Nakaoka Shintarō

Nakaoka Shintarō (1838-1867) was a Bakumatsu patriot from Tosa domain who worked tirelessly for the formation of the Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance. Called one of the two great heroes of the Bakumatsu era alongside Sakamoto Ryōma, he was known as "Nakaoka of the land" to Ryōma's "Ryōma of the sea." He was struck down by assassins in the same place as Ryōma in the Ōmi-ya Incident (1867), a tragic hero whose brief life was cut short.

Born into the family of a gōshi of Tosa domain, Shintarō began his activities as a member of the Tosa Loyalist Party founded by Takechi Hanpeita. After the dissolution of the Tosa Loyalist Party, he left the domain without permission and threw himself into activities aimed at building cooperation among the Satsuma, Chōshū, and Tosa domains. Known for his land-based intelligence gathering and liaison work as "Nakaoka of the land," he formed a pair with Sakamoto Ryōma, who was active at sea.

Shintarō's greatest achievement was his role as the behind-the-scenes architect of the Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance (1866). The Satsuma and Chōshū domains had been in conflict since the Kinmon Incident (1864), but Shintarō traveled between the two domains repeatedly to build a relationship of trust. While Sakamoto Ryōma arranged the meeting between Satsuma and Chōshū on the public stage, Shintarō patiently accumulated adjustments and negotiations behind the scenes. The formation of the alliance established the military foundation for overthrowing the shogunate and opened the road to the Great Restoration and the Meiji Restoration.

In 1867, he organized the Rikuentai (Land Support Corps) and, as its commander, prepared for the military activities of the anti-shogunate movement. The Rikuentai was a unit organized mainly from Tosa domain samurai who supported the Satsuma-Chōshū armed overthrow of the shogunate line, forming a counterpart to Sakamoto Ryōma's Kaientai.

In the realm of Japanese swords, Shintarō received sword instruction from Takechi Hanpeita and was skilled in the handling of blades. In the intelligence and covert operations of the Bakumatsu era, swords were always worn as proof of protection and resolve. When he was struck down along with Ryōma in the Ōmi-ya Incident, Shintarō reportedly maintained consciousness for two days despite his grave wounds and left information about the assassins. The sword of Shintarō, who died at only 30 years of age, is still spoken of as a symbol of the patriots who laid the foundations of the Meiji Restoration.