Hozoji Temple in Okazaki, which has Kondo Isami’s Secret Head Mount

Who is Kondo Isami?

Isami Kondo was a swordsman from Edo(Tokyo) during the late Edo period(1603-1868), the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryu. He was well known for the commander of the Shinsengumi which is special police force in Kyoto. Isami Kondo played a crucial role in protecting the Tokugawa shogunate during events such as the Ikedaya Incident. However, he was defeated in the Boshin War and was executed by beheading in Itabashi, Tokyo. His head was salted and displayed at Sanjo Riverbed in Kyoto. It became unknown afterward and it has never been found. It is believed that Shinsengumi members took his head and secretly buried it at Hozoji Temple in Okazaki city, Aichi prefecture. In 1958, an investigation revealed a buried stone monument with the names of Shinsengumi members inscribed on it. Today, it is memorialized along with a statue of Isami Kondo that was erected later.

I am a fan of the Shinsengumi.

I’ll stray from the textbook explanation. I am a huge fan of the Shinsengumi. I have actually visited related historical sites. In Kyoto, I have seen places such as Nishi Honganji, Sumiya, Maekawa Residence, Yagi Residence, Mibu temple, Ikedaya, Hamaguri Gate, and the last location of Ito Koshitaro. I visited the Yagi residence over 10 years ago. It was a guided tour with a Japanese guide to visit the site of Serizawa Kamo’s assassination, but I remember that, for some reason, five young people other than myself were dressed in Shinsengumi cosplay.

Isami Kondo was executed in Itabashi, Tokyo. Near the execution site, there is a grave of Kondo, built by Shinpachi Nagakura, a surviving member of the Shinsengumi and a skilled swordsman. I also visited this grave and took picutures over ten years ago.

Shinpachi Nagakura was one of the four skilled swordsmen who first entered the Ikedaya Incident site and fought against the ronin (estimated to be 20–30 people). During the Boshin War, he parted ways with Kondo due to differences in strategy, but he wished to rest alongside Kondo, so he also had his own grave built.

About Hozoji Temple