Chapter 31

## 203 Hill

* Color
* Volume

**203 Hill**, or **203 Meter Hill** (二〇三高地, *Ni maru san kōchi*) is the 31st chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Sugimoto asks Asirpa where her father's body and the bodies of other killed Ainu were found. She tells him they were found in Tomakomai. Tanigaki reveals that Noppera-bou was caught while trying to cross Lake Shikotsu. They theorize that Noppera-bou might have been carrying some of the gold with him, and it's possible that the extra weight is what caused his canoe to capsize. Sugimoto picks up one of the tattooed skins and wonders if the tattoo might be a map. Shiraishi recognizes the characters on the skin and says it must be Takechiyo Gotou who was sent to Abashiri because he got drunk and stabbed his wife and kid to death. Shiraishi doesn't recognize the other skin and says that person was a nobody.

Shiraishi talks of Ushiyama, calling him a dangerous person. He reveals the reason why Ushiyama got into Abashiri. Ushiyama practiced judo for 10 years, and during that entire time he went unbeaten. One day, he started to lust after his master's wife and ended up sleeping with her. His master got 10 other students with him to battle Ushiyama, but they were no match for him. Ushiyama killed his master and violently beat other students, leaving one of them bedridden for the rest of his life.

Shiraishi says that there's another prisoner who he'd rather stay away from—a man called Tsuyama who's killed 33 people. Tanigaki replies that the man was killed by the 7th Division, and that Lt. Tsurumi finished him off. Shiraishi realizes that the human skin shirt he saw Tsurumi wearing was likely made from Tsuyama's skin. He asks Tanigaki about Tsurumi and his plans of taking over the 7th Division base at Asahikawa. Shiraishi wonders why Tsurumi wouldn't split the gold between the soldiers and live in luxury and instead comes up with a crazy scheme of a coup. Sugimoto suggests that the reason for it might be the Siege of Port Arthur.

During the Siege of Port Arthur, Tsurumi was fighting on the frontline with his soldiers. Struggling with the Russian fortifications at Port Arthur and wanting to end things quickly, the imperial army headquarters decided to send in the 7th Division, said to be the strongest unit in the army. As an intelligence officer, Tsurumi thought their chances of success on 203 Hill were rather grim, but he had to follow his orders. Lt. Tsurumi used the fallen bodies of his comrades to shield himself from the hail of bullets as he moved forward on gun emplacements and destroyed them one by one. First Lieutenant Tsurumi led the platoon that raised the Japanese flag atop 203 Hill.

As Tanigaki notes that the price of victory was tough: out of 10,000 men less than half remained. He laments that Lieutenant General Hanazawa Koujirou, chief of staff for that operation and former leader of the 7th Division, saw it as an opportunity to advance his own career. Hanazawa was harshly criticized for stubbornly insisting to use a frontal assault and throwing away the lives of so many soldiers, and after returning to Japan, he was overcome with remorse and ended up committing seppuku. The Japanese government blamed his subordinates, which resulted in the soldiers deemed unworthy of medals or monetary rewards, and the entire 7th Division treated like an outcast by the rest of the army. Tanigaki then says that he doesn't know why Sugimoto and others are looking for gold, but he doubts it can compare to the burden that Lt. Tsurumi is carrying on his shoulders.

In the docks, Tsurumi and Tsukishima are checking the weapons that Thomas brought them. Tsukishima comments that the guns are far from new. Thomas replies that good guns need good money, to which Tsukishima says that soon they will have plenty of money. Thomas counters that he is an arms dealer and not an investor, and there's no guarantee that Tsurumi will find the gold. He says that in Europe, war could break out at a moment's notice, and when it comes, it will be a big one. Thomas suggests that if Tsurumi wants to use the gold to construct a weapons factory, then he should hurry; when the war comes, Britain will need munitions, and the arms made by Japan are of superb quality.

Later, Tsurumi is seen giving a speech to the 7th Division soldiers. He announces his plan of creating a military government. He says that splitting the gold accomplishes nothing. Instead, they will use it to build a weapons factory; get coal from Yuubari and iron ore from Kutchan.

After the conversation with Tanigaki, Sugimoto goes outside to collect his thoughts. Shiraishi calls out to him and asks if the story they heard changed his mind. Sugimoto replies that it's too late to cooperate with the 7th Division and he is not planning on giving up the gold. He then notices a big bird in the sky, and Asirpa recognizes it as *kapacir kamuy*, a sea eagle. She tells Shiraishi and Sugimoto to gather their things and join her in hunting the eagle.

## Character Appearances

* Asirpa
* Huci *(Cover)*
* Sugimoto Saichi
* Shiraishi Yoshitake
* Takechiyo Gotou *(Cameo)*
* Tatsuma Ushiyama *(Cameo)*
* Tanigaki Genjirou
* Tetsuzou Nihei *(Mentioned)*
* Mutsuo Tsuyama *(Mentioned)*
* Noppera-Bou *(Mentioned)*
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Thomas *(Debut)*
* Koujirou Hanazawa *(Mentioned)*

## Trivia

* Tsurumi's facial expressions and gestures during his speech to the 7th Division are referenced from Adolf Hitler's appearance in the propaganda movie Triumph of the Will.