Statue & Monument · Gion / Maruyama Park
Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro Statue 坂本龍馬・中岡慎太郎像
A bronze statue in Maruyama Park of the two Bakumatsu revolutionaries assassinated together in Kyoto in 1867, gazing toward the city they helped change.
About
Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, samurai from the Tosa domain, were key figures in the alliance between Satsuma and Choshu that led to the fall of the shogunate. On 10 December 1867 they were assassinated together at the Omiya inn in Kawaramachi, a few weeks after the shogun's return of power. The statue in Maruyama Park, erected in 1934 and recast after the war, shows Ryoma standing and Nakaoka kneeling. Their graves are nearby at the Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine on the hill above Ninenzaka, from where there is a view over the city; Ryoma remains one of Japan's most popular historical figures.
Highlights
- Bronze statue of Ryoma standing and Nakaoka kneeling
- In Maruyama Park, east of Yasaka Shrine
- Links to the graves at Ryozen Gokoku Shrine
- Bakumatsu history in Kyoto
- Free
Tips
- Visit the graves at Ryozen Gokoku Shrine (small fee) for a view over the city.
- The site of the assassination is marked on Kawaramachi-dori near Shijo.
- Combine with a Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine walk.
- Fans gather on 15 November, which is marked as both his birthday and the day he died.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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