Sugimoto, Saichi

杉元佐一

Saichi Sugimoto is a former soldier who fought in the Russo-Japanese War with the 1st Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, earning the nickname 'Immortal Sugimoto' for his battlefield invincibility. He lost his best friend in the war, who asked him to look after his family. After returning home once his army service ended, he went gold panning in Hokkaido to earn enough money to fulfill his friend's last wish. There, he met a man who told him a story about a lost gold treasure that once belonged to a people known as the 'Ainu'. The man also said that the person who hid it was later imprisoned and left clues to find the treasure on the skin of his fellow inmates.
Sugimoto is a strong and skilled warrior and soldier with the instincts needed to survive. He even manages to overpower and kill a rogue bear with his knife and bayonet. Although fierce on the battlefield and having blood on his hands, he is not cruel or unkind. He is valorous and kind. When asked why he is called 'Immortal Sugimoto', he later reveals that he learned the only way to live is not to be killed, so he only kills to protect his own life.
He has two scars on his face that are perpendicular and run across his entire visage, while the third deviates from the horizontal one like a tree branch. His whole body is also covered in scars earned in battle.
Year-round, Sugimoto wears a kimono with the sleeves tied up by a tasuki and the back hem tucked in shirihashori style over a mandarin collar shirt. He also wears the military cap, trousers, and high boots that were part of his uniform during the Russo-Japanese War. In colder weather, he also wears a dark blue trench coat and a foreign-made scarf.