Nagasaki Kameyama Shachu Memorial Museum

Kameyama Shachu was Japan’s first trading company and private navy, founded in 1865 by Sakamoto Ryōma and several dozen loyalists, with support from the Satsuma Domain and the wealthy Nagasaki merchant Kozō family. It functioned not only as a trading company but also as a political organization aimed at overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate. The group engaged in arms trading with Glover & Co., handled the transportation of weapons and supplies for various domains, provided maritime training, and even mediated conflicts between the Satsuma and Chōshū domains—efforts that paved the way for the formation of the crucial Satchō Alliance.

The name “Kameyama Shachu” comes from the rented headquarters at the time—a former residence of a Kameyama ware craftsman. The name combined “Kameyama” (the place) with shachu (meaning companions or comrades). Although the building fell into disrepair, it was later restored close to its original state and reopened in 2009 as the Kameyama Shachu Memorial Museum.

The interior retains its original layout, including 10-tatami, 8-tatami, and 3-tatami rooms, along with an earthen-floor space and a mezzanine accessible by ladder, thought to have served as a hiding place for the loyalists. Exhibits include Ryōma’s boots, his pistol, reproductions of his letters, and portraits of Shachu members, allowing visitors to experience the presence of Ryōma and his comrades more vividly. The honorary director of the museum is the well-known actor Tetsuya Takeda, a passionate supporter of Ryōma.

The surrounding area is also filled with “Ryōma spirit.” Nearby stands the Statue of Ryōma’s Boots, a popular photo spot where visitors can step into giant bronze boots and grasp a ship’s wheel, experiencing Ryōma’s adventurous spirit firsthand. Additionally, the Kameyama Shachu Reference Hall, managed by the volunteer group Kameyama Shachu Bassho Sekikai, opens on weekends and holidays to showcase more related documents and historical materials.