Kondo Isami’s Headquarters Site is a historic site in Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture, associated with Kondo Isami, the commander of the Shinsengumi, a famous special police force active during the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
The site is known as the place where Kondo established his final headquarters. It is an important destination for visitors interested in the Shinsengumi, the final years of the Edo period, and the political and military upheaval that accompanied the transition to the Meiji era.
Following the defeat of the forces supporting the Tokugawa shogunate at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the shogunate’s army withdrew toward Edo. Kondo Isami, however, left Edo and moved with his forces to Nagareyama, where he established a temporary headquarters.
The exact reason Kondo chose Nagareyama is not known. Several theories have been proposed, including the possibility that he intended to gather Shinsengumi members who had become separated while heading toward Aizu and reorganize them into a new force. Another theory is that Nagareyama was chosen because the town had prospered through water transportation and sake brewing.
A force of approximately 200 men led by Kondo arrived in Nagareyama Village around April 2, 1868. The men were quartered in several locations, including Komyoji Temple.
Kondo and other senior members established their main headquarters at the residence of Nagaoka Saburobei, who was engaged in sake brewing at the time. The stay was brief, however. On the following day, April 3, forces of the new government surrounded Nagareyama.
Kondo eventually surrendered alone, avoiding a direct battle at the site. This marked the final headquarters of the Shinsengumi commander before his subsequent fate during the upheaval of the Boshin War.
The residence used by Kondo was the home of the Nagaoka family, who operated a sake brewery. Kondo and his followers stayed there for only a short period before the government forces surrounded Nagareyama.
Following the events involving the Shinsengumi, the Nagaoka family’s business eventually declined, and the property later came into the possession of the Akimoto family.
The location of Kondo’s headquarters was clarified in 2011, when Koji Akimoto, head of the Akimoto family, discovered an old wooden plaque dating from the final years of the Edo period in a small Inari shrine on the property.
The plaque had been kept inside a box, and the inscription on the box provided evidence identifying the site as the former residence of the Nagaoka family, the place where Kondo Isami had established his headquarters.
This discovery helped confirm the historical location of Kondo’s final headquarters in Nagareyama.
Unfortunately, the building that served as Kondo’s headquarters no longer survives. The former site is now used as a parking area.
However, several physical traces remain. The foundation stones of the main headquarters have survived and have been relocated to an area in front of the present storehouse and a nearby rest area. The original staircase from the site has also been preserved and is displayed at the Nagareyama City Museum.
The storehouse currently standing at the site is known as the Akimoto Family Residence Storehouse. Although it was not the building used as Kondo’s headquarters, it was constructed around the same period and provides an important connection to the area’s late-Edo-period history.
In May 2018, the storehouse was registered as a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. In October of the same year, it was donated to Nagareyama City by its owner, Koji Akimoto.
Although the original headquarters building has disappeared, the surviving remains and historic structures continue to attract Shinsengumi enthusiasts and visitors interested in Japanese history.
April 1, 1868: A force of approximately 200 men led by Kondo Isami moved from Gohei Shinden in Ayase, present-day Adachi Ward, Tokyo, to Nagareyama.
April 2, 1868: Kondo established his main headquarters at the residence of Nagaoka Saburobei.
April 3, 1868: New government forces surrounded Nagareyama. Kondo surrendered alone, and fighting at the site was avoided.
2011: A wooden plaque from the late Edo period was discovered on the Akimoto family property, helping confirm the location as the former Nagaoka residence.
May 2018: The Akimoto Family Residence Storehouse was registered as a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
October 2018: The storehouse and property were donated to Nagareyama City by Koji Akimoto.
Kondo Isami’s Headquarters Site continues to attract Shinsengumi fans and history enthusiasts from across Japan. On the second Sunday of April each year, the area hosts the Nagareyama Shinsengumi Festival and Yu-sai.
The event commemorates Kondo Isami and provides an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the Shinsengumi and the turbulent period at the end of the Edo era. It has also become an important cultural event for Nagareyama.
The site is easily accessible from central Nagareyama. It is approximately a 5-minute walk from Nagareyama Station on the Ryutetsu Nagareyama Line.
Several other historical and cultural attractions are located nearby, making the site a convenient stop for visitors exploring Nagareyama on foot.
Kondo Isami’s Headquarters Site offers a tangible connection to the dramatic final years of the Tokugawa shogunate. As the location of Kondo’s last headquarters, the site provides an opportunity to explore the history of the Shinsengumi and the turbulent transition from the Edo period to the Meiji era.
Although the original headquarters building no longer survives, the foundation stones, preserved staircase, historic storehouse, and evidence discovered in 2011 help convey the site’s historical significance.
For travelers interested in samurai history, the Shinsengumi, the late Edo period, and the Boshin War, this historic site is an interesting destination in Nagareyama. Its convenient location near Nagareyama Station also makes it easy to combine with a broader historical walking tour of the city.