Serizawa Kamo was a samurai known for being the original lead commander of the Shinsengumi.
31 Facts About Serizawa Kamo
1.
2.
Serizawa Kamo trained in and received a licence in the Shindo Munen-ryu.
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The Serizawa Kamo family were upper-seat Goshi rank samurai in Serizawa Kamo village in Mito which is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan.
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Serizawa Kamo was born as the youngest son and his childhood name was Genta.
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Serizawa Kamo had two older brothers and an older sister.
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Serizawa Kamo was educated with the Sonno joi ideals and swordsmanship since childhood at Kodoukan which was a state school in Mito.
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On one hand, Serizawa Kamo was quite bold and fearless and on the other hand, he was extremely selfish and had a terribly short temper so he started fights often.
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Serizawa Kamo was an idealist who held very strong pro-Imperial court beliefs and took the Sonno-joi beliefs very seriously while at the same time siding with the Tokugawa regime.
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Serizawa Kamo was the priest for a Shinto temple under the Kimura family.
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Serizawa Kamo married the daughter of the Kimura family, so his name was changed to Kimura Keiji.
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Serizawa Kamo made a name for himself as he joined the higher ranks of the group.
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Serizawa Kamo was jailed within the Tengu-to group for executing them without any permission.
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Serizawa Kamo was released in late 1862 when the government started to weaken and political power shifted back to the anti-foreigners.
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Serizawa Kamo's group had only ten or so members but managed to overcome their attackers.
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Serizawa Kamo lost his temper while drinking and wrecked the whole restaurant; the restaurant had to be closed for business because of it.
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Noguchi Kenji, who was a fukuchou jokin and a member of Serizawa Kamo's group, was not in Mibu village at this time of the assassination.
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The selected few led by Hijikata went into the house of Yagi Gennojo that night, Serizawa Kamo was then assassinated along with Oume, a woman who was sleeping with him, and Hirayama.
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Serizawa Kamo's grave was built a year after his death in Mibu Temple and it still resides there today.
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Serizawa Kamo was that much of a man but he died when the country needed him.
20.
Serizawa Kamo is featured in Shiba Ryotaro's Moeyo Ken and Shinsengumi Keppuroku.
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Serizawa Kamo is featured in the manga Kaze Hikaru as Commander Serizawa and is pictured as a jolly man, often red nosed from drunkenness but below his comic and often-perverted nature is a fierce opponent who should not be underestimated.
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Serizawa Kamo is often seen on drinking fests with the rest of the Mibu clan or always trying to get a kiss from Kamiya Seizaburo.
23.
Serizawa Kamo falls in love in with a woman named Oume.
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Serizawa Kamo's fight with Sumo wrestlers and meeting Oume are historical facts based on the real-life story of Serizawa.
25.
Serizawa Kamo's assassination was portrayed in the anime version of Peacemaker Kurogane.
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Serizawa Kamo is featured in NHK Shinsengumi portrayed by Koichi Sato, as a powerful swordsman, with a short temper, yet he had a strong spirit, and a great love for his country.
27.
Serizawa Kamo broke Hijikata's sword in two then slipped on his own bottle of sake.
28.
In Rurouni Kenshin the character Shishio Makoto is roughly based on Serizawa Kamo as said by the manga artist Nobuhiro Watsuki, creator of Rurouni Kenshin series, during an interview.
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Also included as a character in Hakuouki Reimeiroku, Serizawa Kamo plays a major role in the most recent series of the anime Hakuoki.
30.
Serizawa Kamo says that three of the existing captains must take on the role of the dead Mito faction members in order to keep the group alive, which he then renames the Shinsengumi.
31.
Serizawa Kamo appeared in the 2024 drama "With You I Bloom: The Shinsengumi Youth Chronicle" based on the 1963 Shinsengumi manga by Osamu Tezuka.