Umeko Kenmochi

****First Lieutenant Tsurumi will scold me!****

*This article is outdated, poorly written or lacks important information. It should be reworked!*

**Overview**
Gallery

## Umeko Kenmochi

* Manga
* Anime

## Name

### Japanese Name

* 剣持 梅子
* 柿崎 梅子 (maiden name)

### Romanized Name

* *Kenmochi Umeko*
* *Kakizaki Umeko* (maiden name)

### Alias

* Ume (梅, *Ume*)
* The Woman I Love (by Saichi Sugimoto)

## Relationships

### Family

Toraji Kenmochi (Ex-husband) †
Toratarou Kenmochi (Son)
Unnamed husband
Unnamed mother
Unnamed mother-in-law

## Media Info

### Anime Debut

Episode 1

**Umeko Kenmochi** (剣持 梅子, *Kenmochi Umeko*), nee **Umeko Kakizaki** (柿崎 梅子, *Kakizaki Umeko*), is the widow of Toraji Kenmochi and a childhood friend of Saichi Sugimoto. She was involved in a romantic relationship with Sugimoto sometime before her marriage and the events of the series. The promise to Toraji to take care of Umeko was the reason Sugimoto started looking for gold in Hokkaido.

## Appearance

Umeko is a young Japanese woman with dark eyes and long black hair which she usually wears in an updo. Her usual attire consists of kimonos of varied designs.

Before marriage, Umeko was shown to wear a simple yukata with flowery pattern.

## Background

Umeko grew up being best friends with Toraji and Sugimoto; eventually, she and Sugimoto developed romantic feelings for each other. When Sugimoto's family came down with tuberculosis, the villagers would shun and avoid the Sugimoto household in fear of getting the illness themselves. After his father died, Sugimoto burned down the house. When he was about to leave, a worried Umeko found him standing in front of the fire. Sugimoto asked Umeko to listen to her parents and marry Toraji who liked her for a long time and who Sugimoto trusted would take good care of her. Umeko still wanted to be with Sugimoto and begged him to take her with him, but he refused, saying he doesn't want to infect her with the disease he might be carrying inside. Sugimoto came back to his village two years later on the same day Umeko married Toraji.

During the war, Toraji told Sugimoto that he planned to find gold when the war is over in order to go to America with Umeko to see a doctor that would help with her failing eyesight.

When Toraji was dying, he begged his best friend to take care of Umeko, which is the initial reason why Sugimoto decided to search for gold. After Toraji's death, Sugimoto returned to their village after the war to bring Toraji's bones back to his family. Sugimoto visited Umeko's mother and gave her the finger bones that belonged to Toraji. Umeko, who was there with her son, asked who was it, and her son replied that it's a soldier. Umeko's mother recognized Sugimoto, and Umeko asked if it's really him. She said that she can't see anything but a blur but upon walking closer to Sugimoto she sensed something that made her recoil and doubt that it was really Sugimoto.

## Plot

### Introduction Arc

When Sugimoto sees a nightmare, 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 Hokkaido with him to look for gold, as he needs money for surgery for 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 Umeko. Suddenly, Toraji starts crying and asks Sugimoto to take care of Umeko, since nobody will want to marry a woman with bad eyes and a kid. 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. Before waking up, Sugimoto reaches out to Toraji, tearfully asking him to not go and leave Umeko, a widow.

### Escape King Arc

After Yoshitake Shiraishi insults Asirpa, Sugimoto remembers his past and thinks of Umeko. In his memory, Sugimoto is seen looking out of the door of his house. Accompanied by her mother, Umeko is watching him from the distance. Her mother tells her to stay away from that house and to give up on Saichi. Later, some kids run past the Sugimoto house while pitching their noses and holding their breath, saying three members of that family have died of consumption. At night, when Sugimoto watches his house burn down, Umeko runs to him, relieved that he is not hurt. She asks him who set the house on fire, and Sugimoto replies that he did. He explains to Ume that he received a message of his father's death so now there's nobody left to call that place home. He then announces that he is leaving the village. When Sugimoto tells Umeko that she should listen to her parents and marry Toraji, Umeko cries and begs him to take her with him. But Sugimoto tells her to stay away from him, as he might be already sick himself. With tears in his eyes, Sugimoto tells Umeko that he doesn't want to kill her. Sugimoto leaves the village, promising himself he will come back in two years if he doesn't show any symptoms. But when he comes back, he sees Umeko being married off.

## Quotes

* (To Toraji) *"If Saichi tries to do that, I want you to beat him up for me. And if you end up losing to him again... If that happens, then I'll run away from Saichi and head back here. And when you pull yourself up off the ground, dry your tears, and come home, I'll be waiting with a warm meal."*

## Trivia

* In 2018 Golden Kamuy All-Stars popularity poll Umeko, ranked 55th, gaining 510 votes.
* The name Umeko means "Japanese apricot, plum" (梅, *ume*) and "child" (子, *ko*).
	+ The kanji "梅" refers specifically to the species Prunus mume.
* Umeko's surname Kenmochi means "sword, blade, saber" (剣, *ken*) and "hold, have" (持, *mochi*).
	+ Her maiden name Kakizaki means "persimmon" (柿, *kaki*) and "cape, peninsula" (崎, *saki*/*zaki*).
* In Japan, the ume blossom is regarded as a symbol of spring and a ward against evil.
* Umeko's role in the anime adaptation was largely cut, likely due to time and budget constraints.

## References

1. ↑ Golden Kamuy Manga: Chapter 314
2. ↑ 「ゴールデンカムイ北海道オールスターズ総選挙」