Kuroi, Sabato

黒衣鯖人

A skilled pupil of Anotsu Saburō (the grandfather of Anotsu Kagehisa) and a master swordsman of the Ittō-ryū style. Along with his swordsmanship, Kuroi has several quirks, including the appearance of poetry referencing Black Sabbath whenever he acts. Furthermore, Kuroi is so obsessed with ageless beauty that he used taxidermy to preserve the heads of his former wife and Rin's mother, mounting them on his shoulders. In addition to his sword skills, Kuroi uses two shuriken known as Karasu, or "The Crow." He first appears in Conquest part 1 and is later killed by Manji in Conquest part 3. Kuroi Sabato is inspired by the band Black Sabbath; the name roughly translates from Japanese as Black Sabbath. Kuroi is a direct translation of the color black. When romanized, Sabato can be interpreted as "Sabbath." Black Sabbath is one of Hiroaki Samura's favorite bands.