But before he can collect his thoughts, a grizzly bear-the cause of the man's demise-approaches Sugimoto, intent on finishing her meal. Sugimoto does not think much of the tale until he discovers the drunken man's corpse bearing the same tattoos described in the story. The only clue to its location is the coded map he tattooed on the bodies of his cellmates in exchange for a share of the treasure, should they manage to escape and find it. Before his arrest by the police, he hid the gold somewhere in Hokkaido.

One day, a drunken companion tells Sugimoto the tale of a man who murdered a group of Ainu and stole a fortune in gold.

Nicknamed 'Sugimoto the Immortal' for his death-defying acts in battle, the ex-soldier seeks fortune in order to fulfill a promise made to his best friend before he was killed in action: to support his family, especially his widow who needs treatment overseas for her deteriorating eyesight. In early 1900s Hokkaido after the Russo-Japanese war, Saichi Sugimoto tirelessly pans for gold.

Golden kamui kissmanga