| “ | A sword is meant for judging and killing. Don't ever think that you can save anyone by it. | ” |
–Kourin, chapter 24 | ||
Kourin Shimizu (清水 光輪 Shimizu Kōrin) is the mother of Raikou Shimizu and Raimei Shimizu who is the leader of the once proud samurai Shimizu clan in the Fuuma Village.
Appearance[]
Kourin is an imposingly tall, well built woman with long blonde hair, most often held back in a high ponytail.
She prefers to wear hakama, while her go-to disguise is a trench coat, turtleneck, fedora, and dress-pants with sunglasses.
Personality[]
Profile[]
Shimizu Clan crest
Kourin was appointed leader of the Shimizu clan after beating Iroku Shimizu in one of the Shimizu Clan's round-robin tournaments for choosing the clan's head, which are typically held once every few years. As head, she maintained the role of the Shimizu Clan as neutral guardians protecting the balance between the hidden world and the surface world. She is calm and decisive, never making rash or inappropriate decisions, and always acts in the best interest of the balance and her family's well being. Raikou detested his mother for her firmness and refusal to interfere with surface world affairs when they did not affect the hidden world, disagreeing with her outright "indifference" to the problems and crime in the surface world.
Shimizu Clan Dispute[]
Raikou's classmate.
Raikou is pleading with Kourin, after an incident with his classmate. He wants to do something for her – apparently she is seeking revenge against a corporation that killed her parents. But Kourin tells him that they cannot do anything to the matter as it is not a Nabari issue. The girl ceases to attend school, and a week later there are flowers on her desk – she is dead.
Raikou extremely upset, later discusses it with his uncle, Iroku. Iroku thinks that the Shimizu should do something about bad things that is happening in the front world (aiding the girl's revenge); thinking that the current Shimizu leadership (a.k.a. Kourin) is wrong.
Iroku ends up confronting Kourin, along with Raikou and quite a few other Shimizu. But Kourin laughs with disdain at him, and accuses him of being motivated by his own wish for power and payback for the fact that she defeated him to become the head of the clan. Iroku angrily summons some of his backers, who bring in Kourin’s ill and wheel-chaired husband, Soumei. But Soumei only tells Iroku that he is going about his goals the wrong way, and that his ambition is wrongly driven by his past grievances. Iroku kills him though, and then turns on Raikou, in the process knocking over a candle which sets a raging fire.
Kourin's death.
But Kourin saves Raikou by taking in the strike, her dying words telling him to take care of Raimei and to take the White Gamon to fulfill his duty.
Raikou manages to get the White Gamon, and returns to his uncle. By the time he came back the rest of the Shimizu have destroyed themselves, turning on each other in the chaos. Raikou kills his uncle, as Raimei , awoken by the noise, looks on in horror just in time. But Raikou does not correct her impression of the event, and tells her he is going to join the Kairoushu.
Appearances[]
- Nabari no Ou: Minor character
- Nabari no Ou (Anime): Minor character
- Garden of Children's Hearts: Cameo
Etymology[]
- The name Kourin means "halo" (光輪).
- It can also mean "light" (光) (kou) and "ring" (輪) (rin).
- Kourin's surname Shimizu means "clear, pure, clean" (清) (shi) and "water" (水) (mizu).