The former magistrate of Mori Kage Toshi. He was allegedly murdered by Usagi Ozaki who was seen fleeing his burning house. When his body was discovered later, Gonkuro was found to have been poisoned.
Miya Katsu discovered that he was dispatched to investigate the murder two weeks before it actually occurred. Before he could investigate further he was invited to the Emperor's Winter Court. When he later went to follow-up he found that the records had been replaced in the Imperial Archives with forgeries and the dates changed.
Doro, the stablemaster in town and a friend of Gonkuro, stated that he had been investigating the disappearance of an Inquisitor by the name of Asako Nakiro. After beginning this investigation suspicious figures began to appear around town and he was murdered not long afterwards with his home burned to the ground in the middle of the night. It is Doro's belief that Ozaki was an assassin working with these strangers.
Ozaki claims that the magistrate had poisoned himself shortly before he arrived, fearing the Kolat. He warned Ozaki about them as well before he died. Before Ozaki had much time to investigate the house burst into flames and he had to flee. Aside from this dire warning the only thing he managed to find was a scroll referencing the fall of the Hare Clan and reading:
THE BLACK CRANE SEES THROUGH AN ONI'S EYE.
THE BLACK CRANE KNOWS THE FATE THAT BEFELL THE HARE.
THE BLACK CRANE WILL KNOW WHERE THE BELLS TOLL.