Kendo's father, Rokuzaemon, became one of goyo-shonin (chartered merchants) for Domains of Echizen and Saga toward the end of Edo period, and succeeded as one of the leading wealthy merchants in Nagasaki.
父六左衛門は幕末頃、越前藩や佐賀藩の御用商人となり長崎屈指の豪商になった。