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

21/08/2024

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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.

Stone monument with the names of Shinsengumi members inscribed on it

About Hozoji Temple

Hozoji Temple is located in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. It is known as the place where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate, studied during his childhood. Within the temple grounds, there are many graves of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s retainers who died in wars. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, there is a burial mound believed to contain the head of Isami Kondo, the commander of the Shinsengumi. The nearest station is Motojuku, about an hour from Nagoya Station by Meitetsu train. Hozoji Temple is not a very popular tourist destination, so it is mostly visited by Shinsengumi fans. As a result, it is quiet and not crowded.