Losers Then and Winners Now? · Japan's Samurai Revolution (2024)

Kondo Isami, the Commander of the Shinsengumi, was born as a son of a farmer residing in Kami-Ishihara village[1]. Acting under the direct orders of the shogunate and supervised by Matsudaira Katamori of Aizu, he led Shinsengumi to act as the Protector of Kyoto. He was known as a terrible and fierce killer at his era. Accordingly to his former mistress who reminisced nearly half a century later, he “would talk about whom they had killed today, and whom they were going to kill tomorrow. It was all so frightful. According to what I had heard, by that time Kondo had killed fifty or sixty men.”[2] By that time, society viewed him not only as a horrible “dog who barked for its master”, but also a murder.Kondō was accused of the murder of Sakamoto Ryōma and was executed by the New Government after surrendered Boshin War[3].

Interestingly, in nowadays, Kondo is seen as a talented, courageous hero who rose from grass root. Kondo was indeed renowned as a scholar and an avid reader. His favorite book was “47 Ronins” which highlighted “loyalty.” His talent was discovered by Kondō Shūsuke, the third generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū, a famous swords craft house, after he defeated a group of thieves who tried to break into his family. Moreover, public opinions nowadays seemed completely neglected the fact that he was the accused of the murder the orthodox Meiji hero Sakamoto Ryōma, and depicted him as a pathetic hero whom was not favored by fate.