Sakuma Shozan, teacher of Katsu Kaishu, Sakamoto Ryoma, Yoshida Shoin and many others, was one of the most important figures in Bakumatsu history. He was assassinated in Kyoto in the summer of 1864. His journal of the last four months of his life (公務日記), most of which was spent in Kyoto, is important reading for students of the era. It is published in 象山全集 (Shozan Zenshu), available in Japan’s National Diet Library’s digital collection.
[This photo of Sakuma Shozan appears in Samurai Revolution, courtesy of National Diet Library of Japan.]
I wrote quite a bit about Sakuma Shozan, including his relationship with Katsu Kaishu, “the shogun’s last samurai,” in Samurai Revolution.)
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