#RIP Kumatarou

[pandasan-power]

THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND THE SECOND-HAND EMBARRASSMENT ARE KILLING ME... (Kumatarou I love you)

[shinsengumi-archives]

Just Who the Hell Was Serizawa Kamo?

Serizawa Kamo isn't as famous as other Shinsengumi members, like Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizou, Okita Souji and Saitou Hajime. Nevertheless, he played a key role in the beginning of the Shinsengumi, as its "Kyokuchou" ("Chief"), along with Kondou Isami and Niimi Nishiki. He doesn't make any appearance in the Rurouni Kenshin manga, though Serizawa was motif of some Ruroken characters.            Usually, Serizawa acts as a villain in the Shinsengumi books. You'll understand why if you read his story...            I made up this biography from the books "100 Stories of the Shinsengumi", by Suzuki Tooru, and the trilogy "Shinsengumi Shimatsuki", "Shinsengumi Ibun" and "Shinsengumi Monogatari", all of those by Shimozawa Kan. And I used some excerpts from the amazing novel (call it a "fan-fiction" if you like ^_^), "Moeyo Ken" ("Burn, Oh Sword"), by Shiba Ryoutarou (Watsuki-sensei's Bible, according to himself) and "Shinsengumi Keppuuroku", also by Shiba Ryoutarou.

The Birth Of A Strong But Selfish Man

           Serizawa Kamo was born in the 13th year of the Bunsei Era (1830), as the third son of Serizawa Sadamoto, in the Serizawa village of Namekata city in the Hitachi country (now Ibaragi province). When a child, his name was Tatsutoshi and later he was called Mitsumoto. He had two elder brothers (Okimoto and Shigemoto), and a elder sister (Take).            About his appearance, there is no photos or portraits left of him (which is a pity). The only thing left is a description of Serizawa by Yagi Tamesaburou: "Serizawa was a stout person. His skin was somewhat white and his eyes were narrow. He was truly impressive when he put his hands on the sleeves and led the Shinsengumi members." And his family crest ("mon") was an open fan.

The house where Serizawa Kamo was born.

           He learned kenjutsu with Togazaki Kumatarou, of the Shintou Munen Style, reaching the Menkyo Kaiden status (this is the highest status a swordsman can achieve, meaning that he mastered every aspect of the kenjutsu style (including the "ougi", the hidden technique) and thus he can teach it to others).            After mastering the sword, he served as a master to Takeda Kouunsai, a man of the Loyality Party (Kinnou) from Mito, and when Takeda formed the Tengu Party, Serizawa joined the party, changed his name to Kimura Tsuguji (some say Shitamura Tsuguji) and commanded a troop of 300 men.            When they were in the Itako Quarters, he discussed with his subordinates. Mad with rage, he cut three men of his, beheading them with his katana. After that, he went to the Kashima Shrine, only to rip the taiko (drum) of the shrine with his iron fan, saying that the drum was just too big.            As the Tengu party was a headache for the Bakufu (government of the Shogun), this episode was quickly taken care of, and Serizawa was arrested and taken to Edo (Tokyo), to be interrogated at Ryuunokuchi. He justified his action at the shrine, arguing that "he lost his mind due to the fervour he devoted to the gods", but he couldn't justify the three murders, so he was sentenced to death.            In jail, Serizawa decided to fasten to death, refusing to take any food. He bit his little finger, and with the blood he wrote his "Jisei no Ku"(a poem that a man writes just before his death), a quite elaborate one:

"Yukishimo ni / Iroyoku hana no / SakigaketeChiritemo nochi ni / Niyou ume ga ka"("Coming (in this world) ahead of the beautiful flowers in the snow and mist,And still giving off its scent after the scattering of the petals; such plum is the perfume.")

           And sticked the poem in the bars of the prison.

The Formation Of The Roushigumi By Kiyokawa Hachirou

           He was about to be executed, but Kiyokawa Hachirou was looking for capable ronins to join his group, so there was an official act, pardonning the prisoners who wanted to joing the group, leaving Serizawa alive. Kiyokawa's group was meant to act as a "bodyguard" of the Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi when he got in Kyoto, professing complete allegiance to the Bakufu (government of the Shogun).            Serizawa went to join that group with his fellows from the Tengu Party times, namely Niimi Nishiki, Noguchi Kenji, Hirayama Gorou and Hirama Juusuke (some say Hirama Kinsuke). He took back his name of Serizawa and called himself as Serizawa Kamo.            Kamo ("wild duck") is a strange name, but it's not clear where such a name came from. According to a Shinsengumi researcher, there was a shrine in Serizawa's village called as Kamo Shrine by the local inhabitants. Maybe he took his name after the shrine.            Nagakura Shinpachi (later the Captain of the Second Unit of the Shinsengumi), who met Serizawa in the Denzuuin, told that "even the giant Kiyokawa Hachirou treated Serizawa with respect, and people called him "sensei" more often than not." Serizawa was a famous man due to the Tengu Party, and he was assigned as one of the 23 "Torishimaritsuki" ("director"), along with Ikeda Tokutarou, Saitou Kumasaburou. The Roushigumi was divided into seven units and had the board of directors.

The First Conflict Between Kondou Isami and Serizawa Kamo

           Just three days after they left Edo (Tokyo), Kondou Isami (yes, the man who would be the "Kyokuchou" of the Shinsengumi), an ordinary member of the 6th unit of the Roushigumi then, was helping the Director Ikeda Tokutarou to find lodging for everyone of the Roushigumi in the Honshou post town. But when the Roushigumi got there, only Serizawa was without accomodations, because accidentally Kondou had forgotten him.            Ikeda and Kondou apologised deeply for that, but Serizawa didn't heed them. In the end, he said, "No, there's no need to worry. I have an idea of mine. As I have nowhere to stay tonight, I'll get some wood and start a fire to warm myself. But the fire may be a little big, so don't be surprised."            Soon after twilight, he gathered as much wood as he could and started a VERY huge fire in the very center of the lodging. Fire sparks were falling everywhere and everybody, from the farmers nearby to the lodge owners, couldn't sleep because of the threat of a major conflagration. Rather, all of them were in the roof, with buckets of water. Chaos was reigning there, as eventually the government officer of the town came rushing, ordering to put the fire out at once. Serizawa Kamo, enraged, took his 300 monme (about 39.4 oz. or 1.12 kg) iron fan, where it could be read "Jinchuu Houkoku no Shi, Serizawa Kamo" ("The Knight of the Loyality and Patriotism, Serizawa Kamo"), and knocked the officer down. Kondou apologised as humbly as he could and eventually he convinced Serizawa Kamo to stop the fire, so that everybody could at last sleep in peace. (it's said that the Kondou group started hating Serizawa here. In "Moeyo Ken", Toudou Heisuke is about to stand up and slay Serizawa.)            Yamaoka Tesshuu (Tetsutarou) was very upset and when they got to Kanou post city, he said to Serizawa, "I'm going to leave this job and go to Edo. I leave everything in your hands." With this, Serizawa was very taken aback: Yamaoka Tesshuu was one of the closest persons to Kiyokawa Hachirou and Serizawa knew too well that Yamaoka was an indispensable person to the Roushigumi, as the leader, Udono Kyuuou, was virtually of no value and Yamaoka was the true leader. So Serizawa promised to avoid such incidents in the future.

Yagi Gennojou - The Estate Of Kondou And Serizawa In Kyoto

The Yagi Gennojou's estate nowadays. (took that photo when I went there -- sorry for the huge size of it -_-)

           The Roushigumi arrived in Kyoto on February 23rd (my birthday ^_^), after 16 days of travel. The year was the 3rd year of the Bunkyuu Era (1863). The members of the Roushigumi were free to go sightseeing for three days, provided they didn't cause any trouble.            Serizawa and his fellows were in the same lodging of Kondou and his fellows: Yagi Gennojou's estate, located in Mibu village, now a district of Kyoto. And it's said that coincidence was what allowed the Shinsengumi to be created. (the Shinsengumi stayed in Mibu for two/three years, until they moved to Nishi (West) Honganji temple) However, the Kondou group were living more often in the Maekawa Shouji's estate than in the Yagi Gennojou's estate.

The Maekawa Shouji's estate nowadays. You can't enter the house, unfortunately.

           On February 24th, everybody was called by Kiyokawa to assemble in the Shintoku Temple. There, Kiyokawa gave the news: the Roushigumi wasn't meant to protect the Shogun Tokugawa, but rather work for the Emperor as a unit of battle, professing the "Sonnou Joui" ("Reverence to the Emperor and Expulsion of the Foreigners"). Kiyokawa gave a fantastic speech, shutting the mouth of everybody, including those who worked closely with Bakufu.            Some days after, Kiyokawa commanded his Roushigumi to go back to Edo (Tokyo) to serve the Emperor, as he got the Emperor's permission. But Serizawa, Kondou and their members (13 members) refused to go, arguing that "the Bakufu was who called us here. Even if there's something happening to the Emperor, we won't budge without Bakufu's (Shogun's) permission." (In the book "Moeyo Ken" ("Burn, oh Sword", by Shiba Ryoutarou) there's a scene where Hijikata says simply about Kiyokawa's speech, "That's treason" . Kondou nods and tells Serizawa, who also agrees.)            Kiyokawa got very angry at this, for he didn't expect any resistance inside his Roushigumi. After furious discussions, where they almost engaged into a battle, the Roushigumi departs from Kyoto without Serizawa, Kondou and their fellows. (it's commonly said that 13 people stayed in Kyoto (see names below), but there are sources saying that 17, 20 or even 25 people stayed. In the Aizu records, there are 24 names. Now it's widely accepted that those people, other than Serizawa's and Kondou's group, was quickly taken care of, that is, they were killed.)

An Attempt Of Murder

           (I'll base this solely on the book "Moeyo Ken", so probably this is fictional. Notice that there is much empasis given to Hijikata Toshizou, as he is the protagonist of the book.)            "(...)The Bakufu was very worried about the Roushigumi and Kiyokawa Hachirou. No wonder: they had given birth to their own nemesis. Many people were planning how to kill Kiyokawa, who had named his new Roushigumi as Shinchougumi. One day, Sotojima Kiheh, an Aizu diplomat at the Kyoto Shugoshoku, called Serizawa Kamo, Kondou Isami and Hijikata Toshizou for a meeting. When they were leaving, Sotojima called Kondou and said "I leave the letter "Ki" in your hands", making it plain clear that he ordered Kiyokawa to be murdered.            Kiyokawa Hachirou went everyday to a place called "Gakushuuin", where court nobles met to discuss and lay plans against the Bakufu. But they had no idea about politics, so they were easy prey for the "Sonjouroushi", the ronins who preached the motto "Reverence to the Emperor and Expulsion of the Foreigners" and Kiyokawa was one of them.            Hijikata analysed the paths Kiyokawa took to get there. And he admired Kiyokawa, because every day Kiyokawa took a diferent way, fearing an attack of assassins. But eventually Hijikata found a place Kiyokawa always had to pass. Fortunately, there was an empty house there, and Hijikata called Serizawa and Kondou, telling that and suggesting to hide there to kill Kiyokawa.            Hijikata told Serizawa that the murder had to be at night and swift, before people recognized them. Furthermore, few people could join the murder group. Serizawa said a bored "yes, I know that".            There were only four people assigned for the task: Kondou Isami, Serizawa Kamo, Hijikata Toshizou and Niimi Nishiki. None other knew the murder plan, not even their friends/comrades. Hijikata divided them in two groups: one, with Kondou and Niimi and the other with Hijikata and Serizawa. They would take turns in the empty house. And the reason of this division was that, in case a group managed to kill Kiyokawa, both of the groups (Kondou group and Serizawa group) would have the credits. And so the trap was set.            But Kiyokawa was a very smart man. He went always with some men around him as bodyguards and he never walked at night. Even Kondou couldn't help feeling desperate. Serizawa often felt an impulse to kill Kiyokawa in broad daylight, but Hijikata held him back every time.            At last, one day the chance came. It was already night and Kiyokawa wasn't back from the Gakushuuin. Serizawa was calmly urinating, as Hijikata saw a group coming. "There's Kiyokawa", he said.            "Let me see", said Serizawa. And while peering, he laughed, "Four people." They were Kiyokawa Hachirou, Ishizaka Shuuzou, Ikeda Tokutarou and Matsuno Kenji. Every one of these people were strong enough to open a kenjutsu dojo.            "Hijikata, let me kill Kiyokawa", asked Serizawa.            "Fine, I'll take care of his acolytes. But slay him with a single blow and don't tell them your name."            "You bore me."            Serizawa covered his face with a black mask and so did Hijikata.            "Let's go, Hijikata."            Serizawa ran, wielding his sword. Toshizou ran soon after, wielding his famous sword Izuminokami Kanesada.            "What's going on?", wondered the four people, stopping to see the two black figures running on their direction and one of them was making a terrible noise when running.            (Serizawa, you idiot.), thought an enraged Hijikata.            But the Kiyokawa party was rather calmed down due to such noise. Ishizaka even asked, "What, is there a fire somewhere?"            But Kiyokawa was a very witful man. He told his men, "Gather your lamps and put them on the ground. Now let's retreat two or three steps. And let's wait." His procedure was correct. Assassins look first to extinguish all the light sources.            The first to come was Serizawa Kamo. He jumped the lamps and his feet barely hit the ground as he swung fiercely his sword. Kiyokawa stepped back.            "Who are you?", asked without fear.            Serizawa wanted to make a flashy appearance, telling proudly his name, but he kept his mouth shut and gave another blow with his sword. Kiyokawa parried and the swiftness Hijikata preached couldn't be accomplished anymore.            (Damn Serizawa, you aren't worth your fame.), thought Hijikata, who danced his sword and dashed to the group formed by Ishizaka, Ikeda and Matsuno, engaging in a fierce battle. But he realized that they couldn't stay much longer, fearing they might be recognized. So, he fled, followed by Serizawa.            They ran a long way before they were sure nobody was following them anymore.            "Serizawa sensei, we've failed."            "Hm."            Serizawa was panting heavily, but Hijikata was perfectly normal, used as he was to everyday struggles and petty fights. Serizawa felt Hijikata was thinking that "for a man who mastered the Shintou Munen Style and had even some disciples of his, he isn't that much of a man.", and he(Serizawa) was disgusted.            "It's your fault", he said. Now it was Hijikata who was disgusted.            "What do you mean?"            "Just two more blows and I'd have slain Kiyokawa. But you ran away and we let them go."            "No, I think there's a misunderstanding. We planned that if the first strike failed, we would retreat without further delay."            "You're a clever man."            "Not at all, I'm rather a dumb person."            "No, you're quite intelligent, a proof that you have no guts."            "What?!", Hijikata was furious. "Serizawa sensei, let's see if I have no courage. Draw your sword."            "Let's go", said Serizawa, also drawing his sword.            But then noises of running footsteps came into their ears. Both Serizawa and Hijikata concluded there were Kiyokawa men after them, and they fled together. (...)"            (this episode ends here. Later, Kiyokawa would be murdered by Sasaki Tadasaburou, a kodachi master (resembling Aoshi ^_^) who would be the Chief of the Kyoto Mimawarigumi.)

Shinsengumi: Birth

           The reason that Serizawa and Kondou could oppose Kiyokawa was a secret alliance with Matsudaira Katamori, from the "Kyoto Shugoshoku" (the Military Commissioner of Kyoto -- an agency whose goal was to keep peace in Kyoto. Think of it as a Police Department ^_^).

The Aizu Lord Matsudaira Higo no Kami (Katamori)

           According to "Moeyo Ken", the elder brother of Serizawa, Kimura Denzaemon, was an official of the Mito province, living in Kyoto. So he was quite well acquainted with the officials of the Kyoto Shugoshoku Chuushou Matsudaira Katamori. And that was the reason that the Kondou group had to make alliance with the Serizawa group, though the Kondou group hated Serizawa (except perhaps Okita Souji, because of his personality). The province of Aizu (now Fukushima), i.e., the Matsudaira Higo no Kami, compromised to take care of the group, calling it as "Mibumura Roushi" (the "Wanderers of the Mibu Village"). Nagakura Shinpachi gives the names of the members of the group who stayed in Kyoto: (the names in italic is the Serizawa group, as opposed to the Kondou group) Serizawa Kamo, Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizou, Harada Sanosuke, Toudou Heisuke, Noguchi Kenji, Niimi Nishiki, Yamanami Keisuke, Okita Souji, Inoue Genzaburou, Hirayama Gorou, Hirama Juusuke, Nagakura Shinpachi.            However, the Aizu records show that 24, and not 13 people, remained: Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishiki, Kondou Isami, Negishi Yuuzan, Yamanami Keisuke, Saeki Matasaburou, Hijikata Toshizou, Okita Souji, Inoue Genzaburou, Hirayama Gorou, Noguchi Kenji, Hirama Juusuke, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitou Hajime, Harada Sanosuke, Toudou Heisuke, Iesato Jirou, Endou Jouan, Tonouchi Yoshio. Plus Kasuya Shingorou, Ueshiro Junnosuke, Suzuki Nagakura, Abira Eisaburou, who didn't present themselves due to illness.            Nowadays, it's commonly accepted that those who wasn't part of the 13 people were either killed or forced to flee.            The group wasn't called yet as Shinsengumi (it would get this name five months later), but it was already the Shinsengumi that would fight against the Ishin Shishi (with Himura Kenshin/Battousai, therefore ^_^) and would be dreaded as the "Wolves of Mibu".            But having an alliance wasn't the same as having money. They were very short of funds them, needing almost to beg for rice. Nagakura Shinpachi remembered later that "in these times we were very, very poor." Frequently, they entered houses, demanding money. And as they had no money to buy clothes, they were almost beggars if they hadn't the swords.            They went recruiting in Kyoto, Osaka and other neighboring cities, gathering about 70 new members. As the group was now large, they needed to organize themselves. In the book "Moeyo Ken", it's Hijikata Toshizou who organized, with the help of Yamanami Keisuke (who hated and was hated by Hijikata Toshizou) and some people from Aizu who knew Western warfare.            The result was: Kyokuchou (literally "Chief", I prefer "General" or "Commander"): Serizawa Kamo Mitsumoto (Mito Roushi, Shintou Munen Style Menkyo Kaiden) Niimi Nishiki Kinzan (Mito Dappan, Shintou Munen Style Menkyo Kaiden, trained in the dojo of Okada Sukezaemon) Kondou Isami Masanobu (Masayoshi) (Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Teacher (Shihan), disciple of Kondou Shuusuke, owner of Shieikan)

"Tonight, my Kotetsu yearns for blood."

 (Kondou Isami, from the movie "Shinsengumi")

Fukuchou ("Executive Officer" or "Vice Commander"): Yamanami Keisuke Tomonobu (Sendai Dappan, Hokushin Ittou Style Menkyo Kaiden at Chiba Shuusaku's dojo (the "Genbukan"), trained again by Kondou Isami) Hijikata Toshizou Yoshitoyo (Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Mokuroku (a status inferior to Menkyo Kaiden), disciple of Kondou Shuusuke)

"The Shinsengumi should live only for its belief"

 (Hijikata Toshizou, from "Moeyo Ken")

Jokin (Warrant Officers): Okita Souji (Soushi) Kaneyoshi (Fusanaga) (Shirakawa Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Menkyo Kaiden, disciple of Kondou Shuusuke and Isami) Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki(Matsumae Dappan, Shintou Munen Style Menkyo Kaiden at Okada Juumatsu dojo) Harada Sanosuke (Iyomatsuyama Dappan, Taneda Houzouin Style (not kenjutsu style, but a spear style) Menkyo Kaiden at Tani Sanjuurou's dojo) Toudou Heisuke Nobutora(Edo Gyofunai Dappan, a bastard son of the Isuzu Province Chief Toudou Izuminokami, Hokushin Ittou Style Mokuroku at Chiba Shuusaku's dojo) Inoue Genzaburou Kazushige(Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Mokuroku (some say he reached the Menkyo Kaiden) and disciple of Kondou Shuusuke / Isami) Hirayama Gorou (Mito Dappan, Shintou Munen Style Menkyo Kaiden at Saitou Yakurouu Tokushinsai dojo (the "Renpeikan")) Noguchi Kenji (Mito Dappan, Mokuroku given from Yurimoto Shouzou, a fabulous swordsman of Shintou Munen Style) Hirama Juusuke (Mito Dappan, Shintou Munen Style Mokuroku at Serizawa Kamo's dojo. A faithful man to Kamo) Saitou Hajime (Banshuu Akashi Roushi, master of the Mugai style of kenjutsu) Ogata Shuntarou (Kumamoto Roushi, a scholar) Yamazaki Susumu (Osaka Roushi, a master of the Kadori Style of Bo (staff)) Tani Sanjuurou (Osaka Roushi, Harada Sanosuke's master) Matsubara Chuuji (Tadaji) (Osaka Roushi, Jiu-jutsu teacher of the Sekiguchi style) Andou Soutarou (Kyoto Itsugatsu Temple Dassou ) Chouyaku Narabi Kansatsu Gata(Investigation and Observation Responsibles (Spies)): Shimada Kai (Oogaki Dappan) Kawashima Shouji(Katsuji) (Osaka Roushi) Hayashi Nobutarou (Osaka Roushi) Kanteiyaku Narabi Konida Gata (Cleanup Operations and Small Baggage/Luggage Responsibles): Kishima (Kishida) Yutarou Okan (Oseki) Yabee (Wada Uemura Dassou) Kawai Kitarou (Osaka Roushi) Sakai Hyougo (Osaka Roushi) Obs: Roushi is the same as Ronin, that is, a free samurai. Dappan, meaning "Out of the Han (literally "fief", "feudal clan". I translated as "province")". So, it is secession from one's clan. The difference between the two is that Roushi, in general, had the previous approval of the Han's chief, whereas a Dappan had not and thus could be compared to a pariah, never allowed to go back to his fief again. Dassou can be translated as "refugee", a "fugitive".

           Again, the Serizawa group is in italic. Analysing that a bit, there's something interesting: although the group had two of its members as Kyokuchou, it had none among the Fukuchou and just three members as Jokin. It can be presumed that ALL other people were from Kondou group (especially Saitou Hajime, Yamazaki Susumu and Shimada Kai became known for their loyality). Again in the "Moeyo Ken", it's said that Hijikata put an special emphasis in the recruiting, where Serizawa and his fellows left that matter aside. Furthermore, the ones who effectively held the power were the Fukuchou, as they had control over the Jokin and had direct contact with the members. This would prove fatal for the Serizawa group.

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(SPOILERS, maybe?) S P O I L E R S P A C E

           In Rurouni Kenshin, the only one who appears frequently is, obviously, Saitou Hajime. Okita Souji appears in Kenshin's flashback, both when Saitou appears and when there's the Ikeda Inn affair. In the pic where the main Shinsengumi members appear (also in volume 7), you can see:            In the back row, from left to right: Takeda Kanryuusai, Yamazaki Susumu, Inoue Genzaburou, Hijikata Toshizou, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitou Hajime and Shimada Kai.            In the front row, from left to right: Harada Sanosuke, Kondou Isami and Okita Souji.            NOTE: Those portraits are according to Watsuki's notion of the real Shinsengumi members, and DOES NOT necessarily correspond to reality. (and the "who's who" info about the picture is also in Volume 7 of the manga)            Kondou and Hijikata appear again in the flashback of Kenshin in volume 20, as do Okita, Harada, Nagakura and Saitou.