In #Hakodate, there is the Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Hall. Sakamoto Ryoma was a Japanese samurai, a shishi and influential figure of the Bakumatsu, and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period.

I was confused, Sakamoto Ryoma was born in #Shikoku and died in #Kyoto, what does it have to do with #Hokkaido? I looked up @Wikipedia and couldn't find the answer, so I paid 800 yen 💴 to go to the memorial hall to find out.

Sakamoto Ryoma's involvement in Hokkaido colonization began in 1864, but he withdrew from the plan due to the impact of the Ikedaya Incident. After establishing Kaientai, he procured the ship "Wild Wave" for the journey, which tragically sank, taking 12 lives. His subsequent attempts with "Iroha-maru" and "Daigyokumaru" also failed due to unfortunate accidents and payment issues. This series of setbacks ended with Ryoma's assassination, leaving his dream of Hokkaido colonization unfulfilled. Despite these hardships, he retained his passion for Hokkaido's development till his last moments, as revealed in his letters.