From my forthcoming Samurai Swordsmen: just before the Ikédaya Incident:

In the Fourth Month, Tomizawa Chūémon, the wealthy headman of Renkōji village in Tama, was in Kyoto. Ten years older than Kondō Isami, he had served as go-between for the former’s marriage and was a patron of Tennen Rishin. As such, he had close relations not only with Kondō himself but also with other Tennen Rishin swordsmen, including Hijikata, Okita, and Inoué. On 4/11, the four Shinsengumi men held a farewell party for their friend at the Shimabara pleasure quarter. It was probably at this time that Tomizawa handed Kondō an iron-ribbed fan on which he asked him to write something as a keepsake. On the front surface of the fan was a painting of a pair of “Mikawa manzai” comedians. On the back surface, which was blank, Kondō, with brush and ink, composed three large, flowing characters in classical Chinese: “I want to soar with force.” He signed his calligraphy, “Imperial Palace Guard, Kondō Isami.” He would realize his desire in less than two months at the Ikédaya inn.

Samurai Swordsmen: The Definitive History of the Shinsengumi amid the Fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1863–1869) (Helion, 2026) is now in production.

View the book on the Helion website