About[]
The Medicine Seller of Ri, more commonly known simply as 'Kusuriuri' was the protagonist of the final 'Bakeneko' arc of Ayakashi - Samurai Horror Tales (2006) and the spinoff following his popularity, Mononoke (2007).
Appearance[]
The Medicine Seller is slightly taller in height compared to other people, with pale white skin, pointy ears, razor sharp canine teeth and dark blue eyes. He has dirty blonde hair which he keeps mostly tucked inside a purple bandanna. His fringe is shoulder-length, the left-side long enough to be tied up with a bright blue band. The outsides of his eyes are outlined by red markings with the ones underneath forming the appearances of teardrops. It appears that he is always smirking, but that is actually because of the purple mark on Kusuriuri's upper lip.
His outfit consists of a light teal-colored kimono with psychedelic pictures on the ends of his sleeves and a dark red obi wrap with swirling gold marks on his waist. On his neck are several necklaces with intricate, small jewelry, including a golden amulet. He wears black, billowing pants underneath that drop just below his knees and his lower legs are wrapped with leg bandages. Kusuriuri also wears a pair of black socks, with his main footwear being a pair of wooden geta sandals with two teeth.
The sword 'Ri' wielded by the Medicine Seller of Ri.
Kusuriuri is usually seen carrying around a large wooden box filled with medicine and holy tools, including paper ofuda charms, scales that detect a supernatural presence, and a secret collection of feudal pornography (called shunga in Japan). The large box also holds a smaller, personal box containing a strange, powerful sword that is used to slay mononoke (demons in the English dub); the sword is enchanted so that in order to use it, the Medicine Seller must find the Katachi (physical shape), Makoto (truth or origin of something), and Kotowari (reasoning behind an action) of a particular Mononoke he wishes to exorcise.
Once the sword has been unsheathed, 'Ri' switches places with the Divine Ritual, a mystical and powerful being that vaguely resembles an inverted version of himself.
Personality[]
The Medicine Seller of Ri is calculated, perceived as somewhat cold. In the anime, his moods range from the usual deadpan manner he is often seen with, to slight amusement and irritation if he's pushed. In extreme cases, he can exert a moment of intense emotion, but that is rare and far in-between. However, he is shown to be more expressive in the Manga. He is also revealed to be a pervert as he has several "marriage charms" and Shunga in his possession, and gets embarrassed when it is brought up. Kusuriuri is quick-witted and somewhat snarky in response, and to those who generally get on his nerves, or don't believe in the mononoke, he resorts to subtly insulting them. However, those who accept the unknown and him overall are treated more kindly, like Kayo.
In Mononoke, the spinoff/sequel to Bakeneko focusing more on Kusuriuri, it is revealed in the three-episode arc of Umibozu that his worst fear is discovering a place in the world that does not have form, truth, or reasoning at all, thus causing him to lose his reason to exist.