Ikumatsu

Ikumatsu (, Ikumatsu) is a character featured in Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!/Like a Dragon: Ishin!. She is a geisha and spy for the Choshu Loyalist Party, and the lover of the group's leader, Katsura Kogoro. She shares her in-game appearance with Hana.
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Ikumatsu's appearance is based on that of Hana at the end of Yakuza 4. She is a thin, short woman with dark black hair which she keeps tied into a high bun. She usually wears a square-patterned purple kimono with a red nagajuban underneath.
=== Personality ===
Ikumatsu, like all members of the Choshu Loyalist Party, is opposed to the continued rule of the Tokugawa Bakufu and believes direct rule of the country should be returned to the Emperor.
In her job as a spy for the rebel group, she is not above using her femininity to coax information out of her clients. She's also shown to use the fact that most men don't regard women as politically active to deliver messages from rebel agents without attracting suspicion.
== Background ==
Ikumatsu was once a geisha working in Kyoto's pleasure district of Gion. She held anti-shogunate beliefs and was sympathetic to the cause of the Loyalists, who wanted to restore political power directly to the Emperor but, as a woman in a society that limited their ability to participate in politics, she was unable to do much about it. 
However, she eventually met Katsura Kogoro, an anti-shogunate rebel who led the Choshu Loyalist Party. The two quickly became lovers and, eventually, Ikumatsu also became a spy for the Choshu Loyalists, using her job as a geisha to gather information from shogunate officials who hired her and then giving it to the Loyalists.
== Involvement ==
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!/Like a Dragon: Ishin!: 1867 ===
In 1867, Katsura wants to get into contact with Sakamoto Ryoma, a member of the Shinsengumi who had allowed him to escape during a raid the Shinsengumi had carried out on a gathering of Loyalists. However, since he was a wanted man, he could not approach him publicly, so instead he sent Ikumatsu to find him and get him to come to her home for a meeting with him.
Ikumatsu found Ryoma drinking at a dive bar in Fushimi, drowning his sorrows about the apparent death of his childhood friend, Takechi Hanpeita. Seizing on the opportunity, Ikumatsu flirted with Ryoma and offered to drink with him back at her home in a bar called Matsunoi. Ryoma followed the woman there, where Katsura approached him.
Later on, the Shinsengumi intended to set a trap for Takechi, who'd been revealed to still be alive and to also be the mastermind behind a conspiracy against the Bakufu, but they required Katsura's help to set it up. Double-agent Todo Heisuke approached Ikumatsu and asked her to deliver a message to Katsura requesting his assistance, but he was spotted doing so by Takeda Kanryusai, a traitor to the Shinsengumi who was currently working for Takechi and who suspected Todo of still working for the Shinsengumi. Takeda shot Todo as he left Matsunoi and then barged into the bar to take Ikumatsu hostage. The wounded Todo scrambled over to Teradaya to warn Sakamoto about what had transpired, believing Takeda intended to kill Katsura.
Sakamoto rushed to Matsunoi, where he found Takeda holding Ikumatsu at gunpoint. The treacherous former Shinsengumi captain then revealed that he didn't intend to kill Katsura or expose the Shinsengumi's trap against Takechi. Instead, he wants to get a bribe from the Shinsengumi for his silence and to be allowed to join the Choshu Loyalists, since he believes they're the likeliest victors in the upcoming conflict between the Loyalists and the Bakufu. Disgusted by Takeda's avarice, Sakamoto refused. Taking advantage of Takeda being distracted by Ryoma, Ikumatsu wriggled out of his grip, allowing Ryoma to attack him. A duel began, which ended in Takeda's death.
Soon after, Ikumatsu visited Sakamoto at Teradaya, thanking him for his earlier rescue and confirming that Katsura wil assist the Shinsengumi in luring Takechi into their planned trap at Omiya.
==Gallery==
===Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!===
RGGI! - Character Render - Ikumatsu.jpg|Full-body Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! render of Ikumatsu
===Like a Dragon: Ishin!===
LADI! - Character Render - Ikumatsu.png|Full-body Like a Dragon: Ishin! render of Ikumatsu
Category:Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Characters
Category:Like a Dragon: Ishin! Characters
Category:Choshu Loyalist Party
Category:Ishin Shishi
Category:Historical Figures