He was a skilled swordsman, becoming known,along with Soji OKITA and Shinpachi NAGAKURA, as 'Kondo's Four Kings' and is said to have walked at the front during patrols.
剣の腕もかなりのもので初期は沖田総司、永倉新八とともに近藤四天王とも称され、市中見回りにおいては常に先頭を歩いたという。