Chapter 30

## Legend

* Color
* Volume

**Legend** (言い伝え, *Iitsutae*) is the 30th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

While transporting Tanigaki to the Ainu *kotan*, the group takes a short break. Asirpa gathers natural remedies to ease Tanigaki's pain and explains the process to Sugimoto and Shiraishi. Shiraishi is skeptical about taking Tanigaki with them, but Asirpa believes that people in the village will be able to help him. Shiraishi reminds her that Tanigaki is from the 7th Division and once he recovers he might tell his buddies about them. Tanigaki asks the group to leave him, claiming he wants to die in the wild as he is a hunter, too. Sugimoto questions why Tanigaki tagged along with Tetsuzou Nihei, who he knew was a tattooed convict. Sugimoto agrees to take Tanigaki to *kotan* as it's what Asirpa wants; however, he warns Tanigaki that if it turns out to be a mistake he will handle it himself.

The group returns to the *kotan*. Shiraishi is greeted by Osoma, who calls him *sinna kisar*. Makanakkuru cheers up Tanigaki, telling him about the Ainu he knows who joined the 7th Division before and saying that the 7th Division soldiers are tough. Asirpa brings deer meat and they cook deer nabe, or *yukohaw*. Sugimoto and Shiraishi dig in and comment on how *hinna* the meal is. Asirpa laughs and teases Sugimoto about adding *osoma* in his food. Huci and Osoma feed Tanigaki, while Shiraishi has to deal with a bear cub that nibbles on his head. As everyone laughs and eats, Tanigaki hides his tears.

Asirpa introduces another meal, salmon *ruipe*. She explains the process behind the meal preparation, revealing that the name means thawed (*ru*) food (*ipe*). Speaking in Ainu, Huci recalls a legend (*upaskuma*) of how the fish stopped appearing as men started searching for gold. After it continued for several years, the people could no longer catch salmon. The Ainu held a council and decided to stop taking gold from the rivers. The gold was seen as a potential source of conflict, so it was hidden away and even speaking of it was forbidden. Time passed and people grew old, and only one man was left who still knew of the hidden gold.

Visibly agitated, Shiraishi starts questioning whether there's only 20 kan (75 kg) of gold out there or much more. Tanigaki joins the conversation, confirming that there's more gold than they were led to believe. He says that the story about the hidden gold was passed around in secret among the Ainu. Tanigaki mentions Lt. Tsurumi, who has been gathering intel about the gold all these years. He recounts overhearing Tsurumi talking about Noppera-bou planning it so that nobody could possibly guess the location of the gold just by retracing his steps. Noppera-bou gave out false information about the amount of gold, but in reality, there was so much gold that he couldn't even carry it all. Tsurumi believes there is 1000 times more gold than what Noppera-Bou told the prisoners, roughly being 20,000 kan (75 tons).

Somewhere else, Toshizou Hijikata and Shinpachi Nagakura are also speaking about the gold. Nagakura is shocked when he hears about the true amount of gold. Hijikata says that he was the only prisoner in Abashiri Prison that Noppera-bou saw as a comrade so he told him the truth. He mentions how 30 years ago, the battle of Shinsengumi was hampered by the struggle to get funds. Now with all that money, it would be possible to start their own country.

## Character Appearances

* Huci
* Asirpa
* Sugimoto Saichi
* Shiraishi Yoshitake
* Tanigaki Genjirou
* Tetsuzou Nihei *(Mentioned)*
* Makanakkuru
* Osoma
* Noppera-Bou *(Flashback)*
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Hijikata Toshizou
* Nagakura Shinpachi

## Anime Episode

* Episode 7
* Episode 8

## Trivia

* Asirpa describes a traditional Ainu method of treating a wound: cut a hole into the trunk of a birch tree, *tanni wakka* (birch sap) will flow out; this will help reduce pain and slow blood loss. Next, take some dried pine resin and heat it up a little so it gets soft; rub that on the wound. This will slow the bleeding and keep the wound from festering.
* Salmon were so important to the Ainu way of life that they were called "Fish of the Gods" or "The True Food."
* The Ainu possessed no writing system, so epic poems, religious songs, and other oral traditions were used to pass on spiritual or historical stories.
* If 20,000 kan (75 tons) of gold were to be put into boxes a square meter in size, it would fill up four of them. In modern currency (2015), it would equal 800 billion yen.