Musashi Shrine

Musashi Shrine
Japanese name	武蔵神社
Rōmaji	Musashi Jinja
Information
Controlled by	Tokyo Manji Gang
Located in	Shibuya
Debut
Manga	Chapter 11
Anime	Episode 5

The Musashi Shrine (武蔵神社, Musashi Jinja^?) is located in Shibuya. It served as the Tokyo Manji Gang's base of operations and the venue of the Battle of 8/3.

Description

Musashi Shrine follows the general blueprint of a Shinto shrine that is Buddhist in origin. It stands on top of a small mountain with a long stone staircase and a torii at its entrance. Its oratory is adorned with a pair of lion-dogs (狛犬, Komainu^?) while an ablution pavilion (手水舎, Chōzuya^?) and an ema stall stand beside it. The shrine is surrounded by shrubs and trees. At the foot of the mountain is a parking lot, where countless food and entertainment stalls are set up during festivals, with another located at the back of the mountain.

History

On June 19, 2003, the Tokyo Manji Gang's founding members went to Musashi Shrine under Manjiro Sano's orders and establish the gang.

Plot

Toman Arc

Pah-chin and Peh-yan accost Takemichi

After finding himself in a karaoke booth with a naked Emma Sano, Takemichi Hanagaki gets invited by Ken Ryuguji to Musashi Shrine. Alongside Hinata Tachibana, Takemichi witnesses the arrival of the Tokyo Manji Gang and learns that Emma has connections with Draken and Toman as a whole. Hina finds out about Takemichi's unfaithful actions and beats him. Afterward, Emma explains her true intentions about wooing Takemichi in the karaoke booth, confesses her feelings for Draken, and leaves to watch over Hina.

During Toman's meeting regarding the conflict with Moebius, Takashi Mitsuya orients Takemichi about Moebius's background and history. Suddenly, Haruki Hayashida pushes him aside while Ryohei Hayashi reprimands him for causing the closure of Masataka Kiyomizu's fighting ring. Mitsuya and Draken warn them to stop and ask for Takemichi's forgiveness about their riotous behavior. Mitsuya explains that the Toman-Moebius conflict began because of a feud between Moebius's Eighth Leader Nobutaka Osanai and Pah-chin's close friend. Their feud worsened as Moebius members harmed his friends and family.

In the center stage, Manjiro Sano asks Pah-chin if he wants to take revenge. Although hesitant at first, Pah-chin eventually agrees and Toman declares war against them. Mikey schedules the battle on August 3, the date of the Musashi festival, and Takemichi realizes that it is the day that Draken will die.

Moebius Arc

Main article: Battle of 8/3

Yamagishi warns Takemichi about the Mikey faction

On August 3, 2005, the day of the Musashi festival, Takemichi arrives at the shrine with Draken and meets up with Emma and Hina. He and Hina wander around the festival until a sudden downpour cues them to take shelter underneath a tree in the shrine's forest grounds. Takemichi helps Hina remedy her foot pain and unintentionally pins her to the tree. However, as they are about to kiss, he receives a call from Kazushi Yamagishi, who warns him of a grand ploy by several members of the Mikey faction to take revenge on Draken, who previously disagreed with Mikey's decision to bail Pah-chin out of jail. Yamagishi tells him that members of the Mikey faction are not in favor of Mikey and Draken's peace agreement and wish to strike another conflict as retaliation. Concerned, Takemichi excuses himself and runs away to look for Draken and save him.

Battle of 8/3 begins as Draken meets a displeased Peh-yan at Musashi Shrine's back parking lot, where Peh-yan reveals that he has teamed up with Moebius to set his counterattack plan in motion. It ends with Draken as a wounded casualty, but he comes out of the battle alive as he is eventually brought to the hospital. Toman declares its victory against Moebius.

Valhalla Arc

Mikey justifies Kisaki's nomination

As Takemichi time leaps to the past again, Toman goes to Musashi Shrine to commence the Third Division Captain Nomination Ceremony. Mikey calls for the new captain to come forward and Takemichi wonders if he is referring to him. However, two figures walk through the crowd and Takemichi is humbled by his assumptions. As the new Third Division leaders approach Mikey, Takemichi attempts to make out the Captain's familiar face.

He sits at the foot of the stairs and Toman members are aggravated. They riot over the captain's unmannerly behavior, but his Vice-Captain announces that he, Tetta Kisaki, is the new Third Division leader. Takemichi is stunned while Toman speculates Kisaki to be one of Moebius's former members. However, they are eventually silenced by Draken, and later on, Mikey, who deems Kisaki's allegiance to Toman as necessary in preparation for the gang's upcoming showdown with Valhalla.

Takemichi punches Kisaki

Kisaki thanks Mikey for his promotion while Draken ruminates on Mikey's decision. Suddenly, Takemichi runs toward Kisaki and punches him across the face. Draken gets mad and tells him off for disrupting the ceremony as he is not an official Toman member. The Toman captains eventually come and prepare to chastise him. However, Keisuke Baji interrupts their confrontation and punches Takemichi in the captains' behalf. Mitsuya stops him, but Baji calls out to a retreating Mikey. He asks him if he will finally be thrown out of Toman for causing trouble in another one of their gatherings. While Mikey contemplates the situation, Baji announces that he is leaving Toman and will become its enemy in exchange for his membership in Valhalla. Kisaki chuckles at Toman's rupturing condition and then knocks Takemichi out; unconscious.

Takemichi asks Mikey a favor

Takemichi later wakes up in the shrine to find Mikey beside him. Mikey asks if he does not like Kisaki and explains that he has to make plentiful sacrifices in making his dreams come true. He then tells Takemichi of his childhood history with Baji, who is also one of Toman's founding members. As a loved one, Mikey asks Takemichi to bring Baji back from Valhalla. Takemichi accepts his favor and asks to oust Kisaki from Toman in return. Mikey is swayed by Takemichi's reasoning and strikes a deal with him.

As they prepare to leave, Mikey spots Mitsuya hiding behind a tree and appoints Takemichi as a member of the Second Division under his command. They later retreat and leave Takemichi alone at Musashi Shrine. Before he leaves, Takemichi finds a charm of Toman's founding members on the ground and notices that there are six of them rather than what Mikey previously claimed to be five.

Chifuyu nominates Takemichi as captain

After Bloody Halloween, Toman gathers at Musashi Shrine to formally conclude the battle. Takemichi is welcomed by Draken into Toman and the meeting starts. Shuji Hanma takes centerstage and introduces himself as Valhalla's former leader. He then announces Valhalla's new affiliation with Toman, and the gang becomes aghast as Toman grows its numbers from 150 to 300. Amid the uproar, Hanma beckons Kisaki to come forward and praises him for being at the forefront of Toman and Valhalla's pact.

The cheering dies down and Mikey mourns Baji's death. Chifuyu Matsuno takes over and says that he initially wanted to leave Toman but was stopped by Mikey from doing so. Seeing that leading the First Division as Captain is a big responsibility for him to uphold, Chifuyu appoints Takemichi as the new leader and promises that his succession is what Baji would have wanted. Takemichi accepts the nomination and becomes the new division Captain.

Black Dragon Arc

On December 31, 2005, Takemichi and Hina go to Musashi Shrine to celebrate New Year's Eve. They meet Hakkai and Yuzuha Shiba and Mitsuya with his two younger sisters, Luna and Mana. While Mitsuya, Takemichi, and Hina mingle with each other and talk about Mitsuya's siblings, Hakkai notices Yuzuha's firm stare on Mitsuya and infers that she has feelings for him. Yuzuha tells Hakkai of the aftermath of the Christmas Conflict, where their older brother Taiju stepped down from delinquency, and expresses his admiration toward Takemichi. With her revelation, Hakkai realizes that rather than Mitsuya, Yuzuha is infatuated with Takemichi all along.

Toman jumps to celebrate the new year

Spotting an ema stall nearby, Takemichi and his friends purchase ema and write their wishes down on the wooden plaque. Hina asks what he wished for, followed by Hakkai and Mitsuya, but Takemichi refuses to answer and accidentally tosses his ema in the air. The plaque lands by Chifuyu, who initially picks it up, but throws it away as a reflex. Fourth and Fifth Division Captains Nahoya Kawata and Yasuhiro Muto spot the members running after Takemichi and decide to follow them. Eventually, the group meets Mikey, Draken, and Emma. Mikey hands Takemichi his ema back, but tosses it without care once the New Year's countdown commences. Written on the wooden plaque is Takemichi's wish to become a hero to save everyone.

During Toman's first meeting of the year, Hakkai apologizes to Toman for dragging the gang into his family business which resulted in the Christmas Conflict. Toman accepts his apology and cheers for him aloud. Afterward, Seishu Inui and Hajime Kokonoi, two former captains of the 10th Generation Black Dragon and the current leaders of the 11th Generation, announce that they will be joining Toman under the First Division. Mikey explains that he assigned them to Takemichi's division to comply with their wishes. As they face each other, Inupi says that he does not expect Takemichi to trust them. However, he promises to work as his subordinate nonetheless.

Mikey fires Kisaki

Before the meeting ends, Mikey unexpectedly expels Kisaki from the gang. Chifuyu tells Takemichi that he reported about Kisaki's betrayal during the Christmas Conflict, but admits that he did not expect Mikey to fire him. Kisaki tries to reason with him, but Mikey is firm in his decision. With Kisaki gone, Toman shrinks its numbers as former members of Moebius and Valhalla leave under Hanma and Kisaki's orders. Moreover, Takemichi wonders if he had finally succeeded in his mission.

Tenjiku Arc

Toman holds an emergency meeting to discuss the newest threat to the gang called Yokohama’s Tenjiku. The division leaders give a general report of the battles that occurred prior to the meeting, and Toman are stunned to find out that the members of the S-62 Generation have gathered in one big organization. Through their new gang, Toman members were attacked across all divisions. Fueled by Tenjiku’s ploy, Mikey asserts a counterattack plan for revenge. Takemichi is apprehensive about Mikey’s decision, so Chifuyu advises him to time leap to collect information regarding the upcoming showdown.

Mikey orders a pep rally

Later on, after witnessing Mucho's betrayal to Toman, the First Division gathers at Musashi Shrine to discuss Tenjiku's surprise attack. Mikey asks Inupi for a prediction of their motives. Inupi tells him that Tenjiku is most likely going to attack tomorrow, on February 22, the First Generation Black Dragon's founding day, because of Tenjiku Boss Izana Kurokawa's devotion to Black Dragon's founder Shinichiro Sano. Mikey instructs the members to prepare Toman for a final pep rally before commencing the battle tomorrow.

At two o'clock in the morning, Toman is at Musashi Shrine for another emergency meeting. While Draken informs Toman of Tenjiku's unclean tactics for winning the battle, Hakkai urges the gang to fight them with a similar approach. He discloses that, on the way to the shrine, Mitsuya and Smiley were attacked by Tenjiku members and sent to the hospital unconscious. Hakkai argues that most of Toman's Captains are absent from the meeting due to Tenjiku's planned attacks and encourages the gang to get on board with his ideas further. However, Peh-yan refuses to follow Hakkai's proposal and reasons that Toman must stay grounded on its righteous beliefs. Mikey tells Hakkai to look after Mitsuya to prevent him from joining the battle, then assures Toman that he is all they need to win the fight. Toman cheers, and the meeting ends.

Toman marches forward

Later that evening, the gang prepares to leave for Yokohama. However, they notice the absence of their two leaders. Chifuyu notices that Takemichi is nowhere to be seen, as well. After he asks Atsushi Sendo for any updates on his whereabouts, Inupi arrives at the shrine and spreads the news about Emma's death.

Chifuyu sets out to Asagaya to fetch Takemichi for the fight. When they come back, Chifuyu announces Emma's death to the gang. Toman is distressed and plans to throw the fight. Members leave one by one despite Takemichi's hopeful objections, but the First Division stays. Suddenly, Smiley and Mitsuya show up in wheelchairs; Smiley tells them that he snuck out of the hospital while Mitsuya tells Takemichi to bring Hakkai and Souya Kawata (Angry) with him to the fight. Inupi is hesitant of their decision to proceed with the battle, but Chifuyu cheers the gang on. Toman marches forward with Takemichi in the lead, then sets off to Yokohama.

Days after the battle, wherein Toman was victorious against Tenjiku, Mikey calls Takemichi to the shrine. He asks him to explain everything he has done since coming from the future. After narrating everything, Takemichi cries over failing to rescue Emma and Baji. As he cries, Mikey calls him his hero for everything he has done; he tells him that he believed in creating a new era himself, but thinks that, rather than him, Takemichi formed the era he once dreamed of. Toman members approach the oratory one by one, and they both survey the crowd. Mikey then steps forward and congratulates the gang for its grit and achievements. Afterward, he announces Toman's disbandment.

Bonten Arc

Toman's captains plan to meet up in twelve years

The members are surprised. Draken disagrees with Mikey's decision, but Mikey calls for the Toman captains to come forward. He praises each of them and concludes the meeting with applause. After the event, the admins stay at Musashi. Chifuyu tells Takemichi that his mission is accomplished in the past now that Kisaki has passed and Toman has disbanded. Suddenly, Hakkai suggests that they should bury a time capsule to remember their disbandment date. Mikey tells everyone to write a letter to their future selves and bring a sentimental item to the shrine one week from now to store in the capsule and open in twelve years. One week later, they bury the time capsule.

The Toman admins reunite at the shrine

On June 19, 2018, the former Toman admins wait until evening for Mikey's arrival at the shrine. However, he does not show up, so they decide to open the capsule without him. Everyone takes out their buried items and letters and reminisces about their middle school days. Then, they open Mikey's letter and read it; Mikey predicts everyone's future careers and tells them that they will eternally be connected despite the physical distance between them. By the end of his letter, Takemichi concludes that it is insensitive to keep looking for Mikey, who already detached himself from them ten years ago. The members depart, leaving Takemichi alone and forgetting about his letter. Annoyed, Takemichi rummages through the box that contained his letter and reads it. Once done, he looks through the box again and finds a videotape in it.

Kanto Manji Arc

Musashi Shrine is once again used as a meeting place for the Second Generation Toman. At one of the meetings, Takemichi announces his battle against the Kanto Manji Gang and his intention to save Mikey.

Trivia

• Apart from being the venue of the Tokyo Manji Gang's formation, Toman uses Musashi Shrine as their regular meeting place because of their shared Buddhist origins.