Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine

Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku is a shrine located in Kyoto honoring 1043 past heroes in Japanese history, especially from the Bakumatsu period of civil strife. The Bakamatsu period was a time of serious social upheaval in the late 1800`s when Japan was transitioning from a feudal samurai state to a modern democratic one. The shrine was built in 1868. He is one of the main figures credited with the foresight, influence, and vision to help usher in the reforms needed to form Japan into the country it is today. He was a samurai from the island of Shikoku who saw the needs to reform Japan after centuries of self isolation and increasing pressure from foreign countries. He was assassinated in Kyoto and buried next to his counterpart Nakaoka Shintaro . Most of the monuments here are dedicated to the spirits of past heroes, but the cremated remains of Sakamoto and Nakaoka are under their respective shrines. Every year on November 15th there is a festival to celebrate the birth of Sakamoto Ryoma and remember his virtues and spirit. The shrine also holds the remains of Kido Takayoshi from the Choshu area, considered one of the three great nobles who ushered in a new Japan in 1868.
Every year on May 26, the "Shoukiku-sai Festival" is held to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Kido Takayoshi so that his virtuous legacy will live on for future generations.