Major Hanamura commands authority as a high-ranking army official and father to the protagonist. After the early loss of his wife during his daughter’s childhood, he single-handedly cultivated her self-reliant and tomboyish nature through unorthodox methods. Defying conventional gender expectations despite his military stature, he permitted her to train in kendo, adopt Western attire, and pursue literature rather than domestic traditions.

A preordained family pact, forged before the protagonist’s birth, binds her to a lieutenant from another military lineage to honor a decades-old alliance. This agreement traces back to a thwarted romance between the lieutenant’s grandmother and a Hanamura relative, stifled by societal pressures. Though championing his daughter’s independence, Hanamura’s unwavering loyalty to the pact fuels central tensions as the protagonist rebels against the engagement.

His military influence propels critical plot turns, such as assigning the lieutenant to Manchuria’s wartime front—a decision that fractures relationships and tests the protagonist’s resilience. Balancing paternal devotion with the rigid demands of duty and tradition, his choices anchor the narrative’s exploration of sacrifice, legacy, and the clash between personal autonomy and familial obligation.