Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translation
Volume One--Kenshin * Himura Battousai
Part 2--The Vagabond Comes to Town
A week after the Hiruma brothers have gone and the violence of the false Battousai has
been put to an end. Adjutant master of the Kamiya Kasshin School Kamiya Kaoru (17) has rushed
about
recalling her students to revive her school--but--
Kaoru: Not a single one of them came back. This is unbelievable.
Kenshin (who is doing laundry by the well): It’s because we live in an age of culture and
enlightenment. Once things change it’s not easy to go back.
Kaoru: Speaking of unbelievable, what about your age? Twenty-eight? It’s a lie. It’s a trick.
Apologize and tell me the truth!
Kenshin: Well, at least I’m not thirty, right?
Kaoru: Twenty-eight’s no good either.
Kenshin: You’re picky.
(Later, shopping in town.)
Kaoru (thinking as they walk): Himura Kenshin is a vagabond, a wandering swordsman,
traveling free from worldly cares, now staying at the dojo. But he is truly the patriot who
paved the way for the Meiji Restoration, the legendary Hitokiri without peer, Himura Battousai--
but . . . Why would he become a vagabond . . . Almost all the patriots gave up their swords.
Now, they have positions in the new government. If he wanted power . . .
Kenshin (noticing her staring at him): There’s something you want to ask me about my past,
isn’t there.
Kaoru (guiltily remembering her words "Everyone has one or two things about their past they
don’t want to talk about."): That’s not it at all! It’s your sword! You can’t just walk
around with a sword these days!
Kenshin: But just two years ago lots of people wore them. Look, it’s not bothering anybody.
Kaoru: But what are you going to do when the police find it, like last time! They won’t find
out it’s a reverse blade until it’s too late!
Kenshin: It happens if it happens.
Kaoru: Jeez. Well, let’s take care of the shopping. You get the miso, the salt and the
soy sauce.
Kenshin: That’ll be heavy.
Kaoru: Don’t complain!
(A carriage draws up behind her.)
Man in the Carriage: Excuse me, miss. I’ve gotten a little lost. Can you tell me the way to
the police station?
Kaoru: Oh . . . yes. You just turn right at the large street up ahead.
Man: Thank you. (to the driver) Let’s hurry.
Kaoru (as he drives off): That startled me. I wonder where he’s from. I haven’t seen him
before. Well, shopping.
Man in the Carriage (thinking): It’s true . . . this is the town . . . Himura Battousai . . .!
Kaoru (to a passerby, in front of a forming crowd): What’s going on?
Passerby: They’ve caught someone. The guy the police were after for breaking the edict
against carrying swords.
(Policemen have formed a semi-circle around Kenshin against a brick wall.)
Police: He’s little, but he’s fast!
Police2: You can’t run away!
Kenshin: That’s true. You’re very persistent. There’s nothing to be done. I'll go peacefully.
Sword-bearing Police (from behind): Out of the way! Sword-bearing police coming through!!
Get out of our way!!
Sword-bearing Police: The policeman permitted to wear swords. An elite, selected
from among the best for their ability at kenjutsu.
Policeman (saluting): Cap-captain Ujiki . . .
Ujiki: Good work. We’ll take it from here. Return to headquarters.
Policeman: B-but, this man hasn’t shown any sign of drawing his sword. (quietly) So, we
shouldn’t need any help to bring him in---
(Ujiki strikes him with the butt of his sword.)
Ujiki: Are you trying to give me advice? If I say get out of here, get out of here.
(turning to Kenshin) What’s this. Looks like a nice guy. (he whips his sword around,
stopping in inches from Kenshin’s face.) Why don’t you draw your sword? If you’re wearing
a sword in Tokyo you must have great confidence in your abilities.
Kenshin (gently pushing the blade aside): There’s no need to draw a sword recklessly. I have
no reason to show off.
Kaoru (running towards them): Kenshin!
Ujiki: She must be with Mr. Nice Guy here.
Kenshin: Miss Kaoru, stay back!
(Swordsmen on either side of her slice just above her head. The ribbon in her hair falls to
the ground.)
Policeman: Your kimono will be next.
Ujiki: Once again, why don’t you draw your sword?
Kenshin: Can you really be police . . .
Ujiki: That’s right. Permitted to wear swords. Licensed to kill. The Sword-bearing Police!
Kaoru (under her breath): Why won’t he draw his sword?
Crowd: This is tyranny! Don’t push it, cop! Leave him alone, you bastards!
Ujiki: Jeering from a crowd--you must be pretty brave. This is an obstruction of justice.
Arrest them all! I don’t care about those who resist. Kill them.
(The police turn on the fleeing crowd, but a sound behind them makes everyone freeze.
Kenshin stands, sword drawn.)
Kenshin: Miss Kaoru or the townspeople--don’t touch them! If you want an opponent, I’m here.
Those who want to eat dirt may come on.
Ujiki: So Mr. Nice Guy is no more, eh? That reverse blade is a strange sword intended for
self-defense. But a swordsman gets out of practice if he doesn’t kill someone once in a while!!
(At police headquarters, the chief of police is talking with the man from the carriage--whose
name, as we discover later, is Yamagata.)
Yamagata: I see, so he was an impostor . . .
Chief: Yes.
Yamagata: If you think about it, it makes sense. Himura was not the kind of man to show off
his strength. Certainly the man called Hitokiri Battousai killed. But he never killed for his
own gain. It was all for the new era--There are many heroes who saved lives with their swords
. . . but without him the patriots could not have succeeded. I wanted to find him and grant
him the rank in the Emperor’s military he deserves.
Chief: Yes but actually . . . the culprits were found beaten in front of the station.
Who did it is unclear. They claim it was the real one.
Yamagata: What . . .!
Chief: But that’s probably just talk.
(A young officer bursts into the office.)
Policeman: It’s terrible, Chief!
Chief: Idiot, there’s a guest here! Can’t you knock!
Policeman: I apologize, sir. But it’s the Sword-bearing Police!
Chief: Ujiki’s at it again.
Yamagata: Sword-bearing Police? I hadn’t heard that name.
Chief: It’s a unit formed by orders from Tokyo, but they’re a violent group with a captain
from Satsuma.
The patriots typically came from five regions: Satsuma (present-day Kagoshima),
Choushuu (Yamaguchi), Tosa (Kouchi), Hizen (Saga), and others (Mito, Fukuoka, etc.) Satsuma
and Choushuu for a long time commanded the most government influence. At this time, Satsuma
controlled the police and Choushuu the army.
Yamagata: I see. They can be arrogant.
Chief: Well, what have they done this time?
Police: No, actually, they’re still fighting. And it’s only one swordsman--
Chief: What! But that’s foolish! They’re chosen from the finest at headquarters!
Police: But it’s true!
Chief: I can’t believe it . . . who can he be?
Police: I don’t know. He’s a short man with red hair, and he moves so quickly that you can
hardly see it, but he has a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.
Yamagata (thinking): Himura Battousai!
(The carriage rushes to the scene. Yamagata jumps out.)
Yamagata (thinking): Himura . . .
(The sword-bearing police are strewn across the street. Kenshin turns to Ujiki.)
Kenshin: You’re the only one left. Swear not to menace the townspeople in this way again.
This is over. Afterwards you may arrest me for carrying a sword and committing assault if you
wish.
Ujiki: Nonsense! This means nothing! (he raises the sword above his head in a two-handed grip
and charges.)
Kaoru: That stance . . . it’s the Ni-no-tachi Irazu style of the Jigen school, the best in
Satsuma!
Chief: Stop, Ujiki, this man is--
Yamagata: Fool. The Jigen school is certainly unique, but against the Hiten Mitsurugi school
it is nothing.
(Ujiki strikes. Kenshin leaps above him, jumps off the building’s roof behind them, and hits
Ujiki’s back.)
Kaoru: Kenshin!
Kenshin: Are you all right?
(People crowd in around them.)
People: That was great, brother! Hey, where are you from? Come have a drink with us!
Yamagata: Himura. I’ve finally found you. I’ve been looking for ten years . . .
Kenshin: You’ve grown a mustache, Mr. Yamagata.
Yamagata: Chief, I’d like to speak with him privately.
Kaoru (thinking): Yamagata . . . It can’t be . . . the general of the strongest unit in the
Emperor’s Army, the patriot Yamagata Aritomo!
(the police begin to push the crowd back.)
Police: Hey, break it up, break it up.
Crowd: This is tyranny! Brother, kill these guys too!
Yamagata: The carriage is waiting. Many from our unit have been waiting for your return to
your lord’s service. Come!
Kenshin: Unfortunately, I don’t feel the slightest longing for the glorious work of the
Hitokiri.
Yamagata: What? If you’re talking about the killings, it was part of the great work of the
Ishin Shishi! Does it still worry you?! Certainly there were those who hated the Hitokiri.
However those people--
Kenshin: Are suppressed by government authority. To think like that leads to conceit and
arrogance. We didn't fight for the power and glory of the government. It was to protect and build
a world where people can pursue happiness. If we forget that, we are mere upstarts.
(He begins to walk away. Kaoru hurries to follow him.)
Yamagata: But Himura! The times have changed! It’s the Meiji era now! There’s an edict
against carrying swords! The samurai have been abolished! It’s not like the Bakumatsu. In
this Meiji world, without the power of the government, one sword can do nothing!
Kenshin: As long as people notice one sword, I can protect them. I haven’t changed from the
old days. Except that the Hitokiri has become a vagabond.
(They walk away.)
Yamagata: I understand. Judging by the townspeople’s reactions, it’s obvious who was at fault.
Chief: A sword is a safer thing to overlook than a sword cane. However . . . in the case of
the false one, I thought Hitokiri Battousai was a dangerous, brutal killer. As one might expect,
the real one is different . . .
(Kaoru and Kenshin are walking home, carrying groceries.)
Kenshin: I’m sorry, Miss Kaoru.
Kaoru (thinking): Why Kenshin became a vagabond . . . (aloud) What for?
Kenshin: Your ribbon. It’s my fault it was ruined.
Kaoru (thinking) I’m beginning to understand. He can continue to protect people's freedom
with the sword, without having to follow anyone’s orders . . . (aloud) That’s okay. You
can just do a little housework for me.
Kenshin: All right. But this is heavy. Did we really have to buy all this at once?
Kaoru: Not really . . .
the Makings of the Characters --Kamiya Kaoru--
I didn’t have any particular model. If pressed, I’d say Chiba Sayako of "Ryouma’s Lover,"
maybe. But, now she’s been reduced to a mere girl (oh well, again.) But the girl Kaoru has
changed into now works well in an emergency, so that’s all right. It seems she is popular among
my female readers. Some aren't sure if she's strong or weak, but she's really strong. To have
been able to lead her own dojo despite having others in the same town shows her ability. If she
seems weak, it's because Kenshin and Sanosuke are too strong. As for whether Kenshin and Kaoru
will fall in love, even I haven't decided yet.
Besides this, there was no particular design. Of course, a ponytail was essential for a girl who
plays kendo (laughs). A sword, a kimono, a ponytail . . . since they're the only designs I do, drawing
Kaoru is fun. (Although the hair is difficult.) In drawing, "the guys should be cool, the girls
cute," and I wanted to draw Kaoru cuter, so even though she's poor and unrefined, the patterns of
her kimonos keep increasing, like she's dressing herself up.