| Kimiyoshi Kiichirō 公由 喜一郎 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Information | |
| Nickname | |
| Age | probably middle 60s |
| First Appearance | Himatsubushi-hen |
| Portrayed By | |
Kimiyoshi Kiichirō (公由 喜一郎) is a character in the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series. He is the chief of Hinamizawa village, head of the Kimiyoshi House, and the grandfather of Kimiyoshi Kazuho. His status as village chief is more like a symbolic title, since the Sonozaki House, lead by Sonozaki Oryō, is the true power in Hinamizawa. He is murdered by Sonozaki Shion in both Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, as well as subsequent arcs based on those, is killed in the Great Hinamizawa Disaster in Tatarigoroshi-hen, Minagoroshi-hen, and Yakusamashi-hen, and even becomes one of the many murderers of Rika in Gō and Sotsu.
Character Summary[]
According to Onigafuchi tradition, the Kimiyoshi family is always best among the three main families, and would automatically lead the village. However Kiichirō serves more as a figure head since the Sonozaki family's Sonozaki Oryō actually directs events in the village. Thus while Oryō really led the anti-dam movement, Kimiyoshi served as the Chairman of the Onigafuchi Defense Alliance.
In Himatsubushi-hen, even though almost the entire village knew that the young Akasaka Mamoru was a public security officer who came to Hinamizawa in June of 1978 ("Shōwa 53" in the traditional dating of the series) to investigate the kidnapping of Inukai Toshiki, Kiichirō kindly welcomed him as he entered the Defense Alliance's headqurters at the Furude Shrine.
In Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, Sonozaki Shion kidnaps and murders him. Disguised as her twin sister Mion, she attends the village board meeting at Furude Shrine to discuss the mysterious deaths of Tomitake Jirō and Takano Miyo. She declares that their deaths were the result of Oyashiro-sama's curse, because they entered the forbidden Saiguden during the Watanagashi Festival. From Shion's perspective, this appears to enrage all of the elders, including Kimiyoshi. She then tells them that both Maebara Keiichi and Sonozaki Shion also entered the Saiguden. After she mentions that Shion had already disappeared, Kiichirō coldly asks about Keiichi's current position without any sign of concern for Shion's safety.
Disturbed by Kimiyoshi's lack of concern for Shion, "Mion" lies to him that Oryō, whom she already murdered, wished to talk to him at Sonozaki Estate. There, Kimiyoshi expresses his concern for Shion by assuring "Mion" that he believes Shion should not be "Demoned Away" if she is sincerely sorry for her actions, and that he would personally vouch for her. However, he then added that Shion has a better chance of forgiveness than "that accursed Hōjō brat," since the Hōjō are doomed to be cursed for being pro-dam activists during the Dam Conflict.
Kimiyoshi in a calm moment before Sonozaki Shion attacks.
Confused, "Mion" insists that the Sonozakis should have already forgiven Satoshi as part of the three fingernails Shion had ripped as penance for the three people who covered for her after she ran away from her boarding school: Kasai Tatsuyoshi, Uncle Yoshirō, and Hōjō Satoshi. Kimiyoshi explains that Shion's painful sacrifice paid for Kasai, Yoshirō, and herself. Enraged, "Mion" tases Kimiyoshil, locks him up in the Sonozaki underground bunker, and tortures him for information on Satoshi. Asked if he thought Satoshi was alive or dead, he answers that he finds it difficult to believe that Satoshi is still alive. She leaves him for two days, he dies, and she disposes of his body by throwing it into the well.
In the third anime season's Nekodamashi-hen, in one of Rika's many failed worlds he succumbs to Hinamizawa Syndrome and drowns Rika in the Onigafuchi Swamp.
Personality[]
He appears very kind towards villagers and outsiders alike. In Meakashi-hen and Minagoroshi-hen, through Shion's perspective, he appears to hatre the Hōjō family; however, later in Minagoroshi-hen, he insists that he and many other elders of the village no longer bear bitterness towards them. He, like many village elders, believe that the Sonozaki family or “someone” in the village were behind the series of mysterious deaths, and that “they” were targeting enemies of the village. Thus he and the rest behave as though they hate the Hōjō family and show great devotion to Oyashiro-sama to remain safe from persecution.
Appearance[]
Kiichirō's full body appearance in season 1 of the anime adaptation.
Kiichirō's appearance changes somewhat through out the Higurashi media. In the anime adaptation, he wears an untucked "paris green" colored dress shirt with a bolo tie around his neck, and a pair of dark colored dress pants and shoes. In Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri, his appearance is similar to his anime counterpart, except his shirt is tucked under long khaki pants with a belt. In the manga adaptation, he wears a male kimono.
Until the third anime season, he is always shown to be an old man with a balding scalp with long unkempt gray hair, bushy gray eyebrows, and a crooked nose. In the third season, and its manga adaptation, he has acquired a full head of hair.
Etymology[]
- Kiichirō means "joy" (喜) (ki), "one" (一) (ichi) and "son" (郎) (rō).
Trivia[]
- In Watanagashi-hen, Satoko reveals that he sometimes teaches kendō and shūji to fellow villagers.
- His house is located somewhere outside of Hinamizawa.
- Watanagashi-hen reveals that he suffers from hemorrhoids.
- Tatarigoroshi-hen reveals that he became Rika's legal guardian sometime after her parents' death in 1981.
Images[]
Now! With Hair!
Also! With Hair!
Illustration by Tomato Akase