Sonnō jōi
Gotō was born in Tosa Domain (present day Kōchi Prefecture). Together with fellow Tosa "samurai" Sakamoto Ryōma, he was attracted by the radical pro-Imperial "Sonnō jōi" movement. After being promoted, he essentially seized power within the Tosa Domain's politics and exerted influence on Tosa "daimyō" Yamauchi Toyoshige to call on "shōgun" Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return power peacefully to the Emperor.