Site of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro’s Assassination (Site of Omi-ya Inn)

A stone monument stands on the corner of a busy intersection, marking the spot where the Omi-ya inn once operated. On a November night in eighteen sixty-seven, Sakamoto Ryoma and his associate Nakaoka Shintaro sat inside discussing the future of Japan. Assassins burst through the doors, killing both men before vanishing into the darkness. Ryoma was a key negotiator who brought two powerful rival clans together. His death silenced a voice that had been pushing the country toward a unified modern government.