Rurouni Kenshin Wiki
Advertisement

Tsukayama Yuzaemon was a low-ranked samurai whose position changed drastically after the events of the bakumatsu. With the samurai class all but disbanded, Yuzaemon became a merchant specializing in the sale of Japanese katana as art to foreign buyers. His business became profitable, which allowed him and his son Yutarō to become independently wealthy and move to a large estate outside of Tokyo.

Appearance[]

Yuzaemon has short black hair with a cowlick in the front, hard angled eyebrows, and wrinkles around his forehead, eyes, and mouth.

Yuzaemon wears a light colored sleeveless haori with a dot pattern all over, a white kimono with a black sash around his waist, white socks, and sandals.

When Yuzaemon was traveling to Germany, he wore a cloak with a dot pattern all over it, a white business suit and pants, black shoes, a black tie, and a white button down shirt.

Personality[]

Yuzaemon is a friendly man with a hospitable personality. Yuzaemon secretly viewed his life of servility as one of failure, having given up his pride for money, and hoped that Yutarō would grow up to stronger than he himself had been.

Relationships[]

  • Tsukayama Yutaro: Yuzaemon is Yutaro's father.
  • Isurugi Raijuta: Yuzaemon financially supported Raijuta after he had saved them, but ceased his patronage when he discovered that the rescue had been staged and he had injured his son.
  • Himura Kenshin: Yuzaemon is thankful to Kenshin, for saving his son and revealing the truth about Raijuta to him.

Abilities[]

As a former samurai, Yuzaemon presumably retains some level of skill with a sword.

History[]

Unfortunately, his successes also drew unwanted attention when a group of bandits attacked the Tsukayamas' carriage during a night ride. As Yuzaemon begged fruitlessly for his life, he and his son were suddenly saved by the timely intervention of passing swordsman Isurugi Raijūta. Realizing his helplessness in the face of violence, Yuzaemon asked Raijūta to stay at his mansion with the purpose of teaching Yutarō kenjutsu in exchange for funding the swordsman's own small kenjutsu school of Shinko-ryū. For roughly three months, Raijūta remained at the mansion and Yutarō remained at the swordsman's side as his pupil and ward.

Tokyo Arc[]

As Kenshin arrives at his mansion with his friends, Yuzaemon greets him and introduces himself. When Yutaro attacks Yahiko, after Yahiko insult Yutaro, Yuzaemon tells his son to stop and be polite since they are Raijuta's guests. After he apologizes for his son's attacks, Yuzaemon guides Kenshin to where Raijuta is at and tells his son to entertain Kenshin's friends. While guiding Kenshin, he explains how he sells swords and how he has allowed Raijuta to stay at the mansion. He also explains how he wants his son to get stronger, so that he can always be prepared for conflict. After bringing Kenshin to Raijuta, he goes to get some tea and is surprised that Kenshin and Raijuta are having a match when he comes back.

Days later, after Raijuta destroyed Yutaro's Kenjutsu dream, he meets with Kenshin. Yuzaemon explains how he made his fortune and how he considers his life as one of a failure. Once Kenshin's friends arrive, Yuzaemon explains to them that he will be taking Yutaro to Germany to receive medical treatment.

A week later, Yuzaemon thanks Kenshin and his friends for seeing them off and bids them farewell. He is suddenly shocked when Yahiko attacks his son, but is glad to see that Yutaro's spirit has returned after Yahiko convinces him not to give up the sword. Yuzaemon and Yutaro then board a train and head off to Germany.

Trivia[]

  • In the 1996 anime version, Yuzaemon had died some time before Yutarō's introduction. This version of Yuzaemon was also quite wealthy and left his son with a large inheritance, but he is also remembered as a particularly strong warrior, motivating Yutarō to follow in his father's footsteps rather than distinguish himself from his parent's legacy.

Gallery[]

Advertisement