Tsuzumi

Tsuzumi has a bold, larger-than-life temperament and speaks with unrestrained enthusiasm.

He often gets so carried away in conversation that his spit unintentionally flies into his listener’s face.

Despite his rough manners, he is earnest and wholehearted in his beliefs.

He channels his emotional intensity into his ideals rather than into malice.

His presence is loud, energetic, and impossible to ignore.

This makes him both amusing and a little overwhelming to those around him.

Tsuzumi is the tsukumogami of a percussion instrument, embodying its rhythm, impact, and resonance.

As a spirit born from a well-used tool, he represents the accumulated passion and sound of countless performances.

He is affiliated with a group connected to court music that has embraced a more rebellious musical philosophy.

Within this context, Tsuzumi stands out as one of the most fervent advocates of their guiding ideals.

Tsuzumi fervently promotes what he calls the “rock path” upheld by his musical bureau.

This “rock path” is a passionate, rebellious approach to music and life, emphasizing energy, freedom, and emotional honesty over rigid formality.

He explains this philosophy at length to Botan Nagatsuki, speaking with such zeal that it borders on a lecture.

In doing so, he tries to win her over to his worldview, treating music like a battle cry for the spirit.

When he talks to Botan, his excitement and volume reflect how deeply he believes in this path.

Even his lack of restraint in physical mannerisms reinforces his raw, “rock-like” authenticity.

During the manifestation of an incarnate god, Tsuzumi becomes involved in a dangerous, overwhelming situation.

In the chaos, he is gravely injured and left in a damaged, weakened state.

The incarnate god judges his wounded form as “not beautiful.”

Simply for being aesthetically displeasing in injury, Tsuzumi is erased from existence.

His disappearance is abrupt and cruel, underscoring the severe and arbitrary standards of beauty enforced by that divine entity.

For a spirit defined by passion and sound rather than perfection, this end is especially tragic.