Masuji Madarai

* Current
* Past

“
Hoping to use your tools without subjecting them to any wear is mistaking the means for the end. In order to serve Tsuzura Temple's purpose, I'll exhaust as many tsukumogami as necessary.
”
—Masuji Madarai, Chapter 106

**Masuji Madarai** (斑井 枡次, *Madarai Masuji*) was the assistant head priest of Tsuzura Temple and leader the Servitude Faction.

## Appearance

Masuji is a short elderly man with a pointy moustache and a small goatee on his chin. He is mostly bald with only hair on the back of his head and a small amount of hair on the middle which stick out. Despite his age, Masuji is physically fit with well defined muscles.

Masuji's regular clothes consist of a kimono with tassels on the side of each chest.

When suffering the side effect of overusing Puppet Binding, Masuji becomes a mold of undefined flesh sandwiched between multiple large fingers.

After regaining a human form, Masuji is now a petite little girl that has purple hair with two lighter colored fringes and a cowlick.

## Personality

Masuji is extremely arrogant, believing himself to be the most capable combatant. After watching Kukuri's battle with Kanaka Kagami, he believed the threat Kanaka posed to have been over exaggerated and stated Kukuri should be ashamed for having lost. He talks down to Kazuya Kagami despite knowing he is capable of Ascension which is highest obtainable goal of the temple's exorcist, achieved by none so far. Along with his arrogance, Madarai is easily angered when opposed or when his plans fail.

Masuji does not view tsukumogami as people but rather tools. Masuji believes that the temple's reliance on a few strong individuals with a close connection to their tsugumomo to be detrimental when the rest of them can perform just as well by treating their tsukumogami as tools and exhausting them as they see fit. This treatment of tsukumogami stems from Madarai's dedication to carrying out Tsuzura Temple's purpose, to deal with aberrations in the most efficient manner possible. Even after he is deposed as head priest, Madarai is still dedicated to Tsuzura Temple's cause and views his actions as justified for Tsuzura Temple's betterment. He expresses concerns about the facility's current capability to handle the oncoming events and wishes to return as soon as possible.

## History

It is suggested that Madarai and Ouhi Oriobana were classmates at Tsuzura Temple.

## Plot

### Tsuzura Temple Arc

Masuji orchestrates a plot to overthrow Ouhi Oriobana as head priest of Tsuzura Temple while she meets with Kazuya Kagami about situation Kanaka Kagami. While she is away, Masuji has Ouhi's followers detained, the tsugumomo from Mayoiga locked away and uses Arumi's ability to replay Kukuri's fight with Kanaka. When Ouhi returns to Tsuzura temple with Kazuya he has Takumi Tagusari along with his other exorcists detain them. While the two are imprisoned Masuji explains his plans, goals and motivations to them. Ouhi and Kanaka manage to escape freeing Ouhi's followers in the process. Ouhi and Masuji's group confront each other and Ouhi challenges Masuji to the Nine Masters Tournament to determine leadership of Tsuzura Temple. A crowd gathers around the group and leaving him has no choice to accept Ouhi's challenge. Kazuya and Ouhi are able to free some the Mayoiga tsugumomo while the rest remain in Masuji's captivity. While Ouhi is bathing, Masuji and Kagashi use the incense burner tsukumogami Hakuenko to put Ouhi to sleep and interrogate her about the whereabouts of the temple's puppet bindings. They would later use Hakuenko to interrogate Ouhi again to gain information about their team. After acquiring the puppet bindings he would use them on Arumi and Mimane.

Some time before the tournament, Madarai used the puppet binding to strengthen Arumi's abilities to see three years into the future, seeing a town in ruins with a towering pillar, what Madarai assumes to be the result of the Onogoro Ritual.

In the Nine Masters Tournament, he is assigned Kazuya as his opponent. Madarai has the fighters on his faction use Puppet Bindings on the captured Mayoiga tsugumomo, allowing them to secretly use multiple tsukumogami, with Takumi Tagusari and Suguru Susuzumi being the only ones not to, Suguru insisting he does no need it. Shiori Shioiori is given an additional puppet binding to self activate in her match against Ouhi should Shiori ever admit defeat. Even when his scheme is revealed, Masuji is still confident his faction will win. After Takumi's defeat at the hands of Takano Tagusari, Masuji lashes out at Arumi and Mimane for his team losing despite all the effort placed in their strategy, including using Arumi's power to predict their victory. Mimane explains that the further Arumi looks in into the future the more unreliable it gets. Masuji has Mimane use her power to spy on Ouhi's team meeting.

Madarai and Kazuya face off in the final match of the tournament. Madarai uses his warehouse tsukumogami Chuushingura which he also uses to store the remaining bound Mayoiga tsugumomo. Masuji uses Sanjou to nullify Kazuya and Kyouka's sound attacks but the two are able to free Sanjou from his bindings and unarm Masuji. Masuji continues to fight unarmed until deciding to use Chushingura and his remaining puppet bindings to bind the remaining Mayoiga tsugumomo to him, transforming himself into grotesque monster while using all of their abilities. Kazuya is enraged and enters Domination which proves to be too much for Masuji. Just as Masuji is about to be defeated, Kazuya's Domination wears off having Exhausted Kyouka to the point of breaking. As Madarai is about to finish Kazuya off, Kazuya is saved by Kiriha. Kiriha and Kazuya use Ascension and defeat Madarai, freeing the remaining tsugumomo in the process.

Madarai is imprisoned and transformed into an immobile mass of flesh and hands as a side effect of using the puppet bindings. Ouhi and Madarai strike a deal in order for him to use Chuushingura to restore damaged the Mayoiga tsugumomo. Ouhi later returns to fulfill her end of the bargain. They documented and told others that Madarai had himself sent to a regional branch due to his decreased popularity as a result of his actions. In reality, despite Madarai's please for Ouhi to kill him, Ouhi convinced him into allowing the god Haniya Tatetsuchi to return him to his human form. Madarai agrees but is upset upon finding his new form to be that of a little girl's. Ouhi tells Madarai that Kagashi had told her what he had done to her while she was sleep, telling him that she will ensure he repays his debt.

### Kazuya's Partners Arc

Madarai is sent to the Kanara Shrine to work for Taguri Kanayama as part of paying his debt. During this custody, Masuji reveals he had used a puppet binding on Arumi to enhance her divination powers and foresaw catastrophic event. This dark future made him see his rebellion as justified while believing Ouhi's methods were too naive. Despite using this claim as a reason to leave, Taguri did not seem to take him seriously. Masuji, frustrated with his current situation, begins plans to escape but with little success.

Some time later, Haniya arrives to perform regular maintenance on Madarai's new body. Madarai complains to Haniya to return him to a male body but Haniya tells him to get used to his new body. He requests to have male genitals at least so Haniya slaps some on, warning him they are temporary and will fall off after a week. Madarai complains his new genitals are unable to get erect and accuses Haniya of being a fraud. Haniya reasons that he just needs some mental stimulation, prompting Madarai to strip her clothes off. She binds Madarai with clay but Madarai continues provoking her, claiming his lack of erection is proof of her fraudulence. Unable to let Madari to doubt her abilities, Haniya lets Madarai perform a more thorough inspection of her body. Madarai finally gets erect and prepares to put it to use on Haniya but she stops him. Haniya creates a clay onahole for Madarai to relieve himself.

## Abilities

### Natural Abilities

**Expert Combatant**: Despite his arrogant and underhanded nature, Madarai does possess great physical capabilities and combat expertise, making him deserving as his status as an eighth sigil exorcist. Madarai is shown to be able to adapt quickly to use new weapons and abilities granted to him by his tsukumogami. He has shown great tactical and analytical prowess, being able to read and counter attacks accordingly in the middle of battle. Unarmed, Madarai is able to fight on par against Kazuya Kagami and Kyouka. He has mastered control over his spirit power, allowing him to deflect Kyouka's sound abilities bare handedly.

### Tools

* **Puppet Bindings**: Using puppet bindings locked away within Tsuzura Temple, Madarai is able to force tsukumogami to obey his command as well as enhance their abilities.
	+ **Triple Curelty** (三倍虐(さんばいきやく),, *Sanbaikiyaku*): Madarai triples the power of the puppet bindings, increasing his own power and tsukumogami's power as a result.

### Tsugumomo

#### Chuushingura

**Chuushingura** (蟲心蔵(ちゆうしんぐら),, *Chūshingura*): A warehouse tsukumogami that has been passed down through his family, Chuushingura is the primary tsukumogami of Masuji Madarai which he kept secret from others and is the only tsukumogami he commanded without a puppet binding. Its human form is never seen nor has it ever spoken. Chuushingura takes the form of a small two story building with Japanese style architecture. It has pair of sliding doors from which things can enter it. Its primary ability is repairing minor damage to tools and preservation. With the power of the puppet bindings it gains new and enhanced abilities.

* **Restore Activity** (修復活性(しゆうふくかつせい),, *Shūfuku Katsusei*): With the puppet binding giving it enhanced power, Chuushingura is able to fully restore and heal multiple exhausted tsukumogami at the same time by having them enter it.
* **Multiple Bonded Tsukumogami: Hundred Blended Tools** (多重霊交付喪神 斑百器(たじゆうれいこうつくもがみ まだらひやつき),, *Tajiyū Reikō tsukumogami madarahiyatsuki*): By empowering Chuushingura with a puppet binding, it gains the ability to disassemble and reconstruct the tsukumogami within it. By using a second puppet binding on the newly fused tsukumogami, Madarai is able to bind them to him, transforming him into an amalgamation of arms and faces with his torso sticking out. In this new form he is able to use all the abilities of the tsukumogami that were fused together. Due to binding the tsukumogami against their will, Madarai must manually use each ability limiting him to using one ability at a time. The tsugumomo express large amounts of pain when he does so.

#### Enslaved Tsukumogami

Multiple tsugumomo from Mayoiga and utilize their abilities. All the the tsugumomo aside from Sanjou are fused together so he can use their abilities in his **Hundred Blended Tools** form.

* **Sanjou**: Madarai used Sanjoujou, the staff tsugumomo, to counter Kyouka's sound based abilities in his match against Kazuya. During the battle Kazuya was able to free Sanjoujou by vibrating sound through his and Madarai's bodies to damage destroy the puppet bindings.
	+ **Silencing Performance** (音切業(おとぎりそう),, *Otogirisō*): Madarai taps the staff on the ground to great create an area which sound is unable to travel within the open air of the barrier.
	+ **Bellring Silencer** (鐘音蓋(しようおんがい),, *Shiyō on gai*): An ability that allows the user to offset the impact of the sound.
* **Mimane Miyou**: The mirror tsugumomo, Madarai is able to use Mimane's mirror to deflect attacks.
* **Arumi Ashimine**: The crystal ball tsugumomo, Madarai is able to use Arumi's ability to read moments into the future in order to formulate the best course of action.
* **Shakushisho**: A ladle tsugumomo granting Madarai the ability to manipulate water.
* **Tsuchiyakko**: A hammer tsugumomo allowing Madarai access to wooden mallets as weaponry.
* **Nagahana**: A naginata tsugumomo, granting Madarai access to the weapon and various techniques.
* **Stone Wall**: An unnamed stone wall tsukumogami which allows Madarai to create stone barriers.
* **Resentment Armor**: An unnamed tsukumogami in the form of a samurai helmet with a skull on it. It allows Madarai to manifest a full plate of samurai armor even in his transformed state. It is similar in appearance and functionality to Shinkurou Shishizaki's Grudge Armor.

## Etymology

* The name **Masuji** means "measuring box, (kokuji)" (枡) (**masu**) and "next" (次) (**ji**).
* Masuji's surname **Madarai** means "spot, blemish, speck, patches, rash, spots, unevenness, irregularity" (斑) (**madara**) and "well, mine shaft, pit" (井) (**i**).

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 86
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 106
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 130
4. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 88
5. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 89
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 95
7. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 103
8. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 100
9. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 98
10. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 107
11. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 108
12. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 110
13. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 111
14. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 130, Pages 16-22
15. ↑ Tsugumomo Manga: Chapter 108, Pages 5 - 6