Important Cultural Property

Ballad by Sakamoto Ryoma
坂本龍馬関係資料 詠草三 俚謡
Historical Materials · Edo, 1801–1900Kyoto NM
Home › Browse › Historical Materials › Edo period › Letter from Sakamoto Ryoma to his Sister Otome on the 20th Day of the 3rd Month of Bunkyu 3 (1863)
This is the first letter Sakamoto Ryôma wrote to his sister, Otome, a year after he left the Tosa domain and became an apprentice of Katsu Kaishû (1823-99), who taught him naval science. The letter overflows with his joy at the fruition of his efforts to establish a naval force. In this letter, Ryôma makes abundant use of familiar images in his figure of speech, breaking the mold of letter writing at the time. It is an example typical of his letter-writing style.
— Museum description: Kyoto National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.























