Tokishige Usami/Story

Overview
**Story**
Gallery

## Background

Usami was born in Niigata prefecture, Shibata.

Early in his childhood, Usami lived with his parents and three siblings in a village. As a child, Usami started attending Master Takeda's dojo where he would train with his schoolmate and friend named Tomoharu Takagi. Sometime before the year 1893 (Meiji 26), Tokushirou Tsurumi started visiting the dojo and trained the kids along with Takeda. After meeting Tsurumi, Usami developed a lot of affection for him and would spend most of his free time at the dojo when Tsurumi appeared there.

Once on a walk from the dojo, Tsurumi asked Usami if he would continue his training after graduating from school. Usami replied that he had to help his father in the fields so he wasn't sure. Tsurumi encouraged him to continue at the dojo, as he was the best of his age group and, as Tsurumi believed, would surpass him in no time too. He then told Usami that he himself will not be attending the dojo because of the issues happening in the Korean Peninsula.

Later that year, in spring, Usami and Tomoharu were at the dojo. Tomoharu wanted to have another match with Usami, but Usami refused as he had to go home. Tsurumi, who was also present at the dojo, asked Tomoharu what was the matter, so Tomoharu explained that today was the last day he could come to the dojo and regretted not being able to beat Usami even once.

Tsurumi asked Tomoharu if he already told Usami about leaving for Tokyo. He reassured Tomoharu that he hadn't lost to Usami in the strength of his feelings and that, if he could hold on to them, he would surpass Usami. However, Usami overheard this conversation and was furious. When Tomoharu and Tsurumi went out of the dojo, Tomoharu called out to Usami and broke the news to him: after graduating their local school he was going to a school in Tokyo, so today was the last time they could do randori together. Usami replied that he already knew but just didn't want to spar more. He said that he didn't want to lose on purpose because he was worried about Tomoharu's feelings. Tsurumi told the boys that since the dojo was locked they would have to fight on the arena outside while he watched over them. Once their match started, Usami quickly overpowered Tomoharu and threw him on the ground and stomped on the boy's throat, breaking his windpipe and killing him.

When Tsurumi asked him why he did it, Usami showed no remorse and explained that he simply followed Tsurumi's words and had a match with Tomoharu, even though he didn't want to. Hearing Tsurumi refer to them as best friends, Usami huffed in anger and claimed Tomoharu was never his best friend but a nuisance who stole his "time with Mister Tokushirou". Then, upon entering what seems to be a nervous meltdown, Usami started nodding while explaining himself. He claimed that he could forgive Tomoharu's father being an important officer in the 2nd Division and Tomoharu getting attention from Tsurumi. He could forgive Tomoharu going to the military preparatory school and becoming an officer which would make him even closer to Tsurumi, too. He could also forgive Tomoharu keeping it all a secret and looking down on him all that time. However, what Usami couldn't forgive was Tsurumi no longer acknowledging him as his number one, which meant everything to him. Hearing that, Tsurumi comforted Usami and apologized, saying he just thought Tomoharu would give up and go home. Tsurumi once again called Usami his number one, which soothed Usami.

After Usami calmed down, Tsurumi came up with a cover story for them both: Tomoharu had been kicked by the horse that Tsurumi was riding on. Upon learning of his child's death, Tomoharu's father shot the horse at the dojo. This also led to Tsurumi's demotion from the 2nd Division and moving to a position in Hokkaido.

Two years later, in 1895 (Meiji 28), Tsurumi visited the dojo again. During his visit he met Usami, who was now 14 years old. Usami told Tsurumi that he had visited the sacred grounds of the dojo regularly, thinking of that fateful day he killed a person for the first time (which Usami himself compared to losing his virginity). Usami worried about Tsurumi's demotion but was grateful that Tsurumi covered for him even though he knew of the consequences. Tsurumi replied that it would be an awful waste if someone as interesting as Usami would end up being destroyed and invited him to the 7th Division in the future.

In 1902, Usami accompanied Tsurumi and Mokutarou Kikuta on their search for Kimuspu and the source of the Ainu gold rumors.

In 1904-1905, Usami fought in the Russo-Japanese War. During the war, he often served as Ogata's confidant when it came to conversations about Yuusaku Hanazawa. He was one of the few people who knew about Ogata being Yuusaku's murderer too.

In 1906, Usami acted as an accomplice in the assassination of Koujirou Hanazawa. He was the chauffeur of the carriage that Tsurumi and Ogata were riding on. Irritated with the attention Ogata was getting from Tsurumi, Usami told him to look into "Mantetsu" and that Hanazawa was simply in the way of Lt. Tsurumi's plans.

## Plot

### Youichirou the Manslayer Arc

After the raid on Abashiri Prison, Usami was left to look after Nikaidou who had been heavily injured on the mission. When Tsurumi came to look in on Nikaidou, Usami informed him that ever since Nikaidou heard that Sugimoto had "died", Nikaidou has become a shell of his former self and refuses to come out from under his bed covers.

Tsurumi then tries to get Nikaidou to eat his food, but Usami pointed out that Nikaidou's right hand had been blown off. He then grabs a fork for Tsurumi to convince Nikaidou to eat with. Afterwards, he silently watched on as Narizou Arisaka arrived with a new hand for Nikaidou and tried to show off its special feature, which turns out to be a chopstick holder. Despite that, they are unable to get Nikaidou to come out from under his covers.

### Pet Monster Arc

Later, Usami stands guard as Tsurumi examines the tattooed skins that they have collected thus far and when Tsurumi comments on the number of skins in their possession, Usami asks if he should capture someone from the army and bring them to Abashiri. Tsurumi declines, saying that Wilk would have been unable to create a code so complex that they would need a cryptanalyst to solve it and believes that the key lies within Wilk's daughter, Asirpa.

### Return to Karafuto Arc

Some time later, the 7th Division visits a hot spring in Noboribetsu where Usami and Nikaidou relaxes in a waterfall bath but Usami decides to use the waterfall to play with his genitalias. They are approached by Warrant Officer Kikuta and Usami asks him about the treatment on his injuries before going back to playing with the waterfall. After hearing Kikuta talk about a strange man wearing geta, Usami immediately dismisses it and goes back to playing with the waterfall again. However Kikuta says that they should hear it from the main source as Private First Class Ariko appears before them.

Ariko says that he heard the sound of geta but the tracks that the strange man left behind weren't from geta as they were made from straw boots. Usami still isn't convinced and Ariko says that the strange man was wearing clothing with odd patterns on them but was unable to make them out. Fed up, Nikaidou says that since Ariko and Kikuta has been relaxing in Noboribetsu since the war ended, their minds have gotten soft to which Usami playfully scolds him for the harsh words.

Once they had finished their bath, they continued the topic and Ariko reveals that he is an Ainu since he knew about the secret hot spring. Usami wonders if the strange man was also an Ainu but Ariko says that he did not recognize the patterns on his clothing. Kikuta says that he found the story interesting but that he may have been overthinking it, and asks the anma massaging him what he thinks about it. The anma says that he does not know anything but says that if he sees the strange man, he will be sure to tell them, which causes Usami to chuckle.

Some time later, Usami decides to get a massage himself from a different anma when Nikaidou wonders if they should take Kikuta and Ariko with them back to Abashiri. Usami says that they will not as they are going to meet Tsurumi at another location. Nikaidou then asks what they will do about Inkarmat and Kano Ienaga but Usami says that it is none of their business before turning to the anma to complain about his rough massage techniques.

Once night had fallen, Usami and Nikaidou heads out to the Hell Valley in order to help Kikuta fight against several blind men as Usami impales one with his bayonet, asking Kikuta not to shoot him. Meanwhile, Nikaidou shoots at their foe with a sniper rifle, shouting that the last of them had ran into the mountains so Kikuta leads Usami and Ariko to follow after him. During the chase, Kikuta turns to Usami, noting that his timing of showing up to help him was a little too good and realizes that both he and Nikaidou had figured out that the strange man was a tattooed convict, which Usami admits.

The three of them chase the blind man to an old mine, which Ariko mentions that he had been inside before and that there are other exits within. As they head inside, Kikuta warns them not to light a match and to be quiet. Even with his guard up, Usami is unable to see anything in front of him and unknowingly steps on an ice stalagmite, causing it to break. Suddenly, Usami is shot in the leg and he collapses as Kikuta realizes that one false move inside the mine can lead to their defeat.

Usami, Kikuta, and Ariko tries their best to stay as quiet as possible so as not to be targetted by the convict but Ariko accidently knocks over a stalagmite, causing the convict to shoot at him. Usami and Kikuta fires back at the convict before the latter creates a torch to spot and drive out the convict, revealed to be the anma who massaged Kikuta. Usami follows after the other two soldiers, begging them not to leave him behind and Kikuta complies while ordering Ariko to go after the anma.

As Kikuta helps him, Usami wonders if Ariko will be alright by himself and Kikuta reveals that Ariko was one of the members in the search and rescue groups on Mount Hakkoda. Usami is surprised to hear that Ariko was one of the Ainu group invited from Hokkaido to help and Kikuta states that the Ainu party easily weathered through harsh conditions to find and recover the lost bodies. Kikuta explains that Noboribetsu is like Ariko's backyard and that on these mountains, it would be absolutely impossible to escape Rikimatsu Ariko.

Four days after the ordeal with the convict, Usami and Nikaidou decides to rest once more at Noboribetsu while Kikuta heads out to search for Ariko, who had disappeared with Usami believing that he had died. Nikaidou asks Usami if he had sent a telegram to Tsurumi, which Usami confirms. Usami notes that Ariko had died, his leg got injured, and they let the convict escape, so he begins to panic that Tsurumi will come to scold him again.

## References

1. ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook