Everybody knows that the life of Sakamoto Ryoma (坂本龍馬) was a short one, but his name remains as the man who established the monumental work called Saccho Domei (薩長同盟), an alliance between the Satsuma (薩摩, present Kagoshima Prefecture) and Choshu (長州, present Yamaguchi Prefecture) domains, which immeasurably contributed to the Meiji restoration (明治維新).
In January of 1866, Ryoma was attacked by a troop of assassinators from Bakufu (幕府, Tokugawa Shogunate) during his stay in Teradaya (寺田屋, an inn in the Fushimi district), and was severely injured. He barely escaped with his life and hid himself in a shed for a while.
If you are a big fan of Ryoma, you might as well visit this place. Now the shed is destroyed and the only reminder of the incident is the monument quietly standing there, yet you can imagine how Ryoma endured his trying time in there holding the high hope for the restoration of Japan.
Akane Kibune,
Kyoto Expert Certification 1st Grade
Access:
15 mins. on foot from Fushimi Momoyama station, keihan line
MAP:
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