Juunosuke Niwa
A former sensei of Jin (and the first time we’ve heard him mention any teacher other than Enshiro) who had a dojo in Mihara. First mentioned by Jiin as he leaves Mugen and Fuu (looking at the graffiti) to pay his old friend a visit. He finds the dojo abandoned and covered in graffiti, visits the family burial plot, and learns from Oshou that Juunosuke was so envied by the other masters that he was ordered by the daimyo to take down his sign or cut off his arm.
He committed suicide rather than allow this to happen, but his twin sons abandoned the way of the sword after his death. Seen in a flashback sequence as Jin describes his friend to Fuu, he spars briefly with Jin, and then tells him he has completed his training and can return to his master with pride. He requests that Jin look after his sons should something happen to him.
