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Glass-walled exterior of the Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum in Kochi under a blue sky
Photo: Mugu-shisai, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kochi · museum

Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum

高知県立坂本龍馬記念館

Letters and records of Sakamoto Ryoma, a key figure of the Meiji Restoration, in a glass building on a hill above Katsurahama facing the Pacific.

The museum's orange and glass main building projecting out on pillars, seen from the sea side
Photo: Kennosuke Yamaguchi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A museum to keep Ryoma's story alive

Sakamoto Ryoma was an activist of the Bakumatsu, the final years of the Edo period, born in Tosa (today's Kochi Prefecture). The museum presents him as a man who gave his life to the dawn of modern Japan, and sees its mission as passing on to the next generation his "flexible thinking", his "outlook turned towards the world" and his "bold drive to act".

Kochi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum opened on 15 November 1991 to collect and display material about Ryoma and share what he achieved. That date is both his birthday and the day he died. Much of the building cost was raised through a fundraising drive started by groups of young people in the prefecture and others. In April 2018 a new wing was added and the main building was renovated, giving the museum a fresh start.

Ryoma through his letters

The permanent exhibition, "The Life of Sakamoto Ryoma and the Bakumatsu", covers his life and the turbulent times he lived in. Alongside documents and panels there are hands-on displays such as animations, designed so that you can enjoy it even if you do not know much history.

The museum holds letters written by Ryoma, and the originals are rotated on display according to a schedule. If there is a letter you want to see, check the exhibition schedule on the official website. There is an audio guide too, and until 31 December 2026 there is also a special version in Tosa-ben, the Kochi dialect.

The hill of Urado Castle and the glass main building

The museum stands on the site of Urado Castle, home of the warlord Chosokabe Motochika in the Sengoku (Warring States) period and, for a time at the start of the Edo period, of Yamauchi Kazutoyo when he came to rule Tosa. Urado had been an important hub for sea traffic since the Heian period.

The main building, built in 1991, is clad in glass and floods with light. The museum sits on a hill facing the Pacific Ocean, and the sweeping sea view is part of its charm.

Getting there

From the bus terminal at JR Kochi Station, take a Tosaden Kotsu bus bound for Katsurahama, get off at Ryoma Kinenkan-mae, and walk about 2 minutes (the bus ride takes about 34 minutes). If you drive, the museum's free car park has limited spaces; when it is full, use the paid car park at Katsurahama Park.

Just below is Katsurahama beach, famous for its bronze statue of Ryoma. Walking from Katsurahama to the museum means climbing the stone steps and steep slopes of the Tsubaki no Komichi ("Camellia Path") for 10 minutes or more, and you have to go back down the same way, so if you are driving it is best to use each place's own car park. Check opening hours and admission fees on the official website.

Tips

  • The permanent exhibition rooms close for some periods for display maintenance (for example 14 to 21 January 2027). Check the annual schedule on the official website beforehand.
  • Admission is free for high school students and younger.
  • If you are visiting Katsurahama too, go to the museum first to learn about Ryoma, then head down to see his statue on the beach: it makes it much more fun.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Keep exploring

Nearby places

Kochi · coast Katsurahama Beach 桂浜 A curving Pacific beach watched over by a statue of Sakamoto Ryoma: a moon-viewing spot from a Kochi folk song, with a clifftop shrine and an aquarium.
Kochi · garden Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden 高知県立牧野植物園 A garden on Mount Godai in Kochi City honouring Tomitaro Makino, father of Japanese plant taxonomy, with over 3,000 species that change with the seasons.
Kochi · bridge Harimaya Bridge はりまや橋 A small red bridge in central Kochi, setting of a monk's love story in the folk song Yosakoi-bushi. Every local knows it; a handy start for a city walk.
Kochi · castle Kochi Castle 高知城 The only castle in Japan where both an Edo-period keep and palace survive. On a hill in central Kochi, walk from the lord's rooms to the top of the keep.
Kochi · nature Ryugado Cave 龍河洞 A limestone cave in Kochi, carved by rainwater over 175 million years. It holds traces of Yayoi-period life and the "Pot of the Gods", fused into the rock.
Kochi · waterfall Nikobuchi にこ淵 A plunge pool deep in Kochi's mountains, filled with the water known as "Niyodo Blue". With the light and seasons, they say you never see the same blue twice.