Chapter 314

## Grand Finale

* Volume
* Magazine

**Grand Finale** (大団円, *Daidanen*) is the 314th and final chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Six months after the events of the battle in Fort Goryokaku, Asirpa is seen wandering the streets of Tokyo. She looks at the dried persimmons that are sold by a local vendor.

In a nearby flower shop called Hanaichi Florist a middle-aged woman alerts Umeko of a terrifying-looking man standing in front of the store. She asks if she needs to call Umeko's husband but she decides to deal with the man herself. Umeko sees her son Toratarou pestering the man and tells him to stop. She then asks the man if he is interested in certain flowers but gets distracted by a familiar scent. She realizes that the man before her is Sugimoto. Sugimoto smiles and says that Umeko must have already received the surgery to fix her eyesight. Sugimoto holds out a small pouch, saying that Toraji asked him to give it to her. He tells Toratarou that his dad was a real hero and that he owes him his life. After giving the pouch to Toratarou, Sugimoto says goodbye and walks away. Umeko and Toratarou open the pouch and find a fistful of gold in it.

Sugimoto returns to Asirpa and Shiraishi who are waiting for him. Shiraishi comments that it was really sneaky of Sugimoto to slip two shares of gold for himself. However, he says that it helped Sugimoto focus on Asirpa and the land deed. Asirpa claims that the golden *kamuy* isn't needed to protect the Ainu. Sugimoto argues that the golden *kamuy* isn't necessarily evil; he believes its purpose changes based on who is using it, so he thinks the gold he gave to Ume and her son will be of use to them. Sugimoto notes that part of the gold was used to buy the land for the Ainu.

It's revealed that one month earlier, Asirpa and Sugimoto visited Takeaki Enomoto. After learning of Hijikata's fate, Enomoto expressed his shock and sadness. However, he also said that if it wasn't for Hijikata's Kanesada katana he wouldn't have considered meeting Asirpa and Sugimoto. Enomoto said that Hijikata must have given it to Sugimoto so the two could reach him. He then explained that the land deed contained official documents from the envoys of six different countries, which made it difficult for the government to pretend it was fake and why they wanted to get their hands on it. Enomoto told Asirpa that he didn't have much time left and that she should contact Itou Hirubumi and Saionji Kinmochi for further negotiations. Enomoto took the copy of the deed and told Asirpa to keep the original with her.

Back in the present, Shiraishi, Asirpa, and Sugimoto walk by the bridge. Asirpa and Sugimoto eat dried persimmons, and Asirpa asks how Sugimoto is feeling, reminding him of their talk from the past. Sugimoto says that while the persimmons are good he doesn't really feel any different; however, he is fine with him not changing. Sugimoto smiles and says that he gave his all to fulfill his duty and now he pretty satisfied with himself. Shiraishi asks if Sugimoto is going to stay in Tokyo, and Asirpa gets a nervous look on her face. Sugimoto reminisces of the fried shrimp he ate in the Imperial Hotel, saying it was tasty, but to eat good in the capital costs a lot of money. He recounts the many tasty dishes he ate with Asirpa (like squirrel *citatap* and otter head) and says the he has found a place where he can be happy. Hearing that Sugimoto wants to stay with her and go back to the *kotan*, Asirpa beams with tears in her eyes.

The two then notice that Shiraishi is nowhere to be seen. Shiraishi runs away, claiming he isn't a fan of tearful goodbyes. As he enters the red district, he says his goodbyes to Sugimoto and Asirpa, wishing them the best.

It is next revealed what has happened to the remaining participants of the battle in Goryokaku.
Kantarou starts up a small ranch and becomes a big-time ranchowner; he enjoys showing off the scar on his forehead and telling people about his involvement with Hijikata. Nagakura spends the rest of his days in Otaru teaching college students kendo and writing about the Shinsengumi; the whereabouts of Hijikata's body remains a mystery.

Tanigaki returns to Ani and together with Inkarmat they have 15 children, with the eldest being a girl and the remaining 14 being sons. 10 years later Kadokura, Kirawus and Mansur make their way over to America where they shoot and star in a silent western film about cavalrymen, fugitives, a samurai and an Ainu from Japan fighting over a hidden stash of Native American gold. The film is a huge box office bomb and later becomes a cult classic.

Vasily is revealed to have survived his last fight with Ogata. He becomes a famous artist and in the year 1940 creates a particular painting called "Death of a Wildcat" depicting a dead wildcat lying near train racks. It is said that he refused to part with this painting until his death. Afterwards, the painting was put for an action and sold to an IT company for 300 million yen.

Tsukishima searches for the remains of Tsurumi in the water of Hakodate bay, hoping to find anything, even a single bone or Tsurumi's forehead protector. He is confronted by Koito who asks how long he is going to keep on searching. Tsukishima explains that he put his faith in Tsurumi, believing he would make use of the land deed and the gold; now he doesn't know what to do with his life. Koito argues that even without the gold and the land deed it's still their duty as soldiers to defend their nation. He urges Tsukishima to continue forward, even without Tsurumi. Koito says that their faction will be claimed as rebels by the government but they have the important task of protecting the men who stuck with Lt. Tsurumi. Tsukishima is concerned about their future, but Koito tells him that he needs someone as exceptional as Tsukishima as his right-hand man. Koito asks Tsukishima to land him his strength and Tsukishima agrees, regaining the shine in his eyes. It's revealed that Koito becomes the final commander of the 7th Division; Tsukishima serves as Lieutenant General Koito's devoted right-hand man.

Back in Tokyo, Asirpa speaks of how she envisions the future of the Ainu. She says that in order to keep the Ainu culture from vanishing, it needs to be passed down to the new Ainu. She expresses her desire to go to Karafuto and to other ethnic minorities beyond Karafuto. She believes that it's her duty. It's revealed that Asirpa spends her life negotiating with the government; although she isn't able to cover all the lands in the deed, during the Showa era much of it is designated as national parks and quasi-national parks. Thanks to the efforts of Asirpa, other Ainu and the Japanese people, the *kamuy* continue to live on.

### Three Years Later

Asirpa and Sugimoto return from a hunt. Sugimoto comments that it was nice to get all those squirrels, and Asirpa replies that Huci will be very happy. When Asirpa and Sugimoto return to the *kotan*, they're greeted by Osoma who brings them a letter. The letter turns out to be from Shiraishi but it's completely blank except for a gold coin with Shiraishi's face on it. As Sugimoto and Asirpa scream in disbelief, it's revealed that Shiraishi stole the remaining gold from Goryokaku and bought an island in southeast Asia, becoming its very first king.

## Character Appearances

* Saichi Sugimoto
* Asirpa
* Umeko Kenmochi
* Toratarou Kenmochi
* Toraji Kenmochi *(Mentioned)*
* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Wilk *(Flashback)*
* Kiroranke *(Flashback)*
* Sofia Golden Hand *(Flashback)*
* Takeaki Enomoto
* Toshizou Hijikata *(Mentioned)*
* Shinpachi Nagakura
* Kantarou Okuyama
* Genjirou Tanigaki
* Inkarmat
* Mansur
* Kirawus
* Toshiyuki Kadokura
* Vasily Pavlichenko *(Mentioned)*
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Otonoshin Koito
* Tokushirou Tsurumi *(Mentioned)*
* Huci
* Osoma

## Trivia

* Sugimoto appeared on the cover of Young Jump Issue 22/23, 2022.

* The flower shop where Ume works is modeled on the Hanaichi Florist, a flower shop built in Tokyo in 1927 and currently located in the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum located in western Tokyo.
* Enomoto Takeaki's comment that he doesn't have long left is a nod to the fact that the historical Enomoto died in October of 1908, which would have been shortly after Sugimoto and Asirpa visited him.
* Enomoto's house appears to be based on the house that was built in 1887 and was later the residence of two famous authors, Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki.
* The men mentioned by Enomoto, Itou Hirobumi and Saionji Kinmochi, were prime ministers of Japan.
* The gate that Shiraishi passes though is the main entryway to the Yoshiwara brothel district in Tokyo.
* Kantarou previously mentioned his desire to manage a sheep farm in Chapter 247 when everyone in Hijikata's group was discussing what they would do with their share of the gold.
* The kanji on Kantarou's happi says 奥山 (Okuyama), Kantarou's own surname, and shows that he has become "his own man."
* Vasily's last name Pavlichenko is a reference to a real-life sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Soviet sniper who was responsible for 309 kills during World War II (making her the most successful female sniper in history).
* The dead wildcat on Vasily's painting is lying nearby rail tracks, suggesting that Vasily likely saw Ogata's dead body.
* Koito's epilogue mentions him being the "final commander of the 7th Division." This is presumably trying to match him to the historical figure of Koito Gyouichi.
* In the Showa era (1926-1989), the Japanese government started a National Park Law to protect various areas of scenic beauty, and the first of these parks was established in 1934 (including Daisetsuzan and Akan Mashu National Parks in Hokkaido).Many of these national parks encompass lands that is of significance to the Ainu people.
* The text on the coin Shiraishi sent to Asirpa and Sugimoto says "Shiraishi Yoshitake 1 King" in English and Burmese languages.