Gyousou Saku

Introducing himself as “General Saku from Kouki Province,” his real name is Sou but people call him Gyousou. The first time a glimspe of him was offered was when Taiki and Sanshi were sitting on the mountain watching the candidates travel up the trail. When he came to offer incense, he scared Taiki and caused him to call the ceremony to a halt. The next time they meet, Gyousou was punching the absolute shit out of Goson for causing a disturbance on Mt. Hou. Despite his manners and his attempt to calm Taiki, Gyousou always came across as violent, as a warrior should. Risai said it was his aura of ambition that frightened Taiki and that she would fear Gyousou if she were his enemy. In Risai and everyone else’s opinion, Gyousou’s hardness was exactly what a kingdom needed.

When Taiki was finally calmer around Gyousou, he and Risai went on a hunt for youma. They rested for a night and it was then that Gyousou asked why Taiki was afraid of him. He always wanted to know in which ways he was lacking, because he obviously felt, as others did, that he was more than qualified to be the king. He asked if Taiki’s fear was due to the fact that he smelled badly of blood. Taiki told him that he was like fire: though he’s drawn to it, he knows it’s dangerous. Gyousou was satisfied with this explanation and assured Taiki that he would find a good leader someday.

Gyousou’s main character flaw was his pride. He was willing to resign as a Sen-nin and general because he was not chosen as king. It would be good medicine, he said. He was leaving Mt. Hou with a group of travelers who wanted to hunt youma on the way down and required an escort. The fact was this hasty exit was akin to tucking his tail between his legs and running in shame. But that ego, along with his callousness, were the perfect foil for Taiki’s gentle innocence. It made the pair all the more startling. When Taiki finally chosen Gyousou as king, he seemed to come down a notch in arrogance. He renamed Taiki to Kouri, which was a peak high on a mountain where the dead are believed to walk. (Renaming a kirin is a mark of affection.) He called Keiki to Tai because he was worried about Taiki’s depression. He also helped arrange to prove that Taiki was not wrong and assauge the young kirin’s conscience. He balanced power and compassion quite nicely. So while no one knows what happened to him, it’s apparent that he would have made a good king.