Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda is a shonen manga
series that covers a wide range of genres – adventure, war, political intrigue,
comedy, and thrillers. Set shortly after the Russo-Japanese War (1904 – 1905)
it follows Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the conflict, and his quest for a
legendary stash of gold hidden in Hokkaido, the most northern of Japan’s main
islands. While fighting at the vicious Battle of Port Arthur, he earned the
nickname “Immortal Sugimoto,” given his almost legendary ability to avoid
death, which he keeps throughout the remainder of this series.
While panning for gold, Sugimoto hears the story of Ainu who
mined an enormous amount of gold in an effort to build up an army and expel the
Japanese occupiers. For those not familiar, Ainu are the native inhabitants of
Hokkaido. While there has been some assimilation over the years, at the time
this series is set, Ainu and what we would consider “Japanese people,” were
very distinct, even if they were citizens of Japan.
One of the Ainu murdered the miners and stole the gold for
himself, hiding it away. He was caught and imprisoned, where he spread the news
of his gold stash to other inmates. Tattooing directions on their skin, they
broke out of prison and went their separate ways. The setup is a bit clunky,
but not for a shonen (boy) manga I suppose. However, once the plot gets going
is when Golden Kamuy really shines.
Sugimoto meets up with Asirpa, a young Ainu girl and an
expert hunter. After surviving an almost fatal attack from a monstrous bear,
they team up in search of the gold. Sugimoto has his own motives besides greed,
namely to take care of a blind war widow, with whom he shares a past. They meet
up with the third member of their party, the so-called “Escape King”— Yoshitake
Shiraishi.
Pitted against this motley gang are two main groups of
antagonists. The first is a faction within the Imperial Japanese Army,
specifically a faction within the vaunted 7th Division, charged with
the protection of Hokkaido. They’re led by the deranged and deformed Lieutenant
Tsurumi, who is looking for the gold as well. Disfigured in the Battle of Port
Arthur, his upper face has been skinned, along with shrapnel that ripped a
chunk out of his front skull. While still an Army Intelligence officer, Tsurumi
has secretly gone rogue and has his platoon out searching for the gold in
preparation to march down to Tokyo and launch a coup d’état. His motives stem
mainly from Japan receiving less than what she desired from the Treaty of
Portsmouth.
Tsurumi is an interesting villain, in part because of his
violent mood swings. In one scene, he and Sugimoto share some dango
skewered sweets, trying to get him to join the 7th Division. But in
a split second, Tsurumi plunges the skewer into Sugimoto’s cheeks, almost on a
sadistic whim. Another example involves Tsurumi biting off the scolding finger
of his superior officer. Brutal violence is a constant in this series, despite
it being a shonen manga with cutesy “anime” eyes.
The second major group of antagonists is led by Toshizō
Hijikata, a former member of the Shinsengumi, the Tokugawa Shogunate’s special
police force. Although aged, Hijikata is a sharp and cunning old man, and still
extremely adept with a katana. His plans for the Ainu gold involve breaking
Hokkaido away from Japan and establishing an independent Republic of Ezo. Those
who studied Japanese history might be aware of the actual Republic of Ezo from
1869, in the wake of the Boshin War. Set up by Tokugawa loyalists, it was
quickly overrun by Meiji government forces.
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| Golden Kamuy Volume 4 |
There are many more side characters, including the
disturbingly mutilated Noppera-bō who appears briefly for a few panels every
now and then, Sugimoto and Asirpa from afar. Seriously, his nose, ears, and
skin have been peeled off, making him resemble the “Noppera-bō” (faceless men)
of Japanese ghost stories. The first five volumes have multiple subplots, but
there always seems to be time to talk about Ainu culture and specifically,
food. While this is interesting, the constant stops for food did slow the plot
down a little. New characters and subplots involving hunting, serial killers,
and Ainu folklore, are introduced with each volume, but they never feel like
they’re overcrowded the story. If anything, they enhance the characters and
raise the stakes.
The first five volumes of Golden Kamuy are a lot of
set up, with neither side knowing where the gold is but each collecting a few
skins, showing the way. It might be set up, but it is intriguing set up, and
I’d like to know where the story goes next.
