Sakuma Shozan
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Sakuma Shōzan, (佐久間象山 March 22, 1811—August 12, 1864) sometimes called Sakuma Zōzan, was a Japanese politician and scholar of the Edo era.
Knowledgeable on naval and coastal defense issues, Shozan was imprisoned by the Tokugawa Bakufu from 1854 to 1862. He advocated opening Japanese ports to foreign traders.
Shōzan was assassinated for his opinions by some radical anti-foreigner groups. The groups hired an assassin, or hitokiri named Kawakami Gensai who felled Shozan with one strike in broad daylight.