Peacemaker Kurogane and a Caricature of Ryoma Sakamoto

I have great interest in the ways that Japan depicts its history in modern media. While there are certainly mediums that strive for more historical accuracy, popular mediums like manga, anime and video games often take newer and more imaginative routes that give their audiences new ways to look at the past.

One example of an extravagant reimagining of historical figures can be found in the 1999 manga Peacemaker Kurogane by Nanae Chrono, which was later adapted into a 24 episode anime series in 2003. It follows the tale of two brothers who join the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu era, and features many historical figures who were involved in those turbulent years. The one I would like to highlight today is Ryoma Sakamoto.

Photograph of Ryoma Sakamoto

Sakamoto was born in 1835 into a prosperous merchant family. When he met Katsu Rintaro, a man he originally intended to assassinate, the two of them established a naval academy in Hyogo. One of his greatest accomplishments was his contribution in the alliance between the Choshu and Satsuma clans that allowed them to oppose the shogunate. Many of his political views came from studying Western political theory, looking at models like the United States government. A human symbol of the Westernization of Japan, he is famously known for wearing western shoes and wielding a revolver (source: Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Resoration by Marius B. Jansen).

Sakamoto’s depiction in Peacemaker Kurogane is essentially an exaggerated caricature of the historical figure. In addition to wearing Western shoes and carrying a gun, Sakamoto is also shown with dreadlocks, sunglasses, and a cowboy hat, using lots of English phrases in his speech. In his first appearance in the anime, he is actually heard singing an odd rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” in a hodgepodge of Western languages and Japanese. While he appears to be something more of an eccentric comic relief character, later on he is revealed to be a man deeply concerned about the future of his country.

Sakamoto as he appears in Peacemaker Kurogane

Even today, Sakamoto Ryoma continues to inspire a romanticized legacy as one of the founding fathers of modern Japan. Just as we like to speculate about the personalities of our own historical figures, Japan artists and writers seem to have a lot of fun with this one!

Just listen to that great singing voice!