Dr. FangLang 's Pavement

Back Numbers of Weekly Kenshin Review

From The Weekly Shounen Jump in 1997 and 1998

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 10/06/97 issue was published. Portraits of Ms Misao Makimachi, Mr. Aoshi Shinomori, and Assistant Police Inspector Hajime Saitou appeared on Kenshin cartoon there. However a new series of Kenshin has already started. A new enemy, Mr. Enishi Yukishiro whose elder sister, Ms Tomoe Yukishiro (or Tomoe Himura, Battousai's wife), was killed by Mr. Battou-sai Himura (Kenshin) came from Shanghai to Tokyo in 1878 in order to revenge himself on Kenshin. He called the revenge "Jinchu." "Jinchu" is a Japanese word and an antonym of "Tenchu." Tenchu means Heaven's punishment. May Aoshi, Misao, and Saitou be inflicted just punishment on?

Iwan-bou, one of "The Ten Swords under Shishio (Japanese: Juppon Gatana)" has been already revealed to be as "Gein" under Enishi Yukishiro. Gein was revealed to be as the most trusted follower of Enishi Yukishiro. Kenshin told Miss Kaoru Kamiya in this issue that he wanted to tell his own past days and the secret of his cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

Moreover, you know The Weekly Shounen Jump 10/20/97 issue was published. At last Kenshin began to tell his own past becuase Enishi's attack meant his private revenge. First, his cross-shaped scar is not made by one person. One day Kenshin attacked Mr. Jubei Shigekura, a bureaucrat of Kyoto Shoshidai office, the Tokugawa Shogunate. One of the pair was made by Mr. Akira Kiyosato, Jubei Shigekura's follower. His living will was too strong to remove Kenshin's scar.
Mr. Akira Kiyosato was Tomoe Yukishiro's fiancé then.

The Weekly Shounen Jump 11/17/97 issue was published as you know. Mr. Battousai Himura under Mr. Kogorou Katsura (or Mr. Takayoshi Kido) from the Choushu Clan would assassinate bureaucrats of the Tokugawa Shogunate according to ). Black letters from the Choushu Clan ordered Battousai to kill the bureaucrats.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 11/03/97 issue was published. At last Ms Tomoe Yukishiro met Mr. Battousai Himura. She saw him kill a swordsman.
The Weekly Shounen Jump 11/10/97 issue reported that Battousai had stayed at Kohagiya, an inn then. She went there with Battousai. She began to work for the inn.
Japanese word Kohagiya means Small Hagi Place. Hagi is a place name of the Choushu Clan. Hagi was the capital of the clan. In the cartoon, Kohagiya was a haunt of Choushu royalist swordsmen.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 11/24/97 issue was published. At last Ms Tomoe Yukishiro was married with Mr. Battousai Himura late in summer of 1864. Then Tomoe was 18 years old and Battousai was 15 years old. In the issue, Mr. Shinsaku Takasugi was attacked with pulmonary tuberculosis. Mr. Hajime Saitou and appeared on the issue. Mr. Souji Okita, who was killed by TB, also appeared there. You know Shinsen-gumi Company started the Affair of Ikeda-Ya in 1864. Of course Saitou played the important role at the affair. Shinsen-gumi Company returned from a victorious campaign. Kenshin saw the parade of Shinsen-gumi. Kenshin saw Mr. Hajime Saitou. Their eyes met. Kenshin said to himself, "This relation with you bids fair to last." Just after the affair, army of Choushu Clan was defeated by Tokugawa Shogunate at "Kinmon No Hen" (the Incident at the Gate of the Imperial Palace). In the battle, Kohagiya, Kenshin's hideout, burned down.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 01/01/98 issue was published. Mr. Enishi Yukishiro was a child who looked like Mr. Yahiko Myoujin. He had been trained as a "Shikomi (Japanese: Training)". He was sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate. At last he appeared in front of Battousai Himura on 01/08-01/14/98 issue of The Weekly Shounen Jump.

On the other hand, The Weekly Shounen Jump 10/27/97 issue reported Mr. Battousai Himura had belonged to "Kiheitai" of the Choushu Clan. "Kiheitai" means a flying column. It was established by Mr. Shinsaku Takasugi in the last days of Tokugawa Shogunate. Mr. Takasugi is still famous and very popular in Japan.

You remember The Shinsen-gumi Company worked for the Shogunate in Kyoto and fought against Choushu-Clan. However Kyoto University has a lot of historical materials of Choushu-Clan including "The Kiheitai Diary." You might see them at the University Library of Kyoto University. You know Kyoto University is the second best research center in Japan.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 01/26/98 issue was published. In the Tokugawa Shogunate, Oniwabanshu ninja fighters in the eastern Japan and Yami No Bu ninja fighters in the western Japan supported the Shogunate. The leader of Yami No Bu, Tatsumi is an aged ninja fighter. He and his four followers tried to fight against Kenshin.

In the Weekly Shounen Jump 02/02/98, Tatsumi's followers were defeated by Kenshin.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 02/09/98 issue was published. Tomoe was taken captive under Tatsumi. At last Kenshin went to Tatsumi's house. Tatsumi fought against Kenshin. She covered her husband with her own body. Therefore she was killed by Kenshin himself. Then her short sword flew to cut Kenshin's left cheek. Thus his cross-shaped scar was completed.

Mr. Enishi Yukishiro chanced to see Kenshin kill Tomoe. Thereafter Enishi worked for the Tokugawa Shogunate.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 02/16/98 issue was published. Kenshin found Tomoe's secret diary. Tomoe wrote her affianced husband's name there. It was Mr. Akira Kiyosato. Kenshin knew he had killed Mr. Kiyosato then. He was annoyed. Mr. Kogorou Katsura appeared in front of Kenshin to order him to work for the Choushu Clan as a ranger swordsman.

Mr. Hajime Saitou appeared on the issue. Kenshin fought against Hajime Saitou. But the result of the battle was not drawn.

You know The Weekly Shounen Jump 02/23/98 issue was published. At the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, Kenshin saw Enishi again. Enishi was still a boy but his hair was all gray.

Thus his story on his cross-shaped scar was ended.
However Kenshin did not give up. He thought that Enishi would stop the revenge when he read Tomoe's diary. Tomoe's diary was in Kyoto. Kenshin wrote a letter to Aoiya. Misao and Aoshi went to Tokyo to take the diary to Kenshin.(In the Weekly Shounen Jump 03/02/98 issue)

In the issues of 03/09/98 and 03/16/98, Kenshin and Kaoru confessed to each other. Especially, Kaoru Kamiya said, "I want to live with Kenshin forever."
In the next scene, Assistant Police Inspector Hajime Saitou appeared.
His follower Chou Sawagejou taught Mr. Saitou the secret of Six Revenge. The two were inspected the situation. Mr. Saitou waited for Chou at a Soba noodle shop.(In the Weekly Shounen Jump 03/16/98 issue.)

To be continued ....

"Rurouni Kenshin": Copyright (c) Nobuhiro Watsuki/ Shueisha, Fuji Telecast, SPE Visual Works, 1996, 1997, 1998

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