Yamada Asaemon Kishō (山田浅ェ門
After the shogun called for criminals to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island known as Kotaku, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Kishō joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal, Warped Keiun.
Appearance[]
Kishō's concept art from the anime.
Kishō had short hair with his face framed with bangs. He wore a dark haori with the standard attire of a Asaemon underneath, which is a white robe with a bell tied on the left collar along with a hakama held together with a waist cord, and sandals.
Personality[]
Kishō was an individual who was known for never losing his composure and rarely acting assertive. He was able to see the big picture in situations and found it annoying when people questioned his way of handling them. Kishō had shown that he didn't mind in taking the easy way out, offering to cut down Gabimaru to help Sagiri return home instead of following through with the mission. He also didn't like to be pushed around. After being set straight by Gabimaru, Kishō smiled saying that his time with finding the elixir will run out and the shogun had plans to have people from Iwagakure involve, which had Gabimaru concern.
Kishō was also someone who didn't have ambition, as he did not care about who would become the new head of the Yamada Clan and wasn't interested in competing with his fellow clansmen. He was shown to not be a strickler and was rather more flexible about following rules, as seen when he allowed his assigned criminal to cut off the bindings and to fight Gabimaru. To him, every criminal is a lowlife who doesn't deserve to even argue with, to the point of beheading the corpse of Warped Keuin to prove he did not abandon the mission.
Plot[]
Island Arc[]
Kishō was one of the few Asaemons who got assigned to a criminal and sent to search for the Elixir of Life on an island as ordered by the shogun.
Upon arriving on the island, his assigned criminal, Warped Keiun, encountered and attacked Gabimaru in an attempt to lower the competition. Sagiri was surprised that Keiun's arms were not bound and asked Kishō the reason behind this. Kishō tells Sagiri that he would simply redo his bindings when it was time to return home and that no one is following the rules. Keiun attempted to kill Gabimaru but is met with death by the shinobi. Kishō drew his sword and cuts off Keiun's head. With his criminal dead, Kishō prepares to head back home. Before leaving, Kishō warns Sagiri that the criminals have plans of their own to find the elixir and that the rules don't matter on the mission. He also offered to kill Gabimaru in order for her to return home. Having heard enough talk from him, Gabimaru grabbed his sword and silenced him. Kishō then told Gabimaru that his time with finding the elixir will eventually run out and Iwagakure might be involved. He also tells Sagiri that the mission will determine the next head of the Yamada clan and makes his departure.
Kishō's blooming corpse found by Tenza and Nurugai.
At some point, upon his departure, Kishō somehow became infected with Arborification and immediately died. After trying to make an attempt at escaping the island, Nurugai & Tenza finds Kishō's bloomed corpse. As Tenza tries to get a response from Kishō, the dead Asaemon is split in half by the Watatsumi's large tentacle.
Abilities and Powers[]
Since he was the 11th ranked Asaemon, Kishō was recognized by the Yamada clan as one of its strongest members and a suitable candidate to become the next head.
Foresight[]
According to and demonstrated by Shugen, Kishō's nerves of steel disposition allowed him to predict his opponent's attacks and avoid them on time, a feat that would usually require the use Tao to do so.
Kenjutsu[]
- Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū
As an Asaemon, he had the capabilities of decapitating a person's head with a single cut.
Weapons[]
As an executioner, Kishō carries his own katana.
Trivia[]
- Kishō's given name has the Kan-on'yomi reading for "time, date" (期 ki) and the Go-on'yomi reading for "holy, sacred" (聖 shō).
- Kishō ranked 23rd place in the manga 1st Character Popularity Poll.
- In the Jigokuraku Fashion Review of Volume 1, Kishō and Eizen's attires were given 1 out of 3 stars.
- According to Chapter 46.5, Kishō desired to have Akaginu as his assigned criminal.
- According to Kishō, he joined the Yamada clan at the same time as Genji.
- Top 8 popular male characters according to the Jigokuraku Kaitai Shinsho Q&A: Shugen > Tōma > Jikka > Eizen > Tenza > Fuchi > Shion > Kishō
References[]
- ↑ Jigokuraku Kaitai Shinsho, page 48