Serizawa duck

A masterless samurai from the Mito Domain during the late Edo period, and the head of the Shinsengumi in its early days. His real name was Kimura Tsuguji. He learned swordsmanship from Togasaki Kumataro of the Shinto Munenryu school. In response to a call for masterless samurai at the suggestion of Kiyokawa Hachiro, he traveled to Kyoto with Mito natives Niimi Nishiki, Hirayama Goro, Hirama Jusuke, and Noguchi Kenji. He later stayed in Kyoto with Kondo Isami and formed the Shinsengumi. The initial heads were Serizawa, Kondo, and Niimi. Niimi was forced to commit seppuku by Kondo for breaking the rules of the bureau, and Serizawa was assassinated by Kondo's faction on the night of September 18, 1863 (Bunkyu 3) for being violent and a drunkard. His remains were buried at Mibu-dera Temple (Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City). It is said that Serizawa belonged to the Tengu Party of Mito, but there is no clear documentation to support this.

[Masataka Kojima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末期の水戸(みと)藩浪士、新選組初期の局長。本名木村継次(つぐじ)。神道(しんとう)無念流の戸賀崎(とがさき)熊太郎に剣を学ぶ。清河八郎献策による浪士募集に応じ、水戸出身の新見錦(にいみにしき)、平山五郎、平間重助(ひらまじゅうすけ)、野口健司らと上洛(じょうらく)。のち、近藤勇(いさみ)とともに京都に残り新選組を結成した。当初の局長は、芹沢、近藤、新見の3人であった。新見は局中法度(はっと)を破った理由で近藤に切腹させられ、芹沢は性質粗暴、酒乱のため1863年（文久3）9月18日夜、近藤派の暗殺により斬死(ざんし)した。遺骸(いがい)は壬生(みぶ)寺（京都市中京(なかぎょう)区）に埋葬された。なお、芹沢は水戸の天狗(てんぐ)党に属していたというが、明確な資料はない。

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