Kondō Isami | |
|---|---|
近藤 勇 | |
 Kondō Isami (1834–1868) | |
| Shinsengumi Commander | |
| In office 1863–1868 | |
| Preceded by | none (Briefly, office held jointly withSerizawa Kamo andNiimi Nishiki) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Miyagawa Katsugorō (1834-11-09)November 9, 1834 Kamiishihara Village,Musashi Province,Japan |
| Died | May 17, 1868(1868-05-17) (aged 33) Itabashi execution grounds,Itabashi,Edo,Japan |
| Cause of death | Decapitation |
| Resting place | body: Ryugenji Temple, Osawa,Mitaka,Tokyo,Japan head:Hozoji Temple,Okazaki,Aichi Prefecture,Japan |
| Spouse | |
| Domestic partner(s) | Miyuki Oko |
| Relations | Kondō Shūsuke (adoptive father) Kondō Fude (adoptive mother) Kondō Hisatarō (grandson) |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives | Miyagawa Rie (sister) Miyagawa Otogorō (brother) Miyagawa Sōbei (brother) Kondō Yūgorō (nephew) |
| Known for | Commander ofShinsengumi |
| Other names | Shimazaki Katsuta Shimazaki Isami Fujiwara no Yoshitake |
| Alias | Okubo Tsuyoshi Okubo Yamato |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Tokugawa bakufu |
| Branch/service | Rōshigumi (former) Mibu Rōshigumi (former) Shinsengumi |
| Years of service | 1863–1868 |
| Rank | Wakadoshiyori |
| Commands | Mibu Rōshigumi (former) Shinsengumi |
| Battles/wars | Ikedaya incident Kinmon incident Boshin War |
Kondō Isami (近藤勇, November 9, 1834 – May 17, 1868) was a Japaneseswordsman andsamurai of the lateEdo period. He was the fourth generation master ofTennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of theShinsengumi.[1]
He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyagawa Hisajirō and his wife Miyo[2] in Kami-Ishihara village inMusashi Province (present city ofChōfu) inWestern Tokyo on November 9, 1834.[3] He had two older brothers, Otojirō (音次郎; later known as Otogorō 音五郎) and Kumezō (粂蔵; later known as Sōbei 惣兵衛) and an older sister Rie (リエ), who died two years before he was born.[4] Katsugorō began training at theShieikan (the main dojo of theTennen Rishin-ryū) in 1848.[5]
As a young man he was said to be an avid reader, and especially liked the stories of theForty-seven rōnin and theRomance of the Three Kingdoms.[6] 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 ofKondō Shūsuke, the third generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū.[7] Shūsuke wasted no time in adopting the young Katsugorō in 1849, who first took the name of Shimazaki Katsuta (島崎勝太).[8] According to a record in the possession of the former Gozu-tennōsha Shrine 牛頭天王社 (now the Hino Yasaka-jinja Shrine 日野八坂神社), Katsuta is listed, with full common name and formal name, as Shimazaki Isami Fujiwara (no) Yoshitake (島崎勇藤原義武), and thus, had the name Isami (勇) as of 1858, the document's date.[9]
Kondō was said to have owned akatana called "Kotetsu" (虎徹), the work of the 17th century swordsmithNagasone Kotetsu. However, theauthenticity of his "Kotetsu" is highly debatable. According to Yasu Kizu's pamphlet on the swordmaker Kotetsu, Kondō's sword may actually have been made byMinamoto no Kiyomaro, a swordmaker of high repute roughly contemporary to Kondō.[10]
Kondō married Matsui Tsune in 1860.[11] This was an advantageous match for Kondō as Otsune was the daughter ofMatsui Yasogorō (松井八十五郎), a retainer to theShimizu-Tokugawa clan.[12] On September 30, 1861,[13] Isami became the fourth generation master (sōke no yondai me 宗家四代目) of Tennen Rishin-ryū, assuming the name Kondō Isami and taking charge of the Shieikan.[14] A year later, his daughterKondō Tama (1862–1886) was born.[15]
Although he was never employed by the Shogunate before his Shinsengumi days, Kondō was a candidate for a teaching position at theKōbusho in 1862.[16] The Kobusho was an exclusive military training school, primarily for the use of the shogunal retainers, set up by the Shogunate in 1855 in order to reform the military system after the arrival ofPerry'sBlack Ships.[17]
In 1863, theTokugawa shogunate organized a massive group ofrōnin for the purpose of protecting the shōgunIemochi during his time in Kyoto.[18] Kondō joined the unit, which became known as theRōshigumi, with his close friendHijikata Toshizō, as well as Shieikan's members and guestsYamanami Keisuke,Okita Sōji,Harada Sanosuke,Nagakura Shinpachi,Tōdō Heisuke, andInoue Genzaburō.[19] After the de facto commanderKiyokawa Hachirō revealed their true purpose as being Imperial supporters, the Rōshigumi was disbanded and most of the members returned to Edo. Kondō, Hijikata, former Mito retainerSerizawa Kamo, and a handful of others remained inKyoto and formed theMibu Rōshigumi.[20] Acting under the direct orders of the shogunate,[21]Matsudaira Katamori ofAizu undertook supervision of these men. Under the oversight of Aizu, acting in its role asProtector of Kyoto, they worked as police in the imperial capital.[22]
On August 18, his unit was given the nameShinsengumi.[23] In July 1864, the Shinsengumi became well known for arresting a cell ofshishi (the incident was known as theIkedaya Jiken, or Ikedaya Affair).[24]
Kondō later had at least two mistresses in Kyoto, Miyuki and Oko, who were bothgeishas, with the latter he had an illegitimate daughter named Oyu, who would later become a geisha as well atGion.
On July 10, 1867,[25] Kondō became ahatamoto, along with the rest of the Shinsengumi.[26]
After suffering a gunshot wound at theBattle of Toba–Fushimi in January 1868, Kondō returned toEdo. There he met with the military commanderKatsu Kaishū and was promoted to the rank ofwakadoshiyori (wakadoshiyori-kaku 若年寄格) in the rapidly disintegrating Tokugawa administration.[27] Kondō created a new unit,Kōyō Chinbutai (甲陽鎮撫隊,Pacification Corps), based on the surviving remnants of the Shinsengumi and led them under the alias ofOkubo Tsuyoshi. They departed from Edo forKōfu Castle on March 24 on orders to suppress uprisings there. Upon receiving news on March 28 that Kōfu Castle had been taken byImperial Court forces led byItagaki Taisuke, they settled at a town of Katsunuma five miles east of Kōfu.
On March 29, 1868, Kondō and his unit were attacked by the Imperial forces at theBattle of Kōshū-Katsunuma, holding out for about two hours but ultimately losing. They narrowly escaped from the battle and retreated to Edo.
On April 11, 1868, Kondō, Hijikata and their unit departed Edo again and set up temporary headquarters at the Kaneko family estate, northeast of Edo. Kondō later changed his alias from Okubo Tsuyoshi toOkubo Yamato.
Later on April 25, 1868, they moved to a new headquarters inNagareyama.
While training at Nagareyama on April 26, 1868, Kondo and his unit were caught by surprise by Imperial forces. The Vice-chief of StaffArima Tota ofSatsuma Domain suspected that "Okubo Yamato" was Kondō himself, and ordered him brought back to the Imperial forces camp atKoshigaya. Kondō was then taken toItabashi on April 27, 1868, for questioning. On the same day Hijikata went to Edo to see Katsu Kaishū and asked for his help in getting a pardon for Kondō. The following day, April 28, a messenger arrived at Itabashi with a letter seemingly written by Katsu requesting that Kondō's life be spared. However, the messenger was arrested and the request was denied.
Kondō was put on trial on April 30, 1868 and declared guilty. As a result, Kondō was beheaded by the executioner Yokokura Kisoji at theItabashi execution grounds on May 17, 1868.[28] Among the crowd witnessing his execution was his nephewMiyagawa Yūgorō. Kondō's head was put on a pike for public display.
Three days later on May 20, 1868, Kondō's body was claimed by his nephew to be taken back to Osawa, Edo to be buried, while his head was salted and moved toKyoto, where it was displayed on a pike onSanjō Ōhashi.
While on display on the bridge, Kondō's head was taken away bySaitō Hajime, who would later ask the priest Sonku Giten to hold a memorial service for him. The head was taken by the priest when he moved toOkazaki,Aichi Prefecture, and buried in a small mound behind theHozoji temple.[29]
According toTani Tateki (1837–1911) of theTosa Domain, Kondō was arrested and executed by the new government (formed mostly by samurai fromChōshū han andSatsuma han) as a direct result of being accused of the assassination ofSakamoto Ryōma. Tani continued to insist that Kondō was responsible for the killing even after formerMimawarigumi member Imai Nobuo confessed in 1870.
Kondō has at least four grave sites; it is believed that the first of them was the grave erected at Ten'nei-ji Temple (天寧寺) inAizu byHijikata Toshizō.[30] Hijikata, was convalescing nearby from an injury sustained at theBattle of Utsunomiya, brought Kondō's hair there and was said to have personally supervised the preparation and construction of the site.[30] Kondō's funerary name,Kanten'inden'junchūseigi-daikōji (貫天院殿純忠誠義大居士) is believed to have been granted byMatsudaira Katamori.[30]
Another grave site is located at Ryugenji Temple in Osawa,Mitaka,Tokyo where his body was brought by his nephew and buried with his family.
A grave mound containing Kondō's head is located behind theHozoji temple inOkazaki,Aichi Prefecture,Japan.
Another grave is located on the memorial known asGrave of Shinsengumi, in front ofItabashi Station near the location of formerItabashi execution grounds. It was erected in 1875 byNagakura Shinpachi, with the help ofMatsumoto Ryōjun and several surviving former Shinsengumi members including Saitō Hajime. It memorializes Kondō and Hijikata Toshizō.
In 1876, Kondō's 14-year-old daughter Kondō Tama married his nephew Miyagawa Yūgorō, who succeed him as a fifth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and took the name of Kondō Yūgorō. Kondō Yūgorō established his own dojo, Hatsuunkan, in Kami-ishihara (present dayChōfu, Tokyo). Tama and Yūgorō's only child, a son named Kondō Hisatarō, was born in 1883. Kondō Tama died three years later in 1886 and Yūgorō later remarried at least twice.
In 1905, Kondō Hisatarō waskilled in action in theRusso-Japanese War at the age of 22. This marked the end of the Kondō Isami bloodline.[31]
Kondō Isami is often depicted in fiction, across different media, including television, film, books,anime, andmanga.
TheNHKTaiga dramaShinsengumi! depicted the life of Kondō.
Kondō Isao fromGintama is roughly based on him. He also appears in the video-game-turned-anime seriesHakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan. Kondō also makes appearances in the seriesKaze Hikaru andPeacemaker Kurogane, among others. Kondō is briefly mentioned in the anime seriesSoar High! Isami by the main characters' ancestors who are also members of the Shinsengumi. The female protagonist of the series, Isami Hanaoka, is named after and based on him. He is briefly shown in the animeGolden Kamuy. Kondō is portrayed by and modelled afterEiichiro Funakoshi in the video gameRyu ga Gotoku Ishin!, serving as a major character in the plot of the game. In the remake,Like a Dragon: Ishin!, he is instead voiced byAkio Otsuka and has the likeness of Koichi Adachi, a character fromYakuza: Like A Dragon.
Kondō Isami appeared inRurouni Kenshin: The Beginning in 2021. He was portrayed byTakahiro Fujimoto.
Kondō Isami appeared in Record of Ragnarok: Season 2. Kondō is depicted as one of humanity's greatest warriors; sent to fight the mythological Gods for the fate of humanity.
Kondō Isami appeared in the 2024 drama "With You I Bloom: The Shinsengumi Youth Chronicle" based on the 1963 Shinsengumi manga byOsamu Tezuka. He was portrayed by Akira Takano.[32]
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