TV-Series
Description
Hajime Tsukishima is a sergeant serving under Lieutenant Tokushirou Tsurumi in the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army. He is a short but thickset and muscular man, with a shaved head, dark hair, and dark eyes. His most distinctive physical traits are the two prominent lines under his eyes, a short, flat nose, and a small goatee on his chin. He typically wears the standard Japanese military uniform, often covered by a large, hooded coat.
Tsukishima is an exceptionally serious, diligent, and dependable soldier. He is unfailingly polite to his superiors and comrades, consistently addressing them with appropriate titles and honorifics, even when he is displeased with them. This unwavering politeness is a core part of his demeanor. He is often described as the conscience of the 7th Division, serving as a stoic, straight man who remains calm and grounded while those around him descend into chaos. Despite his solemn and brutal efficiency in combat, he has shown genuine care for his comrades, offering words of consolation and quiet support to soldiers like Genjirou Tanigaki.
Born on the island of Sado, Tsukishima was the son of a widely detested man, earning him the cruel nickname murderer's son. He was a solitary and angry child, with his only friend being a girl named Igogusa, the sole person who called him by his first name, Hajime. He enlisted in the 2nd Division and fought in the First Sino-Japanese War, promising Igogusa that he would marry her and leave the island upon his return. While he was away, rumors spread that he had been killed in action. Upon returning home, he discovered that Igogusa had disappeared and her shoes were found on the seashore. Believing his father had spread the false rumors of his death, a rage-filled Tsukishima killed him. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to execution for patricide.
While in military prison awaiting execution, Tsukishima was visited by his former superior, Tsurumi. After hearing his story, Tsurumi left to investigate and later returned with a lie, producing a bundle of egogusa seaweed as proof that Igogusa was alive and well. This act relieved Tsukishima's guilt and despair, and Tsurumi successfully recruited him into the 7th Division, ordering him to learn Russian. For nine years, Tsukishima served loyally, believing Tsurumi had saved him. However, during the Battle of Mukden in the Russo-Japanese War, a young soldier from his home island informed him that Igogusas remains had been found beneath his father's house. Realizing he had been deceived for nearly a decade, Tsukishima confronted Tsurumi in a fit of rage. After the confrontation, as a Russian bombardment began, Tsukishima instinctively pushed Tsurumi to safety, taking the brunt of an explosion that scarred his abdomen and disfigured Tsurumis face. After recovering, Tsukishima pledged his life to Tsurumis service, stating that since Tsurumi had saved his life, he would use what remained of it for his commander. Tsurumi then revealed his grand, ambitious plan concerning the Ainu gold.
Tsukishimas primary motivation is a deeply complex mix of duty, penance, and loyalty. He considers his own life to have little value, believing that after years of carrying out morally complex tasks for Tsurumi, he has gone too far to turn back. He is fully aware of Tsurumis manipulative and treacherous nature, yet he remains fiercely loyal, viewing his service as repayment for the life he believes Tsurumi saved. He accepts that he must dirty his own hands to achieve necessary results, making him a brutally effective and pragmatic operative.
In the story, Tsukishima functions as Tsurumis most trusted right-hand man and a key field operative for the 7th Division. He is often tasked with handling sensitive missions, managing other soldiers like the volatile Koito Nikaidou or the inexperienced Otonoshin Koito, and cleaning up situations that require discretion and ruthlessness. His role is often that of a middle manager, forced to wrangle the eccentric and dangerous personalities within his own ranks while carrying out Tsurumis schemes to acquire the Ainu gold and stage a coup detat.
His most important relationship is with his superior, Tokushirou Tsurumi. It is a bond forged through deception, saved lives, and shared ambition. Though their connection is built on a lie about Igogusa, Tsukishimas loyalty to Tsurumi is absolute. He also serves as a mentor and handler to the younger Second Lieutenant Otonoshin Koito, often acting as a translator and a steadying influence on the impulsive officer. He has a quiet, professional camaraderie with fellow soldiers like Tanigaki and a wary, antagonistic relationship with the treacherous sniper Hyakunosuke Ogata.
Tsukishima is a formidable combatant. Despite his modest stature, he possesses great physical strength, stamina, and endurance, allowing him to fight effectively even when injured or poisoned. He prefers to use powerful kicks in hand-to-hand combat. He is also a skilled marksman, proficient with a rifle, and is fluent enough in the Russian language to hold conversations, having been ordered by Tsurumi to learn it.
Tsukishima is an exceptionally serious, diligent, and dependable soldier. He is unfailingly polite to his superiors and comrades, consistently addressing them with appropriate titles and honorifics, even when he is displeased with them. This unwavering politeness is a core part of his demeanor. He is often described as the conscience of the 7th Division, serving as a stoic, straight man who remains calm and grounded while those around him descend into chaos. Despite his solemn and brutal efficiency in combat, he has shown genuine care for his comrades, offering words of consolation and quiet support to soldiers like Genjirou Tanigaki.
Born on the island of Sado, Tsukishima was the son of a widely detested man, earning him the cruel nickname murderer's son. He was a solitary and angry child, with his only friend being a girl named Igogusa, the sole person who called him by his first name, Hajime. He enlisted in the 2nd Division and fought in the First Sino-Japanese War, promising Igogusa that he would marry her and leave the island upon his return. While he was away, rumors spread that he had been killed in action. Upon returning home, he discovered that Igogusa had disappeared and her shoes were found on the seashore. Believing his father had spread the false rumors of his death, a rage-filled Tsukishima killed him. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to execution for patricide.
While in military prison awaiting execution, Tsukishima was visited by his former superior, Tsurumi. After hearing his story, Tsurumi left to investigate and later returned with a lie, producing a bundle of egogusa seaweed as proof that Igogusa was alive and well. This act relieved Tsukishima's guilt and despair, and Tsurumi successfully recruited him into the 7th Division, ordering him to learn Russian. For nine years, Tsukishima served loyally, believing Tsurumi had saved him. However, during the Battle of Mukden in the Russo-Japanese War, a young soldier from his home island informed him that Igogusas remains had been found beneath his father's house. Realizing he had been deceived for nearly a decade, Tsukishima confronted Tsurumi in a fit of rage. After the confrontation, as a Russian bombardment began, Tsukishima instinctively pushed Tsurumi to safety, taking the brunt of an explosion that scarred his abdomen and disfigured Tsurumis face. After recovering, Tsukishima pledged his life to Tsurumis service, stating that since Tsurumi had saved his life, he would use what remained of it for his commander. Tsurumi then revealed his grand, ambitious plan concerning the Ainu gold.
Tsukishimas primary motivation is a deeply complex mix of duty, penance, and loyalty. He considers his own life to have little value, believing that after years of carrying out morally complex tasks for Tsurumi, he has gone too far to turn back. He is fully aware of Tsurumis manipulative and treacherous nature, yet he remains fiercely loyal, viewing his service as repayment for the life he believes Tsurumi saved. He accepts that he must dirty his own hands to achieve necessary results, making him a brutally effective and pragmatic operative.
In the story, Tsukishima functions as Tsurumis most trusted right-hand man and a key field operative for the 7th Division. He is often tasked with handling sensitive missions, managing other soldiers like the volatile Koito Nikaidou or the inexperienced Otonoshin Koito, and cleaning up situations that require discretion and ruthlessness. His role is often that of a middle manager, forced to wrangle the eccentric and dangerous personalities within his own ranks while carrying out Tsurumis schemes to acquire the Ainu gold and stage a coup detat.
His most important relationship is with his superior, Tokushirou Tsurumi. It is a bond forged through deception, saved lives, and shared ambition. Though their connection is built on a lie about Igogusa, Tsukishimas loyalty to Tsurumi is absolute. He also serves as a mentor and handler to the younger Second Lieutenant Otonoshin Koito, often acting as a translator and a steadying influence on the impulsive officer. He has a quiet, professional camaraderie with fellow soldiers like Tanigaki and a wary, antagonistic relationship with the treacherous sniper Hyakunosuke Ogata.
Tsukishima is a formidable combatant. Despite his modest stature, he possesses great physical strength, stamina, and endurance, allowing him to fight effectively even when injured or poisoned. He prefers to use powerful kicks in hand-to-hand combat. He is also a skilled marksman, proficient with a rifle, and is fluent enough in the Russian language to hold conversations, having been ordered by Tsurumi to learn it.