Shigemori Sumimura

"You must stay strong and unwavering. May the land of Karasumori protect you."

- Shigemori appoints Yoshimori as a Kekkaishi

Shigemori Sumimura (墨村繁守, Sumimura Shigemori) is the grandfather of Masamori, Yoshimori, and Toshimori, as well as the 21st head of the Sumimura family.

Appearance
Shigemori is an old man with white hair and a white mustache. His hair is white and only covers the back and the sides of his head, leaving his crown exposed. In Kekkaishi uniform, he wears the exact same attire Yoshimori wears. His Houin mark is located on the palm of his left hand.

Personality
Shigemori is typically very loud, obnoxious, and strict, but takes his responsibilities as both the Sumimura clan head and a Kekkaishi very seriously. Inwardly, he worries about his grandsons: that Yoshimori is too reckless and immature, and that Masamori is steadily immersing himself in darkness. Shigemori scolds Yoshimori often, constantly pushing him to put aside childish things and focus on Kekkaishi training. Shigemori regularly gets into fights with Tokiko Yukimura over which family is the true successor of Tokimori Hazama, and views most nightly Ayakashi hunts as a chance for Yoshimori to prove the Sumimura's superiority by overshadowing Tokine's skills (though it is often Tokine who beats Yoshimori). Despite this, when there is real danger, he is usually among the first to suggest working with the Yukimuras, but never fails to loudly point out Yoshimori's failings once the danger has passed. His relationship with Tokiko was once very similar to the connection that Yoshimori and Tokine have now, though appears to have become strained over the years.

History
In his youth, Shigemori protected Karasumori along with Tokiko, who was somewhat a friendly rival. Though more powerful than him, Tokiko had a tendency to go overboard with her powers, and Shigemori would have to clean up any resulting messes. As they grew older, their relationship became strained, most likely due to the feud between their families, which both seemed determined to pass on to future generations. Shigemori considered the protection of Karasumori to be his family's most important task, and as such, he rarely left the area.

Due to Sumiko's constant absence, Shigemori was the one who trained Masamori and Yoshimori as Kekkaishi. He provided support as needed to his grandsons, mainly assisting with the larger repairs to Karasumori Academy, and sending Shikigami clones of his grandsons to school when they were unable to attend. Shigemori formally appointed Yoshimori as a Kekkaishi when he was 7 years old.

Shigemori repeatedly warned Yoshimori not to let his focus lapse for even a moment while at Karasumori, but this was a lesson Yoshimori was fated to learn the hard way. After Tokine was seriously wounded protecting Yoshimori from the Ayakashi Yumigane, instead of lecturing him again, Shigemori merely gave him a light smack on the head, knowing that Yoshimori was already punishing himself far worse out of guilt.

Five Years Later
Yoshimori sleeps in one morning (he had Kekkaishi duties the previous night, as usual), using a Kekkai around his bed customized to prevent only his grandfather from entering and waking him up. Shigemori scolds Yoshimori at breakfast for wasting his talent, but Yoshimori replies that he's only interested in getting stronger. Shigemori demands to know if Yoshimori "defeated" Tokine (caught the Ayakashi before her), and Yoshimori says it doesn't matter (in other words, he lost). That evening at dinner, Yoshimori and Shigemori fight over food until they sense a breach in the school's barrier.

The Battle Against Baking
Shigemori smells Yoshimori cooking in the kitchen and immediately charges in, wanting him to focus on protecting Karasumori instead of baking. Yoshimori refuses, stating it is his dream to build a candy castle. Frustrated, Shigemori rips up Yoshimori's blueprints for the castle and takes away his baking tools. Days later, Shigemori charges into the kitchen again, furious at finding Yoshimori baking again. He also finds the ghost of Masahiko Tsukijigaoka there, and tries to exterminate him. Another day, Shigemori interrupts Yoshimori and Masahiko yet again, only to have Yoshimori's latest candy castle fall on him. Later, Shigemori eats the legendary chocolate cake Yoshimori had been saving for himself.

Unbreakable
Shigemori notices Yoshimori training with a large boulder. He tries to urge Yoshimori into training harder by bragging that he was able to break several boulders in his youth. Unknown to Yoshimori, Shigemori is lying, as the boulder has an iron core and is virtually unbreakable. However, Shigemori is shocked the next day when Yoshimori is able to shatter the boulder (and most of the yard), revealing the iron core in the process.

Masamori's Return
Masamori comes home to visit. Shigemori warns Masamori against becoming too wrapped up in his techniques, and being too involved with the Shadow Organization. He invites Masamori to move back home for good, using Yoshimori's incompetence as an excuse. Masamori refuses, insisting that Yoshimori is the better Kekkaishi.

The Broken Bed
Yoshimori brings home Lord Uro, a local god, and his assistant Mamezo. Shigemori treats them as honored guests and has Shuji prepare a feast. He later explains that it is a Kekkaishi's duty to repair Lord Uro's bed, which breaks every so often. He last repaired the bed 50 years ago, and demands that Yoshimori take over the tradition. Yoshimori and Shigemori accompany Lord Uro and Mamezo to their home in the Colorless Swamp. Shigemori stands guard outside, but eventually has to save Yoshimori when he stays in the god's realm too long and nearly loses his memory.

The Ayakashi Arm
Yoshimori recovers an arm from the human disguise of The Spy and gives it to Shigemori. Shigemori takes a sample of the arm to Heisuke Matsudo, a colleague and expert on Ayakashi, and asks him to analyze it.

Equipment
Shakujō: Shigemori typically carries a Shakujō while on duty. While primarily used to perform Tenketsu, it can also serve as a secondary weapon, a cutting tool, or a means of support when fatigued. However, it is fairly common for him to discard his Shakujō until it is needed.

Shikigami Paper: Shigemori carries several pieces of paper, marked with the Houin, to create Shikigami as needed.

Powers & Abilities
Hazama-Ryu Kekkaijutsu: Shigemori is an experienced Kekkaishi and has proven more than capable of defending the Sumimura home from Ayakashi invasion, often entirely by himself (Toshimori is too inexperienced, and Shuji lacks the necessary power). Though he is rarely seen proving so, Shigemori has considerable power and stamina. In a single night, he is able to rid both the Sumimura and Yukimura homes of Shion's many Spider Goons, summon multiple full-sized Shikigami clones to stand guard, create a Kekkai around both the Sumimura and Yukimura homes, and then run to Karasumori on foot, all with no signs of fatigue. Though he prefers to leave most of the work to Yoshimori so that the boy can grow stronger, Shigemori is always prepared to back up his grandson when needed. His Shikigami tend to greatly resemble him, both in appearance and attitude: some bear his facial features, and the clones he uses to replace his grandsons at school behave like old men.


 * Dimension Manipulation: Shigemori has a great deal of experience with manipulating dimensions. As a young Kekkaishi, he worked closely with Tokiko, who while similarly skilled herself, had a habit of using too much power, causing her to enter uncontrollable rampages where she opened multiple time-space holes. Shigemori was the one who always had to go behind her and close up the holes, sorting out any messes he found in the process. He also has enough power to temporarily brace a pathway into a collapsing dimension.

High Spiritual Power: As with every Sumimura Kekkaishi, Shigemori possesses a great deal of spiritual power. Even in semi-retirement, he is easily able to stand in for Yoshimori and perform typical Kekkaishi duties when needed.

Yoshimori Sumimura
Shigemori tends to be overly strict with Yoshimori, partially because he holds Yoshimori to a higher standard as a Legitimate Successor, but also because Yoshimori is the least disciplined of his grandsons. Even when Shigemori is impressed with Yoshimori's progress, he usually conceals his pride beneath accusations that Yoshimori should be working harder. Sometimes this backfires, as Yoshimori has been known to meet Shigemori's challenges out of pure spite, just to prove himself the more talented Kekkaishi. Despite their seemingly rocky relationship, Yoshimori has a deep respect for his grandfather's skill (though he would never admit it to him), and Shigemori has faith in Yoshimori's ability to overcome incredible obstacles (even if he is a little critical on how Yoshimori accomplishes it).

Shuji Sumimura
For the most part, Shigemori and Shuji get along well, though they tend to disagree on Shigemori's treatment of Yoshimori. Shuji has always been a kind, loving, and supportive father, but Shigemori constantly worries that Shuji will spoil Yoshimori and make him soft. Other than that, Shigemori seems to greatly value Shuji as a member of the family, especially for his cooking.

Madarao
Shigemori seems to be the only Sumimura that realizes just how valuable, and at the same time, dangerous Madarao can be. When they work together, Shigemori will not hesitate to take advantage of Madarao's considerable experience, and treats him as a respected partner. However, Shigemori is very aware that Madarao is an Ayakashi, kept under control only by the sealing collar he wears. Madarao seems somewhat embarrassed to work with Shigemori because of his enthusiasm despite his age, but at the same time probably prefers a Sumimura that values his opinion.

Tokiko Yukimura
Shigemori and Tokiko served as Karasumori's Kekkaishi together in their youth. Though they were once friendly rivals, over time their feelings toward each other became tainted with bitterness from the centuries-long feud between their families. As a result, they tend to disagree or fight nearly every time they meet, and generally forbid their grandchildren from having any contact with each other. However, it is clear that deep down, Shigemori still cares for Tokiko, as he not only recognizes her habit of trying to take on enormous tasks alone, but prevents her from doing so out of concern for her well-being.

Heisuke Matsudo
Shigemori and Matsudo often engage each other with lighthearted bickering and insults, but they are actually very good friends and have a deep respect for each other. Shigemori consults Matsudo because of his expertise with Ayakashi, and Matsudo enjoys the fact that Shigemori remains friends with him despite his eccentricities. When he believes Matsudo to have been killed at the hands of Kokuboro, Shigemori blames himself for getting Matsudo involved.

Trivia

 * 'Shige' (繁) might comes from the word 'shigeri' (繁り) means to grow thick, or 'shigeshige' (繁繁), which means frequently or fixedly or closely. 'Mori' (守) means protect.
 * Shigemori shares a very uncanny resemblance to Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series.