Those wacky ninjas--

    The Onmitsu Oniwabanshuu
    BdB

    The Oniwabanshuu were a group of spies who most notably guarded the castle of Edo. In 1854, when the Black Ships arrived in Japan, the Okashira at the time (Misao's grandfather) sent Okina to set up an independent base in Kyoto, suspecting that Kyoto would be the center of the violence. When the Bakufu fell, the Aoiya became a haven for the former Oniwabanshuu.

    The first group of Oniwabanshuu members that Kenshin meets consist of Beshimi, Shiki-jou, Hyottoko, and Hannya. (Not like you can forget their names...thanks, Aoshi. :P) These are almost certainly pseudonyms because they're the name of four character types/masks in Noh plays. You can take a look at the masks here - note that Hannya is actually wearing his Hannya mask.



    L-R, T-B: Shiro, Okon, Kuro, Omasu Okashira: Shinomori Aoshi, then Makimachi Misao ( = "chastity, fidelity")

    Known Members:

    Tokyo: (deceased)
  • Beshimi
  • Shiki-jou
  • Hyottoko
  • Hanya

    Kyoto:
  • Kashiwazaki Nenji (alias 'Okina' (venerable old man - another Noh mask) or 'Jiya' (gramps))
  • Okon (the long-haired one ^^)
  • Omasu
  • Kuro (the big guy - 'black')
  • Shiro ('white')

    Suspected Members:
  • Gein (!!) (well, he's also a practicer of "Gehou" (secret arts), so...maybe...)




    Jiya's pretty cool, isn't he? Attacks/Weapons


  • Okon: Kunoji Shuriken (boomerang)
  • Omasu: Enkei Shuriken (discus)
  • Shiro & Kuro: Kotewa Shuriken (rings)
  • Misao: Kansatsu Tobi Kunai - "Piercing Killing Flying Kunai"(darts ), Kecho Geri
  • Okina: Ensatsu Goukoukon (tonfa - batons, and nunchaku)
  • Beshimi: Rasenbyou (tiny cone projectiles)
  • Hyottoko: Kaentoiki (breathing flames)
  • Hanya: Shinwanjutsu and Kenpo and Kagitsume (iron claws)
  • Aoshi: Kodachi Nitouryuu




    geeeez, dig the height difference. o.O Misao
    Of course, no page on the "gloomy guy" would be complete without at least a SHORT mention of the girl who loves him DESPITE the fact that he has yet to even smile at her. ;;^^

    Makimachi Misao was introduced in volume 9 to bring a lighter note to a darkening storyline. She is the granddaughter of the former Okashira, and, as such, was raised by all the Oniwabanshuu, especially Aoshi and the 4 ninja who eventually followed him to Tokyo. At the age of 16, she set out alone to find the people who raised her, as well as 'Aoshi-sama', who she had elevated into near-divinity in her mind. ^^ Her search for Aoshi mirrors Kaoru's search for Kenshin in Kyoto, only instead of Kaoru's reasonably happy reunion with the person she loved, Misao found only death and betrayal and rejection. The four Oniwabanshuu were dead, and she had to watch her beloved 'Aoshi-sama' slide further towards madness.

    " The person she's closest to and the person she most loves . . . she's about to lose one of them... "

    Misao may seem more superficially immature than Kaoru (as evidenced by her general genkiness and during the fight with Kamatari) but she seems to have more strength of will than Kaoru does, which is why I like her better. ;;^^ Kaoru's reaction to Kenshin's leaving for Kyoto - which even involved a nice mushy goodbye scene - was to shut down totally, and just lie in bed all day and cry until Megumi slapped some sense into her. Misao, IMHO, had a tougher deal - but she didn't bend even for a minute. She immediately took control over the Oniwabanshuu and resolved to face facts and deal with her Aoshi-sama as an enemy, even sitting quietly as Ji-ya discussed killing him.

    Watsuki-sensei likes Happy Endings, and Aoshi obviously does care about Misao in his own weird way. (But exactly *how* he feels for her is a mystery.) After coming back to his senses which means being just gloomy, instead of gloomy and psychotic... he doesn't evince more than an understanding that Misao would be unhappy if he died. (Like Kenshin, it seemed that he'd been fighting without regard for his own life - and both had to realize that people needed them to live.) And he *does* say that he wasn't planning on getting killed because "someone is waiting for me to return." At the very end (in the side-story), they return to visit the Kamiya Dojo together, so I suppose she slapped him into shape eventually. I still think it's kind of odd, but whatever!



    Images
  • Misao and Ji-ya
  • The six Oniwabanshuu in their shinobi gi, Kaoru, and Yahiko waiting in the ruins of the Aoiya
  • The massive party following Kenshin's victory vs. Shishio
  • Boy, they're genki. ^^ ( Ji-ya's spoon says, " Microphone " ;;^^
  • Misao and Jiya looking serious
  • The other four frowning
  • A group shot in front of the Shirobeko
  • All the faces of the Kyoto Oniwabanshuu!
  • Uh. Aoshi and PART of each of the Tokyo Oniwabanshuu... ;;^^ That boy ain't right, I tell ya...^.^




[ pin the butt-bow ]