Kondō Isami
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kondō Isami (近藤 勇? November 9, 1834 - May 17, 1868) was a Japanese official of the late Edo Period.
Contents |
[edit] Background
He was born under the name Miyagawa Katsugorō, and came from a farming family resident in Kami-Ishihara village in Musashi Province, now in Western Tokyo.[1] He had two older brothers and started training at the Shieikan (the main dojo of the Tennen Rishin-ryū) in 1848.[2]
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.[3] 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 Kondō Shuusuke, the third generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū.[4] Shuusuke wasted no time in adopting the young Katsugorō in 1849, who first took the name of Shimazaki Katsuta (and later, Kondō Isami Masayoshi).[5]
Kondo and his wife, Otsune, were married in 1860.[6] In 1861, Kondō succeeded to the Tennen Rishin-ryū and became its fourth master, taking charge of the Shieikan.[7] A year later, his daughter, Tamako, was born.[8]
Although he was never employed, Kondō was a candidate for a teaching position at the Kobusho in 1862.[9] (Kobusho was an exclusive military training school for the Japanese warriors set up by the Shogunate Government in 1855 in order to reform the military system after the arrival of Perry's Black Ships.)
[edit] Shinsengumi Period
In 1863, the Tokugawa Shogunate organized a massive group of ronin for the purpose of protecting the shogun Iemochi during his time in Kyoto.[10] Kondō joined the unit, which became known as the Roshigumi, with 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 Genzaburō. 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.[11] They were put under the control of Aizu clan with the job of Kyoto Shugoshoku and worked as police in Kyoto.[12]
In the August 18 incident Kinmon no Seihen, his team was given the name Shinsengumi.[13] In June (lunar calendar) 1864, the Shinsengumi became well known for arresting extreme cells (Ikedaya Affair).[14]
[edit] Death
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.[15]
According to Tani Tateki (1837 - 1911) of the Tosa-Han, Kondō was properly executed by the new government (formed mostly by the samurai of the Chōshū-Han and the Satsuma-Han) as a direct result of being accused of the murder of Sakamoto Ryoma. Even after ex-Mimawarigumi member Imai Nobuo's confession in 1870, Tani insisted that Kondō was not falsely accused for Sakamoto's murder. (Even though the most accepted theory is that the mastermind of assassination was Sasaki Tadasaburou of the Mimawarigumi, officially, it is still a mystery.)
He has several grave sites; it was rumored that the first of which was erected in Aizu by his friend and subordinate Hijikata Toshizo.
[edit] Trivia
He wielded a katana called '"Kotetsu" (虎徹) by Nagasone Kotetsu. However, the authenticity of his "Kotetsu" is highly debatable.
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, Kondō Isami's only grandson, Kondō Hisatarō, was killed in the Russo-Japanese War (after the deaths of both Kondō Isami's wife Otsune and his only daughter Tamako (1862-1886.)
[edit] Kondo in Fiction
In NHK's drama series, Kondō was beheaded as an indirect result of being falsely accused of the murder of Sakamoto Ryoma.
Kondō 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.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Kojima, Masataka. Shinsengumi Episodes. Tokyo: Kojima-Shiryoukan, 1991, p.10
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.27
- ^ Kojima, Masataka. Shinsengumi Episodes. Tokyo: Kojima-Shiryoukan, 1991, p.14
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.27
- ^ Kojima, Masataka. Shinsengumi Episodes. Tokyo: Kojima-Shiryoukan, 1991, p.95-96
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.35
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.27
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.36
- ^ Rekishi Dokuhon, March 2004 issue, p.62.
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.38
- ^ Kojima, Masataka. Shinsengumi Episodes. Tokyo: Kojima-Shiryoukan, 1991, p.39-40
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.45
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.52-53
- ^ Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003, p.56-59
- ^ Kojima, Masataka. Shinsengumi Episodes. Tokyo: Kojima-Shiryoukan, 1991, p.91
[edit] References
- Kojima, Masataka. Shinsengumi Episodes. Tokyo: Kojima-Shiryoukan, 1991. ISBN 4906062040
- Rekishi Dokuhon, December 2004 issue Kondo, Hijikata, and Okita's Shinsengumi
- Shinsengumi Master's Bible. Tokyo; Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003. ISBN 4404030657
- Shinsengumi Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1978.
