The Way of the Warrior

by Chris Bradford

  ‘I’m sorry, Jack,’ said Akiko timorously, bowing her head. ‘I apologize. It’s my fault for not teaching you properly.’

  ‘And will you stop apologizing!’ shouted Jack, holding his head in his hands with sheer frustration.

  Akiko went very quiet. Jack glanced up. The students on his table were pretending hard to ignore them, but it was clear that his tone with Akiko had been entirely inappropriate. Yamato glared at him but said nothing.

  ‘I’m sorry, Akiko,’ Jack mumbled. ‘You’re only trying to help me. It’s just so difficult speaking, thinking and living like a Japanese all the time.’

  ‘I understand, Jack. Now please enjoy the meal,’ she replied flatly.

  Jack continued to work his way through the various bowls, in rotation, but they had somewhat lost their flavour. He hated the fact he had upset Akiko, and even worse he had shouted at her in front of other people. He was sure she had ‘lost face’ by his actions. When Jack looked up again, the boy with the sun kamon was still staring at him, a belligerent scowl on his face.

  ‘Akiko,’ he said, bowing his head and speaking loud enough for those around them to hear. ‘Please accept my humblest apologies for my behaviour. I’m still tired from our journey.’

  ‘Thank you for your apology, Jack,’ she said, and with the apology formally accepted, the atmosphere round the table immediately lightened and everyone resumed their polite conversations.

  ‘Please, would you tell me who that boy is?’ asked Jack, relieved that he had managed to restore some degree of accord. Maybe he was beginning to appreciate the intricacies of Japanese etiquette after all, he thought.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she replied.

  ‘I do,’ offered an enthusiastic lad opposite Jack on the table. ‘He’s in the same year as us. His name is Oda Kazuki, son of daimyo Oda Satoshi, second cousin to the Imperial Line. That is why he bears the kamon of the Imperial Sun. Some would consider the Oda family to be rather high and mighty. Perhaps that’s the reason his father named him, Kazuki. It means “Shining One”.’

  They all stared at the boy with growing amazement as he continued to talk unabated. He was a rather plain-looking lad with a chubby face whose only outstanding feature were his eyebrows, thick black caterpillars fixed in a permanent expression of surprise.

  ‘I apologize,’ he said, bowing. ‘I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Saburo, I am the third son of Shimazu Hideo. Our kamon displays two hawk’s feathers – it symbolizes the swiftness, grace and dignity of the hawk. My brother is Taro. You can see him near the top table. He is one of the best students of kenjutsu in the school, this year he will be learning the “Two Heavens” technique –’

  ‘It’s an honour to meet you,’ interrupted Yamato politely. ‘I am Yamato, son of Masamoto Takeshi. This is my cousin, Akiko. And this is Jack. He is from the other side of the world.’

  They each bowed in turn as Yamato introduced them

  ‘Ahh! The gaijin Masamoto saved,’ said Saburo, warily acknowledging Jack, then ignoring him in favour of Yamato. ‘It is truly an honour to meet you too, Yamato. I cannot wait to inform my mother that I dined opposite Masamoto’s surviving son. It was tragic what happened to Tenno. My brother knew him. They sparred together many times –’

  ‘And who is your friend?’ asked Akiko quickly, seeing Yamato’s mood darken at the mention of his brother’s death. A small girl with shoulder-length black hair and mousey-brown eyes sat to Saburo’s left. But before the girl could reply, Saburo answered for her.

  ‘This here is Kiku, second daughter of Imagawa Hiromi, a famous Zen priest.’ They all bowed as Saburo continued. ‘So who do you think will be teaching us first? Do you think it will be Sensei Yosa? I hope so. Surely she has to be reincarnated from a goddess. Our very own Tomoe Gozen, neh?’

  Jack could see that Akiko was affronted by Saburo’s offhand comments of her idol and hurriedly thought of a question to move the conversation on.

  ‘Saburo, what are the “Two Heavens”?’ asked Jack, honestly intrigued to find out.

  ‘Ahh, the “Two Heavens” is Masamoto’s secret –’

  But before Saburo could elucidate any further, Masamoto brought a formal end to the dinner with a cry of ‘Go-chiso-samakohaita!’

  There was a shout of ‘REI, SENSEI!’ and the whole room stood and bowed as one. Masamoto and his sensei rose and made their way down the centre of the Chō-no-ma and out into night. The students filed out silently in order of seniority behind them.

  Jack emerged into the cold clear night air, relieved to get away from the constant eyeballing he had had to endure in the Hall of Butterflies. Any time Jack had looked up from his bowl, Kazuki had shot him a contemptuous look while the students around him laughed at something or other he had said regarding the ‘gaijin’.

  Jack ambled behind Akiko, Yamato and Kiku, who were being closely pursued by the talkative Saburo, as they made their way to the Hall of Lions. He gazed up at the star-filled sky, trying to recognize the constellations his father had taught him. Orion’s Belt, the Plough, Bellatrix…

  Suddenly Kazuki materialized in front of him, blocking his path.

  ‘Where do you think you’re going, gaijin?’

  ‘To bed, Kazuki. Like everyone else,’ replied Jack, attempting to step round him.

  ‘Who gave you permission to use my name, gaijin?’ said Kazuki, forcibly pushing Jack backwards.

  Jack stumbled and fell against another boy, who had sidled up behind him. Jack rebounded off the boy’s impressively large belly.

  ‘Now you have insulted Nobu too. You owe us both an apology.’

  ‘Apologize for what?’ exclaimed Jack, trying again to get past, but Nobu’s sumo-like bulk refused to budge.

  ‘How rude! Not willing to apologize. You should be punished,’ threatened Kazuki.

  Jack heard Nobu cracking his fingers, as if limbering up to hit him, but stood his ground.

  ‘You wouldn’t dare!’ Jack shouted defiantly.

  He glanced over Kazuki’s shoulder. Akiko and Yamato, along with everyone else, had already disappeared into the Hall of Lions. He felt his bravado rapidly slipping.

  ‘There’s no one here, gaijin,’ sneered Kazuki. ‘See? You’re not always under Masamoto’s protection. Who’d believe a gaijin anyway?’

  Kazuki’s hand shot out and grabbed Jack’s left wrist, twisting it. The pain was instant. His whole arm contorted and Jack dropped to his knees, desperately trying to relieve the agony.

  ‘First, you need to apologize for taking my seat. Second, you insulted me in front of my friends. Third, you offended me greatly by pointing your hashi at me. Apologize!’ said Kazuki, rotating Jack’s wrist further with each demand and sending bolts of burning pain shooting through his arm.

  ‘Apologize, gaijin!’

  ‘Go to Hell!’ spat Jack in English.

  ‘What did you say?’ said Kazuki, baffled by the strange-sounding words. ‘You’d better be careful, gaijin. You wouldn’t want to injure yourself before starting your training now. Would you?’

  Kazuki applied even more pressure. The pain seared white-hot through Jack’s arm and Kazuki drove him face first into the ground. Jack was unable to move. Kazuki forced Jack’s arm up and behind his back, and purposefully rubbed Jack’s face in the dirt.

  ‘Enjoying the worms, gaijin? It’s all your kind deserve to eat!’ taunted Kazuki. ‘Gaijin aren’t worthy to be taught our secrets. Our martial arts. You don’t belong. Go home, gaijin!’

  He twisted Jack’s arm one notch further and Jack could feel his arm about to break again.

  ‘Sensei!’ warned Nobu.

  Kazuki jumped to his feet, releasing his grip on Jack.

  ‘Another time, gaijin!’

  Then both Kazuki and Nobu were gone, fleeing round the corner of the Chō-no-ma.

  Jack lay there, clutching his arm to his chest. He trembled as he thought of Kazuki’s final words – ‘Another time, gaijin!’ – ominously echoing Dragon Eye’s own t
hreat.

  The pain subsided and he tested his arm cautiously. It wasn’t broken, but it still hurt a great deal when he moved it. As Jack lay there, nursing his aching arm, Sensei Yamada shuffled up. The sensei leaned upon a bamboo walking stick and looked down at Jack like he was inspecting an insect with a broken wing.

  ‘In order to be walked on, you have to be lying down,’5 he said matter-of-factly, before resuming his unhurried journey across the courtyard towards the sleeping quarters. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Jack called after him, but the old sensei gave no reply. The only response was the diminishing click of the walking stick as it echoed around the stone courtyard.

  26

  DEFEATING THE SWORD

  ‘Owwww!’

  Jack rubbed his shins and hobbled into the Butokuden. He laid his bokken along the edge of the hall with the other students’ weapons, then gingerly knelt in line beside Yamato.

  Akiko entered with Kiku and bowed. Saburo hurried in behind them.

  ‘Owwww!’ cried Saburo.

  He too came hopping across the floor and eased himself into line, biting his lip against the pain.

  Sensei Hosokawa stood by the main entrance brandishing a shinai, bamboo sword. He scrutinized the remainder of the new students making their way across the courtyard to the dojo for their first period of the day – a morning session of kenjutsu. Three more got struck across the shins upon entering.

  ‘Martial arts does not begin and end at the gate of the dojo!’ thundered Sensei Hosokawa as the last student joined the nervous rank of kneeling boys and girls. ‘Always bow with your sword raised high when you enter the dojo. Anyone caught dragging their feet, slouching or being inattentive will feel the edge of my shinai!’

  The whole line immediately stiffened to avoid any possibility of slouching. Sensei Hosokawa paced the hall, inspecting each prospective samurai. As he levelled with Jack, he stopped.

  Jack glanced up. Hosokawa appeared to be sizing Jack up.

  ‘I hear from Sensei Masamoto,’ he began, ‘that you fought a ninja and defeated him with a bokken. Is this true?’

  ‘Umm… Hai… sort of…’

  ‘Hai, SENSEI!’ he thundered at Jack.

  Jack quickly apologized and bowed lower. Idiot! He had forgotten the proper etiquette when addressing a person of higher status. ‘Hai, Sensei. I was helping Yamato –’

  ‘Excellent,’ he said, cutting Jack off. ‘Were you afraid?’

  Jack didn’t know what answer Hosokawa was expecting. He glanced down the line of students who were all gawping at him. Should he admit that he was terrified? That he thought the ninja was going to run him through with his sword? Or else throttle him just like his father had been?

  Jack could see Kazuki sneering at him, eager to hear the gaijin admit his weakness to everyone. Then he caught Akiko’s eye and she was quietly nodding to him, speak true.

  ‘Hai, Sensei,’ said Jack cautiously.

  ‘Absolutely,’ agreed Hosokawa. ‘One should be afraid when facing a ninja.’

  Jack breathed a sigh of relief as the sensei retraced his steps along the line.

  ‘Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.6 Jack here valued his loyalty to Yamato above fear. An ideal worthy of a samurai.’

  Jack swelled with pride at the unexpected compliment and caught Kazuki looking thoroughly annoyed at the sensei’s praise.

  Sensei Hosokawa continued, ‘Jack showed courage, conquered fear and so defeated his opponent. A fine lesson to start your training in the way of…’

  He stopped mid-sentence. Nobu was hurrying across the courtyard, late for the lesson. He was tucking in his kimono as he went, his bokken shoved awkwardly under his armpit. The sensei strode across to the door and waited.

  Every student knew exactly what was coming. Nobu kept running, oblivious to his inevitable punishment.

  ‘Owwww!’

  Sensei Hosokawa’s shinai rapped Nobu so sharply across both shins that his feet went from under him and the boy fell flat on his face, his bokken clattering across the wooden floor. There was the sound of stifled laughter from the other students before Sensei Hosokawa cut them short with a stern look.

  ‘Get up! Never be late for my class again,’ Hosokawa ordered, kicking Nobu firmly in the rear. ‘And never present yourself like that in my dojo!’

  Nobu scrambled to his feet, looking like he was going to explode with shame, and scurried over to the rest of them, bowing and scraping all the way.

  ‘Right, now that we’re all here, we can begin your training. Pick up your bokken, then line up in three rows down the dojo. Give yourselves enough space to swing your weapon.’

  They all bowed and got to their feet, haphazardly forming themselves into three ragged lines.

  ‘What is this?’ screamed Hosokawa. ‘Everyone ten press-ups! Kazuki, count off!’

  The whole class dropped to the floor and commenced their punishment.

  ‘One! Two! Three! Four! Five!…’

  ‘Next time, I say “Line up”, I expect you to run! And form ordered lines!’

  Jack’s arms shook a little with the effort, but despite last night’s torture, two years of climbing the rigging had strengthened him enough to cope without breaking a sweat. Some of the students, though, began to miss out counts and several gave up completely. Kazuki continued unabated, not even out of breath.

  ‘… Eight! Nine! Ten!’

  ‘Now line up!’

  Everyone got to their feet and sprinted into position.

  ‘Better. First, I want you to simply hold your bokken in your hands.’

  Jack adjusted his wooden sword until it was positioned exactly as Yamato had shown him back in Toba.

  ‘Where’s your bokken?’ Hosokawa suddenly demanded of a small, mouse-like boy, who stood quietly at the back.

  ‘Sensei, I left it in the Shishi-no-ma,’ he said, cringing.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Yori, Sensei.’

  ‘Well, Yori-kun, what sort of samurai will you make?’ said Hosokawa in disgust.

  ‘I don’t know, Sensei.’

  ‘I’ll tell you – you’ll be a dead one. Now get a spare from the Weapons Wall.’

  Yori scampered over and retrieved one from the back wall where the wooden panels were loaded with weapons – swords, knives, spears, staffs and half a dozen weapons Jack had no name for.

  ‘To begin with, class, I want you simply to get a feel for the bokken. Hold it. Get an idea of its weight, its shape, its point of balance. Swing it round – without hitting the walls, the floor or anyone else!’

  Jack shifted his bokken between his hands, juggling it between his left and right. He tried some basic cuts, then spun himself round. He held it over his head and swung it round in a great arc. Saburo was doing the same but, failing to pay enough attention, struck another student on the back of the head.

  ‘I said without hitting anyone else!’ shouted Hosokawa and rapped his shinai across Saburo’s shins again. ‘The sword is an extension of your arm. You should instinctively know where its kissaki is, the reach of its blade and where it is in relation to your own body at all times.’

  Without warning, Hosokawa brought his shinai up and struck with lightning speed at Yamato’s head, stopping within a hair’s breadth of his nose. Yamato flinched at the unforeseen attack, swallowing down hard on his panic.

  ‘What is the use of power, if there is no control?’ Hosokawa said, letting his weapon drop. ‘Now hold your bokken out in front of you. Both arms out straight, your weapon resting horizontally upon the edges of your hands.’

  Jack stood there, the weight of the bokken gently pushing down on his outstretched hands. Not too hard, thought Jack.

  ‘And keep holding it there until I tell you to stop.’

  Sensei Hosokawa began to pace the room thoughtfully. Like an army turned to stone, every student held their arms out, bokken on top, and waited for his comma
nd to stop.

  One by one, the arms started to quiver. Two up from Jack, Kiku began to drop her arms.

  ‘Did I say you could lower your arms?’ barked Hosokawa and Kiku instantly straightened, her face straining at the effort.

  A few minutes later, a girl in the far corner dropped her bokken, unable to continue.

  ‘Given up?’ asked Hosokawa. ‘Go sit at the side. Who’s going to be next?’

  Several students immediately gave up, including Kiku and Yori. Akiko was beginning to strain. Jack, however, was still feeling quite fresh.

  Five others lowered their arms, breathless with the effort, and left the training area.

  ‘Beaten so easily?’ Hosokawa said with obvious derision, as Saburo gave up at the same time as Nobu.

  ‘Excuse me, Sensei?’ asked Saburo with appropriate deference, while massaging the aches out of his arms.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘What is the purpose of this exercise?’

  ‘The purpose?’ Hosokawa said, incredulous. ‘I would have thought that was obvious. If your own sword can defeat you in your own hands, what hope do you have of ever defeating your enemy?’

  The revelation of the point of the exercise renewed the efforts of all still standing. Everyone was keen to impress the sensei in their first lesson and they pushed on through the pain.

  A few minutes later, though, two others dropped out, leaving only five students standing – Jack, Kazuki, Yamato, Akiko and Emi, an elegant but haughty girl, whom Jack had been told was the first daughter of the daimyo Takatomi, the sponsor of the school.

  Akiko’s arms were beginning to shake badly, but she appeared determined to beat the remaining girl. Emi, however, was the more stable of the two. She looked over at Akiko and gave her a strained but victorious grin. She clearly didn’t wish to lose face either. Akiko began to take shallow breaths, willing herself to keep going. Out of the corner of Jack’s eye, he could see Emi’s arms beginning to drop. But then Akiko reached her physical limit and she dropped her bokken.

  Barely a second later, Emi’s arms collapsed too.