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Top 10 Facts about Kond艒 Isami

Kondo Isami was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late do period. He was born in the year 1834 on October 9, in chofu, Tokyo japan.

Kondo Isami鈥檚 parents were farmers originally and he was viewed as a person of the lowest social status of those times.

He was interested and dedicated to learning from a young age, regardless of his humble background.

He began training in Tennen Rishin Ryu sword style, in 1848 when he was just fifteen years of age.

In the year 1849, on October 19^th, he was renamed Kondo Isami after he was adopted officially, into the Kond艒 family.

 Here are the top 10 facts about Kond艒 Isami

 1. He was a brave samurai from a young age

Kondo_Isami_as_Commander_of_the_Shinsengumi Unknown author鈥�

The fame and bravery of Kond艒 began way when he was younger, when he defeated a group of thieves that tried to break into his family home, attracting the attention of Kondo Shusuke, the third generation master of Tennen Rishin Ryu.

Shusuke was amazed at the talent of Kond艒 and he made haste to adopt him in the year 1849.

It鈥檚 said when he started training in the Tennen Rishin style with his other brothers under his adoptive father, he practiced enthusiastically and learned very quickly. His dedication and Passion greatly impressed his master.

2. He was one of the leaders of the Shinsengumi

Hijikata_Toshizo photo by unknown author鈥�

The Shinsengumi was a small elite group of swordsmen commissioned by the Tokugawa in 1863 as a special force to counter pro-imperial and anti-shogunate subversion in Kyoto.

They were first organized as a massive group of Ronin to protect the shogun Lemochi during his stay in Kyoto.

Kondo joined the Roshigumi with his close friend Hijikata Toshizo and along with other others. The group later disbanded leaving behind Kond艒 and his friend who joined hands to form Mibu Roshigumi.

They acted under the direct order of the shogunate, under the supervision of Matsudaira Katamuri who was the cousin of the shogun, and they worked as police in the imperial capital.

The unit attained the name of Shinsengumi on August 18, 1864, when the group became notoriously famous for the massacre at the Ikedaya inn.

3. His sword was believed to be made by a great swordsmith

Tanto_H艒raisan_Kotetsu photo by SLIMHANNYA鈥�

Kondo was famously said to own a sword or katana made by the famous Edo smith man of the early Edo period, Nagasone Kotetsu.

Though the authenticity of his Kotetsu is highly debatable it still helped him make a remarkable mark in history as a great swordsman.

In 2019 a sword was listed on an indoline auction as a late Edo period signed Kondo Isami katana and it sold 锟�950,000 JPY.

4. He had several mistresses and a wife

Kondo married Matsui Tsune on March 29, 1860, at the age of twenty-seven. She was the eldest daughter of a vassal of Hitotsubashi house, Matsui Yasogura, who served Shimizu.

They had only one child, a daughter who he named Tamako on her birth in 1862. Other than his legal wife he had at least four mistresses.

Miyuki was the famously known one, she was a courtesan and his other known mistress was Oko, who was also a courtesan and they had an illegitimate daughter named Oyo, who later became a geisha.

5. He was wounded in the Boshin wars

Kondo suffered a gunshot wound in the 1868 battle of Toba Fdoimi forcing him to return to do.

He was promoted to the rank of junior elder by the military commander Katsu Kaishu. He renamed the Shinsengumi, the pacification corps, and its members were the surviving members of the previous order.

He led the new Shinsengumi under the alias name Okuba Tsuyoshi and they departed for Kofu castle to train.

 6. He was beheaded

Kondo and his unit were caught by surprise when they were attacked by 200 strong imperial forces who captured him at the training grounds of Nagareyama on April 26^th, 1868.

He was tried and found guilty on April 20^th, 1868, Kond艒 was beheaded by the executioner Yokukura Kisoji at the itabashi execution ground on 17^th,1868.

7. His head was displayed for public viewing

After his death, his nephew Miyagawa Yugaro claimed his headless body and took it back to Osawa edo to undergo burial rites.

His head was put on a pike and salted for public display as a warning to the populace. Kondos鈥檚 head was taken away from its display station by his friend Saito Hajime who requested a priest, Sunk Giten to hold a memorial service for him.

The head was taken by the priest when he relocated to Okazaki, Aichi prefecture and he buried the head in a small mound behind the Hoodia Temple.

 8. He has several Grave memorials

Kondo had at least four grave sites, it鈥檚 said that the first grave to be erected was at Ten’nei-Ji temple in Aizu by Hijikata.

Hijikata was recovering nearby from a foot injury he sustained at the battle of Utsunomiya, but he managed to get kondos hair and ensured a site of the memorial was built for his friend.

The other grave site is suited at the ancient temple Ryugenji temple at Osawa, Mitaka Tokyo.

After the execution, his headless body was buried by his nephew and buried beside the rest of his family members.

The other memorial is located at the grave of Shinsengumi in front of Habashistation, near the former Habashi execution grounds.

The memorial was erected in 1875 by Nagakura Shinpachi, with the assistance of physician Matsumoto Ryojun and several surviving former comrades including Saito Hajime.

9. His  family legacy has died down

His 14-year-old daughter married his nephew Miyagawa Yugaro who succeeded him as a 5^th generation master Tennen Rishin Ryu.

They had only one child and named him Hisataro who was born in 1883 and unfortunately got killed in action in the Russo-Japanese war at the age of 22 marking the end of the kondos Isami bloodline.

10. He has become an inspiration to authors and artist

In the fiction genre, Kondos Isami has turned into a source of inspiration in the creation of many television dramas, films, books, anime, and manga.

His character has been depicted in many versions such as in the famous Gintama anime based on him, he also appears in the video game turned anime series Hakuoki.

Kondo Isami will for for for for for for for b remembered not only for his bravery as a samurai but for his unwavering loyalty and beliefs.