Kondo Isami, a highly skilled swordsman and the Commander of the Shinsengumi, was born in Kami-Ishihara, a quaint farming village in Chofu, western Tokyo, under the name Miyagawa Katsugoro. His journey into the samurai caste began when Kondo Shusuke adopted him. The catalyst for this adoption was Kondo's valiant defense of his family home at the age of 13 against a band of robbers.
Demonstrating exceptional swordsmanship, Kondo became the fourth master of the Tennen Rishin-Ryu in 1861. Subsequently, in 1863, the Tokugawa Shogunate enlisted 234 ronin as bodyguards for Shogun Iemochi. Kondo and his associates, initially part of the Roshigumi, served as police under the Tokugawa in Kyoto. This group eventually evolved into the notorious Shinsengumi, credited with uncovering and suppressing a potential rebellion in the Ikedaya Incident.
While celebrated as courageous heroes, Kondo and the Shinsengumi gained notoriety for their ruthless tactics, often eliminating perceived opponents to advance their agenda. Internal strife and assassinations within the group further tarnished their reputation. Notably, Kondo Isami was implicated in the assassination of statesman Sakamoto Ryoma.
The downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate led to the Boshin War during which the Shinsengumi, including Kondo, participated in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Kondo sustained injuries from gunfire in this conflict and also fought in the Battle of Koshu-Katsunuma before surrendering to Imperial forces.
Following his capture, Kondo spent 20 days in jail in Itabashi, Tokyo, before facing execution at the Itabashi grounds on May 17, 1868. His grave and memorial stone stand as testaments to his legacy. Kondo Isami, at the age of 33, was laid to rest at Ryugen-ji Temple in Tokyo's Mitaka, while his severed head, initially displayed publicly, was later stolen and discreetly interred in a small mound behind Hozo-ji, an ancient temple in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture.
See also
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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
