Genjirou Tanigaki/Story

Overview
**Story**
Gallery

## Background

Tanigaki was born in the Tohoku region in the Akita prefecture in Ani village. As a young boy, Tanigaki would often wear a minobocchi and follow the hunters during their runs. In adulthood, he would go on hunting trips with the other Matagi and came to be good friends with Kenkichi Aoyama, who was one year younger than him. Aoyama eventually married his younger sister Fumi, and the both of them went to live in a house separate from the village. However one day, Aoyama killed Fumi and ran away leaving Tanigaki enraged and determined to search for him. While in the military, he received a letter from his brother saying that their mother had died from grief over losing Fumi and his decision to join the army.

In Port Arthur, he saw a wounded soldier from the 1st Division as well as the White Sash Brigade, as such he felt a sense deep respect for him. When he gave the soldier one of his kane mochi, he let his dialect slip, which the soldier noted and said that he knew someone in his platoon who was also an Ani from Akita, Hearing this, Tanigaki became eager that he had finally found the man who murdered his sister.

As eager as he was to find Aoyama, Tanigaki decided that he would wait until the chaos of battle was over, then he would have his revenge. He took part in the battle of 203 Hill and fought to survive as soldiers around him were being killed. When the Russians began strapping grenades on their own bodies to make a suicidal run against the Japanese army, Tanigaki hid in a trench to shoot at them from. Just then, Aoyama leapt from the safety of the trenches and tackled the Russian soldier to prevent him from blowing up his comrades. Tanigaki was able to drag him, barely clinging to life, back into the trenches and prepared to kill him. Just then, in the midst of Aoyama's groans, he called out the name of his sister which caused Tanigaki to hesitate for a moment. He then grabbed his uniform and asked why he killed his sister. He listened to Aoyama, unable to see or hear anything, asking him to relay a message back to the Tanigaki family about how their daughter died and how much regret and guilt he had carried since then. Upon hearing this, Tanigaki broke off a piece of his kane mochi and fed it to Aoyama, who instantly recognized it as belonging to his own dish. As Aoyama asked if it was him and passed away, Tanigaki wept over his body.

In Meiji 38 (1905) Tanigaki then took part in the Battle of Mukden and fought against the Russians using cannons. He bore witness to Hajime Tsukishima assaulting 2nd Lieutenant Tsurumi for having lied to him for the past nine years. Tsurumi then asked the 7th Division soldiers who had gathered out of concern to leave both him and Tsukishima alone to talk.

During a heavy snow storm in which the 7th Division were staying at a wooden house for warmth, Tanigaki and First Lieutenant Tsurumi were in a room having a conversation about his past as an Ani Matagi and his quest for revenge against his sister's killer. After telling his tale, Tanigaki said that Aoyama had found his purpose in life then goes on to question what his own purpose is and says that he cannot return to Ani, ashamed to face his father and brother again. When Tsurumi tells him that he needs him and if he would be willing to make some of his own kane mochi with walnuts for him, Tanigaki puts on his cap and replies that he'd be happy to.

## Plot

### Escape King Arc

Meanwhile, Tanigaki and three other 7th Division soldiers are first seen near the hut that Asirpa and Sugimoto used before. They deduce that the hut was used recently and notice prints from a man's boots and a child's deerskin shoes. As Asirpa and Sugimoto walk through the woods, Asirpa notices something flashing in the distance from the place where they stayed last night. Sugimoto realizes it's binoculars. Tanigaki, who is watching the two through binoculars, reports to others that he has found Ogata's attackers, and the soldiers then chase after Sugimoto and Asirpa using skis and find their the tracks. Tanigaki points at Asirpa's footprints and notes that it's where Sugimoto and her split up. The officer in charge orders Tanigaki to follow Asirpa while he and the other two pursue Sugimoto. Tanigaki follows Asirpa's footprints and realizes that the girl doubled back on her tracks, just like animals would do. He looks at the bamboo grass and examines the bark of nearby Jezo Spruce, noticing that it's been torn off recently. Tanigaki looks up at the tree branches and tells Asirpa to climb down, promising he won't harm her. Asirpa stays silent, so Tanigaki asks if she understands Japanese. Asirpa decides to play along and replies to him in Ainu,

Tanigaki asks Asirpa to come down, and after thinking for a few moments she agrees. Asirpa leaves the tattooed skin on the branch and Tanigaki helps her climb down. He asks Asirpa about Sugimoto, wondering if he is her brother or father. Suddenly, a squirrel wobbles the branch with the tattooed skin, causing it to fall down. Tanigaki is shocked to see a child carry the skin, and Asirpa reaches for her quiver. Before she can do anything, Tanigaki commands her to drop the bow. Terrified, Asirpa drops her weapon. Tanigaki notes that Asirpa can actually understand Japanese. He then loads his rifle and tells her to put the quiver and knives down, too. Something catches Asirpa's attention: as Tanigaki turns his head, he sees Retar charging at him.

Tanigaki] is attacked by Retar, who is protecting Asirpa. Retar breaks Tanigaki's leg and is about to bite into his throat when Asirpa stops him. Asirpa tells Retar that he is the last *Horkew Kamuy* (Wolf God, or Howling God) and she cannot let him become *Wen Kamuy* for her sake. Still, she is thankful that he's saved her. Asirpa scratches Retar's belly and calls him a good wolf. They keep playing around until Sugimoto appears, calling out to Asirpa. Alerted by his voice, Retar flees, and Sugimoto wonders if the wolf took down Tanigaki, who is lying unconscious. He asks Asirpa if the soldier is alive, and Asirpa chooses to lie and tell Sugimoto that Tanigaki is dead, thinking that a tough guy like him would survive here even with a broken leg.

Later, when Tanigaki has come to his senses, Tanigaki applies a splint on his broken leg and thinks of the gorgeous wolf with silver-white fur he saw. Tanigaki decides that it must be his Matagi blood calling, and he won't stop until he has hunted the wolf down.

### Legendary Hunter Arc

Deep in the forest, a man with his dog is talking to Tanigaki. He claims that the bears Tanigaki hunted as Matagi are merely cubs compared to those they have in Hokkaido. The man says that his dog is of the breed that the Ainu have trained to be fearless when going up against bears. Tanigaki makes note of the Murata rifle the man is using, saying his Matagi father would also use one for hunting. The rifle is one-shot, which is not useful. Tanigaki claims that using a rifle like that isn't a personal preference but simply ignoring the march of progress. The man scoffs at that but remarks that Tanigaki's rifle can hold five rounds and so it must be mighty useful.

The man's dog, Ryu, rushes to the bear that is sleeping its den. The man commands Tanigaki to stand out of the fight, as its the duel between him and the bear. Tanigaki wonders if the man has prepared other rounds since hunters that use the Murata rifle always hold spare rounds between their fingers to quickly reload the gun. The man retorts, saying that having five rounds gives you an illusion of having five chances, which is wrong. The bear comes out of its den and approaches the hunter, standing on its hind legs. The hunter successfully shoots the bear, and Tanigaki reveals that in his hometown he once heard stories about legendary bear-killer from Hokkaido. Tanigaki concludes that the man's name is Tetsuzou Nihei, and that the man in front of him is in fact the legendary hunter. Nihei asks Tanigaki how long he is going to tag along with him, teasing the young man that he didn't rescue him because he wanted a new lover. Tanigaki replies that he isn't in the mood for jokes and that he knows that Nihei is after the same thing as he is: the white wolf.

After defeating the bear, Nihei explains to Tanigaki that the bear would have definitely become a man-eater. Tanigaki is curious about it, and Nihei cuts the bear open to demonstrate her insides to Tanigaki. Nihei concludes that the bear is a six-year old sow that has not had any cubs before, which is typical of bears that would later become aggressive. Nihei jokes that female bears are more emotional and scarier, just like female humans. As he continues to skin the bear, Nihei talks about bear character traits. He reveals that he has killed over 200 bears on his own, and each time was different. Nihei guesses that Tanigaki has never hunted a wolf, prompting Tanigaki to ask if Nihei has fought a wolf before. Nihei replies that he's never hunted one and doesn't know a thing about wolves, that's why he wants to hunt it down. He then recounts how the wolves were exterminated by humans after they started hunting livestock. Yet, there's a wolf that survived the battle of wits against mankind, the last of its kind. Hunting that wolf down excites Nihei, as he wants to find out who is more cunning out of them two.

Tanigaki and Nihei proceed to dine on the bear meat. Nihei presents his special dish, "Nihei style roasted heart". Nihei says that eating fresh heart is a privilege reserved only for hunters, like him and Tanigaki. He then asks Tanigaki if Matagi drink bear's blood, then tells the soldier about the recipe he learned from a Mongolian friend — "Nihei style blood sausages". Nihei eats the sausages and warns Tanigaki that the sausages fill you with a lot of energy so he should watch himself to not blow off the roof of his hut. Nihei, clearly overly energetic, loudly exclaims "BONER!", which doesn't get any reaction from Tanigaki.

Nihei notes that Tanigaki is very quiet and that the Matagi lifestyle really rubbed off on him. Tanigaki replies that Nihei must have met a really talkative Matagi before, as most of them don't talk about their lifestyle much. Nihei wonders why Tanigaki is here with him, and why he is still wearing the army cap; he asks why Tanigaki doesn't go back to his hometown to become a Matagi again. Tanigaki reveals that he has his own reasons for remaining in the army and he was fully prepared to abandon his hometown in Akita. But when he came to the mountains, Tanigaki felt like a toxin deep inside of him was slowly seeping away. As Tanigaki recites the Matagi chant that they say to guide the spirits of bears to the afterlife, he laments that he never said those words for the people he killed during the war.

Having heard his tale, Nihei says that hunting the wolf is just an excuse for Tanigaki, as he is unable to return back to the army or go back home. Instead, his hunter's spirit is wandering aimlessly through the forests of Hokkaido. Nihei tells Tanigaki that after they've killed the wolf, Tanigaki should take its pelt and return to his hometown. Tanigaki takes off his cap and throws it into the fire, and the two men laugh.

Next day, Nihei and Tanigaki are discussing their hunting strategy. Nihei suggests they shoot a deer to use it as bait for the wolf. Tanigaki says they have leftover bear meat, but Nihei tells him about the American Rancher who spread strychnine-laced bait all over his ranch to protect his horses. The man also advised this method to other ranches, which resulted in most of Hokkaido wolves being exterminated, with at least a dozen of wolves dying every day. However, there was a wolf that raised his leg and urinated on the poisoned meat instead of eating it; due to being extremely clever, that wolf managed to survive till this day.

Nihei and Tanigaki search for a deer to hunt. Nihei praises his dog Ryu, saying he can pick out the freshest, strongest scent from a jumble of different deer tracks. Nihei notes that Ryu is considerate of his owners and will check up if they're keeping up, adjusting his own pace to match with that of the hunters. Nihei then asks Tanigaki if his broken leg bothers him. Ryu starts fidgeting and acting strange, refusing to go any further. The legendary hunter realizes that Ryu must have picked up a wolf's scent, so Nihei grabs his dog by the leash and leads his party into the wolf territory.

Nihei and Tanigaki realize they just heard a gunshot from a Type 30 rifle, the same one Tanigaki carries. They follow the sound and find the deer's carcass. Nihei notices wolf tracks and says that, judging by the state of the carcass, some hunters must have stolen the wolf's kill. However, they left a lot of meat instead of putting it in the safe spot, which is strange. Tanigaki observes the human tracks and recognizes they belong to the man and the Ainu girl he encountered the other day. He tells Nihei that the meat was probably left for the wolf to eat, but the animal sensed them coming and ran away. Tanigaki thinks that the wolf doesn't seem to be afraid of the Ainu girl, and that he might come back to eat the rest of the deer. Nihei looks pensive but then suggests Tanigaki the two of them head down to the river and give each other a good scrub.

Tanigaki and Nihei come to the river. Nihei inquires Tanigaki about Matagi hunting rituals, and Tanigaki explains that the Matagi believe that the guardian of the mountains is a goddess. To not make the goddess jealous, hunters wash away the scents of other women before going to the mountains. As Nihei starts undressing, he speaks of how uncanny the wolf's sense of smell is, and that they need to take every possible precaution. Stripped to his waist, Nihei reveals his tattooed back. Tanigaki recognizes the tattoo on Nihei's body and realizes that he is one of the tattooed convicts. Furious with Nihei only laughing it off, Tanigaki draws his gun and accuses Nihei of murdering soldiers during his escape from the Abashiri Prison. Nihei shrugs it off, claiming that he only killed fools who were blinded by their own greed; he notes that he feels more guilty killing animals than those guys. Nihei stands tall and asks Tanigaki if he is going to shoot him and skin him. He continues to question Tanigaki's identity, wondering if it's Tanigaki the Matagi or Tanigaki the soldier standing in front of him.

While Nihei continues to bathe himself in the water, he tells Tanigaki of his encounter with three bandits that were murdering hunters and stealing their prey. He tells Tanigaki that he killed those men and was sent to Abashiri. Nihei explains that he wants to die in the wilderness, so he escaped the prison. He dreams of his fallen body being consumed by wild animals and becoming one with nature. Nihei asks Tanigaki if he understands him.

Tanigaki and Nihei spend the night waiting for Retar to return to the deer's carcass. However, in the morning the find the carcass covered with wolf feces. Nihei concludes that the wolf must have done it when they were away washing themselves. Tanigaki says that he heard of a special kind of wolf behavior, where they track a strange human and observe them from afar; it's called "being watched by a wolf". He tells Nihei the white wolf must have watched them from the moment they showed. Excited about the hunt, Nihei proclaims that his boner is raging out of control.

While Nihei examines the deer carcass, Tanigaki muses over the wolf's intelligence. Nihei notes that they will have to start from scratch and kill another deer; however, they need to eat some food first. As Nihei roasts the meat over the fire, he reveals that his sense of smell is much sharper than of the average human. He recalls the time when he took his baby daughter to the veranda and noticed a giant hornet land on her face. At that instant Nihei sensed the change in his body odor and that it reflected his emotional state. He tells Tanigaki that their blood-thirsty intent must give off quite a strong smell and perhaps that wolf sensed it.

Tanigaki then explains a Matagi saying, "Sink into the bark". When a hunter is waiting in ambush for his prey, he should become one with the trees. Hearing that, Nihei takes note. Tanigaki asks how's Nihei's daughter doing, and Nihei answers that he hasn't seen his wife or his 15 children in a long time, adding that "women sure a scary bunch". Nihei asks Tanigaki to tell him what he knows of the wolf tracking behavior. Tanigaki says his father would tell him that one way to escape a wolf who is tracking you is to drop something on the ground, as wolves are naturally curious animals and will stop to investigate. Tanigaki comments that the wolf is probably observing them at this moment. Nihei burns the feces wolf left to aggravate the wolf and focus his attention on the two of them.

Nihei, Tanigaki, and Ryu prepare to ambush the wolf and set a trap for him by leaving a mess kit to grab the wolf's attention. However, they're ambushed by Sugimoto, Shiraishi, and Asirpa who scare Retar away. Tanigaki takes Asirpa hostage and orders Shiraishi and Sugimoto to drop their weapons. Furious with Tanigaki using Asirpa as a human shield, Sugimoto loses control and charges at Tanigaki with his bayonet and throws the blade at the man, stabbing him through the palm of his hand and his cheek. Nihei tackles Sugimoto and holds him in a chokehold on the ground. Shiraishi calls out to Tanigaki, saying he should be ashamed of using an innocent child as a hostage. Tanigaki doesn't budge and claims that the last time he saw Asirpa she was carrying a tattooed skin so they shouldn't pretend she has nothing to do with the situation.

Asirpa tries to reason with Tanigaki, telling him that her life isn't worth much to Shiraishi and he will start shooting. She says there's no need for them to shed blood and it's better to calm down and stop fighting. Nihei warns Tanigaki not to trust Asirpa, reminding him that women are frightening creatures. Tanigaki shouts that he doesn't care whether Asirpa gets hurt in the process, and Sugimoto gives in, telling Shiraishi to drop the gun. Sugimoto then asks Nihei to take Asirpa away so she wouldn't see them being killed.

Nihei agrees and asks Tanigaki to get him some ropes to tie Sugimoto and Shiraishi up. Nihei proceeds to bandage his injured hand while Tanigaki takes Asirpa away, much to her protest. Distracted by a sudden memory of his daughter, Nihei doesn't notice that Shiraishi and Sugimoto managed to flee. Nihei alerts Tanigaki of the two men escaping. Tanigaki pulls Asirpa's bandana over her mouth to silence her and takes her to the river. Exhausted and not thinking straight, Tanigaki walks into an Ainu deer trap, *amappo*. Before Asirpa manages to warn him, Tanigaki is struck with a poisoned arrow in his leg. Asirpa commands him to untie her and tells him that since Ainu poisons have no antidote, the only way to save Tanigaki is to carve away the flesh around the wound. Tanigaki agrees to it, and Asirpa dives the blade into Tanigaki's thigh.

Nihei finds Asirpa tending to Tanigaki and realizes that he walked into the deer trap. Asirpa explains that she cut away all the flesh around the wound but since the poison was mixed by someone else she doesn't know if Tanigaki will survive; at any rate, he won't be able to move anytime soon. Asirpa suggests they stop their fight as they didn't come to kill Nihei in the first place. Nihei disregards Asirpa's words and promises Tanigaki to kill the white wolf and bring it back to him. Asirpa is taken aback by Nihei's tenacity. Nihei grabs Asirpa and runs away with her, hoping to get the wolf to come out of the hiding.

Next time, Tanigaki is seen at the scene of Nihei's death. He sits down with now deceased Nihei and reads the Matagi chant to him to guide Nihei in the afterlife. Asirpa insists they take injured Tanigaki and Ryu with them to the Ainu village.

### Edogai Arc

As Tanigaki is watching Osoma play with a shell toy, he comments on how long she has been playing with them and is surprised she hasn't gotten tired of it. Osoma gives the toy to him to play with as well, and as Tanigaki steps on it, his heavier weight crushes the shell and injures his right foot. He falls over, holding his foot in pain and tells Osoma to hurry and call Huci, as it seems that his stay at the kotan shows no sign of ending.

Tanigaki along with Osoma and Huci are harvesting plants for food. Afterwards, they and Makanakkuru are seen happily enjoying their supper as Huci smiles on. Later on, Tanigaki asks Makanakkuru to take him to a weapons shop so he can buy some rounds for his Murata rifle. After completing their transaction, the both of them heads back to the kotan but sees a deer nearby. He is able to shoot and kill it despite being startled by a nearby Ainu boy. Tanigaki asks Makanakkuru about the boy and he tells him that the boy is a loner with an interest in hunting. He is reminded of his younger self and calls over to the boy to help them. When Makanakkuru asks for the boy's name, he replies that it's "Cikapasi" and upon hearing what it means, he smiles with amusuement as he comments that his name means "boner" and that it's a great

Back at the vilage, Makanakkuru asks him what he will do now that his leg has healed, but he remains silent. The next day, there is a large crowd surrounding a fortune-teller and Tanigaki along with Osoma and Cikapasi goes to see what is going on. Upon seeing Tanigaki, the fortune-teller who introduces herself as Inkarmat offers to see his future, but he declines. As he is leaving, he is stopped in his tracks when Inkarmat mentioned that he lost his younger sister. He asks her just who she is, but she says that she is looking for someone and asks if there is a girl with blue eyes living in the kotan. Tanigaki takes her to Asirpa's family and listens on as Inkarmat warns them of the danger to Asirpa.

After some thinking, Tanigaki made his resolve to repay his debts to the Ainu and that he will bring Asirpa back to her people safely. Asirpa's family all came to say farewell to him, with Osoma giving him a single hand cover as a gift. He tells her to have the other one waiting for him when he comes back. When Inkarmat asks if he would like a divination, he declined saying that he is not doing it because he believes her, but rather Asirpa's family believes in her prophecies. At Inkarmat's urging, the pair heads eastward to Abashiri.

### Con Artists Arc

They drop by the town of Barato where they are stopped by the barber Yamamoto, who asks Tanigaki why he is pretending to be an Ainu. They come inside and explain their situation to him who says he hasn't seen anyone like that. He then points out a kid hiding behind the window and Tanigaki opens the door to see that Cikapasi had followed them. He says he knew that Cikapasi was following them and tells him to go home, but Cikapasi asks him to let him come with them. Inkarmat comes out and agrees to let the boy come with them, and Cikapasi begins to fantasize about how they could pretend to be a family.

They stop by the town of Iwamizawa where Inkarmat is giving fortune-telling services to the local women there. A merchant approaches Tanigaki and asks him what he is selling but he says he is not selling anything. As Tanigaki is about to argue with him, they are interrupted by another merchant selling bean snacks. Tanigaki tells the merchant that they are looking for an Ainu girl traveling with three men, which the merchant immediately recognizes from his encounter in Yubari. Tanigaki takes out a map and is able to narrow down Sugimito's Group's possible route but he is interrupted by Cikapasi who mishears him saying breasts. He then scolds the young Ainu boy and tells him not to look at Inkarmat with lust in his eyes as they make their way towards Tokachi.

### Journey to Karafuto Arc

Stuck in the banya with the wolverine outside, Tanigaki begins to complains that it is too hot. Just then Gansoku raises the heat and starts to slap the soldiers with a venik, thus raising their body temperature. When Tanigaki tells him to stop and that they need to work together to deal with the wolverine, Gansoku says that they are just trying to kill him for his tattoo. The soldiers then take some venik and begin to slap Gansoku until Tanigaki notices that the wolverine is no longer at their door. Tanigaki sees that the wolverine has set its sight on the Ainu kids and when Cikapasi fumbles with the ammo to his gun, Tanigaki steps in and helps him kill the wolverine.

When Sugimoto and Gansoku begins to fight each other, Tanigaki says that he, Tsukishima, and Koito must stop them before Sugimoto takes too much damage. The three of them rushes in to break up the fight but the ice, unable to hold all of their combined weight, breaks and sends them all plunging into the cold water. They then quickly jumped out and back into the banya to regain some warmth in their body. As Gansoku begins to tell Sugimoto about his encounter with Asirpa, he says that he knew the tattooed man with her, which Tanigaki notes to be Shiriashi.

### Youichirou the Manslayer Arc

Gansoku ultimately decides to flee Karafuto in order to preserve his life and bid his farewells to the soldiers as Tanigaki watched him leave with a faint smile on his face. Eventually, Sugimoto's group comes to a Karafuto Ainu village where they decide that they will stay for the day. As they settle down in the village, Tanigaki watches with a smile as Enonoka puts a *hohciri* on Cikapasi's head.

### Karafuto Circus Arc

Sugimoto's group reaches Toyohara where Tanigaki and Cikapasi separates from the others to find information about Kiroranke. They discussed Inkarmat's health and Tanigaki says that Inkarmat is fighting for her life with everything she's got so he has no right to complain about being tired. He then turned to a local man and accidently flashes his own picture before admitting that he is tired.

Later on, Tanigaki regroups with the others as they meet Yamada and Choukichi, the latter of whom stole Sugimoto's bag. To apologize for Choukichi's action, Yamada cuts him with a sword that he pulls out and is subsequently punched by Sugimoto. Tanigaki attempts to treat Choukichi's wound but finds that the blood is fake to which they find out that the two are circus performers. This gives Sugimoto an idea to have Aisrpa know he is alive by joining the troupe and having the whole town of Toyohara talk about him.

Initially, Yamada refuses Sugimoto's request but relents after Sugimoto's threat and Choukichi's suggestion. They are led into the troupe's tent where they see some of their performances and are given an opportunity to try them out. While Koito excelled at all of the acts, Tanigaki, Sugimoto, and Tsukishima performs poorly and so Yamada has Sugimoto practice the *harakiri* show and Tanigaki and Tsukishima relegated to the Girls Group dance where they are yelled at by Fumie Yamada. Tanigaki steps out of the tent to wash his face and Tsukishima comes up to console him about the criticism. However, Tanigaki expresses frustration that he cannot dance well and is a burden on the Girls Group.

As he continued to practice, Tanigaki kept on making mistakes which caused Fumie to yell at him again. Later, Tanigaki is crying outside as he is being consoled by the girls in the group. As they are about to head back inside, one of the girls, Beniko calls out to him and reveals that Toyohara's performance will be her last one with the troupe as she is graduating and says she is glad her last dance was with him and that she hoped to make their performance a huge success. Afterwards, Tanigaki worked hard at his routine until the day of the performance arrived as the whole troupe got ready for their show.

During the show, Tanigaki dances along with Tsukishima and the Girls Group as he nods at Beniko. He then watches on as Koito chased after a photograph of Tsurumi. Afterwards, the Girls Group performed another dance before heading to the back where Tanigaki was complimented by Fumie for his act. The Girls Group congratulates Tanigaki and gives him high fives for his efforts as Tsukishima silently looks at them.

When Sugimoto prepares to do his *harakiri* act, he is interrupted by some Russian hitmen who tries to assassinate him. Once the hitmen had been neutered, Yamada has the whole troupe go out for the final bow so that they can gather the hitmen's bodies. Later, Sugimoto's Group interrogates the lone surviving Russian and finds they were sent to kill Yamada who reveals that he is a former officer in the Imperial Army. Fumie comes in and kills the Russian, much to Tanigaki's surprise and says that they will bury the Russians and leave the next day.

Later, Tanigaki along with the Girls Group gathers around Beniko and weeps as she graduates from their troupe. When Beniko tells Tanigaki not to forget about her or the Girls Group, Tanigaki says that he won't. Sugimoto's Group then gains some information from Yamada about a town north of Toyohara that has a prison called Alexandrovskaya Prison which holds some members of partisan groups. Sugimoto's Group believes the prison is where Kiroranke will head to.

### Border Crossing Arc

Sugimoto's group takes Enonoka's dog sleds and rides them up north to the national border, but they are hit by a heavy snowstorm. When Ryu begins to move out of line, Tanigaki wonders if there is reason why he did that but Sugimoto dismisses it as him being just a hunting dog that's not used to pulling sleds. They soon realize that they had been separated from the others when they hear a gunshot so Tanigaki fires off a gunshot of his own as well. However, they quickly give up on regrouping and makes looking for shelter their priority. Eventually, they realize that they are in big trouble as they wander aimlessly through the snowstorm.

Tanigaki and Sugimoto attempts to dig in the ground but finds that it has been frozen solid, with Tanigaki saying that they would have to endure the blizzard with what they have, and that they should break up the sled. They were able to turn it into a small makeshift shelter and used some of the parts to make a fire. Immediately afterwards, Tanigaki covered it up so that the fire can burn slowly underground. However, Tanigaki says it won't be enough and gets the sled dogs to huddle around them. When Cikapasi expresses concerns about the dogs, Tanigaki says that they will be fine as they are incredibly strong against the cold.

Tanigaki takes out some of his kane mochi and gives them to Sugimoto and Cikapasi, telling them that eating food makes a big difference when it comes to regulating body temperature. Sugimoto notes that it tastes familiar, but Tanigaki scoffs at him, saying that it is his own secret recipe. They then hear a gunshot in the distance, but Tanigaki says that when one is in a blizzard, their sense of direction become so distorted so there is no guarantee that they will head in the direction of the sound.

As Tanigaki reminisce about being in the trenches during wartime, he notices Sugimoto closing his eyes and shouts at him not to fall asleep as he will die. Just then, Sugimoto sees a light off in the distance and wonders if it is the moon. However, Tanigaki says that the moon shouldn't be that large since they snuck into Abashiri exactly two months ago. They then see the light flickering and came to the realization that it is the light from a lighthouse.

Fatigued by the sheer cold, Tanigaki, Sugimoto, and Cikapasi makes their way to a home owned by an elderly Russian couple. They huddle themselves in a spot above the *pechka* which is the warmest part of the room and Tsukishima tells them they are lucky to be alive as the lighthouse had not been in use since the Russo-Japanese war. Once they had gottem warmed up, Tanigaki and Sugimoto helps Enonoka's grandfather make another sled to replace the one they used for firewood. Tanigaki notes Ryu's behavior during the snowstorm, saying that he had been trying to follow the other sled and Sugimoto apologizes to the dog for having doubted him.

Sometime later, the Russian couple prepares some of their homemade food for Sugimoto's group which they all ate together. They listen solemnly to the Russian couple's story about how their daughter had been taken away, and Sugimoto asks if they could borrow a picture of their daughter so that they can find her. Once they had finished eating, Sugimoto's group says their farewells to the Russian couple and continues their journey.

Sugimoto's group comes to a Karafuto Ainu village in the Niitoi area where they decided to stay while looking for Asirpa and Svetlana, the Russian couple's daughter. As Enonoka tells Cikapasi about the *meko oyasi*, a monster cat that had appeared near the village, Tsukishima was able to discern it to be a lynx and Koito thinks they may be talking about Ogata. When Sugimoto asks what Koito has to do with the lynx, Tanigaki stays quiet about it as Tsukishima and Koito talks about Ogata's background and personality.

### Pet Monster Arc

As Sugimoto, Tsukishima, and Koito talk about the tattooed skins, they hear a commotion coming from outside and Tanigaki opens the door to find that an escaped killer has taken Enonoka captive. However, Sugimoto and Cikapasi are able to defeat the killer and save the young Ainu girl. Afterwards, Tanigaki praises Cikapasi for his actions as Cikapasi tells him that he got a boner.

Sugimoto's Group arrives at an Orok settlement where they get clues to Asirpa's whereabouts and decides to rest in their tent to talk about their current situation. Cikapasi and Enonoka notices some carved statues within and asks Tanigaki what they are. Sugimoto's Group then argues about what kind animal it is with Tanigaki thinking it is a mouse. Afterwards, they head out for Akou Prison.

### Akou Prison Break Arc

As they got closer to the prison, they hear a loud explosion and sees smoke flowing in the distance. Using his binoculars, Tsukishima tells everyone that the smoke is coming from Akou Prison. Upon arriving at Akou Prison, Tanigaki is able to correctly assume that Kiroranke was the one who blew the hole in the prison's wall, setting the prisoners free as Tsukishima notes that they were just a little too late. Sugimoto then has Ryu sniff out Asirpa's scent from her knife and says that he now believes in the dog. Cikapasi and Enonoka suddenly screams, causing Tanigaki to ask what was wrong. He turns and sees an Amur tiger coming out from the hole in the prison's wall, leading both him and Tsukishima to shoot at it, scaring it away.

Sugimoto's Group attempts to look for Asirpa's Group but their sleds are unable to maneuver across the drift ice as it has become too rough and uneven and Tanigaki warns that the weather might get worse, saying that it would be too dangerous to go after Asirpa's Group. However, Sugimoto is adamant that Asirpa is close and cuts Ryu's leash to go look for her. Tanigaki calls out for Sugimoto to stop but his cries falls on deaf ears as Sugimoto leaves them behind. Tanigaki, Tsukishima, and Koito goes to look for Sugimoto as they follow his tracks but unbeknownst to Tanigaki and Koito, Tsukishima gets separated from them as they continue their search. They are suddenly attacked by a couple of Russian prisoners, one of whom knocks Tanigaki downs and takes his gun. Tanigaki is able to react quickly enough to grab a nearby block of ice and uses it to defend himself from the prisoner's gunfire.

Tanigaki uses the block of ice to smash the prisoner's foot, causing him to flinch, giving Tanigaki an opening to strike him down with the ice. When Koito calls out to him, Tanigaki informs him that he has dealt with his opponent and Koito notices that Tsukishima is no longer with them, wandering off to find him as Tanigaki watches him walk away. Tanigaki goes to retrieve his rifle from the prisoner and reloads it when he notices Kiroranke nearby. He tackles Kiroranke and begins to beat him down but Kiroranke retaliates by smashing a block of ice into his face. The brawl ends with Tanigaki on the ground, however Tanigaki was able to stab Kiroranke with his own makiri knife as he tells Kiroranke that he forgot it in Abashiri Prison so he came to give it back to him.

Kiroranke leaves Tanigaki lying and bleeding on the ground but some time later, Tanigaki is found by Tsukishima, Koito, and Svetlana, the former who asks him who had wounded him. Tanigaki informs them that it was Kiroranke who had hurt him and Tsukishima tells him not to get up as they will take care of the rest. Koito notices a trail of blood leading away from their position and Tanigaki says that Kiroranke had also been injured. Koito then draws his saber, telling Tsukishima to get moving and orders Svetlana to wait with Tanigaki as he struggles to get up.

Tanigaki is able to recover from his injuries and he meets up with Tsukishima who had also been wounded but bounced back as well. They find Koito on the losing side as he struggles to the death with Kiroranke but they shoot Kiroranke, causing him to fall to the ground and allowing Koito to get up. As they let their guards down, Kiroranke activates a bomb and throws it at Tsukishima and Koito, much to Tanigaki's horror. However, Koito is able to cut the bomb down before it could explode. Tsukishima orders Tanigaki to shoot at Kiroranke but he is stopped by Asirpa, whom he is surprised to see. Tanigaki looks away as Asirpa spends some final moments with Kiroranke before he passes away.

### Return to Karafuto Arc

Tanigaki silently watches as Shiraishi buries Kiroranke and when Asirpa states that she wanted to hear directly from Kiroranke why her father had to die, he relays what Inkarmat had told him, that Wilk had changed and betrayed his comrades. Sugimoto adds on that right before Wilk was killed, he had said that he was not the one who killed the Ainu. Just then, Tsukishima begins to feel fatigued from his neck injury and Tanigaki and Koito helps him with his wound. Tanigaki exclaims that he is amazed that Tsukishima is able to stand with his injury and Koito asks him if he can carry Tsukishima. However, Sugimoto and Asirpa are able to find Gansoku who offers to help carry Tsukishima instead.

Sugimoto's Group stops by a Nivkh settlement near Akou and as the soldiers are resting in a *to ryv*, a Nivkh winter home, they discuss Ogata's motives for working together with Kiroranke. Tanigaki says that he does not believe that Ogata would be sympathetic to the cause of independence for ethnic minority groups. Koito suggests that he may just be doing it for the simple desire of getting his hands on the Ainu gold and Sugimoto hopes that it is the case so that he can kill Ogata without hesitation.

As they continue to rest, Sugimoto's Group listens to Enonoka translate a Nivkh legend about a man who scared a monster away by putting charcoal on his buttocks and showing it to the monster. Afterwards, Tanigaki, Koito, and Tsukishima watches silently as Sugimoto and Asirpa attempts to emulate the story to prank Shiraishi who had also thought of the same idea to prank the both of them as well.

When some of the Nivkh women begins to make *mos*, one of their dishes for Sugimoto's Group, Koito gets excited and shouts out the dish's name, startling Tanigaki. Afterwards, they eat the food and Sugimoto decides to bring in a Russian doctor to look at Tsukishima and Ogata. The doctor tells them that Ogata's wounds are too serious and needs to be brought to his hospital so Sugimoto's Group prepares to make the journey to the hospital.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Sugimoto's Group waits patiently outside while the doctor and his nurse operates on Ogata. The doctor steps out to inform them that despite his best to save Ogata, he will die soon. Upon hearing this, Tanigaki asks what they should do and Sugimoto decides to head inside the hospital to ask if there is any way to save Ogata. Moments later, Sugimoto runs back out, screaming that Ogata has escaped and orders Tanigaki and Shiraishi to head around to the back of the hospital to find Ogata.

As Tanigaki and Shiraishi searches for Ogata, Shiraishi spots some tracks and calls Tanigaki over to check them out. However, Tanigaki points out that the tracks belongs to Shiraishi and suggests that they look elsewhere. Unbeknownst to them, Ogata hears their voices and is able to make an escape, avoiding the both of them entirely.

### Return to Hokkaido Arc

After the Ogata incident, Sugimoto's Group crosses the national border and stops by a Karafuto Ainu village to rest. They are given some of "grandma's chewed dango" to eat, which Sugimoto and Shiraishi becomes drunk off of. Tanigaki notes that the dango are just like *kiritanpo* and that they would taste great with miso as well, causing Sugimoto to cry that he lost his miso box and Tanigaki notes how awful Sugimoto and Shiraishi are in their drunken state. Afterwards, Sugimoto's Group enters the town of Shizuka in order to go shopping for necessities.

As they prepare to set off, Asirpa notices that Sugimoto is nowhere to be seen so Shiraishi goes looking for him only to get shot in the leg by a sniper. Tanigaki jumps onto Cikapasi and Enonoka to shield them from the sniper and tells everyone to get inside the store. However, the sniper shoots at the store, causing Tanigaki to cover Cikapasi and Enonoka once more as they hid behind the dog sleds. Tanigaki warns Asirpa not to move and Sugimoto's Group all believes that the sniper could only be Hyakunosuke Ogata.

Asirpa suggests that they push the dog sleds in order to get closer to Shiraishi and rescue him, but Tanigaki refuses, saying that if the sniper really is Ogata, then he must be after Asirpa herself. When Tsukishima pokes his cap out for the sniper to shoot at, Tanigaki wonders if he is playing with the sniper. However, Tsukishima says that he is keeping the sniper's attention drawn to them for the sake of their coordinated attack in order to allow Sugimoto to find the sniper unnoticed.

Koito calls out to an elderly man in a horse-drawn sledge to stop or else he will be shot at. However, the man drives by them and Tsukishima raises his cap, figuring out that Sugimoto managed to stop the sniper. When Asirpa immediately runs off to find Sugimoto, Tanigaki calls out to her but she kept on running. Sugimoto's Group finds Sugimoto and the sniper, Vasily lying on the floor drawing and Tanigaki asks Sugimoto what he is doing. They find out that Vasily was one of the Russian solders after Kiroranke and that he has set his eyes on Ogata who has gone missing. Afterwards. they leave town and head back to the lighthouse where they give Svetlana's message to her parents.

Sugimoto's Group returns to Toyohara where they decide to stay until Tsurumi arrives in Karafuto so Tanigaki, Cikapasi, and Ryu goes out hunting. They are approached by a couple of Karafuto Ainu men who asks Cikapasi several questions before leaving. Cikapasi tells Tanigaki that the Karafuto Ainu men's *kotan* is nearby and that they were just curious about them.

Tanigaki expresses relief that Cikapasi came along on their journey as they have been able to get by in Karafuto without raising any suspicions. Cikapasi says that they did a great job pretending to be a family back in Hokkaido and wonders if Inkarmat is feeling better. Tanigaki reassures Cikapasi that Inkarmat is doing well and that they should see her once they head back home. They are then approached by Enonoka who overhears their conversation and asks Cikapasi if he is going back.

## References

1. ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook