Eikichi leads a troupe of traveling performers from Ōshima Island, guiding their seasonal tours across the Izu Peninsula while coordinating performances and logistics. His ensemble includes his 14-year-old sister Kaoru, wife Chiyoko, mother-in-law, and a maid. During their travels, he encounters a Tokyo student, navigating social hierarchies by directing the youth to a superior inn—a pragmatic acknowledgment of class distinctions.

Some adaptations explore financial hardships in his past. A film adaptation expands his backstory, revealing a squandered inheritance from a gold mine sold to Zenbei after mismanagement, which forced the troupe into itinerant survival. This version depicts his desperate renegotiation attempts with Zenbei, even contemplating transactional use of Kaoru’s future—a subplot absent from the original narrative.

His rapport with the student transitions from formal courtesy to camaraderie, marked by shared baths and storytelling. He extends hospitality by urging the student to prolong his stay, fostering companionship. During farewells, he mediates between the troupe and outsiders, joining Kaoru to bid the student goodbye.

Adaptations delve into his internal struggles, torn between familial duties and survival tactics. While the original story emphasizes his protectiveness—barring Kaoru from cinema outings with the student—film iterations introduce ethically complex choices fueled by financial strain, layering his leadership with moral ambiguity.

His dialogue weaves hints of future aspirations, such as inviting the student to Ōshima, suggesting latent hopes for stability or reconnection. Yet his arc remains anchored in the impermanence of his troupe’s nomadic life, balancing fleeting alliances against the relentless demands of the road.