KOCHI — A famous bronze statue stands as if gazing out over the Pacific Ocean at Cape Ryuzu on the eastern tip of bow-shaped Katsurahama Beach, a scenic spot in Kochi Prefecture on along the southern coast of Shikoku. The 5.3-meter-tall statue — 13.5 meters including its pedestal — is of Sakamoto Ryoma (1835–67), a historical figure who enjoys immense popularity among the Japanese people.