Shintaro Nakaoka · Tosa
Original
潔身何用隠兼遁
Shintaro Nakaoka's Chinese-style poem, "潔身何用隠兼遁埋骨豈嫌海又山住世報恩". Read the original Japanese, translation, meaning, and historical background. This Chinese poem shows Nakaoka Shintaro's practical resolve.
Person
Leader of the Rikuentai, a Tosa activist who worked for anti-shogunate coordination alongside Sakamoto Ryoma. More severe and practical than the popular image of Ryoma, Nakaoka moved through danger as a man of action and resolve.
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Translation
One need not hide away to purify oneself; I do not mind whether my bones lie in sea or mountain. To repay grace in this world is a man’s work.
Poetic Shape Kanshi draws on a classical Chinese poetic tradition, where restraint, allusion, and moral tension carry much of the weight. The poem sounds formal, but the pressure beneath it is personal.
Reading
This Chinese poem shows Nakaoka Shintaro's practical resolve. Its strength lies in the attitude of acting within the contradictions of the world rather than fleeing them.
Background
Introduced as a Chinese poem by Nakaoka Shintaro. Even before the attack that also killed Ryoma, it lets him appear as a man willing to enter places of death. Leader of the Rikuentai, a Tosa activist who worked for anti-shogunate coordination alongside Sakamoto Ryoma.
Source / Transmission Wording and readings may differ by transmission; this page treats the text as one circulated form.
Further Reading
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