Kondo Isami
Kondo Isami (近藤 勇
Kondō Isami,
1834 -
1868) Japanese
official of the late
Edo Period. He wielded a
katana called '"Kotetsu" (
虎徹) by
Nagasone Kotetsu, (this is highly debatable, however.)
He was born under the name
Miyagawa Katsugoro, and came from a farming family resident in Kami-Ishihara village, in the region of
Tama. He had 2 older brothers and started training at the
Shieikan (the main dojo of the
Tennen Rishin-ryu) in
1848.
As a young man he was said to have loved reading, and was a great fan of the story of the
Forty-seven Ronin and the
Romance of the Three Kingdoms. His renown as a scholar and his fame at having defeated a group of thieves who tried to break into his family home was great, and caught the attention of
Kondo Shuusuke, the third generation master of the 'Tennen Rishin-ryu. Shuusuke wasted no time in adopting the young Katsugoro in
1849, who first took the name of
Shimazaki Katsuta, and later,
Kondo Isami. In
1861, Kondo succeeded to the Tennen Rishin-ryu and became its fourth master, taking charge of the Shieikan.
In
1863, the
Tokugawa Shogunate organized a massive group of
ronin under the command of
Matsudaira Tadatoshi, for the purpose of protecting the shogun
Iemochi during his time in Kyoto. Kondo joined the unit, which became known as the
Roshitai, and was followed by his close friend
Hijikata Toshizo, as well as Shieikan's members and guests
Yamanami Keisuke,
Okita Souji,
Harada Sanosuke,
Nagakura Shinpachi,
Todo Heisuke, and
Inoue Genzaburo. After the de facto commander
Kiyokawa Hachiro revealed their true purpose as being anti-Shogunate radicalism, Kondo, Hijikata, former Mito retainer Serizawa Kamo, and a handful of others remained in
Kyoto and formed the Mibu Roshigumi. They were put under the control of
Aizu clan with the job of
Kyoto Shugoshoku and worked as police in Kyoto. In the
August 18 incident
Kinmon no Seihen, his team was renamed Shinsengumi. In June (
lunar calendar)
1864, the Shinsengumi became well known for arresting extreme cells (
Ikedaya Affair).
After the
Battle of Toba-Fushimi in January
1868, he returned to
Edo, fighting with the force dispatched by the
Imperial Court but lost the battle. After surrendering, he was beheaded on
May 17 (
lunar calendar April 25)
1868.
According to Tani Tateki (1837 - 1911) of the
Tosa-
Han, Kondo was properly executed by the new government (formed mostly by the samurai of the
Choshu-
Han and the
Satsuma-
Han) as a direct result of being accused of the murder of
Sakamoto Ryoma. Even after Imai Nobuo's confession in
1870, Tani insisted that Kondo was not falsely accused for Sakamoto's murder.
He has several grave sites; it was rumored that the first of which was erected in
Aizu by his friend and subordinate Hijikata Toshizo.
It is well known that Kondo Isami was able to place his entire fist inside his mouth and did this frequently to impress others.
According to
Romulus Hillsborough's
Shinsengumi: the Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, Kondo Isami's only grandson, Kondo Hisataro, was killed in the
Russo-Japanese War (after the deaths of both Kondo Isami's wife Otsune and his only daughter Tamako (1862-1886.)
In
NHK's drama series, Kondo was beheaded as an indirect result of being falsely accused of the murder of
Sakamoto Ryoma.
Kondo is also featured in the
anime/
manga Peacemaker Kurogane, the manga
Kaze Hikaru and the
Rurouni Kenshin OVA
Samurai X. On film, this character has appeared in the 1999 film
Gohatto and in the 2003 film
Mibu Gishi Den (also known as
When The Last Sword is Drawn). Kondo has also been lampooned in the
anime Papuwa, along with other known and unknown members of the Shinsengumi, during their encounters with the familiars of the titular character. The Shinsengumi consisted of Kondo, Hijikata Toshizo and several off-color characters who presumably were meant as a further lampoon of the reputation (based partly on history) that the Shinsengumi did not exclusively recruit members from the samurai class.
