Introduction Arc

The **Introduction Arc** is the first story arc of *Golden Kamuy*.

## Summary

### Hunting The Evil God

In the year Meiji 37 (1904), at 203 Hill, the Japanese army is engaging in combat against the Russian forces. A soldier and his platoon are preparing to charge against the enemy troops. In the midst of the rush, many soldiers are killed, and the Japanese soldier is shot in the neck. However, he doesn’t let that stop him and continues charging, fighting courageously against several of the Russian soldiers and killing them brutally.

The scene then shifts to a river somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Hokkaido few years later. The Japanese soldier, who is revealed to be named Saichi Sugimoto, is prospecting for gold. Upon hearing his own name, he turns around and notices a middle-aged man with a bottle of alcohol approaching him and asking him how his luck is. Sugimoto comments that the man is drunk again, but nonetheless replies that he has been out of luck. He is frustrated since he came to Hokkaido all the way from Tokyo and needs money. The man suggests Sugimoto tries hunting, but he brushes it off, empathizing he isn't skilled as a hunter and that he needs money fast. The man inquiries Sugimoto about his time during the Russo-Japanese War and his reputation of “Sugimoto the Immortal”. Sugimoto confirms that the stories that are passed around are true and he just doesn't seem to die. The drunken man wonders why Sugimoto has to pan for gold instead of being rewarded for his service. Sugimoto explains that if it wasn't for an officer he nearly killed for pissing him off, he would have an Order of the Golden Kite and would be enjoying a "cozy retirement" now.

The drunken man laughs at Sugimoto's story and then asks if he wants to hear an interesting tale about a big pile of gold, which the man is ready to share because he took a liking to Sugimoto.

In the olden days, there was a lot of gold in the rivers of Hokkaido—it was a gold rush. At that time, a group of Ainu was secretly gathering gold to fight back against the Japanese that had stolen their lands and forbidden fishing and hunting. The group gathered a lot of gold, which amounted to 20 kan (75 kg), but it all was stolen by one man who killed them all. The man hid the gold somewhere in Hokkaido, but then was caught by the police, sentenced to death, and sent to live the rest of his days in Abashiri Prison. The man was trying to communicate the location of the hidden gold to his friends from the outside, but the prison guards would steal the letters he wrote. He couldn't tell a soul about it, as everyone wanted the gold and some guards would go as far as cut the tendon on the man's leg to ensure he never escapes the prison without telling them where he hid the gold.

The drunken man reveals that the Ainu killer tattooed a coded location into the bodies of several prisoners that had spent so much time suffering together. The man promised the prisoners that he will split half the gold with anyone who manages to escape the prison. Sugimoto is skeptical at the story and asks why didn't the man just make one person carry a coded letter since it's much easier than tattooing. The drunken man explains that the tattoos only had meaning when they were combined together.

The police and the military were also interested in gold. After some soldiers heard the rumors of the the tattoos, they forced the prison to give out the prisoners under the pretext of transporting them to another place. However, the prisoners managed to kill the guards and escaped into the woods. The drunken man then falls asleep, claiming not to know what happened to the prisoners or the gold, or even where he heard it from. Sugimoto dismisses the story and says it must be another of the man's tall tales, just like the one about seeing extinct Hokkaido wolves.

Sugimoto decides to take a break from gold panning and sits by the fire, where he gets lost in thoughts. He reminisces about the time during the war, when he and his best friend Toraji were sitting in a trench, talking about the future. Toraji invites Sugimoto to come to Hokkaido with him to look for gold. He explains that he has a family and he wants his child to go to college so he won't end up like his father and manages to escape the life of poverty. Toraji is concerned about his wife Umeko, whose eyesight is getting worse every day. He says that his American friend told him that America has the best eye doctors in the world. Toraji shows Sugimoto a paper with calculations he made, with the boat fare roughly being 200 yen, which would also double if he accompanies his wife. He says he needs to hurry and find the gold since the relationship with America will worsen once the war is over. Suddenly, Toraji starts crying and asks Sugimoto to take care of Umeko. Sugimoto looks at Toraji and sees the dismembered body of his friend. As Toraji sinks into a pool of blood and dead bodies, he tells Sugimoto he can't go back to Japan. Sugimoto reaches out to Toraji, tearfully asking him to not go.

Sugimoto wakes up from the nightmare only to see the drunken man pointing his own gun at him. The drunken man realizes that he has revealed something that he should not have said. Sugimoto grabs the rifle and asks if the man wants to find out if he is really immortal. He then hits him with a rock and gets his gun back. The drunken man flees, and Sugimoto decides to chase after him, thinking his story might be true.

After walking further in the forest, Sugimoto witnesses a strange thing—he finds the drunken man dead, buried in the snow. Sugimoto pulls his body out and sees that the man's guts are gone. He then notices a bear's track in the snow and realizes that the man was eaten by a brown bear, which buried him as leftovers. Sugimoto examines the corpse and, upon seeing the tattoos on the man's torso, he realizes that the drunken man is one of the prisoners from the story.

As Sugimoto puts the man's body on his back in order to carry it to a safe location, he spots a baby bear in a tree. He is then startled by a roar from the mother bear, who charges at him to protect her cub. Sugimoto slips and falls down the hill, but the bear is still going after him. Just then an arrow pierces the bear through its chest, and Sugimoto turns around and sees a young Ainu girl armed with a bow. The girl commands him to stay back and says that the arrows are poisoned.

When the bear is finally dead, the Ainu girl cuts out the the meat around the spot the arrow hit. She then asks Sugimoto about the dead man, and Sugimoto explains that the sow killed him. The girl thinks it's strange that a bear that came out of hibernation would eat a human since its stomach is still shriveled. She cuts the bear open and examines its stomach, discovering that it's empty. They conclude that another bear killed the man, and the girl says it's a bad thing for Sugimoto. She reveals that the only bears that eat meat during this time of year are *matakarip*, "those that move in winter". The girl tells Sugimoto to give up on the man's body because the bear will come back for its prey. Sugimoto refuses to leave the corpse behind, and the girl tells him that in that case he should kill the bear or, if he is not prepared to fight, hurry up and get out. She looks Sugimoto in the eyes and says a harsh phrase, "The weak get eaten".

Sugimoto announces he has an interesting story to tell the girl and lifts up the corpse's shirt, revealing the tattoos. In the meantime, a brown bear is seen eating a baby cub somewhere else in the forest.

Having told the girl the story about the Ainu gold, Sugimoto begs her for help since he really needs money. He takes the girl's silence for doubt, but she says that she believes him, as her father was one of the Ainu that was killed that night. She then tasks Sugimoto with gathering firewood so they can have enough light to see in the dark. When Sugimoto moves the corpse closer to the fire, the girl realizes something about the tattoos. Terrified, she reveals that the man had no intention of sharing the gold, as the tattoo is wrapped around the chest and arms of the prisoner and it means that they had to be killed and skinned to get the full map. Sugimoto suggests they skin the man before the bear comes, but the Ainu girl says they have no time.

The two continue to gather firewood while getting ready for the bear's attack. The Ainu girl tells Sugimoto that when a brown bear kills a human, it is cursed to never be able to eat anything else despite the fact that the mountains are full of other delicious foods. As a result, it no longer fears humans and becomes more violent and dangerous. Such an animal becomes known as a *wen kamuy* (evil god). Sugimoto thinks that it is because the bear must’ve figured out how weak humans really are. The girl tells Sugimoto to hurry up and gather more firewood so that the bonfire won’t burn out since they cannot fight the bear in the dark. They must wait until dawn breaks so that they can gain the advantage over it in a fight.

Sugimoto and the girl start gathering *sitat*, bark from white birch trees, which is full of oil which will burn for a long time and can work well as a torch. As Sugimoto comments on how much time they have left before sunrise, the brown bear walks to the campfire and the drunken man’s corpse. The bear roars and tosses the firewood Sugimoto was carrying with its paw. Shocked, Sugimoto screams, alerting the Ainu girl, and then attempts to punch the bear, which has no effect at all. The girl tells him to get beneath the bear and grab onto its belly as she pulls out an arrow to shoot at it. Since their campfire was destroyed, the girl can't see the bear in the dark. Hearing Sugimoto struggle, the girl thinks the bear probably got him. However, Sugimoto yells and asks her to not shoot, surprising the Ainu girl. The girl warns Sugimoto that she will take the risky shot, but, as her arrow reaches the bear, Sugimoto pulls out his army knife and stabs the bear. This causes the bear to flinch and to turn another way. The arrow the girl shot deflects off the bear's skull.

As the moon has appeared in the sky, the bear notices the girl and charges at her, knocking her aside and making Sugimoto fall off it too. The girl quickly gets up and draws her knife as the bear roars at her. Suddenly, a white wolf jumps out and attacks the bear. The girl reaches out her hand and calls the wolf by its name, Retar. She then instructs Sugimoto to aim for the bear’s heart, which is right under its armpit. Sugimoto takes aim and shoots the bear. The bear then stands up on its hind legs and readies to attack Sugimoto.

On the ground, Sugimoto points his bayonet against the bear and, as the beast falls down on him, the bayonet pierces its heart and kills it. The Ainu girl walks closer to the bear and asks if *sisam* is still alive. Sugimoto confirms it, and the girl tells him about Ainu ways of hunting bears with the use of the spear and the bear's own weight. She is impressed by Sugimoto’s bravery and tactics, but he says he only did it on instinct and had no previous knowledge of such methods. Sugimoto asks the girl to help him get up, and the girl holds out her hand to him. Sugimoto introduces himself to the girl who reveals that her name is Asirpa.

Sugimoto looks around, searching for the white dog he saw earlier. Asirpa corrects him, saying Retar is actually a wolf. She points at a hill, where Retar is seen howling on the moon.

Once they set another fire, Asirpa starts cutting up the bear. She tells Sugimoto about how five years ago, her father and six other Ainu men were killed while moving the gold to another hiding place. Their corpses were hacked to pieces and wild animals found them and scattered the remains. However, Asirpa and her village didn't know the murderer had been caught and thrown into Abashiri Prison; they didn't know about the tattooed prisoners either. Sugimoto suggests that he and Asirpa should team up and find the gold, but Asirpa is skeptical about how they’re going to do that. She says that whoever tattooed those men was basically asking for them to be killed and skinned.

Asirpa finishes cutting up the bear and hands Sugimoto its gall bladder, which he can dry and sell for a lot of money. Sugimoto asks why won't she take a half, since they both killed that bear. Asirpa explains that the Ainu don't eat bears that ate humans, since a bear that does evil things and becomes an evil god is sent to a hell called *teine pokna mosir*.

Asirpa is adamant about not wanting to kill people, and Sugimoto thinks to himself they will be rolling out a red carpet for him in hell for killing so many people.

Sugimoto explains that the gold is probably still not found and her father’s killer must be still alive in prison. He then takes out his bayonet and skins the drunken man's corpse's torso. Sugimoto asks Asirpa if she helped him because she realized she can find the gold and have her revenge for her father's death. He promises he’ll be the one doing all the dirty work while she provides her knowledge to him. Sugimoto believes that, despite their different goals, if they work together, they can be an unstoppable force.

### The First Prisoner

Sugimoto and Asirpa walk in the forest while preparing traps, with Asirpa explaining how Ainu snares work. The two are planning to capture squirrels to feed themselves and sell their fur. After preparing enough traps, Sugimoto and Asirpa talk about the possible places where the Abashiri Convicts might be. Sugimoto suggests that they must be still in Hokkaido. He says that they wouldn't hide in small villages, as outsiders are easily spotted, so they likely went to big cities like Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa, or Otaru, the closest town to them.

In Otaru, Sugimoto goes to a public bathhouse. He asks a regular there if he has seen anyone with strange tattoos attend the bathhouse lately, but the man denies it. When Sugimoto comes out from the water, the man, clearly surprised, asks him if he is a soldier. As the man observes Sugimoto's body, which is covered in numerous deep scars, he thanks him for his service, saying that it's thanks to men like Sugimoto Japan managed to get Southern Karafuto back, and now Otaru will prosper. Sugimoto tartly remarks that it's only the merchants who are getting rich. However, he thinks that he will get rich, too, no matter what it takes.

On another street of Otaru, Asirpa interrogates prostitutes, inquiring if they've had customers with strange tattoos. Before the women could answer her, a large man, who appears to be the owner of the brothel, grabs Asirpa by her collar and lifts her up. He demands to know why "some Ainu brat" is playing around their "soba restaurant". Upon examining Asirpa's face, the man concludes she must be around 12-13 years old since she doesn't have her Ainu mouth tattoo that young girls receive when they come of age. He threatens to sell Asirpa to a brothel, saying he'd better hurry and do that now since nobody wants a girl with a mouth tattoo. Asirpa takes her *menokomakiri* and hits her attacker with its pommel in the eye, which makes the man release her from his grip. Before the brothel owner could do anything, he is tapped on the back by Sugimoto, who asks him to look closely at his thumb. Sugimoto then hits the man with thumb in the throat, making him choke. Sugimoto puts the man in a chokehold while Asirpa shows him the drawing with the tattoo design. The man reveals that someone came before asking the same thing. Sugimoto grins and says that someone had the same idea as them.

Sugimoto and Asirpa continue to ask around town until they decide to call it a day. Upon returning to the woods, they get followed by a strange man who plans to kill them. When the man passes by the makeshift bridge, he gets into one of Asirpa's traps. As the man tries to free himself, Sugimoto and Asirpa notice the tattoos on his shoulders and back and realize that he is one of the tattooed convicts.

As the prisoner comes to his senses, he finds himself tied up and sees Sugimoto sitting on a log nearby with his revolver in hand. Sugimoto asks the prisoner where the other prisoners are, but the prisoner denies knowing their whereabouts. Sugimoto does not believe him, telling him he is aware that tattoos are useless on their own and only make sense together. He asks the man why all the prisoners split up. The prisoner reveals that the other convicts began killing each other in a bloodbath, so he just ran for his own life and stayed low the whole time. Sugimoto realizes that some of the prisoners must have come to the same conclusion: they would have to skin each other to get the full meaning of the tattooed code.

The prisoner is shocked as Sugimoto reveals the true purpose of the tattooed skins to him. The convict wonders if all of them will be hunted for the tattoos and calls the man who tattooed them a cold and brutal monster. The prisoner claims that compared to the other escaped Abashiri convicts, he is just a petty crook. However, he immediately starts taunting Sugimoto and tells him about the greedy young soldiers who came after them, hinting at the ugly nature of their deaths. When the prisoner advises Sugimoto to go hunting rabbits instead, Sugimoto draws the revolver at him while looking unfazed, promising him that he won't feel anything while being skinned since he will be dead by then. Asirpa shows up and, upon hearing Sugimoto threaten the man, gets upset with Sugimoto. She reminds him of their deal and that he promised not to kill anyone or else she won't help him. Sugimoto puts the gun away, saying that he hoped she would play along and he was only bluffing in order to get the prisoner to talk.

Sometime later, Sugimoto and Asirpa fix the prisoner's arms using a branch and some ropes so that Asirpa can sketch the convict's tattoo. Sugimoto compliments Asirpa on her drawing while Asirpa is impressed with how useful pencils are for drawing. As Asirpa sharpens the pencil, she talks about her father, saying that he was good with his hands and as such was popular with the ladies. Asirpa explains that an Ainu man crafts a *makiri* and gives it to the woman he likes. The woman examines the craftsmanship in order to determine whether the man would make a good provider. She reveals that the *menokomakiri* in her possession was made by her father and asks the prisoner about who tattooed him.

The prisoner reveals that they all called him "Noppera-bou", as he did not have a face. However, before he could explain any further, the prisoner is shot in the head and killed.

Quickly calculating where the shot came from, Sugimoto pulls Asirpa down for safety. Asirpa notices that prisoner's blood got on the drawing and ruined the sketch. As Sugimoto attempts to scout for the sniper, Asirpa cuts down a tree branch to use for a smoke screen. Sugimoto begins to fire his gun, declaring that he will get the sniper's attention while Asirpa quickly prepares the distraction. As the sniper reloads, he takes note of the gun's type based off of the sound and aims his gun once more. However, his sight is blocked by the smoke screen. The sniper follows the duo, momentarily stopping to spot the prisoner he killed before finding tracks leading under a fallen tree.

The sniper puts his gun ahead of him and has it ensnared in a trap which removes it from his hands, taking him by surprise. Sugimoto lunges at the sniper with his rifle, but the man manages to duck and then tackles Sugimoto. The sniper pulls Sugimoto's knife out of its sheath and attempts to stab him, but Sugimoto blocks it with his rifle and kicks the sniper off. Sugimoto notes that he was going to spare the sniper's life, but now he sees that that he should not underestimate his enemy. He aims his rifle at the sniper and warns him he will shoot if he moves. The sniper shows the bolt of Sugimoto's rifle in his hand, and Sugimoto realizes that his rifle has been rendered useless. The sniper takes his cloak off, and Sugimoto confirms that the man before him is indeed a soldier from the strongest unit in the Army, the Hokkaido 7th Division.

As Sugimoto observes the 7th Division soldier before him, he realizes how much trouble he has got himself into. The soldier asks Sugimoto what unit he is from, and Sugimoto states that he is from the 1st Division but now is discharged. The soldier looks surprised and says they probably saw each other at 203 Hill. He then offers Sugimoto to give up on the corpse of the drunken man, lamenting it would be a shame to survive the war and then throw your life away over money. He implies that Sugimoto doesn't realize how high the stakes are in the game they're playing. Sugimoto stands tall and announces that he is not in it for money; instead, he is doing it for the woman he loves.

The soldier immediately attacks Sugimoto with a bayonet, but Sugimoto grabs him and throws him on the ground, twisting his right arm behind his back and breaking it. Sugimoto takes his knife and attempts to murder the soldier, but he is stopped by Asirpa calling out to him. The soldier recognizes Sugimoto as the legendary Sugimoto the Immortal and manages to distract him by stabbing him in the eyes. The soldier flees, concluding he won't be able to take Sugimoto the Immortal down in his current condition. Before he could run any further, he gets struck with the butt of the rifle which Sugimoto throws at him. The man loses his senses and falls down from the cliff into the cold river, breaking his jaw during the fall.

Once the soldier is out of their sight, Asirpa asks Sugimoto about his nickname. Sugimoto explains his worldview, saying that during the war he learned the trick to staying alive: you don't let anybody kill you. He claims that he doesn't enjoy killing but will not hesitate to kill whoever he needs to if his life is on the line.

Later, as the two walk through the woods, Asirpa tells Sugimoto about hunting huts nearby and that they should change where they sleep each night in order to not get caught. Sugimoto is impressed by her knowledge and wonders who taught her so much. Asirpa explains that since she didn't have any brothers her father took her hunting in the woods with him and taught her everything. She says she enjoys it more than sitting at home and doing typical female stuff, like knitting.

When they reach a temporary hut called *kuca*, Asirpa suggests they make a meal out of the squirrels she caught with her snares. As she skins them, she explains that she is going to cook *citatap*, an Ainu dish where one uses a knife to make minced meat. Asirpa says that Sugimoto can eat the brain since it's a tasty treat. Sugimoto is taken aback by that suggestion, which offends Asirpa who assumes Sugimoto has a problem with Ainu cuisine. Not wanting to disrespect Asirpa and her culture, Sugimoto begrudgingly eats the raw squirrel brain. Next, Asirpa demonstrates how to mince the squirrel meat to make *citatap* and explains the meaning behind the name of the dish: ci (we), tata (mince), p (it). Then, she asks Sugimoto to mince it too and say citatap while doing it. When the meat is minced, Asirpa says that normally citatap is eaten raw, but for special *sisam* Sugimoto she will make it into a *ohaw* (soup) and add some dried *pukusakina* (soft windflower).

Once *ohaw* is ready, Asirpa and Sugimoto proceed to eating it. Sugimoto says it's delicious, while Asirpa exclaims, *"Hinna, hinna!"* Sugimoto asks her what that phrase means, and she explains that it's an Ainu expression for showing your appreciation for food. Sugimoto smiles and repeats *"hinna, hinna"* after Asirpa.

Somewhere else in the woods, the soldier that attacked Sugimoto is rescued by his fellow soldiers. They report he was found on the riverbank at dusk and that his condition was so severe that any later he would have succumbed to hypothermia. As they reveal his name, Hyakunosuke Ogata, the soldiers wonder what Superior Private Ogata was doing out there all alone. They decide to wait for him to regain his consciousness so they can interrogate him. The soldiers are then shown, standing in the darkness with burning torches, their faces shadowed, and their mysterious commander sitting on a horse.

## Story Impact

* The protagonist Saichi Sugimoto and the deuteragonist Asirpa are introduced.
* The story of the stolen Ainu gold and the faceless man called Noppera-bou who stole it all and killed the Ainu is told. The killer was sent to Abashiri Prison, where he tattooed the secret code to the hidden gold on the bodies of other convicts, promising to share a half of the treasure with anyone who gets out of the prison. When the guards were transporting the tattooed convicts, the prisoners managed to kill them and escaped in the woods.
* The man who tells the story to Sugimoto is Takechiyo Gotou, one of the Abashiri prisoners, who is later killed by a bear after he fails to kill Sugimoto and tries to escape.
* Sugimoto meets Asirpa while recovering the code tattooed on Gotou's body and she works with him to kill the bear.
* Asirpa and Sugimoto join forces to find the gold.
* The first prisoner encountered by both Asirpa and Sugimoto, Kanjirou Kasahara, is introduced after he falls for a trap they set up in the forest.
	+ Kanjirou is killed by Hyakunosuke Ogata, a 7th Division sniper, who is also pursuing the gold.
* Sugimoto is stopped from killing Ogata by Asirpa and Ogata ends up falling into a river.
	+ Ogata is later saved by other members of the 7th Division.
* Traditional Ainu meal, *citatap*, is cooked by Asirpa and Sugimoto.

## Characters Introduced

### Main Characters

* Saichi Sugimoto
* Noppera-Bou
* Asirpa
* Hyakunosuke Ogata
* Tokushirou Tsurumi

### Supporting Characters

* Toraji Kenmochi
* Umeko Kenmochi
* Retar

### Minor Characters

* Takechiyo Gotou
* Kanjirou Kasahara

## Chapters

* 001. **Immortal Sugimoto** (不死身の杉元, *Fujimi no Sugimoto*)
* 002. **Wenkamuy** (ウェンカムイ, *Uen Kamui*)
* 003. **Trap** (罠, *Wana*)
* 004. **Noppera-bo** (のっぺら坊, *Nopperabō*)
* 005. **Hokuchin Unit** (北鎮部隊, *Hokuchin Butai*)

## Episodes

* 01. **Wenkamuy** (ウェンカムイ, *Wen Kamui*)
* 02. **Nopperabo** (のっぺらぼう, *Noppera-bō*)