Chapter 148

## Roots

* Color
* Volume

**Roots** (ルーツ, *Rūtsu*) is the 148th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Once they had finished hunting sea lions and skinned one, Shiraishi asked what they were going to do with it. In response, Asirpa that it can be used to create a long, durable leather strap called a *torar* to bind or tie up various things like furnitures, and that they can use the sea lion oil as seasoning in dishes. A Karafuto Ainu man apprroached Kiroranke's group, looking to trade something for the sea lion skin and also willing to give them information on where they can sell the meats and innards to. Shiraishi lamented that they do need the money to get around, especially since Hijikata is no longer around to give him his allowance.

Some time later, Kiroranke's group came to a fox breeding facility, where they were greeted by the owner. They noted that most of the foxes in the farm were black foxes that had been imported from overseas and that they had developed high-quality fur due to the cold temperature in Karafuto. Kiroranke asked the owner if he knew anything about a Karafuto Ainu village in the area, and the owner stated that there used to be one but by the time the facility was built, it was no longer here. When Asirpa asked if there was someone that Kiroranke knew in that village, he responded that it was the village where her father, Wilk, as well as his mother and maternal grandparents were born.

Shocked by the revelation, Asirpa asked where everyone went and Kiroranke stated that the village was wiped out by Japan and Russia. He goes on to reveal that Karafuto didn't belong to either Japan or Russia, and that around 30 years ago, a treaty was signed that made Chishima Island a Japanese territory in exchange for Karafuto to become Russia's. The Japanese who were living in Karafuto returned home, and the Karafuto Ainu who had developed a strong relationship with them due to the fishing trade, decided to emigrate to Japan. Most of the Ainu in Wilk's village moved to Hokkaido, but because Wilk's father was Polish, he was unable to leave as well and so stayed with his parents in Karafuto. However, there was an epidemic that spread among the Karafuto Ainu who had moved to Hokkaido, thus killing nearly half of them. They then decided to return to Karafuto but none of them came back to Wilk's village.

Kiroranke expressed frustration that the Karafuto Ainu were left at the mercy of whatever happened to suit the convenience of Japan and Russia and that eventually the Hokkaido Ainu will soon meet the same fate. Kiroranke tells Asirpa that there is a light that still shines and that Wilk had saw it within his own daughter. Asirpa then begins to question her father's motives but Kiroranke says that she will soon discover her answers in Karafuto and that if she follows in the footsteps of her father, she will find it.

Once Kiroranke had finished his conversation with Asirpa, Ogata approached him and stated that Wilk must have left a code behind that only Asirpa knew and that without her, none of the other parties will be able to find the gold even if they collect all the tattooed skins. Ogata says that since Asirpa is with them, they now have the advantage but Kiroranke says that Asirpa herself does not know what the "key" is. He then goes on to say that trying to force the information out of Asirpa is a bad idea as they cannot do anything to make her mistrust them and that they should let Asirpa's time in Karafuto mature her, which will allow Asirpa to tell them the key of her own volition. Meanwhile, Shiraishi is trying to bargain with the facility owner to buy their sea lion meat for a higher price. When Shiraishi complained that he is making a lot of money from the facility, the owner explained that perhaps in ten years from now, neither him or the foxes will still be around to continue to make profits.

At a clinic on the outskirts of Abashiri, Tsurumi and Usami are trying to convince Nikaidou to come out of his covers and to eat his food. Usami explained that ever since he found out that "Sugimoto had died", he had become a shell of his former self and refuses to leave his bed. Tsurumi then takes out some morphine which catches Nikaidou's attention and tells him to eat his food. Nikaidou then takes out his arm, revealing that he no longer has a hand with which to eat and goes back under his covers. Tsurumi tells Usami to bring a fork and says that he will reward Nikaidou with some morphine if he eats properly. Just then, Arisaka yells for Tsurumi, causing Nikaidou to retreat under the covers again. Arisaka steps into the room and reveals that he has made a prosthetic hand for Nikaidou, which piques Nikaidou's interest. Arisaka then shows off the hand's special trick which can produce a chopstick holder for Nikaidou to use. However, Nikaidou is unimpressed and returns under the cover once more.

## Character Appearances

* Kiroranke
* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Hyakunosuke Ogata
* Asirpa
* Toshizou Hijikata *(Flashback)*
* Wilk *(Flashback)*
* Tsurumi
* Usami
* Kouhei Nikaidou
* Narizou Arisaka