Kirawus/Story

Overview
**Story**
Gallery

## Background

Kirawus was born in Hokkaido, near Kushiro as the youngest child of his family.

## Plot

### Shiton Anehata Arc

Kirawus is introduced after Sugimoto, Asirpa, Shiraishi and Ogata arrive in the wetlands of Kushiro, where they reunite with Inkarmat and Cikapasi. The latter two inform them that Tanigaki Genjirou has been running from men from a nearby Ainu kotan under false allegations of defiling and mutilating wildlife. Four days prior, Tanigaki's group came across two local Ainu men while hunting. One of the men, Kirawus, identifies Tanigaki's Murata rifle as belonging to Nihei Tetsuzou. He recalls to Tanigaki that he had gone bear hunting with Nihei 10 years ago, and that he recognised the seven small notches scratched into the stock of the rifle. Tanigaki informs him that Nihei had passed away in the wilderness and passed his rifle onto him.

While searching for the convict responsible for framing Tanigaki and stealing his rifle, Anehata Shiton, Sugimoto and Asirpa come across Kirawus praying over one of the defiled and killed male deer as a means of paying respect. Asirpa explains that while Ainu from the west do not revere deer as kamuy, deer are a rarity for eastern Ainu, thus are sent off with a proper ceremony upon death. Kirawus remarks on Asirpa's "outdated" hunting bow rather than using a hunting rifle, then says she's a strange child upon her explanation that rifles are too unwieldy for her small frame. Sugimoto asks whether his friends have caught the animal killer yet, and Kirawus replies that he doesn't know, but that they're aware of who to search for.

Kirawus explains that two days ago, he was investigating the source of a gunshot he'd heard, where he found a dead doe and Nihei's rifle resting against a nearby tree. Before he could search further, Kirawus was clubbed from behind on the back of the head and collapsed. He was able to look over the body after regaining consciousness to discover it had been defiled, thus concluding that the owner of the rifle, Tanigaki, was responsible. Two younger Ainu children then run up while calling out to Kirawus, and he relays that the other Ainu men have found Tanigaki and taken him prisoner.

At the kotan, Tanigaki maintains his innocence and Sugimoto explains that Tanigaki's his rifle was stolen by Anehata Shiton. He requests that they hold off on punishing Tanigaki while he and Asirpa track down the real culprit. Kirawus says that the duo has three days to bring the real culprit to justice, while Tanigaki will be kept in the kotan's bear cub cage *(herpeset)* with Ogata keeping watch.

Three days later, Sugimoto and Asirpa haven't returned, so Ogata breaks Tanigaki out and they escape the kotan. After handing food to an motionless Ogata, Kirawus pulls away his white cloak to reveal a stack of bags resembling his seated figure. He looks to the bear cub cage holding Tanigaki only to see it empty. Kirawus and two other Ainu men follow in pursuit, where all three groups convene in the wetlands. They're distracted from capturing Tanigaki after witnessing the scene of Anehata Shiton successfully mounting a large brown bear.

After witnessing Anehata's death in shock and Sugimoto's defeat of the brown bear, Kirawus and his group move in to begin skinning the brown bear's pelt. He describes the process of removing the bear's fur as "taking off their clothes", which is unique to the Ainu of the area. This involves a method of leaving two areas on the chest unsevered while running through the pelt with a blade, then tearing through these parts with a finger at the end. Kirawus then invites the group back to the kotan with the butchered bear to hold a proper ceremony to send it off.

The brown bear's fur and severed head is carried through the kotan by Kirawus and another Ainu man while they shout *okokokse*, a customary gesture used to announce a bear has been hunted to the Ainu god of fire. Kirawus explains the entire misunderstanding with Tanigaki to his kotan's chief, who takes it in good humour. Along with Sugimoto's group (minus Shiraishi, Cikapasi and Inkarmat), the kotan holds a feast for the *Kamuy Hopunire*, a greater ceremony held to send off brown bears killed during a hunt. Kirawus drinks *tonoto* (alcohol made with potatoes and barley) and both gleefully and drunkenly offers some to Tanigaki as apology for doubting his version of events, even personally bringing the cup to Tanigaki's lips to drink.

The following morning, Kirawus asks Tanigaki why he still uses Nihei's outdated rifle in favour of a newer model he would be more used to. He then explains the reasoning behind Nihei's outdated model, including the original front stock of the rifle, which is typically modified shorter to be made more conventional for hunters. Nihei had explained that the rifle was used by his only son in the Japan-Qing war, and that each notch carved into the stock resembled an enemy he had shot.

Before Sugimoto's group leaves for the city of Kushiro, Kirawus offers them some *Kamuy Ohaw* they had made using the brown bear's meat. The group swiftly excuses themselves in a hurry and makes their exit.

Shortly after the group's departure, a massive swarm of locusts (*sipesipetki)* descends upon the kotan while attacking their clothes, homes and the food from their food storehouse. Kirawus cries out to the kamuy in anguish. He asks aloud if the plague of locusts are meant as divine starvation for Anehata's crimes, and if the kamuy intend for their kotan to starve despite their send off ceremony.

### Youichirou the Manslayer Arc

Sometime later, Kirawus heads to Kushiro for some business in the port town. As he is working, he notices Tatsuma Ushiyama being surrounded by several women, asking the large man to carry their baskets. Ushiyama sees Kirawus and calls out to him, asking if he knew of any place to stay at and Kirawus simply tells Hijikata's group to follow him.

He takes them to a hut where he offers to prepare some shishiamo smelt for them. Toshizou Hijikata then gives him a small object which Kirawus identifies as belonging to a tufted puffin, and says that they can only be found in Nemuro to the east of Kushiro.

Kirawus takes Hijikata's group to an Ainu kotan in Nemuro where Youichirou the Manslayer had once lived and translated for the village chief about Youichirou's past. Once they had found Youichirou in Nemuro who then ran away with Hijikata following him, Kirawus, Shinpachi Nagakura, and Ushiyama managed to find the two elderly samurai on the outskirts of Nemuro, with Youichirou already dead from their duel.

### Pet Monster Arc

At some point, Kirawus, Nagakura, and Kadokura got separated from Hijikata and Ushiyama as the three men settled at an inn near Lake Akan. Due to Nagakura's concerns about the two missing men, Kadokura decides to go out looking for them while Kirawus tagged along so that he could earn some money.

As they begin their search for Hijikata and Ushiyama, Kirawus notes that they went to look for the prisoner in the Lake Akan area and wonders if the prisoner had gotten them. Kadokura replies that while the prisoner may not be strong, he is indeed a crafty person and tells Kirawus about Waichirou Sekiya.

He tells Kirawus that when Sekiya was doing outside labour, he had attempted to sneak an aconite plant inside with him, and so it became his duty to check every part of his body including his anus. Hearing this, Kirawus laughs at him, saying that the poison would have done some serious bodily harm and that he did the search for no reason.

In the Lake Akan area, Kirawus asks some of the Ainu fishers if they had seen Hijikata and Ushiyama, but none of them had. Kadokura tells him to keep asking around, which only annoyed Kirawus as he calls Kadokura a butthole peeker. He is then approached by a fisherman, unaware that he is Sekiya, who offers to give him some of his pond smelts.

Kirawus brings the fish to Kadokura, who suggests they eat them at the inn while they wait for Hijikata and Ushiyama to come back. However, Kadokura slips on the ice, dropping the pond smelts which all slid back into the frozen pond, shocking Kirawus. Kadokura then begins to explain that he has always had bad luck and wonders if it is the star he was born under.

Kirawus and Kadokura returns to the inn where Kadokura decides to sleep, much to Nagakura's ire who storms out, telling Kirawus that Kadokura is useless and that he will find Hijikata himself. When Kadokura wakes up, he tells him what had happened while he slept and the two decides to head out when they received Hijikata's sword and a demand from Sekiya to give him all of their tattooed skins in exchange for Hijikata's location.

Kirawus is skeptical that Hijikata may still be alive, but Kadokura notes that the method Sekiya used to capture Hijikata is something that he has done before, and that he makes sure to keep his hostages alive until he gets the ransom money. Kadokura says that Nagakura is the one with the tattooed skins but he says that they have no time until the exchange and that they have to meet with Sekiya, otherwise Hijikata really will die.

As the two men runs around town, Kadokura has to stop in order to catch his breath but Kirawus tells him that they need to hurry in order to find Nagakura. Kadokura says that they have no time until the exchange and that they can bluff their way with Sekiya since he has no idea how many skins they have. Kirawus is not convinced which leads Kadokura to ask him if he has any better ideas before insulting him. The two men then begins to argue and insult each other.

They eventually come up with a plan to deliberately fail the exchange so that Kirawus can secretly tail Sekiya to where Hijikata and Ushiyama are. Kirawus then gives Kadokura a knife carved by his father and asks him where will he hide it. The plan goes smoothly when Kadokura meets up with Sekiya but falls apart when Ushiyama suddenly appears as Sekiya decides to change course to avoid him. Kirawus panicks and tells Kadokura to grab Sekiya but he fails and falls flat on his face.

Kirawus runs over to Kadokura helping Ushiyama out of the frozen water, who is unable to remember anything up until now. As Ushiyama picks up his coat, a cocoon falls out of his pocket, which Kadokura notices to be a part of a big mystery. However, Kadokura tells him it is a silkworm cocoon and that there a couple of silkworm farms nearby. With both Kadokura and Ushiyama gone for quite some time, Kirawus waits on the frozen lake and wonders if Kadokura is okay.

## References

1. ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook
2. ↑ Q&A section from the Golden Kamuy fanbook