Chapter 13

## Guardian Spirit

* Color
* Volume

**Guardian Spirit** (憑き神, *Tsuki-gami*) is the 13th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Asirpa and Sugimoto come to a stream to catch fish. Asirpa shows Sugimoto an Ainu trap for catching river fish, *raomap*. The trap that was set up yesterday managed to catch a lot of sculpins, and Asirpa is planning to gut the fish. She asks Sugimoto for help, but he realizes that he forgot his bayonet in Asirpa's houses and rushes to get it. On his way to Asirpa's house, Sugimoto is suddenly stopped by an Ainu man. The Ainu man saves Sugimoto from triggering *amappo*, an arrow trap with aconite root poison. The man tells Sugimoto of his cousin who was hit by a poisoned arrow like that; he died after spending several days in agony.

The Ainu man introduces himself as Makanakkuru, Asirpa's uncle and the father of Osoma. Makanakkuru tells Sugimoto that he's been worried about Asirpa since she's been going to the mountains on her own after her father's death, but now he can rest easier knowing a strong guy like Sugimoto accompanies his niece. Sugimoto corrects Makanakkuru, claiming it's Asirpa who is saving him most of the times. Makanakkuru says that Asirpa is a smart girl and Sugimoto must be a good man if she likes him.

Makanakkuru reminisces of the story of the Ainu from their *kotan* gathering gold to fight off the *sisam*; the gold ended up being stolen and Asirpa's father was killed along with his comrades. He says that their ancestors gathered that gold and for decades, it lay untouched, until a group of men decided to use it to buy weapons. The people in the *kotan* believe that those men were killed by *Wakkus Kamuy*, god of the water. For Ainu, rivers are sacred and must be kept clean. Panning for gold turns the water in the river cloudy, which makes it difficult for fish to breathe; without fish animals like otters, foxes, and brown beers would disappear also. Makanakkuru exclaims that soiling the pristine waters just to gather weapons for war is something that shouldn't have been done. He believes that the gold was processed by some sort of evil spirit — it was cursed.

Back in Asirpa's house, Sugimoto and Asirpa give Huci the fish they caught in the trap. Sugimoto notices Huci doing some kind of gesture and asks Asirpa about it. Asirpa explains that Huci was making an offering to her guardian spirit: when you receive something you're supposed to share some of it with your guardian spirit. According to the Ainu, the guardian spirit, or *turenpe*, is comes in and out through the back of one's neck. Every person is born with a guardian spirit, which can be a spirit of fire, water, thunder, or animals like wolves and bears. *Turenpe* are in control of one's character and fate, and some Ainu claim to be able to see the guardian spirits. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that Huci can see *turenpe* and that his guardian spirit is very powerful. Sugimoto touches his nape and remarks that maybe it's his guardian spirit that makes him immortal. However, he wonders why Asirpa never made any offerings to her *turenpe* during their travels, and she replies that in this village only old folks do that.

Huci and Asirpa prepare *kinaohaw*, a broth made from roasted sculpins and vegetables like daikon, carrot, potato, spinach, and kombu. Sugimoto makes an offering to his guardian spirit and tastes the broth, praising the flavor. Still, he thinks the broth would be made even better with miso. Asirpa snaps at Sugimoto, telling him to not take out his poop in her house, but Sugimoto manages to offer Huci some miso before Asirpa can do anything. Asirpa grabs a punishment rod, *sutu*, and menacingly approaches Sugimoto with it while Huci watches them with a smile.

Elsewhere in the woods, Lt. Tsurumi and his soldiers from 7th Division are looking for the four men that disappeared earlier. A soldier reports to Tsurumi that continuing the search will be difficult as heavy snowfall will likely cover any tracks. Tsurumi says that all four men were experienced mountaineers, especially Tanigaki, who comes from a Matagi family. As such, Tsurumi finds it difficult to believe that his soldiers would simply get lost or stranded.

Tsurumi is alerted by Captain Wada, who appears accompanied by another soldier. Wada is furious with Tsurumi, shouting that he took four of his men to Otaru without his permission. Moreover, Wada accuses Tsurumi of secretly taking ammunition and weapons from Asahikawa. Tsurumi takes out a handkerchief and wipes cerebrospinal fluid from his face. He apologizes and explains that part of his frontal lobe and skull were injured during the Battle of Mukden, and sometimes an odd fluid leaks out of the wound. Wada tells Tsurumi he can't cover for him anymore, and with an injury like his he shouldn't have managed to keep his rank of First Lieutenant. He points his index finger at Tsurumi, exclaiming that he has no place in the Imperial Japanese Army. Suddenly, Tsurumi sinks his teeth into Wada's finger and bites it off, much to Wada's shock. Tsurumi wipes his mouth with the handkerchief and apologizes, saying he's been having troubles with controlling his temper after his frontal lobe injury. Aside that, he claims to be in good health, and adds that a warrior takes pride in his scars. Wada is appalled by Tsurumi's lunacy and orders the soldier that came with him to fire at will. However, the soldier shoots Wada instead, killing him. Tsurumi tells his men to strip off Wada's body of his uniform and bury him, saying that he will make nice fertilizer for the plants when spring comes, unlike their comrades in Manchuria, whose graves are cold and barren stones. Tsurumi stands before his men, declaring that they still haven't received reparations from Russia, and so the soldiers who defended the frontier were left with nothing but barren, worthless land. As he looks in the distance, Tsurumi announces that their war is not over.

## Character Appearances

* Asirpa
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Makanakkuru *(Debut)*
* Osoma *(Mentioned)*
* Riratte *(Mentioned)*
* Asirpa's Father *(Mentioned)*
* Noppera-bou *(Cameo)*
* Huci
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Genjirou Tanigaki *(Mentioned)*
* Kouji Wada *(Debut)*
* Hajime Tsukishima *(Debut)*
* Hyakunosuke Ogata *(Mentioned)*

## Anime Episodes

* Episode 3
* Episode 4