Saichi Sugimoto

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Lore & Background

Saichi Sugimoto is a war hero from the Russo-Japanese War, known as Immortal Sugimoto. In the late Meiji period in Hokkaido, he learns about stolen gold once belonging to the Ainu people, taken by a criminal group and later hidden by a man named Noppera-bo (Wilk) who massacred everyone to keep the gold for himself. Noppera-bo was never caught; he died by suicide (hanging) after a shootout with police, but a different person using the same pseudonym was responsible for the tattooed map. The gold was hidden by Noppera-bo (Wilk) in a secure location in Hokkaido. After his death, the person using the Noppera-bo alias forced 24 convicts to be tattooed with the map, each holding a part of the location, without offering them a share of the gold. Sugimoto sets out to gather the whole map so he can use the money to restore Umeko's eyesight. During a bear attack, Sugimoto is rescued by Asirpa, an Ainu girl seeking to find the gold and learn the truth about her father Wilk. Bound by different goals but a shared quest, they unite forces. The movie ends with Hijikata revealing the gold is worth 20,000 ryo, enough to build a new nation, adding that Hokkaido will become a battlefield for all those in search of the gold.

In Their Own Story

The movie follows Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War, as he learns about stolen Ainu gold hidden by Noppera-bo, who tattooed the location on 24 prisoners. After verifying the information, Sugimoto sets out to gather the whole map to use the money to restore Umeko's eyesight, whose husband Toraji died in the war. During a bear attack, Sugimoto is rescued by Asirpa, an Ainu girl seeking vengeance for her father's murder by Noppera-bo. They unite forces, and as their journey unfolds, more individuals including soldiers from the Seventh Division, Hijikata, and others join the pursuit. The movie ends with Hijikata revealing the gold is worth 20,000 kan, enough to build a new nation, and that Hokkaido will become a battlefield for all those in search of the gold.

Reader's Guide

Saichi Sugimoto is a war hero from the Russo-Japanese War, known as Immortal Sugimoto. His primary motivation is to find the hidden Ainu gold to restore Umeko's eyesight, whose husband Toraji died in the war. He is rescued by Asirpa during a bear attack, and they unite forces, bound by different goals but a shared quest for justice. Key moments include learning about the gold from Noppera-bo's tattooed prisoners, surviving the bear attack, and the revelation by Hijikata that the gold is worth 20,000 kan. The movie ends with Hijikata stating that Hokkaido will become a battlefield for all those in search of the gold.

Did You Know?

• Saichi Sugimoto is known as 'Immortal Sugimoto' from the Russo-Japanese War.
• Sugimoto's quest is to find gold originally stolen from the Ainu by a criminal group, later taken and hidden by Noppera-bo (Wilk), to restore Umeko's eyesight, whose husband Toraji died in the Russo-Japanese War.
• The gold was hidden by Noppera-bo (Wilk), who died by suicide (hanging) after a shootout with police. A different person using the same alias forced 24 convicts to be tattooed with the map, without offering them a share.
• Sugimoto is rescued by Asirpa during a bear attack, and they unite forces.
• The movie ends with Hijikata revealing the gold is worth 20,000 ryo, enough to build a new nation.

Origins and Historical Setting

Saichi Sugimoto is a veteran of the early twentieth-century Russo-Japanese War, set in the late Meiji period in Hokkaido, Japan. He is known as Immortal Sugimoto, a war hero from that conflict. His quest begins after learning about stolen gold once belonging to the Ainu people, taken by Noppera-bo, who massacred everyone to keep the gold for himself. Noppera-bo was caught and thrown into Abashiri prison but had hidden the gold in a secure location in Hokkaido, tattooing the location on 24 prisoners. Sugimoto's motivation is to use the money from the gold to restore Umeko's eyesight, whose husband Toraji died in the Russo-Japanese War.

The Quest for Hidden Gold

The core driving force of Saichi Sugimoto's adventure is the pursuit of a huge fortune of gold belonging to the Ainu people, hidden by Noppera-bo. Noppera-bo tattooed the location of the hidden gold on 24 different prisoners, each holding a part of the map necessary to uncover the treasure. After staging a jail break, Noppera-bo asked those he tattooed to find the gold in return for getting half of it. Sugimoto sets out to gather the whole map to use the money to restore Umeko's eyesight. During a bear attack, Sugimoto is rescued by Asirpa, an Ainu girl seeking vengeance for her father's murder by Noppera-bo. They unite forces, and as their journey unfolds, more individuals including soldiers from the Seventh Division, Hijikata, and others join the pursuit. The movie ends with Hijikata revealing the gold is worth 20,000 kan, enough to build a new nation, and that Hokkaido will become a battlefield for all those in search of the gold.

Critical Acclaim and Global Reach

The movie *Golden Kamuy* was released in Japanese theaters on 19 January 2024, and began streaming on Netflix on 19 May 2024, four months after its initial Japanese release. The film grossed over ¥500 million and attracted over 350,000 viewers in the first three days of its release, ranking number 1. It attracted 1.75 million viewers and grossed ¥2.58 billion as of February 29. James Hadfield of *The Japan Times* rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars, saying that "For all its extravagance, *Golden Kamuy* only leaves you half full." Panos Kotzathanasis of *Asian Movie Pulse* noted that *Golden Kamuy* is a film worth watching, but the flashbacks were not placed in ideal moments and the dramatic parts could have been handled in better fashion.

Adaptations Across Media

The movie *Golden Kamuy* is a 2024 Japanese historical action movie directed by Shigeaki Kubo, based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Satoru Noda. The movie received a sequel series *Golden Kamuy: The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido* and a sequel film *Golden Kamuy: The Abashiri Prison Raid*. Production began in early 2021 after Wowow and Credeus acquired the film rights, and the production lasted for three years. The idea of the movie was to respect the manga series and maintain the same story line, thus Shigeaki Kubo who is a fan of the original series was appointed to be the director. Satoru Noda, the author of the original series, supervised the scripting process so that it would not deviate from the original story.