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Golden Kamuy Wikia

Kamuy Mosir (カムイモシㇼ, Kamuimoshiri) is the 12th chapter of the Golden Kamuy manga.

Synopsis[]

While staying at Asirpa's kotan, Sugimoto asks her about her family. Asirpa says she is living in her cise with her grandmother while her aunt and uncle live in another house. Asirpa reveals that her ekasi (grandfather) fell sick and died six years ago and her mother died of illness soon after giving birth to her. Speaking in Ainu, Huci tells Sugimoto that Asirpa spends all of her time in the mountains and can't do a woman's work; a woman that cannot sew or knit is unable to find an Ainu husband. She says that Asirpa refuses to get tattooed despite being nearly of age, and Asirpa argues that a lot of girl refuse to get tattooed — Huci is just old-fashioned. Asirpa's grandmother asks Sugimoto to take Asirpa as his wife, as she can't depart this world in peace until she knows her granddaughter is safe. Sugimoto asks Asirpa to translate what Huci just said, but Asirpa, visibly ablush, tells Sugimoto that Huci said that people shouldn't eat poop. Sugimoto smiles and once again claims that it's not poop, it's miso.

A small Ainu girl points at Sugimoto and says sinna kisar. Asirpa explains that the girl noticed how strange Sugimoto's ears are compared to the Ainu. Sugimoto asks the girl's name, and she introduces herself as Osoma. Sugimoto thinks she is messing with him, but Asirpa tells him it's not a joke: the Ainu have a custom of giving babies disgusting names to protect them from evil spirits of illness. Once children turn six years old, they get a real name based on their personalities and what they've done in life. Sugimoto wonders what Asirpa's name was, and she says it was Ekasiotonpuy, meaning "grandfather's butthole".

Ainu altar Ch12 01

Ceremony of Iomante.

When Huci feeds the bear cub, Sugimoto asks what she is feeding him. Asirpa replies that it's a mixture of meat and broth. She muses that the cub will grow up to be as huge as his mother in just three years. Sugimoto asks if Asirpa doesn't like bear cubs, pointing out that she hasn't even touched the baby bear. Asirpa says it's not that she doesn't like them. However, she thinks Sugimoto should stop petting the cub or he will get too attached to him. Sugimoto looks confused by what Asirpa said and asks if they will return the bear into the wild once he gets bigger. Asirpa reveals that they will perform a ceremony and send the bear off to the Land of the Gods. She tells Sugimoto of a bear cub she doted upon as a child. Asirpa was so attached to him, she tried to sneak the cub out and return him to the mountains right before the ceremony; the adults were furious with her, and Asirpa was so sad she didn't participate in the ceremony. She explains to Sugimoto that for the Ainu it's not an act of killing, but of "sending back". The Ainu believe that all useful things around them, things with power beyond their control, are kamuy, or Gods. The kamuy send useful things from the Land of the Gods to human world; in order for their lives to be peaceful, humans must take good care of the objects they use and not neglect their prayers. As the Ainu are hunters, the kamuy of animals are especially important. When they're in the Land of the Gods, all kamuy take the form of humans; when they come to the human world to play, they're clad in the flesh of animals. The bear, kimun kamuy, is especially important among the animal kamuy: for one or two years the Ainu raise the bear cub in a cage, heperset, and when the time comes, the whole village turns out and sends the cub off with a great celebration in a ceremony called Iomante. At the ceremony there's signing and dancing, lots of food is prepared, and the bear's spirit is sent off with many gifts so the gods know that the human world is a wonderful and fun place and will come back to earth.

Hearing Asirpa's story, Sugimoto wonders if Asirpa really believes it, noting that if she did believe it, sending the bear off wouldn't be that sad for her back then. Asirpa explains that within every belief lies a useful lesson to help people survive: for example, raising the bear cub instead of killing it means they will have more fur and meat in the future. Asirpa claims that her people lived their lives following those lessons, so she believes they're correct. Still, it doesn't mean that there's no sadness in saying goodbye, and that's why she prefers to keep her distance. Sugimoto smiles and says that Asirpa seems different from other Ainu. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that her father gave her the name Asirpa, which means "new year" but can also mean "future".

I'm a new kind of Ainu woman, for a new age!

Asirpa on her name

In Otaru, Hijikata Toshizou goes to a brothel disguised as a soba restaurant to find another Abashiri convict, Ushiyama the Undefeated. Hijikata finds Ushiyama with a prostitute, and Ushiyama immediately assumes that the prostitute sold him out. He grabs her leg and throws the woman at Hijikata, who dodges it and attacks Ushiyama with his katana. The two men clash, and Ushiyama pulls out his gun, asking if Hijikata really thought his katana would cut through his thick skull. Hijikata shows Ushiyama a copy of tattooed skin made on oil paper; he explains that there's no need to kill each other when they can copy the tattoos instead. Hijikata offers Ushiyama to join him, mentioning that sooner or later they will come to blows with the 7th Division and they need the tattooed skins they're in possession of. Ushiyama snarls and sarcastically wonders if Hijikata is planning to have a swordfight with the whole Imperial Japanese Army. Hijikata smiles and says that it doesn't matter how old you are, boys just love to play with swords.

Character Appearances[]

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v  e Chapters and Volumes
Volume 1 1234567
Volume 2 891011121314151617
Volume 3 18192021222324252627
Volume 4 2829303132333435363738
Volume 5 39404142434445464748
Volume 6 4950515253545556575859
Volume 7 60616263646566676869
Volume 8 7071727374757677787980
Volume 9 81828384858687888990
Volume 10 919293949596979899100
Volume 11 101102103104105106107108109110
Volume 12 111112113114115116117118119120
Volume 13 121122123124125126127128129130
Volume 14 131132133134135136137138139140
Volume 15 141142143144145146147148149150
Volume 16 151152153154155156157158159160
Volume 17 161162163164165166167168169170
Volume 18 171172173174175176177178179180
Volume 19 181182183184185186187188189190
Volume 20 191192193194195196197198199200
Volume 21 201202203204205206207208209210211
Volume 22 212213214215216217218219220221
Volume 23 222223224225226227228229230231
Volume 24 232233234235236237238239240
Volume 25 241242243244245246247248249250
Volume 26 251252253254255256257258259260
Volume 27 261262263264265266267268269270271
Volume 28 272273274275276277278279280
Volume 29 281282283284285286287288289290
Volume 30 291292293294295296297298299300301302
Volume 31 303304305306307308309310311312313314
v  e Chapters and Story Arcs
Introduction Arc 12345
Escape King Arc 6789101112131415161718192021
Legendary Hunter Arc 2223242526272829
Kazuo Henmi Arc 3031323334353637383940414243444546474849
Murder Hotel Arc 505152535455
Battle in Barato Arc 56575859
Immortal Beast Arc 60616263646566676869
Edogai Arc 7071727374757677787980
Con Artists Arc 81828384858687888990919293949596979899100101
Lightning and O-Gin Arc 102103104105106107
Shiton Anehata Arc 108109110111112113114
Blind Bandits Arc 115116117118119120121122123124
Abashiri Prison Arc 125126127128129130131132133134135136137138
Journey to Karafuto Arc 139140141142143144145146147
Youichirou the Manslayer Arc 148149150151152153154
Karafuto Circus Arc 155156157158
Border Crossing Arc 159160161162163164165166167168169170
Pet Monster Arc 171172173174175176
Akou Prison Break Arc 177178179180181182183184185186187188189190
Return to Karafuto Arc 191192193194195196197198199200
Return to Hokkaido Arc 201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216
Bear Man Arc 217218219220221222
Boutarou the Pirate Arc 223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238
Town of Reunions Arc 239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273
Tokyo Love Story Arc 274275276277278279
Hakodate Arc 280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314
v  e Escape King Arc
Chapters 6789101112131415161718192021
Episodes 2345
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