Takeshi Sugimoto
A war-hardened soldier seeking a hidden Ainu gold fortune in the wilds of Hokkaido.
Saichi Sugimoto is a veteran of the early twentieth-century Russo-Japanese War and the central protagonist of Golden Kamuy. Together with Asirpa, a young Ainu girl, he embarks on a journey to search for a vast fortune in gold that once belonged to the Ainu. Sugimoto works as a panner in Hokkaido to provide for the widow of his dead comrade before being drawn into the hunt for the hidden gold.
- Role
- Protagonist / Ex-Soldier
- Key Partner
- Asirpa
- Primary Goal
- Recovering the Hidden Gold of the Ainu
Lore & Background
Sugimoto is a veteran of the battle of Hill 203. He works as a panner in Hokkaido to provide for the widow of his dead comrade. He is approached by a drunk old man who tells him a dubious legend of a huge gold cache that can only be found by connecting a ciphered map split into strange tattoos on Abashiri Prison escapees. After the old man is killed by a bear, Sugimoto is saved by Asirpa, a young Ainu girl. Sugimoto realizes the story is true and suggests they recover the Ainu gold together. Asirpa is uninterested in the gold but wants vengeance for her father, one of the Ainu miners who was killed in the betrayal. Examining the body, they realize the tattoos have seams, meaning the prisoners were always intended to be murdered and skinned. Due to her opposition to needless killing, Asirpa suggests they try to co-operate with prisoners they find by simply tracing their tattoos.
In Their Own Story
Sugimoto's group soon recruits Shiraishi, an escape artist and tattooed convict. They find themselves clashing and co-operating with other parties collecting the tattoos: First Lieutenant Tsurumi, the insane leader of the 7th Division, and Hijikata Toshizō, who is touted as the last living samurai.
Reader's Guide
The story takes place in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, primarily in Hokkaido and the surrounding regions. Specific focus is given to the indigenous Ainu people and their culture, such as exploring their language and the way they respectfully use natural resources to thank the Kamuy they believe provide them. Later parts of the story also explore the different subcultures within the Ainu and the hardships they suffered by being caught in Japanese-Russian territorial conflicts. The plot also explores the severe struggles of soldiers and war veterans, with moral ambiguity, survivor's guilt, honour, penance, and virtue ethics being common themes.
Did You Know?
- Sugimoto is a veteran of the battle of Hill 203 during the Russo-Japanese War.
- He works as a panner in Hokkaido to provide for the widow of his dead comrade before the gold hunt begins.
- Sugimoto is saved from a bear by Asirpa, a young Ainu girl, which leads to their partnership.
- The tattoos on the escaped convicts have seams, meaning the prisoners were always intended to be murdered and skinned.
- Sugimoto's group recruits Shiraishi, an escape artist and tattooed convict, to help trace the tattoos.