Kin Sankaku

Also known as 金三角 (Kin Sankaku)

Hello, My Name (in English) is…

In Japanese, Kin Sankaku’s name is made up of the kanji “金” (kin) meaning “gold” and “三角” (sankaku), meaning “triangle”. So his name in English is quite literally “Golden Triangle”. While the exact origins of the name are unclear, given Kin Sankaku’s debut as a gangster it could be intended as a reference to the Triads of Chinese organized crime.

Another possibility, is that it is a reference to the novel “Le triangle d’or” (1917) in the Arsene Lupin series by Maurice Leblanc. Tezuka was a fan of the series, and the famous thief shows up in many of his early works and later inspired him to create the Rainbow Parakeet.

Distinguishing Features

With his dark sunglasses, large round lips and twirly moustache/goatee combo giving him a vaguely (and somewhat stereotypical) Chinese appearance, Kin Sankaku is easy to pick out of a crowd.

Status: Secondary Star (★★)

Kin Sankaku is one of Tezuka’s more important villains. Although his roles vary slightly, he has carved out a substantial career as the leader of a group of crooks referred to collectively as the “Kin Sankaku Gang”. Despite usually being cast as a no-nonsense crime boss, he is often portrayed as having some endearing qualities

The most likely reason for this is that, visually at least, he is based on an early childhood friend. Much like Acetylene Lamp, Kin Sankaku is modelled after one of Tezuka’s own classmates – in this case Minoru Ishihara, the son of the local watchmaker and the very same person, in fact, who first introduced him to his life-long love of studying insects. Tezuka credits him with being a big influence on his life and setting him down the path of medicine and science-themed manga. The insect book Tezuka borrowed from Ishihara inspired him so much that he changed from “a weak-willed boy who literally couldn’t kill a bug” to one who collected insects (and illustrated them skillfully). Ishihara is also the one who introduced Tezuka to the insect known as osamushi. Tezuka was so thrilled with the similarity to his given name, Osamu (治), that he started signing all of his art with the kanji for insect (虫 mushi) appended. He continued to do so despite his school teacher repeatedly telling him to stop, and used it as his pen name (手塚治虫) throughout his career.

Notable Roles

While his debut (and namesake) role in the Astro Boy (1952-68) chapter “Crucifix Island” (1958) is probably his most famous, Kin Sankaku has also played a memorable role – one that showcased his creepy evil side – as the crime boss Kagegawa in Ant and the Giant (1961). As all good villains are, he’s also been prominently featured in Black Jack (1973-83), The Three-Eyed One (1974-78), and Rainbow Parakeet (1981-82).

Manga Appearances

If you spot an appearance not already listed, please let us know in the comments section below!

1958

Astro Boy (“Crucifix Island”) as “Kin Sankaku”

1959

Astro Boy (“The Artificial Sun”) as “Kin Sankaku”

1960

Angel’s Hill as “the famulus of Goddess”

1961

Ant and the Giant as “Crime Boss Kagegawa”

1966

Astro Boy (“The Face in the Rock”) as “Kin Sankaku”

1972

Lion Books (“The March Covered with Mud”) as “a reporter”

1974

Black Jack (“Avatar”) as “one of the hospital officials”
Black Jack (“The Two Jans”) as “a member of the German Academy of Sciences”

1976

The Three-eyed One (“Prince of the Underground World”) as “Kinkonkan”

1977

Black Jack (“Lost Youth”) as “Abraham Petroleum HR staff member”
Black Jack (“A Surgeon Lives for Music”) as “the Country ‘D’ Secret Police Officer”
Black Jack (“Honma’s Hematoma”) as “a reporter”
The Three-eyed One (“Godal”) as “the owner of the antique shop”

1981

The Rainbow Parakeet (“The Petrified Forest“) as “one of the thugs”

1985

Say Hello to Bookila! (“It’s Tough Being a Reporter”) as “the Yakuza boss”