Or how, during the second year of the Keiō era, a woman named Narasaki Ryō saved the samurai Sakamoto Ryōma (or 坂本龍馬).
Well, that's part of it.
Let's set the scene. The date is March 9, 1866. We're south of Kyoto, in a place called Fushimi, and we're at an inn, the Teradaya (寺田屋). A samurai (and diplomat) from Tosa domain, named Sakamoto Ryōma (he's quite famous, actually) has a room there. This is not something out out of the ordinary, 'cause he has checked in here other times, and is on friendly terms with the inn's landlady, Otose -- a very nice lady, who also liked to help reformers, which Sakamoto is one. (In fact, at this point, Sakamoto has very recently worked to create an alliance between the Satsuma and Chōshū clans).
At this moment, he's in his room (the ume no ma which translates as the plum room -- is this sounding like Clue yet?) with his bodyguard or friend (depends on the book) Miyoshi Shinzō from Chōshū. The room's on the second floor, and the two have basically gotten all ready to just go to sleep. Sakamoto can hear people on the move, trying to be quiet below when....
We now switch to a maid at the inn, who's currently having a soak in the bath. Her name is Narasaki Ryō, though also known popularly as Oryō . She either is Sakamoto's wife, or sort of girlfriend and/or someone who at some later time becomes his wife. (One place said she got her job at the inn because of being Sakamoto's girlfriend).
It is while she's in the bath that Oryō somehow realizes that Bakufu officers from the Fushimi magistrate were at the inn for a raid/attack. (The magistrate knew that there were anti-Bakufu people at the inn via the grapevine or spies or something like that).
So Oryō foreshortens her bath, goes up the backstairs to Sakamoto and company, telling him about the raid/attack that's in progress. Sakamoto and Miyoshi arm themselves -- the former with a six-shooter by Smith & Wesson (bought in Shanghai by one Takasugi Shinsaku) and the latter with a spear (he also had two swords).
At some point, the fight breaks out (and yes, that's as much detail as I can give you there). During the raid/skirmish/fight Sakamoto's hands get a bit cut up, but he and Miyoshi are able to make a tactical retreat (it was good enough for George Washington, so I don't see why anyone else should have a problem with it). They take shelter in the Satsuma clan's mansion/residence/station that's in/near Fushimi. The End.
Of the incident anyway. As a little addendum-type thing, the Teradaya Inn burned down two years after the attempt on Sakamoto's life. They rebuilt it though, and it kinda memorializes the incident, with a picture each of Ryōma (who also has a statue out front) and Otose in the entrance. Now, the inn's address is located at 263 Minamihama-cho Fushimi, Kyoto.
That same year in the fall, Sakamoto gave an account of the incident to his brother, in writing. If you want to take a look at a translation of Sakamoto's recollection, that is if you want more specific details of the fight, then see the last reference in the reference section below.
(Oh, and if you're wondering why this isn't about the 1862 incident, you are an
adept at history. I call this incident the Teradaya Incident because
other people have. I know, shameless following! But what can ya do?
They're already published.)
References:
Because you don't just have to take my word for it. Take some other peoples' too! ;)
"Cool Japan: A Guide to Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku and Japanese Culture Past and Present"; Sumiko Kajiyama; 2013
"Seeing Kyoto"; Juliet Winters Carpenter; 2005
"The Satsuma Students in Britain: Japan's Early Search for the "Essence of the West'"; Andrew Cobbing; 2013
"Samurai Revolution: The Dawn of Modern Japan Seen Through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai"; Romulus Hillsborough; 2014
"Sakamoto Ryōma and the Meiji Restoration"; Marius B. Jansen; 1994
