Chapter 296

## Bushido

**Bushido** (武士道, *Bushidō*) is the 296th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

A flashback occurs in which Wilk is giving Hijikata his tattoo at Abashiri Prison and the latter asks his tattooist that instead of going through all the trouble of doing things in such a roundabout way, Wilk should tell him, and only him, the location of where he hid the gold. Wilk replies, asking if he can give him any proof that he is Toshizou Hijikata, noting that even head jailer Kadokura had never met Hijikata before, and that only his father had. Hijikata counters, asking Wilk if he can prove that he is an Ainu.

Wilk explains that his eyes are blue because of his father, who was a Polish man exiled to Karafuto. Hijikata states that the Polish people have been rising up in armed revolt over and over again for a hundred years now and wonders if Wilk wanted to use the Ainu gold to follow his Polish calling to fight against the Russian empire. In the next cell over, Toni warns the both of them to keep their voices down as he will miss the sound of the warden's footsteps.

Hijikata says that he and Wilk both shares the same belief of halting Russia's southwest advance and to make Hokkaido into an independent multi-ethnic country. He goes on to say that if Wilk is unable to escape himself, then Wilk will just have to entrust his goal to him, no matter who he may be. However, Wilk says that it would be a problem if he really wasn't Hijikata, since there is something that only Hijikata can do, which confuses Hijikata. Wilk continues, saying that he cannot have absolute confidence that Hijikata will also work for the sake of the Ainu.

Hijikata recites the code of Bushido, saying that even after he lost everything in the Battle of Hakodate, he continued to think about Japan's future. He says that he wishes to protect the family that he loves and the hometown that raised him and thus, the country of Japan is an extension of them, the Ainu people included. Hijikata reveals that on a personal level, he owes a debt to the Ainu, and when Wilk questioned him about the identity of the Ainu, Hijikata tells him of an Ainu man named Kimuspu. As the look in Wilk's eyes soften, he tells Hijikata to go and meet a girl named "Asuko Kochoube" as she should know about him.

In the present day, Hijikata fights off the 7th Division soldiers with ease and manages to single-handedly take down several men with just his rifle and saber. However, as he is focused on a soldier firing at him, another soldier coming from behind is able to pin him against the tree and stabs him in the torso. As the soldier declares that they have found Hijikata, he is immediately killed by Sugimoto who shoves his bayonet into his neck. Hijikata manages to recover and both he and Sugimoto stands back to back to fight off the 7th Division soldiers coming towards them.

The Russian revolutionaries and the 7th Division soldiers continues to fight each other with the soldiers taking the upper hand. Sugimoto notes that they are at a disadvantage and Hijikata says that if they can find Tsurumi and take him out, then the soldiers' momentum will disappear. As Sugimoto complains about having to find Tsurumi in their situation, he is suddenly shot in the torso by a 7th Division soldier and Sugimoto retaliates, hitting him in the face with the rear end of his rifle. From the roof of the storage house, Shiraishi finds that the south and east entrances have fallen and that the 7th Division are attacking the north entrance. He states that if the north entrance were to fall too, then all of the soldiers will come after him and Asirpa so Shiraishi suggests that they make their escape so that they can protect the land deed.

## Character Appearances

* Wilk *(Flashback)*
* Toshizou Hijikata
* Toshiyuki Kadokura *(Flashback)* *(Mentioned)*
* Anji Toni *(Flashback)*
* Kimuspu *(Flashback)* *(Mentioned)*
* Cikapasi *(Flashback)*
* Asirpa
* Takeaki Enomoto *(Flashback)* *(Mentioned)*
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Tokushirou Tsurumi *(Mentioned)*
* Yoshitake Shiraishi