months.

"What is the president of the United States of America?" Kame asked.

"Forget it," Ryoma groaned. "But just believe me when I say that Katsu is not concerned with birthright. We must rid ourselves of such outdated decrepit ideas."

"It doesn't make sense," Kame argued. "Katsu's not going to be willing to teach military techniques to men who are intent on bringing down the ve; regime which he represents."

"Leave that to me," Ryoma said with confidence. "Katsu has entrusted me with the job of recruiting good men for his navy. And I'm asking you three to join me." Ryoma pleaded, pounding his fist on the floor. "If instead': of joining me, you go and get yourselves killed, like you're liable to do i you're not very careful, I'll be the one who's angry," he hollered. "We are just as important to Japan as anyone else, and probably even more so than most people. It's men like us, who have ambition and ideals, that Katsu needs to help him."

* * *

After recruiting three more Tosa men-Sonojo, who was now in Kyoto serving as a samurai of the court; Umanosuke, the peasant's son; and Chojiro, the bean jam bun maker's son, the latter two having been students of Kawada Shoryo and therefore easy for Ryoma to convince-Ryoma brought all six men to join Kaishu at the Port of Hyogo, just west of Osaka, to sail to Edo aboard a Western-built Tokugawa warship, the Jundo Maru.

The Jundo Maru set sail with all aboard, flying the Tokugawa crest of three hollyhock leaves in a circle, on the cold overcast morning of January 13 1863. From Hyogo the ship sailed south across Osaka Bay, down through the Kii Strait, then out to the Pacific, where she made an eastward arc around the province of Kii. From here they sailed for two days, until rough waters forced them to land in the Port of Shimoda, on the Izu Peninsula, less than a day's journey to Edo.

"Ryoma!" Kaishu called his right-hand man up to the deck. "See that," he said, pointing at a schooner anchored in port.

"A ship," Ryoma said in a noncommittal tone.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you are so observant," the navy commissioner laughed. "She's flying the three oak leaves of the Yamanouchi crest."

"Yes," Ryoma remarked bluntly, squinting uncomfortably at the schooner. "I didn't know Tosa had a real ship," he sneered. Then, in the same breath, as if to change the unpleasant subject, "Look, you can see Ohshima," he said, pointing eastward at the largest of seven islands off the Izu coast.

"She's not a Tosa ship," Kaishu informed.

"Oh?"

"She belongs to Fukuoka Han, but she's carrying Lord Yodo."

Ryoma remained silent, staring out at the island, his right hand tucked into his kimono, his long hair blowing in the wind.

"I know how you feel about Tosa," Kaishu said consolingly. "I know that you don't give a damn about Tosa Han, and I don't blame you. But I think I'll pay Lord Yodo a visit anyway."

Yamanouchi Yodo had set sail from Edo on the previous day aboard a wooden schooner he had chartered from Fukuoka Han, through the good offices of the Tokugawa Navy. This was the first time the retired Tosa daimyo had left the capital since being placed under house arrest by Ii Naosuke four and a half years ago. He was planning to stop in Kyoto on his return to Kochi, which was to be his first time home in six years, but was detained in Shimoda by rough seas. Yodo's chief motive for returning to Kochi at this particular time was to suppress the Tosa Loyalist Party. Not only was Yodo convinced that he knew more about the times, had a better knowledge of history and a superior political sense than any other daimyo in Japan (with the admitted exception of his friends Matsudaira Shungaku and Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu), but he was also determined to make Takechi Hanpeita and the other murderers of his favorite retainer pay for his great loss. Nor was Yodo about to let a lower-samurai continue his de facto rule over Tosa policy. But perhaps the most significant reason for Yodo's determination to suppress the Tosa Loyalists was his inability to side against the Bakufu for the favor his ancestor fifteen generations past had received from the first Tokugawa Shogun.

Yodo and Kaishu were old acquaintances, and indeed the navy commissioner was one of the few men in the Edo government whom the Outside Lord of Tosa truly respected. Not only did both men possess grandiose egos, but they shared some basic ideas. They agreed on the importance of strengthening the nation through foreign trade, military buildup and recruiting men of ability Unlike Kaishu, however, the elitist Lord of Tosa was absolutely unwilling to fill important government posts from the ranks of the lower-samurai, and certainly not the commoners.

Kaishu appeared at Yodo's lodgings at Hofukuji temple at the Hour of the Horse, just after noon in Western reckoning. He stepped up from a stone platform, onto the wooden verandah which surrounded the spacious apartment,

overlooking a meticulously cared for garden. The navy commissioner wore a black jacket displaying the four-petaled Katsu family crest, a kimono of the same color, dark brown hakama, and a black soldier's helmet, flat on top

with a rim that curved slightly upward. The inner side of the rim was painted gold, a style reserved solely for direct retainers of the Shogun. At Kaishu's left hip hung two swords in wax-colored sheaths, their hilts so tightly tied to

the scabbards that they could not readily be drawn.

"Well, what a surprise," Yodo exclaimed at the sight of his old friend. The self-styled Drunken Lord of the Sea of Whales was sitting alone on the floor in front of the alcove of a spacious tatami room, a small black lacquered table set before him. He was drinking sake, as was his custom every afternoon. Yodo's slightly pock-marked, heavyset face was blushed from drinM| and tiny blood vessels were visible around his nose, but his features, and the way he held his mouth, betrayed his noble lineage. He wore a kimono of gray silk, a black jacket displaying the Yamanouchi crest, and hakama of reddish brown satin. His pate was cleanly shaven, his topknot folded neatly forward.

The piercing dark eyes of the thirty-six-year-old Lord of Tosa showed sf

sharp intellect and strong spirit. "I'm glad you've come, Katsu-sensei," he began speaking in a slightly hurried manner, displaying bad teeth. "I've been wanting to speak with someone intelligent. There are just too many stupid

people in this world nowadays."

"Good to see you again." Kaishu bowed slightly, then removed his helmet and swords. "And good to see that you haven't lost your sense of humor," he said drolly.

"Please come in, Katsu-sensei." Yodo, already quite drunk on this cold winter afternoon, was genuinely glad to see the navy commissioner. "WhJ

the sudden visit?" he asked. "Ah, but never mind that for now. Sit down and let's have some sake together," he insisted, although he knew that Kaishu rarely drank.

A maid set another small table for the guest, and Yodo handed Kaishu m red crystal glass, the scene of a reindeer in a snowy forest engraved in white around the sides. "This is my favorite sake cup," Yodo said. "I only offer it to my most respected friends, and only on special occasions." The Drunken Lord of the Sea of Whales poured Kaishu a drink from a gourd flask.

"What's the special occasion?" Kaishu asked with an amused grin.

"If my memory hasn't failed me, I believe this is the first time that you and I have ever drank together."

"It's beautiful," Kaishu remarked, holding the glass up to the sunlight.

"It's French," Yodo said. "A gift from a merchant in Nagasaki."

Kaishu breathed deeply. "Ah, yes. The French make a lot of nice things." Then in a more solemn tone he added, "Like warships and guns." Kaishu grinned again. "But I prefer the British and Dutch warships to those of the French, don't you Lord Yodo?"

"Yes, warships," Yodo said, looking hard into Kaishu's eyes. "We must have some serious discussion on that subject very soon."

And very soon the two men were discussing the many crises which faced the nation. Although Yodo agreed openly with Kaishu's support for foreign trade in order to build the economy and strengthen the military, the self-styled "poet warrior" could just as readily, when the occasion demanded, argue for "expelling the filthy barbarians for the sake of the sacred Emperor." "Katsu-sensei," he said, "it's unfortunate that there are so many fools in Edo, who until recently were not able to see things your way. But here, have another drink," he insisted, refilling the red crystal glass. "Good sake is the best condiment for discussion. And, likewise, good discussion is the best condiment for good sake. Besides, of course, a pretty wench," the Tosa daimyo added with a roar of laughter.

"Well, Lord Yodo," Kaishu said, pausing to accept another glassful, "you know I'm not such a good drinker. But the taste of sake is always enhanced by good company," he said, then drained the glass. "And this is the best sake I've had in a long time," Kaishu continued flattering the Drunken Lord of the Sea of Whales. "Here, allow me," he said, pouring a drink for his host.

"Ah, but you've become quite a good drinker," Yodo said.

"By the way, Lord Yodo," Kaishu said, "I've come to see you today for a specific purpose."

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that!" Yodo said, then reached over and slapped Kaishu on the back. "There are too many men these days walking around with no purpose at all. Like I've heard you say before," Yodo burst out laughing again, "there are just too many stupid daimyo and Bakufu officials these days whose heads are like potatoes on which they so meticulously tie their topknots."

"I've always appreciated your scathing humor," Kaishu said approvingly. 'Oh, I nearly forgot," he added nonchalantly. "I have a small favor to ask of you."

"Sure, anything! Anything at all!" Yodo roared amicably. "What is it?" "I've recently recruited several good men to work under me. The best of them is from your great han." Kaishu was careful not to tell Yodo at this Particular time that indeed all of his newfound disciples were from Tosa. "Is that so?" Yodo exclaimed with obvious interest. "What's his name?"

"Sakamoto Ryoma."

"Sakamoto Ryoma?" Yodo repeated. "Never heard of him."

"I doubted you had, Lord Yodo. He's just a lower-samurai," Kaishu said with a forced smile.

"Well then, you might as well keep him," Yodo scoffed. "He's all yours."

"Ah, yes," Kaishu cleared his throat, "I appreciate your generosity. But Ryoma has left Tosa without permission, and...you know, it makes it very inconvenient to work with a man who is in constant danger of being arrested."

"And what do you propose I do?" Yodo asked sourly.

"I'd appreciate it if you could pardon him, along with another Tosa man by the name of Sawamura Sonojo. They're both good men, dedicated to helping me develop a navy."

"Are you quite sure you know what you're doing?" Yodo asked.

"I'm certain," Kaishu said with complete confidence.

"Well then," Yodo groaned, "as long as you do, and you promise to watch over them to be sure that they don't cause any more trouble, I suppose I could do this favor for you. Consider both of them pardoned," he said with a backhanded gesture.

"Thank you very much," Kaishu said with a slight bow of the head. "But, in all due respect, since we have been drinking, I hope you wouldn't mindf my asking for something I could take away with me today, as a memento of''' your promise."

"Very well," Yodo said, then held his hands above his head, and clapped three times. Momentarily a young samurai appeared. "Yes, My Lord?" the samurai said, bowing deeply.

"Bring my writing brush and inkstone," Yodo said.

"Yes, My Lord." The samurai bowed again, and left the room, returning shortly with the writing utensils.

Yodo took a white paper fan from his sash, opened it wide, and in long, graceful strokes drew a simple likeness in black ink of the gourd flask on the table in front of him. Inside the drawing of the flask he wrote several Chinese characters, and placed the open fan on the floor before Kaishu. "How's that?'" he asked, apparently pleased with himself.

Kaishu picked up the fan, the black ink still wet. The message inside the flask read: "Drunk, three hundred-sixty days a year" and was signed, "Drunken Lord of the Sea of Whales."

"This is fine," Kaishu said with an amused grin. Then after the ink had dried, he gently refolded the fan and put it safely in his pocket.

* * *
Besides Katsu Kaishu, Ryoma had another, even higher ranking admirer within the Tokugawa hierarchy. This was Matsudaira Shungaku, the retired Lord of Fukui, whose new post as political director of the Bakufu made himj the most powerful man in the Edo government. Like Yodo and several other' influential lords, Shungaku had suffered under Ii Naosuke's Great Purge, but was restored to shogunal grace after the death of the regent. Unlike Yodo, however, who as an outside lord was neither a direct vassal nor relative of the Shogun, the Lord of Fukui-whose Matsudaira family crest displayed the three hollyhock leaves of the Tokugawa-was a direct descendant of the second son of the first Tokugawa Shogun. The Fukui daimyo ranked seventh among all feudal lords in Japan, exceeded only by the heads of the six Tokugawa Branch Houses. But unlike most of his colleagues, Lord Shungaku was highly regarded by the Loyalists, both at court and among the han.

Although Shungaku did not possess Yodo's unyielding disposition, the two men were close friends. Indeed they shared some very redeeming features, not the least of which were their reputations as two of the four most able feudal lords of their time. Despite his position of power and sharp intellect, Shungaku, unlike Yodo, was not wont to pompous display or elitism. Rather, the Lord of Fukui resembled another close colleague, Katsu Kaishu, in his readiness to accept men of ability, regardless of lineage. It had been the political director himself who had written a letter of introduction to Kaishu for a mere ronin, because, as he had pointed out, he estimated "Sakamoto to be a youth of great character and potential" albeit Chiba Jutaro's name value certainly was a contributing factor.

Ryoma and Kondo Chojiro, the bean jam bun maker's son whom Ryoma had recently recruited, visited Lord Shungaku at his Edo headquarters shortly after the Jundo Maru anchored in Edo Bay. Although Chojiro had been born a commoner, his scholastic achievements, not to mention service under Kaishu, convinced the Tosa authorities to promote him to samurai rank, entitling him to wear the two swords, take a family name and receive a monthly stipend.

The two Tosa men identified themselves to the guards at the iron-studded oaken outer gate, and were presently escorted to the reception chamber of the retired Fukui daimyo. At age thirty-six, Lord Shungaku had a light complexion, wide forehead, small eyes, and slender face, which was well complemented by his small jaw. His features were such that, when the occasion demanded, he had been able to pass himself off as a woman. During the days that he and Yodo had been campaigning for Yoshinobu to succeed the Shogun, Shungaku had more than once been obliged to secretly meet Yodo at his Edo villa, disguised as a woman and traveling in a woman's palanquin. Upon one such occasion, when Yodo remarked with a perfectly straight face that Shungaku was so beautiful he "would like to strip him naked," the Lord of Fukui was unable to appreciate his friend's caustic sense of humor.

Ryoma and Chojiro sat in the formal position in Shungaku's reception chamber, waiting for the great man to grant them an audience. Shungaku, who had just returned from a meeting with the Shogun in Edo Castle, entered the room unattended. He was dressed elegantly in a dark blue kimono, gray hakama, and a vest of hempen cloth which covered his shoulders like wings, in the ceremonial style of a feudal lord. In several places on the vest appeared the crest of three hollyhock leaves, the symbol of the mighty Tokugawa and Matsudaira families. Ryoma and Chojiro bowed from where they sat, and' Shungaku sat down facing them.

"Lord Shungaku, this is Kondo Chojiro, Tosa samurai and student of Katsu Kaishu," Ryoma introduced his friend.

Chojiro bowed deeply, extending his hands outward and touching his forehead to the floor.

Shungaku casually greeted the two men. "Relax," he said, gesturing for them to sit comfortably. Such was the magnanimous character of the most powerful man in the Tokugawa government. "I hear from Katsu that you've just come from Kyoto."

"Yes, we've been recruiting men to work under Katsu-sensei," Ryoma replied.

"Katsu has also told me that he spoke to Lord Yodo about you."

"Yes," Ryoma acknowledged with a slight bow of the head.

"Lord Yodo and I are old friends," Shungaku said. "I will be leaving for Osaka soon, and that's why I've called you here today. How would you like me to talk to him? I'm sure I can convince him to pardon you for fleeing Tosa."

"Why not?" Ryoma said nonchalantly.

The remark must have struck Shungaku as very funny, because the instant-Ryoma finished speaking, he burst out laughing. "Why not?" Shungaku said. "In that case, I think I will."

Impressed with Ryoma's straightforwardness, Shungaku met Yodo shortly after at Tosa headquarters in Kyoto, where he discussed Ryoma's case. Having made the same promise to Shungaku as he had to Kaishu, Yodo soon arranged for Ryoma's pardon. Near the end of February a notice was issued from the Tosa administrative office in Kochi, pardoning Sakamoto Ryoma for his crime, exactly eleven months and one day after he had fled.
Early next morning, Ryoma and Chojiro boarded the Jundo Maru with Kaishu to sail for Osaka. Ryoma was anxious to recruit more men foff Kaishu's naval academy, and was particularly concerned about Okada Izo, whom he had not seen since his friend had mistakenly attacked him in Kyoto during the previous month.

Ryoma had recently heard of another series of murders accredited to Izo, the most piteous of which was that of a celebrated Confucian scholar named Ikeuchi Daigaku. A longtime champion of Imperial Loyalism, Ikeuchi had during Ii Naosuke's purge renounced his radical convictions to escape execution, thus damning himself in the eyes of his fellow Loyalists.

One evening in January, Lord Yodo, who was on his way to Kyoto after having met Kaishu in Shimoda, invited Ikeuchi to his Osaka residence to drink sake, discuss politics, and view some paintings and pieces of calligraphy. After several hours of drinking with Yodo, the Confucian scholar left Tosa headquarters shortly past midnight. The moonless winter night was pitch-black as his palanquin reached Nanbabashi bridge, and Ikeuchi and the four bearers were startled by a thrashing sound from behind.
''Heaven's Revenge" Izo roared, threw open the sedan door, and thrust his sword through Ikeuchi's throat. The four palanquin bearers dropped their load and fled, as the former champion of anti-foreign Loyalism choked on his own blood. Izo immediately pulled his victim from the sedan. "This is for your betrayal," screamed "The Butcher," then with a single stroke beheaded him. The next morning the head was found mounted on Nanbabashi bridge, with a note stating that Ikeuchi had been executed for selling out to corrupt officials. When the ears were sent, wrapped in oiled paper, to the homes of two Bakufu sympathizers at court, the terrified Imperial officials promptly resigned their posts.

On the eighth day of the following month, Takechi's top hit man committed a similar murder of a peasant who was accused of having relations with a traitor to the Loyalist cause. The severed head was disposed of at Tosa headquarters in Kyoto, where Yodo had been staying since his recent return to the Imperial capital. With the head was a note which urged the Tosa daimyo to support Toppling the Bakufu and Imperial Loyalism. But, needless to say, Yodo reacted much differently than did the two terrified court nobles who had received Ikeuchi's severed ears the month before. "After cutting down a man who had been a guest at my home," Yodo fumed, "a band of lower-samurai from my own domain have dared to threaten me with the useless murder of a peasant." The wrath of the "poet warrior" was about to be unleashed.

Ryoma's uncanny sense of timing was again at work when he dispatched Chojiro to Hanpeita's headquarters in Kyoto with a message for Izo, asking his friend to meet him at the Teradaya inn in nearby Fushimi. Just before Chojiro arrived with Ryoma's message, Izo had had a falling out with Hanpeita. Recently, Izo had been unable to sleep, haunted by images in his mind of the faces of the myriad people he had cut down over the past six months. He had been living on sake and women, and had become so dependent on the whims of Master Zuizan that for the past three or four sleepless nights he had experienced waken nightmares of being betrayed by his unfathomable master. Since the previous summer when Hanpeita had given him his first chance to perform Heaven's Revenge, and thus "contribute to the Loyalists' cause," Izo had doubted the true intentions of his master, even suspecting that Hanpeita would have "no need for me after I've performed my purpose." The uneducated swordsman had always felt uncomfortably awed in the company of the sophisticated sword master. Although Izo's skill with an unsheathed sword was unequaled by even Hanpeita himself, he could not begin to fathom the depths of the Loyalist Party leader. Nor was Izo able to comprehend Hanpeita's lust for power; and over the past few months Izo had become entangled in Hanpeita's web of murder. In the beginning, killing had given Izo a tremendous feeling of power, a result of a deep-rooted inferiority complex. He had never been invited to officially join the Loyalist Party, and until he had found Heaven's Revenge there was only one thing in life that Izo could really be proud of: his swordsmanship. Heaven s Revenge gave him a way to put his sword to use. Each time he carried out Hanpeita's cold-blooded will he was rewarded with a bit of gold and the good graces of his master. But recently, the rush of power Izo had originally experienced when killing had all but vanished, leaving him with an empty feeling instead. Murder to Izo was like a drug: having overindulged he had grown immune to its effect. With this came insomnia, and Izo had grown extremely irritable. Trivial things-like the high-pitched voice of the harlot he had been with this evening-grated on his nerves. And when he returned to Hanpeita's headquarters, Master Zuizan was waiting with a look of vexation on his pale face.

"Izo!" Hanpeita roared, "I thought I told you to report here earlier this evening. I have another important-assignment for you, and you've kept me waiting for hours."

"I'm sorry," Izo muttered, avoiding Hanpeita steely gaze. "I guess it kind of slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind?" Hanpeita gave Izo a sinister look. "When I give you an order, Izo, you're to follow it like a dog."

Something inside Izo's head flashed like the silver-blue light from a drawn sword. A creature of emotion, Izo had never considered his actions from a moral viewpoint. Wild by nature, Izo had no philosophy; matters of thought he had left to others. But Hanpeita's web of murder was starting to get the best of him. Even a wild animal will not kill without reason, and Izo was no different. His ultimate reason for bloodshed had been to carry out the will of his master, who was now calling him a dog.

"Then I'm through, damn you," Izo spewed in a fit of anger. "Nobody calls Okada Izo a dog," he roared at the top of his voice, and before Izo realized the true effect of his words, Hanpeita had already decided his fate.

"That's right, Izo," Master Zuizan calmly acquiesced. "You're through."

Tongue-tied, Izo only stared at Hanpeita in wide-eyed horror.

"Now, get out of here, Izo," Hanpeita snarled. Then, with a sinister smile, he added, "And don't come back until you are willing to accept that you are indeed my dog."

Unable to draw his sword on his master, Izo turned around, ran out of the house in a frenzy, when at the front gate he encountered Chojiro carrying a message from Ryoma. With nowhere else to turn, this creature of emotion said he would be more than happy to accept Ryoma's offer to join him under Katsu Kaishu. After all, Izo's actions had never been a matter of morality.

* * *

"I must see Sakamoto Ryoma," a samurai demanded at the front entrance of the Teradaya inn, on the day after Ryoma had sent his message to Izo. As the samurai spoke with a Tosa accent, the proprietress, Otose, assumed that he was a Tosa agent come to arrest Ryoma. Recently Ryoma had been staying at the Teradaya whenever he was in Kyoto, and had developed a close relationship with Otose, a woman in her early thirties who treated Ryoma like a younger brother.

"I'm sorry, but there's nobody here by that name," Otose lied.

"Kame!" Ryoma hollered from the second floor, atop a dark wooden staircase.

"Ryoma," Otose said in a flustered voice, "you must..."

"Don't worry," Ryoma interrupted, "he's a friend of mine."

"Ryoma, you've been pardoned," Mochizuki Kameyata said excitedly. "You don't have to worry about being arrested anymore. I've just come from Tosa headquarters in Kyoto with orders to bring you back."

"Orders to bring me back!" Ryoma shouted, racing down the stairway to the same dark wooden floor which had been the scene of the bloodbath among Satsuma men only ten months before. "I'm not going to Tosa headquarters to be locked up," he snarled. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" Ryoma stopped short, recalling that Kaishu had spoken to the Tosa daimyo on his behalf, and that Lord Shungaku had promised to do so. "I've been pardoned?" he said calmly.

"Yes. Do you think I'd be telling you this if you hadn't? All you have to do is stay at Tosa headquarters for seven days, and you'll be officially cleared."

"Seven days!" Ryoma growled.

"Yes. And one more thing," Kame said. "Izo is at the barracks at Tosa headquarters, waiting for you to arrive. Chojiro's with him."

"Alright, Kame," Ryoma said, shaking his head in disgust. "I'll go."

Much to his chagrin, Ryoma served his sentence of seven days under confinement at Tosa headquarters, during which time he complained daily to Kame. He detested the idea of being forced to stay in one place, especially now that Kaishu's plans for a private naval academy were starting to materialize.

When Ryoma was released from custody a week later, he was no longer an outlaw, but a Tosa samurai with official permission to study navigation under the Tokugawa Navy Commissioner. Upon his release, he went directly to Izo's barrack room. "Izo," he said, sitting cross-legged on the floor, "how many people have you killed for Hanpeita?"

"I never counted," Izo muttered. "But I did it for the cause," he said blankly.

"There's no cause in killing for the sake of killing," Ryoma sneered. "Let's go. I'm going to introduce you to the greatest man in Japan. He's in Kyoto right now."

"You're talking about Katsu, right?"

"Right! And it's going to be your responsibility to see that nothing happens to him," Ryoma demanded.

"My responsibility?"

"Yes. I think you'll find it a lot more rewarding to put your sword to some positive use for a change."

"But Katsu's a traitor."

Ryoma gave Izo a hard look. "Do you trust me, Izo?"

"Of course!"

"Then guard Katsu Kaishu with your life. It's as simple as that." Ryoma was aware of the futility of trying to explain things too deeply to Izo.

Shortly after, Ryoma and Izo arrived at the Kyoto headquarters of Kii Han, where Kaishu was lodging. "Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa," Ryoma growled at several samurai watching guard at the iron-studded oaken outer gate. Kii was one of the elite Three Tokugawa Branch Houses, and although Ryoma was dedicated to the commissioner of the Tokugawa Navy and had even earned the trust of the Lord of Fukui, who was a close relative of the Shogun, he could not overcome his enmity for Kii Han. "I've come to see Katsu Kaishu," he snarled.

As Kaishu had left word at the guardhouse that he was expecting Ryoma, the two Tosa men were immediately escorted to Kaishu's quarters.

Kaishu sat at a desk, studying a book on Western military science written in Dutch. "Come in, Ryoma. I've been expecting you," he said, closing the book.

"Katsu-sensei," Ryoma said, glancing at Izo, "this is Okada Izo, your new bodyguard."

"Okada..." Kaishu, despite his usually cool disposition, swallowed his words. "You don't mean the same..." he again stopped himself short. Kaishu had heard of the notorious "Butcher," and of the many Bakufu supporters he had allegedly cut down.

"Yes, Sensei. Izo's an old friend of mine from Kochi. You won't have to worry about your safety with Izo guarding you," Ryoma assured. "There aren't too many men who can beat Izo with a sword."

Kaishu was at first dumbfounded, but so great was his trust for Ryoma, the navy commissioner accepted the notorious assassin. "I need your help, Ryoma," Kaishu said.

Izo stared at Kaishu, as if mesmerized. He couldn't believe that the Tokugawa Navy Commissioner was actually asking Ryoma for help.

"What is it?" Ryoma asked.

"I'm extremely concerned about the British warships on high alert at Yokohama. I've just come from Edo, and believe me, Japan is in grave danger."

In compensation for the murder of the English merchant Richardson by Satsuma men during the previous year at Namamugi, the British government presented the Bakufu with the following four demands: (1) a public apology for the incident; (2) an indemnity for the amount of 100,000 pounds to be paid by Edo to London; (3) indemnities of 25,000 pounds from Satsuma to Richardson's family and to the three Britons injured in the attack; (4) the arrest and execution of the assassin(s) in the presence of British officers. These demands were, in effect, an ultimatum to war with the British, who had recently increased their fleet of warships at Yokohama to the awesome number of twelve.

"The British have enough firepower there to destroy the whole coastline," Kaishu said with worried eyes. "And they are only a few hours away from Edo. If they decide to attack the capital, you know as well as I do that all hell will break loose. There's no saying how many tens of thousands of people will be killed." "Will the Bakufu pay?" Ryoma asked.

"They have no choice, although I doubt Satsuma will cooperate. But that's exactly why I've summoned you here."

"You want me to use my influence with Takechi Hanpeita and Kusaka Genzui to persuade the Loyalists not to interfere in the matter?" It was common knowledge that the xenophobic radicals preferred war to the disgrace of yielding to the British demands. "No," Kaishu said. "Not at this point, anyway." "Then, what is it?"

"Now that there is no worry of you being arrested," Kaishu said, "I want you to concentrate all your energy on recruiting as many men as possible for a navy. The more the better." "Of course, Sensei. That's what I've been doing." "I know, and I appreciate your effort. But we must work fast, Ryoma. Time is of the essence. The fate of Japan is on our shoulders." Kaishu paused, then unrolled a scroll that lay on the desk. "Here, take a look at this," he said, handing it to Ryoma. "My plans for a Japanese Navy that will protect the entire country, if I can only convince those stupid potato-heads in Edo. We have to start concentrating on a mobile navy of warships, rather than merely constructing batteries along the coast like we've been doing for so long."

Ryoma unrolled the scroll and began reading aloud. "'The maritime defense of Japan should be covered by six naval bases to be established in the following natural harbors: Edo, for the defense of the east coast of the main island of Honshu; Hakodate, on the far-northern island ofEzo, to defend northeastern Japan; Niigata, to defend the northwestern coastline; Shimonoseki, at the southwestern tip of Honshu, to assure control of that strategic strait; Osaka, to protect western Japan; and Nagasaki, to defend the far-western regions.'" Ryoma paused, took a deep breath and continued reading. "'Each one of these bases should be fortified with its own squadron, while those in Edo and Osaka should have additional reserve fleets on hand. Each squadron should consist of three frigates, nine corvettes, and a certain number of smaller steam vessels. The Japanese fleet protecting the entire archipelago should thus consist of a total of 370 vessels,"'' Ryoma's voice cracked as he read the enormous figure. "Three hundred seventy," he repeated incredulously. "There aren't anywhere near that number of Western-style ships in all of Japan!"

"That's right," the navy commissioner said, giving Ryoma an unusually stern look. "But the only way we can survive is by building a navy of our own which is as strong as those of the great Western powers."

"I'll do my best," Ryoma said. "But for now, please keep Izo with you at all times."

One evening in late March, just two weeks after Ryoma had assigned I to protect Kaishu, the navy commissioner was attending a meeting at Nijo Castle, the Shogun's fortress in Kyoto. The meeting lasted until after dark and when Kaishu finally appeared at the main outer gate of the castle, Izo was waiting for him as usual.

"Let's go, Izo," Kaishu said in a low voice.

"It's late, Sensei," Izo muttered, as the two men walked from the castle into the Kyoto night. "Please be sure to stay right by me," Izo implored. The half moon was barely visible in the cloudy sky. Izo, carrying a lantern, stayed close behind Kaishu, as they turned left down Horikawa Road, with the castle moat on their immediate left, and Fukui headquarters directly across the road on their right. A few minutes later, as the two men were about to right onto Marutamachi Road, which ran just south of the Imperial Palace, light rain began to fall.

"Izo," Kaishu began speaking, "how many men have you killed?"

"Ah..."

Before Izo could speak, there was a thrashing sound of someone runnings straight at them, and both men stopped short in their tracks.

"Heaven's Revengel" a voice screamed in the darkness.

Throwing the lantern into the gutter on the side of the road, Izo immediately drew his sword. "This is Okada Izo of Tosa!" he roared. Blue light, flashed off his blade, and a fraction of a second later the screech of steel cutting through bone pierced Kaishu's ears. "This is Okada Izo of Tosa," he repeated, "but you might know me better as 'The Butcher.'" Izo's warning must have worked, because after he had cut down his second opponent, as third man could be heard running in the opposite direction, the only other sound the steady falling of the rain.

Izo had killed two Loyalist extremists without feeling a bit of remorse, although he himself had been one of them only two weeks before. The thought never crossed his mind. With a sword in his hand, Izo was like a wild -animal. Cerebral reflection was not a part of his action. He left all matters of thought to those in charge. Until recently Takechi Hanpeita had done Izo's' thinking; now Izo was simply following the orders of Sakamoto Ryoma. Morality for Izo depended on the outcome of the fight-clean and simple.

Izo wiped the blood from his sword on a piece of soft paper he carried for this purpose, threw it into the gutter, and slid the blade back into his sheath. Without a word, the two men continued walking through the dark streets of," Kyoto, the only sounds their footsteps in the mud, and the steady falling of the rain. Kaishu's hakama was stained with blood. This was the first time he had ever seen a man cut down, or been attacked himself. Despite a surge of nausea, Kaishu, determined to maintain his composure, walked silently beside Izo for the next ten minutes. "Izo," he finally said, unable to contain himself any longer, "you seem to get a thrill out of killing."

Izo offered no reply.

"You'd better change your ways, Izo," Kaishu admonished. "Depending

0n the circumstances, a truly great man might let himself be cut before cutting someone else."

Izo still did not answer.

"Izo, don't you have anything so say?" Kaishu asked, obviously annoyed.

"I don't understand," Izo said indignantly.

"What don't you understand? That killing's not good?"

"But, Katsu-sensei, in all due respect, if I hadn't killed those two, your head would no longer be on your shoulders."

Not even the smooth rhetorician Katsu Kaishu had an answer for this remark. But when Kaishu would recall the event years later, he would praise Izo, saying: "I escaped from the mouth of a tiger, but it was only because of Okada's quick reactions."
* * *

Takechi Hanpeita's Tosa Loyalists, in league with the radicals from Choshu and Satsuma, had controlled and terrorized Kyoto for the past year. The Loyalists enjoyed the support of Sanjo Sanetomi and Anenokoji Kintomo, two young but lately influential court nobles, who in turn owed their rise to power to the Loyalists' reign of terror. Both were ardent xenophobes, and Sanjo, related by marriage to the Lord of Tosa, naturally attracted the Tosa radicals.

As Loyalist dominance over the Imperial capital increased, Bakufu prestige and power in Kyoto waned. While Ryoma helped Kaishu organize a naval academy, Hanpeita used his influence among the Loyalists to rise to the forefront of the Kyoto infrastructure. Not only did he control a death squad in Kyoto, but through the auspices of Sanjo and Anenokoji, he had even gained influence over the Imperial Court itself. After returning with the two court nobles from their recent trip to Edo, Hanpeita was promoted to the distinguished post of director of Tosa headquarters in Kyoto, and consequently to the rank of upper-samurai. This was indeed the golden age of Master Zuizan, until the beginning of the third year of the Era of Bunkyu, 1863, when Lord Yodo reemerged in the Imperial capital after nearly five years of political paralysis at his villa in Edo.

Around this time Ryoma paid a visit to Takechi Hanpeita. The two had not met for nearly six months, and Ryoma was anxious to warn Hanpeita of the imminent danger facing the Tosa radicals.

"Ryoma, come in," Hanpeita said, genuinely glad at the unexpected reunion. The Shield of the Emperor was sitting in his room with another Tosa Loyalist named Kamioka Tanji. At age thirty-nine, this self-styled "Child of the Storm" was one of the oldest among Hanpeita's followers. His clothes, swarthy complexion and thick black beard well suited his nom de guerre, and the nihilism in his dark eyes reflected his lack of concern for worldly gain. He wore only a thin kimono of coarse brown cotton, and his long shaggy hair hung down to his shoulders. Tanji was typical in his unyielding determination to destroy the existing mode of things, but was unconcerned with the form of government or society which would result from revolution. When Ryoma joined them, Hanpeita and Tanji were discussing tactics. Now that the opportunity for advancement in Kyoto politics had presented itself, Hanpeita was looking for alternative ways to finance his subversive activi-ties, which had been stifled lately with his appointment as director of Tosa headquarters. Lord Yodo, who was determined to suppress the Loyalists, had assigned Hanpeita to the important post only to prevent intrigue between the; Loyalist leader, whom he strongly suspected was responsible for the murder of Yoshida Toyo, and other radicals in Kyoto. Hanpeita's lust for power, f however, had grown so intense that he refused to realize this plain fact, insisting rather that Yodo was an. Imperial Loyalist at heart.

Having greeted Ryoma, Hanpeita and Tanji returned to their business at hand. "I've given the matter a great deal of thought," Tanji said. "I think we should approach the wealthy Osaka merchants."

"Yes, the wealthy merchants!" Hanpeita nodded sinisterly.

"Once it's pointed out to them that Osaka would surely be destroyed in case of war with the barbarians, I expect they will be willing to come up with some gold."

"Some gold!" Hanpeita said. "How much do you estimate?"

"About two hundred thousand ryo."

"Two hundred thousand ryo" Ryoma blurted.

"Should any one of the merchants resist," Tanji continued, ignoring the outburst, "whoever had asked him should cut open his own belly on the spot to demonstrate our absolute sincerity."

"What?" Ryoma shouted.

"Let him finish speaking, Ryoma," Hanpeita said.

"Most of the merchants are cowards who are only interested in gold. I am certain that there is no merchant who could stomach the sight of two or maybe three such suicides. Of course, I insist that I have the honor of being the first one to die."

Hanpeita grinned diabolically. The notion seemed to please him.

"Can't you think of anything more constructive than killing yourselves and others?" Ryoma shouted.

"What's wrong, Sakamoto?" Tanji glared at Ryoma. "Have you lost your nerve?"

"Tanji, your idea is very good," Hanpeita said.

Ryoma pounded his fist on the floor. "If it's funding you need," he said, "We should acquire some foreign warships. With these we could engage in trade to raise money, while defending ourselves at the same time. That's what we'll be doing at our naval academy. And that's what I've come here to discuss with you."

Hanpeita looked hard at Ryoma. "Things are ready," he said. "With our support, the Imperial Court has the Bakufu at bay. We've already forced the Shogun himself to set a deadline for the expulsion of the barbarians."

"Hanpeita," Ryoma interrupted, "what makes you think you're ready?"

"I've already submitted our plan to the court," Hanpeita said.

"What plan?"

"First of all," Hanpeita lowered his voice, "the entire area around Osaka and Kyoto will be brought under Imperial rule."

"And what about the feudal lords who rule over the area now?" Ryoma asked.

"They will be forced to relinquish their domains, and the area will be garrisoned by troops under the direct control of the court."

"And how do you plan to finance all this?" Ryoma asked.

"As Tanji just suggested, we could order the wealthy merchants in Osaka to pay."

A shadow fell over Ryoma's face, and he gave Hanpeita a vexed look.

"In this way," Hanpeita continued, "the court will be able to assume responsibility for all political decisions, and the Bakufu will become powerless."

"But we're not ready yet, Hanpeita. We need to unite first."

"We will unite. Once the court has assumed political authority, the feudal lords will gather in Kyoto rather than Edo. The Divine Emperor will surely demand respect from enough feudal lords to ensure His sovereignty over the nation. We are raising an Imperial Army, and Lord Yodo, among others, supports us. The alliance to topple the Bakufu is about to be forged between Tosa, Choshu and Satsuma. After that the other powerful han will join the Imperial Alliance, and nothing will stop us."

"That's just what I've come to talk to you about," Ryoma shouted. "I'm asking you," he paused, "no, I'm begging you to listen to reason. You must call off your men. The barbarians are not going to leave Japan just because we order them to. The British have twelve warships at Yokohama ready to attack unless the Bakufu yields to their demands. But we're not ready to drive them out by force, they're just too powerful. Things have come to a head, Hanpeita, and I don't think you realize how dangerous the situation is, both in Edo and Kyoto." Ryoma lowered his voice. "Lord Yodo is not behind you. He'll never agree to turn against the Bakufu. You should know that as well as I do. You're being deceived."

"What are you talking about, Sakamoto?" Tanji said angrily.

"You can't actually believe that Lord Yodo is going to support a bunch of lower-samurai who are trying to gain control over his own domain," Ryoma scoffed.

"Lord Yodo is a man of his word," Hanpeita said. "He is on our side." "Hanpeita," Ryoma pleaded, "if you and your men would stop relying on

Tosa and work with me under Katsu Kaishu, we would surely win in the

end."

Ryoma had heard from Kaishu of the true intentions of the Tosa daimyo. Lord Yodo had come to Kyoto this month for two purposes: one, to promote a compromise between the court and the Bakufu; the other, which was a means to this end, to crush the Tosa Loyalists. Despite his relation by marriage to the Sanjo family at court, and his outward appearance as a Loyalist sympathizer, Yodo was determined to arrest every Tosa Loyalist in the Imperial capital.

"We will win, Ryoma," Hanpeita insisted. "That I guarantee."

"You don't understand, Hanpeita. We can't win without developing a navy. Japan is an island country and the only way to defend it from foreign attack j is by sea. And that's exactly what we're going to do under Katsu Kaishu, the i leading naval expert in Japan."

"Ryoma," Hanpeita said, "you've enlisted several of my best men. But I f wish you well. I know we're fighting for the same cause, and sometime in the future maybe we can join forces."

It was only now that Ryoma realized that there was no hope to save his friends, as he struggled to hold back tears. Indeed, Sakamoto Ryoma would never see Takechi Hanpeita again.

* * *

Takechi Hanpeita and most of the other Tosa Loyalists who were not working for Katsu Kaishu were ordered back to Kochi at the beginning of April by Lord Yodo, who also returned to his domain to crush the outlawed party and to punish the murderers of Yoshida Toyo.

On the national scene, opposition to the foreign treaties had so intensified that in March the Shogun himself was obliged to pay a visit to Kyoto to promise the Emperor that he would expel the foreigners by the tenth of the following May. This first visit to Kyoto by a Shogun in over two centuries displayed Edo's diminishing ability to dominate Japan, while the impossible promise to expel the foreigners so angered Lord Shungaku that he resigned his post as political director of the Edo regime, and returned to his castle in Fukui at the end of March.

Meanwhile, Ryoma remained busy through the spring recruiting men for the naval academy of Katsu Kaishu, with whom he met daily to discuss plans. His life had changed drastically in the past several months, during which time his relationship with Kaishu had developed from one of teacher and student into a partnership. While Kaishu used his close relationship with the seventeen-year-old Shogun Iemochi to gain permission to establish an official Bakufu Naval Academy in Kobe, Ryoma used his influence among the Loyalists in Kyoto to recruit nearly one hundred of them for Kaishu's private school. The Bakufu institution and the private academy would share the costly facilities supplied by the Edo government. Under Kaishu, Ryoma, at age twenty-eight, was on the verge of realizing his dream of establishing a navy. He drolly expressed his excitement in a letter to his sister Otome, dated -March 20, 1863: "Well, well! In the first place, life sure is strange. There are; some men who are so unlucky that they die by breaking their balls just trying to climb out of a bathtub. Compared to that I'm extremely lucky: here I was on the verge of death but I didn 't die. Even if I tried to die I couldn 't, because there are too many things which compel me to live. I have now become the disciple of Katsu Kaishu, the greatest man in Japan, and I am spending every day on things I have always dreamed about. Even if I should live to be forty, I wouldn 't leave this to return home.''

During the spring of this year Ryoma accompanied Kaishu on several trips between Osaka and Edo, gaining navigational experience aboard the Tokugawa warship Jundo Maru. In Edo, Kaishu introduced Ryoma to his close friend and mentor Okubo Ichio, who had recruited Kaishu into the government eight years before.

At age forty-six, Okubo was concurrently working at the important post of commissioner of foreign affairs and as member of the Bakufu's council in charge of supervising Tokugawa officials and retainers. His experience in foreign affairs, and at a prior post in the Institute for the Study of Barbarian Books, had given him access to a wide range of knowledge of the West. Okubo, who was also friendly with Lord Shungaku and his political advisor, Yokoi Shonan, had been expelled from office during the Great Purge of Ii Naosuke, but recalled in 1861.

One spring afternoon Ryoma and Sonojo walked through the iron-studded oaken gate of the Okubo residence, located near Edo Castle. The two had just returned to Edo with Kaishu for the particular purpose of meeting the commissioner of foreign affairs, although it was almost unheard of for two men of no official status whatsoever to be granted a private audience with one of Okubo's distinction. But as Kaishu had arranged the meeting, the two were greeted by a woman servant at the front door of the two-storied house, and escorted down a long, dark wooden corridor.

Okubo was waiting in his study. He was thinner than Ryoma had expected, and frail in appearance, but his serious, powerful eyes impressed both of the younger men.

Ryoma and Sonojo bowed at the threshold of the study. "Come in and sit down," Okubo said. The two Tosa samurai removed their long swords and placed them to their right, the hilts pointed forward-a common courtesy indicating that the blade could not be readily drawn with the right hand-as they sat down in the formal position.

Okubo began speaking. "You must be Sakamoto Ryoma. Katsu has told me a lot about you. He tells me you're an avid Loyalist, and that you came to kill him in his own house last fall," he said, snickering.

"Yes," Ryoma replied uncomfortably. "Katsu-sensei has told us that you have some very interesting ideas concerning how to protect the nation from foreign subjugation. We've come to hear them."

"But you're thinking that an old man who is working for the decrepit Tokugawa government can't have anything worthwhile to say. Isn't that right?"

The remark stunned Sonojo, but Ryoma, who had on several occasions heard similar comments from Kaishu, was not surprised. "Yes, that's right," he said.

"Let me begin by asking you a question," Okubo said, apparently impressed by Ryoma boldness. How would your Loyalists react if the Shogun were to restore the political rule of Japan to the Emperor?"

This remark surprised even Ryoma. For a man of Okubo's position to suggest that the Shogun abdicate was preposterous, even dangerous.

"That's exactly what we are fighting for," Ryoma said. "But the Shogun would never do that. It would be suicide."

"No, I don't think so,' Okubo said. "The Shogun's abdicating would not necessarily relinquish his rule over his domains in several provinces. These; alone would ensure him sufficient wealth and power."

"And who would rule in the Shogun's place?"

"Two councils would be created. One would consist of the most powerful, feudal lords, and would meet in Kyoto every four or five years. The otherJ would be made up of lesser lords, and meet in Edo."

"And where does the Emperor fit into this scheme?" Sonojo asked.

"The Emperor would wield sovereign power from the Chrysanthemum! Throne in Kyoto," Okubo stated flatly.

"And how about the Tokugawa?" Ryoma asked.

"The Tokugawa Shogun would certainly be included among the councilf of great feudal lords. Everyone would be satisfied, and Japan would thus become united as one nation."

"That's fantastic!" Ryoma exclaimed.

"Hasn't Katsu mentioned this plan to you?" Okubo asked.

"No."

"Then I don't supposed that he's told you about his recent suggestion at the Grand Hall in Edo Castle."

"No!"

"Katsu himself suggested to the Shogun that he abdicate."

Ryoma was utterly astonished by this last remark. For Kaishu and Okubo to talk like this among themselves, or even to himself or Sonojo, was one thing. But to suggest such a thing to the Shogun in Edo Castle could be lethal.

"That worries me," Ryoma said, unconsciously placing his right hand on his sword.

"No need to worry," Okubo laughed. "Katsu will be alright. The man is indestructible. He's quite a character. Yes, quite a character indeed."

* * *

One afternoon in the following May Ryoma sat with Kaishu in the navy commissioner's lodgings in Kyoto discussing the establishment of the naval academy.

"One hundred men are plenty to begin with," Kaishu said, "but we're short of money. The Bakufu coffers are nearly empty, so all we can get from Edo" is three thousand ryo, hardly enough to finance a naval academy. We need to acquire land, construct buildings and purchase ships."

"Then let's raise the money," Ryoma said.

"How?"

"From the feudal lords who have the insight to realize the importance of our mission."

"Ryoma," Kaishu exclaimed, slapping his knee, "you're uncanny. That's just what I intended to discuss with you today. I want you to go to Fukui Han to see if you can convince our friend Lord Shungaku to grant us a loan. A man of his caliber will surely understand the importance of our project."

"I don't mind trying, but it seems that Lord Shungaku would be more apt to lend us money if you personally were to ask him."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Kaishu said, then immediately retracted the statement before sardonically adding, "No, I'm sure that's one thing you would never do, Ryoma. You're much too much like me to underestimate yourself." "But, Sensei..."

"No, I want you to go. Besides, you've already proven your ability to persuade over the past six months. To tell you the truth, I never expected you to find one hundred men to work for me from among the Loyalists in Kyoto. Not until the day you walked into my room with Izo, that is," Kaishu paused momentarily, then burst out laughing. "You should have seen some of those stupid potato-heads from Edo when they saw me walk through the gates of Nijo Castle with him. I thought they might piss all over themselves."

Ryoma howled with amusement, then asked, "How much money do we need?" "About five thousand." "Ryo?" Ryoma swallowed deeply.

"Five thousand ryo is what I estimate," Kaishu said. "As the annual rice yield of some of the smaller fiefdoms is only twice that amount, your ability to persuade is about to be put to a real test. But I don't expect Lord Shungaku will lend us all of it. At any rate, I think it would be helpful for you to meet another close friend of mine before you talk with Shungaku." "Who?"

"Yokoi Shonan, Shungaku's most trusted advisor." Yokoi Shonan, one of the great thinkers of his time, was a samurai of Kumamoto Han, but recently serving the Lord of Fukui as chief political advisor. Although Yokoi was once a chronic xenophobe, a glimpse at the military technology of the West changed his mind in much the same way it had Ryoma's, so that at age fifty-two he was now a confirmed believer in the absolute necessity of opening the country. It was for this very reason that Kusaka Genzui had urged Ryoma to assassinate Yokoi during the previous year.

Although Yokoi supported Opening the Country, he espoused renouncing the foreign treaties, even at the expense of war. He argued that since the Tokugawa had signed the treaties with only its own welfare in mind, and with no concern for the rest of Japan, the Bakufu must abandon its selfish policies, for the sake of the entire nation. But unlike the Loyalists, Yokoi did not prefer war as a means to an end, but insisted that Japan must be resolved

to fight to preserve its sovereignty. The country, he argued, must be opened on an equal basis, not through one-sided treaties forced on Japan by foreigners. However, as Yokoi was a man of thought rather than action, he left the job of actualizing his ideas to others. Kaishu and Ryoma would establish a navy to do so.

Ryoma stood up, thrust his sword through his sash. "I'll go at once," he said, then bowed before leaving.

Ryoma set out on foot at sunrise the next morning, northeast from Kyoto fori the domain of Fukui. Although he felt confident that the Fukui daimyo would; lend him a certain amount of gold, Ryoma doubted that he could convince; him to invest the enormous sum of 5,000 ryo. Nevertheless his basic philosophy dictated that once he had decided on a goal he must see it through. Ryoma's goal was to form a navy, both military and merchant. The military might of his navy would be necessary to topple the Bakufu and protect Japan from foreign aggression. With the commercial end he planned to conduct free trade, domestically and internationally. He was convinced that free trade was the only way to enrich the nation to ensure lasting safety. Kaishu, like Kawada Shoryo before him, had taught Ryoma these basic principles ofi capitalism. Both men had told him of the joint-stock company in the United J States, whereby people with capital invested money, while people withj an idea put that money to practical use. The capitalist concept, which was totally foreign to feudal Japan, fit Ryoma's current circumstances perfectly. In short, he would not merely ask Lord Shungaku for a loan, but rather to make a capital investment, repayable with a portion of the profits from the commercial end of the navy.

Ryoma arrived at Fukui Castletown, just inland from the Sea of Japan and northeast of Kyoto, one warm afternoon in mid-May, After procuring lodgings at the Tobacco Inn, he sent a message to Yokoi Shonan, requesting a meeting. Yokoi had heard about Ryoma from Kaishu and Shungaku, and more recently in letters from Okubo, who had written to Shungaku on the night after his first meeting with Ryoma and Sonojo. "The courage of the ronin who are prepared to die for their cause," Okubo had declared, "puts men of the Bakufu to shame." In the same letter Okubo had described Ryoma as "a man of truly strong character." It was no wonder, then, that Lord Shungaku's trusted advisor, upon receiving Ryoma's message, immediately set out to meet him.

The Tobacco Inn was a simple two-storied wooden house with a black tile roof. In front of the house was a small garden of dwarfed pines, and the hydrangeas were in full bloom, coloring the garden with pale shades of blue, pink and purple. Near the center of the garden was a pond, in which several large carp, some black some orange, swam furiously in circles. It was feeding time, and the innkeeper, dressed in a kimono of dark blue cotton, was tossing small clumps of steamed barley into the pond. Several golden dragonflies hovered above the mossy green water, which shimmered coolly in the late afternoon sunlight.
"I'm looking for Tosa samurai Sakamoto Ryoma," Yokoi said, approaching the house. He was immaculately dressed in black, and his two swords hung at his left hip. By the encircled triangular crest on his jacket, the innkeeper immediately recognized Yokoi.

The commoner bowed deeply. "Please, come right this way, Your Excellency. I'll show you to his room."

Yokoi followed the innkeeper into the earthen-floored entranceway to the house. Here he removed his wooden clogs, before stepping up into an anteroom paneled with dark wood. The two men ascended a ladder staircase leading to a dark corridor.

"You have a visitor," the innkeeper called from behind a closed door. But there was no answer, just the sound of someone snoring loudly inside. "Well, open up!" Yokoi demanded. "I don't have all day."

The innkeeper slid open the door. Inside Ryoma was sleeping in his dirty kimono, spread-eagle, without bedding, and both swords on the floor next to him.

"Sakamoto-san," Yokoi called in a loud voice.

Ryoma stirred, opened his eyes, focused on the small man-less than five-feet tall-then finally realizing where he was, jumped to his feet. "I must have fallen asleep," he said. "You must be Yokoi-sensei."

Yokoi nodded, and cleared his throat. Despite his rustic features-large face, dark complexion, thick black eyebrows that curved upward and met at the bridge of a wide nose, high cheekbones and large mouth-his eyes betrayed the razor-sharp wit for which he was famous.

"Please come in and sit down," Ryoma said, and after the innkeeper left them alone, heatedly explained to Yokoi his reason for coming to Fukui.

"Katsu has told me about your plans for a navy," Yokoi said after Ryoma finished speaking. "I fully support them."

"I hope Lord Shungaku feels the same," Ryoma said.

"He certainly does!" assured Shungaku's chief political advisor.

"What I mean is that I hope he'll be willing to invest in our navy."

"How Lord Shungaku feels and what he can afford may be two different matters. Five thousand ryo is a large sum."

"Not so large when you consider that the money will be used for developing a navy to protect the nation," Ryoma said. "Fukui is one of the greatest domains in Japan. The Matsudaira family is directly related to the Tokugawa."

"Yes," Yokoi said. "I'll arrange for you to meet Lord Shungaku tomorrow."

On the following morning, Ryoma met Lord Shungaku in the confines of Fukui Castle. "Welcome, Ryoma," the daimyo said when the Tosa samurai appeared at the entrance to his reception room. Lord Shungaku admired Ryoma for his unaffected manner, uncanny sense of the times, sincere character and frankness.

Ryoma entered the room, kneeled down and bowed so deeply that he touched his face to the tatami floor. "Thank you for your recent kindness," he said, referring to Shungaku's having spoken on his behalf to the Tosa

daimyo.

"Get up, Ryoma. That position doesn't suit you. I've heard about your bi plans from Yokoi."

Ryoma sat up straight. "Not so big, Lord Shungaku," he said. "Just plans for a navy."

"Ryoma, you amaze me," Shungaku said with a heavy sigh. "And I doub that you have ever put that mouth of yours to so much use in such a short period of time as you did yesterday. Yokoi supports your plans completely.' This was Lord Shungaku's way of telling Ryoma that he would indeed invest 5,000 ryo in the naval academy.