Shimada Kai was from Ôgaki han in Mino province, and was the son of Kondô Iemon. In 1857 he went to Edo, where he became a student of Shin-Keito Ryu. At this time the Shimada clan of Ôgaki han requested he succeed to head of the clan. He participated in the Ikedaya incident of 1864.
References
- Hillsborough, Romulus. Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, Tuttle Publishing, 2005
- Shinsengumi - Honor and Determination of the Mibu Rôshi (血誠新撰組-峻烈壬生浪士忠と斬), Rekishi Gunzô series #31, Gakken, Japan, 2003
