Hamata

**Hamata**, also known as Boss Hamata, was a sadistic crime lord who controls most businesses in his port-town by extorting tribute payments. He commands a large gang of *yakuza*, known as the "Thousand-Claw Army", who murder anyone who deceives or defies him.

After Mizu mercy-kills a prostitute, Kinuyo, in Hamata's captivity, Hamata orders his Thousand Claws to kill her and destroy Madame Kaji's brothel in retaliation. However, aided by Akemi and Ringo, Mizu unexpectedly slaughters most of the Thousand Claws, then drags Hamata to face Madame Kaji, who kills him to avenge Kinuyo.

## Biography

According to Madame Kaji, "everything belongs to Boss Hamata" in his town. Operating out of a lavish gambling house, Hamata has run the town in all but name for some time, extorting half of most of its' businesses' profits as tribute, but sometimes demanding additional goods or services (including sessions with Madame Kaji herself). Any townsperson who refuses this arrangement, or openly challenges him, "wakes to find the Thousand Claws there, to destroy everything they love" including businesses, homes and families. Deceiving him is equally ineffective, as he has informants about the town.

Six months before the series, in the summer of 1656, Hamata noticed a new girl in Madame Kaji's brothel, Kinuyo, who was deaf and mute, and who was limited to traditional customer serving duties rather than physical relations. Madame Kaji had rescued the girl by purchasing her from her abusive father, and promised her she would never be touched by a man again. However, according to Kaji, "Boss Hamata likes to *break* delicate things" and promptly demanded Kinuyo as part of Kaji's tribute to him. Kaji protested, but Hamata's thugs simply took Kinuyo away by force, right in front of her, to her horror. Hamata would abuse Kinuyo constantly and never let her out of his sight except at night, when she required treatments from a local moxibustion doctor for the sores Hamata left on her body.

## History/Synopsis

In Episode 4, Kaji points out Hamata's gambling house to Mizu (who has offered her services to Kaji in exchange for information about Abijah Fowler's fortress); as they covertly observe, Hamata orders a man stabbed by his Thousand Claws in the street, presumably for defying him. Kaji tells the story of Kinuyo's kidnapping and her wish to free her from her torment. Mizu assumes this means killing Hamata, but Kaji clarifies that she wants Kinuyo mercy-killed, in such a way to look like an accident; Hamata knows of her feelings for Kinuyo, and any action against him *or* her would bring the Thousand Claws after Kaji and all the other prostitutes under her care.

Mizu promises to do so and successfully euthenizes Kinuyo, but is spotted escaping the gambling house by a boy the next morning. The boy reports her presence to Hamata, who, realizing what had happened, brings his Thousand Claws to Kaji's brothel, ordering them to slaughter everyone inside and then burn it down.

In Episode 5, Hamata retreats back to his gambling house after giving his men their orders. However, all but two of them are unexpectedly slaughtered in a battle against Mizu (with some assistance from Ringo and Akemi). Mizu then enters the gambling house and drags the protesting Hamata out into the streets, where Madame Kaji and the rests of her prostitutes are waiting. As Hamata pleads for his life, Kaji dons one of his own Tiger-Claw gauntlets and stabs him to death, saying, "For Kinuyo."