Welcome to Kochi Prefecture

Kochi prefecture has most famous the Shimanto River that still has untouched natural beauty.
Katsurahama beach along the Pacific Ocean and the historical Kochi Castle are great places to experience nature and Japanese history.

Famous Samurai, Ryoma Sakamoto was born in Kochi prefecture.
He was a Japanese samurai and influential figure of the Bakumatsu and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. He was a low-ranking samurai from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an active opponent of the Tokugawa Shogunate after the end of Japan’s sakoku isolationist policy. Ryōma under the alias Saitani Umetarō (才谷梅太郎) worked against the Bakufu, the government of the Tokugawa shogunate, and was often hunted by their supporters and the Shinsengumi. Ryōma advocated for democracy, Japanese nationalism, return of power to the Imperial Court, abolition of feudalism, and moderate modernization and industrialization of Japan. Ryōma successfully negotiated the Satchō Alliance between the powerful rival Chōshū and Satsuma domains and united them against the Bakufu. Ryōma was assassinated in December 1867 with his companion Nakaoka Shintarō, shortly before the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration.

Katsurahama is a famous statue of Kochi’s favorite son, Sakamoto Ryoma stands near the beach. The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum stands on the hill above the beach.

Come and visit beautiful Kochi!