Nakaoka Shintaro- an ally of Sakamoto Ryoma

   Sakamoto Ryoma※’s ally Nakaoka Shintaro※ was also one of the heroes of the Bakumatsu who drove the era forward. The Nakaoka Shintaro Museum is surrounded by green mountains and is an ideal location for getting a feel for Shintaro’s way of life. Taking a bus along the mountain roads, there is a sense of calmness as if you’ve gone back in time.

   Let’s enter the museum! The museum has two floors, plenty of materials and is rich in content. On the first floor, through the films and voice narration it feels like Shintaro’s life is unfolding before your eyes. Valuable materials are displayed on the second floor. The image of Shintaro working tirelessly for the restoration comes to mind as you cast your eyes over the many letters.

 

※ Sakamoto Ryoma (1835-1867): At the end of the Edo Era, he was active across Japan to see the establishment of the new Meiji government which overthrew the old regime.
※ Nakaoka Shintaro (1838-1867): He became a leading actor in the Bakumatsu Restoration along with Sakamoto Ryoma. Subsequently, he and Ryoma were assassinated in Kyoto.

If you stand in the entrance, the films start
playing and for a second you feel transported
back to the world of the Bakumatsu.

 

The hometown of Nakaoka Shintaro- Kitagawa Village, which is surrounded in beautiful nature
   If you exit the museum, a reconstruction of Shintaro’s family home is being built, allowing one to imagine Shintaro’s life at that time. To get a greater feel for the legacy of Shintaro, we recommend you explore Kitagawa Village.

 

If you follow the course of Shintaro’s life
whilst focusing on the era, you can’t help but
be deeply moved.

   A 10 minute bus ride from Nahari Station takes you to “Monet’s Garden” based on the garden in Giverny that was loved by the artist Claude Monet. If you go a little further there is the famous “Igosso Ramen” and various tea shops. Furthermore, the cultivation of yuzu, which was greatly encouraged by Shintaro, is an important industry for the village today, and every year in November they hold the “Kitagawa Village Yuzu Festival”.

   Why not try going to Kitagawa Village where you can learn about Shintaro’s achievements whilst experiencing them for yourself?

 

〇Nakaoka Shintaro Museum
   Location: 140 Kashiwagi, Kitagawa-mura, Aki-gun
   Webpage: http://www.nakaokashintarokan.net/