Kondō Isami and Hijikata Toshizō were glorified as heroes upon their return to Tama in early 1868. In death they were apotheosized. On the expansive grounds of Takahata Fudō temple in Hino, the stone Monument of the Two Heroes was completed in 1888. Over a century later a bronze statue of Hijikata was erected near the monument. The left hand grips a sword. The right fist is clenched. The eyes… the eyes battle-ready, are ever prepared for death, “to meet Kondō underground.”

[closing paragraph of Shinsengumi: The Shogun’s Last Samurai Corps]

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