Chapter 222

## Tattooed Skins

* Volume
* Magazine

**Tattooed Skins**, or **Tattooed Human Skins** (刺青人皮, *Irezumi Ninpi*) is the 222nd chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

At a clinic, Inkarmat divines Koito’s fortune for him, revealing that he has good luck, causing him to shriek in joy. Koito asks her to check Tsukishima’s fortune as well and Inkarmat states that he has bad luck and that he should avoid going out as much as possible. Some time earlier, Tanigaki states his intentions to leave the 7th Division, bringing ire from Kikuta, Usami, and Tsurumi who tells him that Inkarmat is no longer in Abashiri as she has been moved elsewhere. Tanigaki takes Tsurumi’s words to mean that he will kill Inkarmat but Tsurumi provokes him, asking if he wouldn’t do anything to make him commit such a horrific act.

However, Tanigaki is unshaken, saying that he is not cut out for searching gold or overthrowing the government and that he would rather live a simple life as one of the ordinary people. Kikuta berates him, saying that ordinary people knows nothing about their suffering and questions Tanigaki if he can turn his back on them acting as if nothing happened at all. Tanigaki counters that even if they have a hostage or not, he would not be of much use to them and that he would only just lower the morale of their men just by being there.

Tsurumi believes that Tanigaki thinks that Inkarmat will be able to escape easily once she recovers, and declares that it won’t be that easy. Tanigaki gets riled up and asks what they did with Inkarmat, leading to Tsurumi to reveal that Inkarmat is pregnant with Tanigaki’s child. Tanigaki is shocked by the revelation and Tsurumi proposes a deal with Tanigaki, promising to release the both of them if he brings Asirpa back to him, noting his duty to Asirpa’s grandmother. Tsurumi hands a gun to Tanigaki, saying that he is one of few people that can get close to Sugimoto without putting him on guard.

As Sugimoto’s Group claims Heita’s skin, they express surprise that he was one of the tattoooed convicts all along but are happy that they have gotten back on track for their original goal of finding the gold as well the truth behind the killing of the Ainu. Asirpa picks up Heita’s tobacco case, noting how heavy it is before opening it up.

A bag of platinum metal dust pops out and Sugimoto and Shiraishi wrestles over who can have it. Elsewhere, in a cabin, Kirawus and Kadokura plays a game of Hanafuda, with the former laughing at the latter for being terrible at it. They begin to argue over it while Nagakura looks at them hopelessly, noting that they just laze around everyday.

Ushiyama notices that Ogata has returned to their group and Hijikata asks him what he has been doing since he left them at Abashiri Prison. Ogata summarizes the events of everything that has happened thus far and presents two key pieces of information: the emergence of Sofia Golden Hand who will no doubt come to Japan to get her hands on Asirpa and that Asirpa has managed to remember the key to solving the tattooed code.

Hearing this, Kadokura suggests that they find Asirpa as soon as possible, but Ogata tells him not to be hasty as Sugimoto’s Group will eventually come to them as they need to collect the tattooed skins as well. Ogata notes that the tattooed skins have been concentrated into two groups: the Hijikata Group and the Tsurumi Group and that there are only four tattooed skins remaining to collect.

## Character Appearances

* Inkarmat
* Otonoshin Koito
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Genjirou Tanigaki *(Flashback)*
* Kikuta *(Flashback)*
* Tokushirou Tsurumi *(Flashback)*
* Usami *(Flashback)*
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Vasily
* Asirpa
* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Kadokura
* Kirawus
* Shinpachi Nagakura
* Tatsuma Ushiyama
* Hyakunosuke Ogata
* Toshizou Hijikata
* Sofia *(Flashback)*
* Kano Ienaga *(Cameo)*
* Youichirou *(Cameo)*
* Waichirou Sekiya *(Cameo)*
* Anji Toni *(Cameo)*
* Kiyohiro Suzukawa *(Cameo)*
* Maiharu Gansoku *(Cameo)*
* Shiton Anehata *(Cameo)*
* Keiichirou Sakamoto *(Cameo)*
* Tsuyama *(Cameo)*
* Gotou *(Cameo)*
* Prisoner Number One *(Cameo)*
* Tetsuzou Nihei *(Cameo)*
* Kazuo Henmi *(Cameo)*
* Kiichirou Wakayama *(Cameo)*
* Heita Matsuda *(Cameo)*