Claws of the Cat

by Susan Spann

  Yoshiko stood over her brother with her katana in one hand and her wakizashi in the other.

  Nobuhide started to rise but Yoshiko’s voice cut through the silence. “If you move, you die with a sword in your back.”

  Nobuhide froze.

  Yoshiko sheathed the wakizashi and shifted her katana to a two-handed grip. Hiro noted with satisfaction that she held it right-hand dominant, with the right hand above the left.

  “Now, get up very slowly.”

  Nobuhide stood up and straightened his kimono. He raised his hands and smoothed his hair.

  “Don’t make me kill you, Nobu.” Yoshiko sounded on the verge of tears, though her face retained a perfect samurai calm. “It’s bad enough to have a patricide in the family. Don’t add fratricide, even in revenge.”

  Nobuhide’s face twisted with sudden and unexpected emotion. “It was his own fault! He never understood my talent. He let them force me into the police instead of insisting the shogun give me a command.

  “He wouldn’t even let me join Lord Oda’s forces with Mitsuhide. That’s all I wanted. He didn’t even care!”

  “Is that why you did it?” Yoshiko asked. “Because of Mitsuhide?”

  “He wouldn’t let me go.” Nobuhide sounded like a child refused a favored toy.

  Yoshiko looked at the others. “Leave us.”

  “I know what you have to tell him,” Hidetaro said. He looked at Hiro and Father Mateo. “It is a family matter, and private.”

  Mayuri led the others into her office. They had barely closed the door when Hiro said, “I’m sorry … may I borrow your vase?”

  He reached for the alcove.

  “What are you doing?” Mayuri demanded.

  “They need privacy, but I need…” He paused.

  Mayuri looked horrified. “The latrine is outside.” She pointed. “Go. No one will mind. Don’t you dare touch that vase.”

  Hiro slipped out of the house, around the veranda and back into the room where the initial confrontation had occurred. He crept across the floor and listened beside the hole in the door.

  “How could you believe our family was split between two daimyo?” Yoshiko was saying. “That one side supports the shogun and one does not?”

  “What do you mean?” Nobuhide asked.

  “Akechi Mitsuhide joined Lord Oda at the emperor’s command, with the shogun’s knowledge. It was Ashikaga gold—the shogun’s gold—that bought the firearms Mitsuhide took to convince Lord Oda of his fealty.”

  “Mitsuhide said he stole that gold from the shogun.”

  Yoshiko laughed. “You still don’t understand. Mitsuhide is a spy. If Lord Oda gets within striking distance of Kyoto, Mitsuhide has orders to kill him—or die trying. Our father refused to let you go because he didn’t want his only son on a suicide mission.”

  Chapter 45

  “He never told me.” Nobuhide sounded miserable.

  “He knew you couldn’t keep a secret,” Yoshiko said.

  “Why did he tell you and not me?”

  “He didn’t tell me.” Yoshiko’s voice softened. “You know my lifelong habit of listening at doors. I overheard him talking with Mitsuhide when our cousin passed through Kyoto—the day he invited you to go along.”

  Hiro heard a thump as Nobuhide fell to his knees. A moment later Nobuhide asked, “Akechi Yoshiko, will you act as my kaishakunin?”

  It was the formal term for the person who assisted with seppuku.

  “I will,” Yoshiko said. “Would you like me to bring the others back?”

  Hiro never heard Nobuhide’s answer. He was already racing around the outside of the house toward Mayuri’s office.

  * * *

  A few minutes later, Hiro and the others gathered in front of the teahouse.

  Nobuhide knelt in the middle of the street, facing the river, on a tatami they had brought out from the teahouse. Yoshiko stood behind him with her katana drawn. The street was deserted. A couple of neighbors poked their heads from their houses in curiosity, but when they saw the spectacle they withdrew and shut their doors without a word.

  This was a samurai matter and no one dared to interfere.

  Nobuhide drew his wakizashi and laid it on the tatami in front of his knees. He removed his obi and wrapped it tightly around the middle of the short sword’s blade.

  “What is he doing?” Father Mateo whispered in Portuguese.

  Hiro leaned toward him and whispered, “To keep the blade from cutting his hand when he—”

  “Understood,” the priest whispered, too disturbed to let Hiro finish the sentence.

  Yoshiko stepped to her brother’s side and raised her katana behind his head. “When shall I strike?”

  Nobuhide took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Allow me the honor of completing the cut.”

  Hiro was impressed. A samurai who committed seppuku didn’t usually complete the disemboweling slice across the abdomen. The kaishakunin usually cut off his head the moment he plunged the dagger into his belly, sparing the pain of completing the ritual cut.

  Nobuhide chose greater honor, but also much greater pain.

  “Why does he have to do this?” the Jesuit whispered. “Surely there is another option.”

  “Not only did he kill his father,” Hiro whispered, grateful for the Portuguese that disguised his words, “he found out that he did it without a reason. This is the only way for him to recover his honor, and also spare his family the humiliation of a public execution. It is our way.”

  Father Mateo gave Hiro a sidelong look. “I don’t like your way.”

  “You’ll like it even less in about a minute.”

  Nobuhide opened his kimono to expose his chest and stomach. He bowed his head.

  Hiro hoped the priest would not try to intervene. The seppuku ritual had existed for thousands of years. It prevented Yoshiko, or anyone else, from bearing the stain of Nobuhide’s death and atoned for their father’s murder in the best way a samurai could.

  Nobuhide looked up at Yoshiko. She nodded. Her eyes were red but her jaw was set. She would do what she had to do.

  Hiro couldn’t help but admire her strength.

  Nobuhide raised his wakizashi. He gripped the hilt in his right hand and the cloth-wrapped blade in his left. Rising up on his knees, he plunged the sword into his left side. With a grunt of pain, he pushed the sword across his belly and opened a fatal gash.

  His breath came out with a rush but no one heard it. Yoshiko’s sword flew through the air with an audible swish and sliced through the base of her brother’s neck. She stopped the blade just before it severed his head completely.

  Nobuhide’s head fell forward against his chest, connected to his body by only a tiny flap of skin.

  Blood spurted from the gaping hole in Nobuhide’s neck as his body slumped forward. Dark blood sprayed the dusty street and pooled around the nearly headless corpse.

  Yoshiko stood beside her brother, head bowed and sword hanging almost to the ground. Her shoulders heaved and she had her eyes shut tight. Her face screwed up with grief, but she did not cry. She did not make a sound.

  After almost a minute she opened her eyes and looked at Mayuri. “Please move my brother’s body from the street. I must arrange proper transport.”

  She looked at Hiro. “Thank you for your assistance. It is … unfortunate … that we did not meet under different circumstances.”

  Hiro bowed, and Yoshiko walked away toward the river.

  Mayuri didn’t seem to know what to do. She looked horrified at the thought of handling a dead man.

  Hiro did not hesitate. He stepped forward to carry the corpse. When he bent over Nobuhide’s body, he saw that Father Mateo had followed him.

  “Some people think it’s unlucky to touch the dead,” Hiro warned as he grasped Nobuhide’s arms. “They think it’s catching—especially when there’s blood involved.”

  “Bad choices are not contagious,” the priest said, “only regrettable, and blood can be washed
away.”

  He bent down to help Hiro carry the body away from the road.

  * * *

  After a cart arrived to remove Nobuhide’s corpse, Father Mateo asked Mayuri what would happen to Sayuri.

  “I’m taking her with me,” Hidetaro said. He turned to Mayuri. “She’s not your property. If you want money, I’ll get it somehow, but she’s not staying here another minute.”

  He gave Sayuri a hopeful look. “Unless, of course, she does not want to go with me.”

  Sayuri’s face broke into a lovely smile. “I do want to go with Hidetaro. Please? I promise we will pay.”

  Mayuri looked at them for a moment. “That murder probably broke her spirit anyway. No teahouse needs a defiled entertainer. She’s no use to me, and she has no value. I consider her contract paid in full.”

  Sayuri beamed like the sun breaking through storm clouds. Hiro finally understood what Hidetaro saw in her. When she smiled, she glowed, and even a man who didn’t trust women could see her genuine joy.

  Father Mateo and Hiro set out for the church on foot. The sun was high, the sky a cloudless blue that promised a hot afternoon.

  As they saw the peaked roof of the church rising up before them, Father Mateo said, “I know you explained everything, but I can’t quite believe you managed to put it together. I never would have guessed it was Nobuhide.”

  “Actually,” Hiro said, “you were the one who solved it. The last piece of the puzzle came from you. Well, you and the kitten.”

  “The kitten?” Father Mateo asked.

  Hiro nodded. “When she tried to escape with the paper and you said she didn’t count on someone else being there to snatch the prize.

  “Until then I suspected Yoshiko, but I hadn’t been able to figure out her motive for killing her father. She had no reason for wanting him to die. Becoming his heir didn’t change her life in any noticeable way.

  “Your comment made me realize she wasn’t the murderer at all. She snatched the prize from someone else. Last night, when I put everything together, I realized it was Nobuhide all along.”

  The front door opened as they approached. Ana stood in the doorway with the kitten. She held it in her arms like a baby and Hiro could hear it purring from the walk.

  “Hm,” she said. “Is this cat going to stay or isn’t it?”

  Hiro glanced at Father Mateo, but the priest didn’t answer.

  “It is,” Hiro said. “It’s my cat now.”

  “Then it needs a name,” the housekeeper said. She stroked the kitten’s head. “I can’t keep calling it ‘that cat’ all the time.”

  “What’s your word for ‘paper’?” Hiro whispered in Portuguese.

  “Don’t you dare,” the priest replied.

  “Well?” Ana demanded. “I haven’t got all day.”

  “Gato,” Hiro said. “Her name is Gato.”

  Ana looked down at the kitten in her arms.

  “Hm. I like it. You finally did something right.”

  Glossary of Japanese Terms

  B

  bokken: A wooden practice sword, used for sparring or solo weapons practice.

  Bushido: Literally, “the way of the warrior.” The samurai moral code, which emphasized loyalty, frugality, and personal honor.

  C

  chonmage: The traditional hairstyle of adult samurai males. After shaving the pate, the remaining hair was oiled and tied in a tail, which was then folded back and forth on top of the head.

  D

  daimyo: A samurai lord, usually the ruler of a province or the head of a samurai clan.

  dōshin: The medieval Japanese equivalent of a beat cop or policeman.

  F

  futon: A thin padded mattress, small and pliable enough to be folded and stored out of sight during the day.

  G

  genpuku: A traditional samurai coming-of-age ceremony, after which a boy was allowed to wear swords and take on the responsibilities of an adult.

  geta: Traditional Japanese sandals (resembling flip-flops), with a raised wooden base and fabric thongs that wrapped around the wearer’s big toe.

  H

  hakama: Loose, pleated pants worn over kimono or beneath a tunic or surcoat.

  I

  inkan: A personal seal, used in place of a signature on official documents.

  J

  jitte: A long wooden or metal nightstick with a forward-pointing hook at the top of the hand grip; carried by dōshin as both a weapon and a symbol of office.

  K

  kaginawa: A medieval Japanese grappling hook consisting of a metal hook (or hooks) attached to a length of rope.

  kaishakunin: The samurai who acts as the second for another samurai during the seppuku ceremony.

  kami: The Japanese word for “god” or “divine spirit”; used to describe gods, the spirits inhabiting natural objects, and certain natural forces of divine origin.

  kata: Literally, “form(s).” A detailed pattern or set of movements used to practice martial skills and combat techniques, performed either with or without a weapon.

  katana: The longer of the two swords worn by a samurai. (The shorter one is the wakizashi.)

  kimono: Literally, “a thing to wear.” A full-length wraparound robe traditionally worn by Japanese people of all ages and genders.

  koban: A gold coin that came into widespread use in Japan during the later medieval period.

  koku: A Japanese unit of measurement, equal to the amount of rice required to feed one person for one year.

  kunoichi: A female shinobi.

  kuri: The kitchen in a Zen Buddhist monastery.

  M

  mempo: An armored mask that covered the wearer’s face, with holes for the eyes and mouth.

  menhari-gata: A type of tessen (bladed war fan) containing sharpened metal ribs that allowed the fan to be used as a weapon.

  miso: A traditional Japanese food paste made from fermented soybeans (or, sometimes, rice or barley).

  mon: An emblem or crest used to identify a Japanese family or clan.

  N

  naginata: A weapon featuring a long wooden shaft with a curved blade on one end, similar to a European glaive.

  neko-te: Literally, “cat’s claws.” A weapon consisting of metal or leather finger sheaths equipped with sharpened metal blades. The sheaths slipped over the end the wearer’s finger, allowing the blades to protrude like the claws of a cat.

  noren: A traditional Japanese doorway hanging, with a slit cut up the center to permit passage.

  nuki-ashi: A specialized method of walking with sweeping, careful steps to minimize noise; one of many stealthy movements utilized by shinobi.

  O

  obi: A wide sash wrapped around the waist to hold a kimono closed, worn by people of all ages and genders.

  odoshi: A lacing technique used to connect the plates of lamellar armor.

  oe: The large central living space in a Japanese home, which featured a sunken hearth and often served as a combination of kitchen, reception room, and living space.

  P

  Pontocho: One of Kyoto’s hanamachi (geisha and courtesan) districts, containing geisha houses, teahouses, brothels, restaurants, and similar businesses.

  R

  ronin: A masterless samurai.

  Ryogin-an: One of the subtemples located on the grounds of Tofuku-ji.

  ryu: Literally, “school.” Shinobi clans used this term as a combination identifier and association name. (Hiro Hattori is a member of the Iga ryu.)

  S

  sake (also saké): An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.

  sakura: An ornamental cherry blossom tree (Prunus serrulata) or cherry blossoms.

  -sama: A suffix used to show even higher respect than -san.

  samurai: A member of the medieval Japanese nobility, the warrior caste that formed the highest-ranking social class.

  -san: A suffix used to show respect.

  seppuku: A form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment,
originally used only by samurai.

  shamisen: A traditional Japanese instrument with a long neck and resonating strings strung across a drum-like wooden base. The instrument is played by plucking the strings with a plectrum.

  shinobi: Literally, “shadowed person.” Shinobi is the Japanese pronunciation of the characters that many Westerners pronounce “ninja.” (“Ninja” is based on a Chinese pronunciation.)

  Shinto: The indigenous spirituality or religion of Japan, sometimes also called kami-no-michi.

  shogun: The military dictator and commander who acted as de facto ruler of medieval Japan.

  shuko (also tegaki-shuko): Spiked metal bands worn on the hands to aid in climbing walls, trees, and other vertical surfaces.

  shuriken: An easily concealed, palm-sized weapon made of metal and often shaped like a cross or star, which shinobi used for throwing or as a handheld weapon in close combat.

  T

  tabi: An ankle-length Japanese sock with a separation between the big toe and other toes to facilitate the wearing of sandals and other traditional Japanese footwear.

  tanto: A fixed-blade dagger with a single- or double-edged blade measuring 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) in length.

  tatami: A traditional Japanese mat-style floor covering made in standard sizes, with the length measuring exactly twice its width. Tatami usually contained a straw core covered with grass or rushes.

  tengu: A supernatural demon (“monster-spirit”) from Japanese folklore, often depicted as a human-avian hybrid or with a long, hooked nose reminiscent of a beak.

  tessen: A bladed war fan with ribs made of sharpened metal. The bladed ribs were disguised so that, when closed, the tessen looked like a harmless wood and paper fan.

  tetsubishi: Metal caltrops, often used by shinobi to distract or slow pursuers.

  Tofuku-ji: A Zen Buddhist temple located in Kyoto.

  tokonoma: A decorative alcove or recessed space set into the wall of a Japanese room. The tokonoma typically held a piece of art, a flower arrangement, or a hanging scroll.

  torii: A traditional, stylized Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines.