Sōun Ebisugawa, patriarch of the Ebisugawa clan and younger brother of Sōichirō Shimogamo, harbored a decades-long feud with the Shimogamo family, fueled by envy of Sōichirō’s role as Nise-emon—supreme leader of Kyoto’s tanuki—and lingering bitterness over his unrequited love for Sōichirō’s wife. Defeated in both romance and politics, Sōun conspired with the celestial trickster Benten and the human Friday Fellows to orchestrate Sōichirō’s capture and execution during their annual tanuki hot pot ritual. Cutting ties with the Shimogamos after his brother’s death, Sōun pursued power through clandestine schemes, amassing wealth via a counterfeit Electric Brandy operation while cultivating a veneer of respectability in tanuki society. Behind this polished facade lay a cunning strategist driven by ambition and spite. His strained dynamic with his children mirrored his broader vendetta: twins Kinkaku and Ginkaku adopted his hostility toward the Shimogamos, while daughter Kaisei faced his wrath when he dissolved her engagement to Yasaburō Shimogamo. Years later, Sōun staged his own death following a clash with Tenmaya, an enigmatic entity linked to the underworld. Assuming the identity of his estranged son Kureichirō, he plotted to frame the Shimogamos for his murder and undermine Yaichirō’s campaign for Nise-emon. The ruse unraveled when Kaisei discovered his alliance with Tenmaya, exposing his fabricated evidence against the Shimogamos. His machinations ultimately backfired when Tenmaya betrayed him, culminating in their joint condemnation to hell by a demon summoned by Benten. A master shapeshifter, Sōun frequently morphed into monstrous forms to terrify foes, his tactics blending personal vengeance with calculated manipulation. Though his ruthless pursuit of dominance strained familial bonds, fleeting moments of paternal concern surfaced beneath his self-serving agenda, complicating his legacy as a figure torn between resentment and ambition.