Originally son of a rich peasant farmer, his original name was Miyakawa Katsuta. He was adopted by the former master of Shieikan Dojo, Kondou Shuusai, at the age of 16. His katana was the Nagasone Kotetsu (yep, the one used by Soujirou which was cracked by Kenshin), length 2'3"5.
According to most sources, he was a rigid man, loyal to the moral codes of a swordsman. Had a wife, and his daughter Tamako was born just before he went over to Kyoto. After the utter defeat of the Shinsengumi in then Boshin War, he was captured by the Ishin Army, who had now become the "legal" government army - after Shogun Yoshinobu's resignation, the situation took a complete reverse, so now it is the Shinsengumi who are outlaws. Kondou was decapitated on 25/4/1868 at the age of 35.