Goto Shojiro

• Born: 1838
• Died: 1897
• Japanese: 後藤 象二郎 (Gotou Shoujirou)

A Tosa samurai who became in essence, "prime minister" of the Tosa government and hence, the principal advisor to Yamauchi Yodo. After becoming acquainted with Sakamoto Ryoma in Nagasaki, Goto began to work with Ryoma to work for the peaceful abdication of the Shogun and return of power to the Imperial Throne. Goto was the one who submitted Sakamoto’s Eight Point Plan to Yodo for submission to the reigning Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, who resigned his post in 1867.

References

• Hillsborough, Romulus. RYOMA- Life of a Renaissance Samurai. Ridgeback Press, 1999
• Jansen, Marius B. Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration. Columbia University Press, 1994.