Episode Nineteen: Kamuy Hopunire
In the previous episode of Golden Kamuy, we leaned about Tanigaki Nispa’s past and how he joined the Army just to seek revenge for his sister’s death.
Summary of the Episode:
Tanigaki’s meeting with Asirpa and Sugimoto group: In this episode, we see Tanigaki Nispa ( Tanigaki Genjirou) found Asirpa. He was looking for her with Inkarmat since Otaru. They finally found her because on the way to here some Ainu hunters saw an Ainu girl with a man with a big scar on the face and told them about their location. Then Tanigaki says the Ainu hunter’s invited them to their Kotan as they’ve hunted a Bear. Asirpa tells Sugimoto group that she wants to go and have some Bear Stew. But Shiraishi wants to hit a local bar with Inkarmat but Chikapasi doesn’t want her as he considers her family.
When the reached the Ainu Kotan, they welcomed them and informed them that the Kamuy Hopunire is about to begin. Other no Ainu members of Sugimoto group didn’t understand about Kamuy Hopunire. So Asirpa started to explain ” Kamuy Hopunire means “The Setting-Off of Gods.” It’s a ceremony where they send off the hunted bear with some offerings. It’s a different ritual than an ”Iomante”, where they send off a bear that was raised in a cage.”
Then they hear a Shrieking noise from the Ainu which is called “Okokokse”. It’s used for telling the god of fire that a bear has been hunted. Then Asirpa again starts explaining that the “Kamuy” are things that humans can’t do, things that help them, and things that bring them disasters. She further explains…
” Fire can burn, Blade can cut through because they have Kamuy in them. Everything human can control and can’t control have Kamuy within them including Bad weather and Plagues. They think the Kamuy as an equal to humanity. That’s why they’ve always believed when hunting is that they don’t hit the prey with their arrows instead the kamuy run into them to catch the prey. They think that human invited them to their world for the meat and pelts and in exchange they (Animals) ask for sake and tobacco, things that only human can make. After that they send off the kamuy with a proper ritual so that they’ll tell the other kamuy that the human world is a good place. Because, If they don’t treat them properly, they’ll never come back down to the human world”
After explaining about Kamuy, Asirpa tells Sugimoto that the Bear head will be taken to an outdoor altar and will be decorated with ”Inaw” which is a wooden stick that is given to the Kamuy as a gift. Then she again explains that When a kamuy has many Inaw, its status in its own world grows and the Inaw turn into gold and silver which is valuable to keep.
Sugimoto group is leaving the Ainu Kotan after staying there for a night
After all the explanation, eating and drinking, Tanigaki Nispa tells Asirpa about Huci and her condition. Before Asirpa can answer, Ogata asks Tanigaki if he is spying on them on the order of Lt. Tsurumi since he was a fervent believer of him. Tanigaki says he is done with the military and only here to bring Asirpa back to her grandmother since she helped him when he is in a slump. Then Ogata says he doesn’t believe in Tanigaki because he killed three of his colleagues in the mountains. When Sugimoto hears that he says that Tanigaki didn’t kill them because they were killed by a Mountain Bear.
Afterward, Tangaki explains that Asirpa’s grandmother had a dream where she never saw her granddaughter again before her death. So he is here to take Asirpa to her. Then Ogata says that it just a dream and she should write a letter and get it over with. Then Asirpa explains to them that they consider dreams as a message from Kamuy. She also says she doesn’t believe in them but older Ainu believes in them very extensively. He grandmother believe in them intensely because of the dream she had before the death of Asirpa’s parents. Sugimoto then asks her if she wants to go visit her grandmother. Asirpa replies that she will not go because if she goes, she may not fulfill her dream.
Outside of Ainu hut, while Tangaki is standing and thinking, an Ainu Hunter who helped him find Asirpa came and asks about the Murata gun in his shoulder. He asks if the gun belongs to Nihei Tetsuzou. When Tanigaki asks him if he knew Nihei, he says he used to hunt bear with him. Tangaki then says to him that Nihei is dead. He also tells him that he took the gun from him after his death. Then the Ainu hunter tells him, he must have a hard time using that gun. Then Tanigaki tells him that Nihei turned him back to Matagi from a soldier, so he follows the code of Matagi “one prey one bullet”. The Ainu hunter then asks him if he knew the meaning of the seven marks in the gun barrel. When Tanigaki nodded no, he explains that it was the gun which his son used during the war and those marks mean how many enemies he had shot.
Koito is talking with Lt.Tsurumi about about the incident in Asahikawa
While they were talking, suddenly Nihei’s dog Ryu appears out of the bushes. He was following Tanigaki since he has Nihei’s gun. Everybody gets happy by seeing him and Sugimoto go near him to pet him. But Ryu bites him in the hand because he saw Sugimoto as an enemy.
At the time of leaving Ainu Kotan, Asirpa asks what he will do. Tanigaki says he will follow her until she can achieve her goal and he will send a letter to Huci when he gets into the town. Then all of them off to Abashiri.
Ogata killed his mother by mixing rat poison in Monk-fish stew.
Second Lt. Koito and Lt. Tsurumi’s conversation of Shiraishi, Ogata and Sugimoto group: In Otaru, Second Lt. Koito is worried that Lt. Tsurumi will scold him for letting Shiraishi escape from Asahikawa. He is nagging Sergeant Tsukishima about Lt. Tsurumi’s reaction about the escape. Then Sergeant Tsukishima gave him a photo of Lt. Tsurumi before his face was injured in the Battle of Mukden. With that second Lt. Koito became happy and a little jealous of Sergeant Tsukishima because he was with Lt. Tsurumi before him.
Meanwhile, Lt. Tsurumi enters the room and addresses second Lt. Koito. Koito becomes nervous and start talking in Satsuma dialect which Lt. Tsurumi can’t understand. Then he tells Lt. Tsurumi through Sergeant Tsukishima that he let Shiraishi escape but he copied his tattoo. Lt. Tsurumi then tells him that he is disappointed at Koita since he let a valuable asset like Shiraishi escape. By hearing that Koita nervously stand up and show him the inner vest with tattoos drawn which is made from the fake Inudou’s skin. When Lt. Tsurumi sees the tattoo he understands that it belongs to the con artist Suzukawa Kyohiro. Lt. Tsurumi again says he is still disappointed in Koita but he will keep him in Otaru for hunting other prisoners. Koito becomes really happy to hear that.
Then Lt. Tsurumi asks if it was Ogata Hyakunosuke who was aboard the airship. Koito says that he was with Shiraishi and Sugimoto. Koito then says the Ogata is disgracing the noble suicide of his father Hanazawa Kouzjirou, the former commander of the 7th division. Lt. Tsurumi then explains that Koito’s father is born in Satsuma like late Lt. General Hanazawa and blame the Central command for Lt. General’s suicide. Then Lt. Tsurumi says that he thought Ogata will fight for his father’s honor but he did exactly opposite.
Ogata killing his father Lt. General Hanazawa Koujirou and making it looks like he committed suicide
After that, it goes back to Ogata Hyakunosuke past where his father left his mother after he was born because she is a Asakusa geisha and he is a Lt. Colonel. After his father totally stopped coming and his grandmother took them to her house. Ogata’s mother still waits for his father and always cooks monk-fish stew every day because his father loved it. His mother always cooks monk-fish and ignore cooking other dishes even though Ogata hunts and bring some wild duck home once in a while. His mother gone crazy because of constantly grieving for his father. So one day Ogata mixed rat poison with monk-fish stew and killed her to see if his father will come after learning about his mother’s death.
Ogata’s Flashback about his father: Ogata is telling that to his wounded father Lt. General Hanazawa Kouzjirou and asks why did he never came for her funeral. His father says he didn’t come because he is sick of her. Then Ogata tells his father that he killed his stepbrother second Lt. Hanazawa Yusakuu in the battlefields by shooting him in the back of his head. Then he says to his father that he didn’t kill him because of jealousy rather he wanted to see if he (his father) will care for him after his legitimate son’s death. Lt. Hanazawa Kouzjirou then gets angry and says Ogata is a failure of being a son and cursed him.
Ogata and Lt. Tsurumi talking about Ogata’s father Lt. General Hanazawa Koujirou death
After that, we see Ogata killed his father Lt. General Hanazawa Kouzjirou and make it look like as he committed suicide and then left the 7th regiment barracks. He then enters a horse Carriage where he meets with Lt. Tsurumi. Then Lt. Tsurumi tells Ogata that the 7th regiment’s bond will grow stronger because of his father’s suicide. He then explained that the 7th regiment will make Ogata, the only surviving son of Lt. General Hanazawa into a hero and they’ll make him into the god of war they lost……………..
To be Continued……….
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