Kaname Kuze was the son of Kyouka Kuze and Akito Kashiwagi, and the half-brother of Amane Kuze. Males were forbidden in the Kuze household and any male babies born had to be cast out before they were four years old. Rather than cast out her child, Kyouka managed to smuggle Kaname out of the shrine into a nearby village, where he was adopted by the Ototsuki family.

Spoiler

When Kaname found Reika, she had already been impaled in the Chamber of Thorns and was deep in her sleep. After he awoke Reika she saw him and smiled, happy that she had finally seen him one last time. Their happiness was short-lived, however, because Yashuu Kuze had learned that Amane had smuggled Kaname into the shrine. Determined to preserve the Commandment, Yashuu followed Kaname into the shrine and murdered him in front of Reika. After this, the tattoo crept into Reika's eyes and the Rift was released, causing the Unleashing.