Swords of Silence

by Shaun Curry

  Within an hour, Iemitsu had convened with his Roju cabinet and a small group of his most senior retainers in one of his castle’s meeting rooms.

  ‘I don’t understand how this priest can be so lucky!’ the Shogun raged, still drunk from his sake binge.

  ‘I am confused by the message,’ Inaba, one of the Roju cabinet members, commented. ‘Why would the commander write hurricane and tsunami?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘A hurricane results from violent wind, and a tsunami is the result of an earthquake. How could both hit them at the same time?’

  ‘And why such a short message?’ asked Sakai. ‘Why only five words?’

  ‘Maybe he did not have time for more.’

  ‘In my entire life, I’ve never heard anything like this,’ declared Abe, the eldest of the cabinet. ‘A storm of this magnitude would for sure destroy our coastline and Edo. And yet we have received no reports of damage.’

  ‘The scenario is most unusual,’ the others agreed.

  ‘It’s not unusual!’ the Shogun roared. ‘It’s luck, pure luck! Well, his luck is about to run out. We will annihilate the priest and his followers!’

  ‘What would you like to do, Lord?’ asked Sakai.

  ‘This time, we will send twenty-five ships after them!’

  Wide-eyed and jittery, Iemitsu appeared increasingly paranoid, glaring at his Roju cabinet for support.

  ‘But, Lord, there are no more red-seal ships left in Edo, and you’ll have to pay a fortune for the daimyos’ destroyed fleet and lost cargo,’ responded Abe.

  ‘I do not have to pay anyone anything. I am Shogun of Japan, and this is my country! If any daimyo is not happy, let him dare come to me with his complaint!’

  ‘We need to make alternative arrangements, Lord,’ Inaba interjected.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The Christians have already travelled too far. Even if we procure more vessels, we cannot catch them before they reach Nagasaki.’

  ‘How do we even know they are alive?’ Naito asked. ‘If the hurricane or tsunami destroyed our ships, how would they have survived?’

  ‘I don’t care!’ the Shogun screamed. His wild eyes and unkempt hair showed a lack of control. He wiped the spittle from his lips with his sleeve. ‘We will assume they are alive and not stop until I have their skulls in a sack.’ He breathed in, then looked at each cabinet member, signalling his demand for agreement. ‘Does everyone understand?’

  ‘Yes, Lord,’ the cabinet members and retainers said in unison.

  ‘Good. Now what is our plan?’

  ‘We need to mobilize forces in the south, Lord.’

  ‘How do we do that?’

  ‘Send carrier pigeons.

  ‘Wait,’ Abe, the eldest cabinet member, interrupted. ‘I thought we intended our activities to be covert. We need to be careful to protect the Tokugawa name. Remember, Lord, you gave the priest your word that you would assure his freedom. You said before all your word is stronger than metal.’

  ‘So what do you suggest?’

  ‘We engage assassins and mercenaries,’ Abe answered. ‘Forces that are not official.’

  The Shogun raised his eyebrows as he lifted his head and leaned forward. ‘Who?’

  ‘Tanaka-san. He is from the old province of Iga, and the most ruthless of all mercenaries.’

  ‘I do not know this man. Who is this Tanaka-san?’

  ‘He is from before your time, Lord. Your grandfather, Ieyasu, was familiar with him,’ Abe answered. ‘He is an invincible assassin, Lord, and his posse consists of ninja and other mercenaries,’ he added. ‘They are discrete killers . . . but very expensive.’

  ‘Hire them and kill the Christians.’ The Shogun nodded, his volume increasing. ‘I don’t care how much it costs. Just bring me their heads.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  18 July 1626

  South Coast of Kyushu, Kagoshima Area

  The waters had at times been rough with large swells, but after four days at sea, the monks’ vessel and its unusual passengers approached southern Kyushu and Nagasaki. To arrive undetected, Kansuke decided, the vessel should land in secret in thick brush along the coast, some distance away from Nagasaki.

  Despite their time together – or perhaps because of it – the mutual distrust between the Buddhists and Christians continued. Unperturbed by any antagonism, Joaquim was helping Akihiko by cleaning the infected wounds around his ankles when Kansuke approached him. A short while before, one of the younger and more aggressive Buddhist warrior monks had lashed out at a Christian for eating the last of the food on board. The incident had led to some shouting and shoving, yet before Joaquim could intervene, Kansuke had ended it by scolding his younger apprentices, threatening to increase their manual labour if they did not collaborate with the Christians.

  ‘Do you have a moment, Father?’ Kansuke asked.

  ‘Of course, Kansuke-san. I always have time for you.’

  ‘I want to apologize on behalf of my young and impetuous monk.’

  ‘It is of no consequence.’ Father Joaquim looked up from his work on Akihiko’s ankles and smiled at his rescuer. ‘Young men are . . . well, young men. Without doubt, your apprentice is hungry too.’

  ‘I regret to say some of my acolytes are self-centred.’ Kansuke sat down beside Father Joaquim and Akihiko. ‘I think some of them could benefit from a lesson in altruism.’

  ‘A lesson that could benefit us all.’

  ‘I am reminded of a Buddhist mantra on which we meditate. It says, “The source of all misery in this world lies in thinking of oneself. The source of all happiness lies in thinking of others.”’

  ‘That is a delightful sentiment,’ Joaquim replied. ‘We have a similar passage in the Bible: “Love thy neighbour as thyself.”’

  ‘Inspiring, Father. It appears we are not that different after all.’

  ‘Similarities bring us together. Differences set us apart,’ Master Watanabe said, joining the conversation. ‘Do you imagine there is more than one God?’

  ‘What do you mean, Master Watanabe?’ Joaquim looked around at his surroundings, staring at the sea.

  ‘Is there a Christian God and a Buddhist god?’ The old ronin answered his own question. ‘There is only one God – the Creator of us all. One way is not better than another. It is just different.’

  Before Father Joaquim could respond, a shout distracted him. ‘Look!’ A monk pointed far off into the distance behind them.

  ‘Let’s hope it is a cargo vessel,’ Noboru, a villager, said.

  ‘It is not,’ Master Watanabe stated with a stern look. ‘Its passengers have hostile intentions.’

  ‘How do you know?’ Noboru asked.

  ‘I can sense it.’

  As the ship approached, it became clear it was far larger and faster than the little junk, and carried significant manpower.

  ‘Look at the size of that craft!’ a Buddhist monk shouted from the observation deck. ‘It’s enormous!’

  ‘It’s Tanaka-san,’ Watanabe declared, as he recognized the symbols displayed on the mast flag. ‘He was a very powerful warrior in the old days. Now he’s a ruthless mercenary who kills for money and glory.’

  Everyone on board ceased what they were doing and stared at the fast-approaching vessel. With wide eyes and open mouths, they watched in silence as the ship closed the gap between them. Many of the villagers muttered among themselves, their fear rising with the volume of their chatter.

  ‘Can we defeat him?’ Tonia asked with a trembling voice.

  ‘Light always defeats dark.’

  ‘How many are they?’

  ‘I would guess about two hundred ninja and other mercenaries,’ Master Watanabe answered.

  ‘But we are only a small village of unarmed Christians,’ Noboru fretted. ‘And many of us are too ill and frail to fight.’

  ‘Perhaps they won’t catch us.’ Tonia voiced her hope, her expression contradicting her words. ‘They are st
ill far away.’

  ‘It’s only a matter of time,’ Watanabe answered.

  ‘Is there no way to avoid them?’ Father Joaquim asked. He tried to gauge their distance from land relative to their distance from their pursuers. Studying the large approaching ship in greater detail, his face showed signs of worry.

  ‘Yes, there is a way, if we can make it ashore before they take us at sea.’

  ‘Then let us land early,’ Father Joaquim suggested.

  ‘But what about when they land?’ Noboru asked with bulging eyes as his hands shook. ‘How will we evade them then? How can we defeat a force of 200 mercenaries?’

  ‘We will help you,’ Kansuke declared.

  ‘We cannot ask you to risk your lives a second time, Kansuke-san,’ Joaquim said. He placed his hand on the old Buddhist’s shoulder. ‘You have already done more for us than we could have hoped.’

  ‘Nonsense. We have not done enough.’

  ‘They are a formidable force. You will be in great danger,’ Tonia said.

  The old Buddhist smiled at her. ‘Perhaps, but we will not live in fear.’

  ‘Are you truly prepared to die for us?’ Joaquim looked into the serene face of the monk, and saw fortitude, strength, and resolve.

  ‘Compassion knows no boundaries, Father,’ the old man said.

  Kansuke commanded his crew to land their vessel in the part of the coastline where thick green trees and foliage lined the shore. The Buddhist vessel changed course and steered towards a thickly forested area of the coast. Close behind, their pursuers trailed them, closing the gap.

  ‘There are so many of them, and they are heavily armed!’ a monk shouted. As they bit their lips, the Buddhists observed dozens of moving bodies on the advancing enemy ship, preparing for their lethal assault.

  ‘This is not our fight, Kansuke-san,’ another asserted. ‘Why are we helping these Christians?’

  ‘Agreed,’ another monk added. ‘They are our enemies; we should not help them.’

  ‘Do we have to go through this again?’ Kansuke appeared to be losing his temper. ‘Will we be cowards and run away?’ The old monk held up his hands, commanding attention. ‘Listen! Do you want to attain enlightenment? If so, you must abandon the thought of us versus them. Remember the Buddha’s teachings: We are all One.’

  ‘I don’t need to help Christians to achieve enlightenment,’ a young monk declared.

  Looking first irritated then empathetic, Kansuke continued: ‘Compassion is the root of the Buddha’s entire teachings. You must cultivate the aspiration to help others before the aspiration for enlightenment. In the name of Buddha, I command all of you to treat our new companions as the dearest of brothers.’

  ‘Yes, Kansuke-san.’ Some of the monks appeared to have understood their master, while others still struggled. But before anyone could reply, a thunderous boom jolted them out of their contemplation. A spout of water appeared just ahead of them. A moment later a second boom shot smoke and wood splinters into the air, as a cannonball found its mark on the junk’s side.

  Tonia screamed as a sharp piece of wood pierced her stomach.

  ‘Guns!’ one of the Buddhist monks shouted. ‘Ready your guns!’

  ‘Prepare for landing!’ Kansuke yelled.

  Manoeuvring the batten sails with skill, the warrior monks steered the junk to shore.

  Another cannonball slammed into the stern, killing several monks on impact. Fire engulfed the rear of the craft.

  The Buddhists steadied their guns and fired their arquebuses at the approaching ship. Black gunpowder filled the air.

  ‘Retreat to the bow! Man the battens! Prepare for landing!’ Kansuke shouted.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  18 July 1626

  Outskirts of Nagasaki

  The boat was listing badly now as terrified villagers jumped into the shallow water under a continuous flow of lethal musket balls from the mercenaries. They waded quickly for the shore, some pausing to help the sick and wounded abandon the ship. Many of the younger Buddhist warrior monks leaped for their lives as well. People stumbled and called for help only to disappear under the water, which was slowly turning orange from the blood of those now floating face-down. Father Joaquim carried Akihiko from the boat and called over his shoulder, ‘Are you sure, Kansuke-san? You should flee with your people. Save yourselves.’

  ‘Go!’ Kansuke shouted back. ‘We will give you cover. Run!’

  Joaquim staggered through the surf with Akihiko on his back, appalled at the carnage around him. He glanced back just long enough to see a monk standing next to Kansuke fall, no doubt hit by a ball from an arquebus.

  * * *

  The arquebuses themselves were not very accurate, but the sheer power and number of them was devastating. A broadside of musket balls pitted the Buddhists’ ship, splitting off equally dangerous splinters of wood, and two more monks near Kansuke fell.

  ‘Gather all the ammunition!’ the old monk shouted. ‘Disembark. Hurry!’

  The scene on the slowly sinking ship was chaotic. Warrior monks who could jumped into the shallows and waded for shore as more cannon fire obliterated the main deck in two massive explosions. Monks were flung into the water, or were impaled on the fractured wood of the deck. Men cried and hauled themselves ineffectually to some sort of safety, leaving severed limbs and smears of blood behind them. Others collapsed into the water. The Buddhists who survived ran up the short beach, some helping their wounded brothers despite the fusillade of musket balls peppering the beach in little spouts of sand.

  Once behind the thick tree line of the forest’s edge, they paused to regroup.

  ‘Form a perimeter and fire as they disembark!’ Kansuke shouted. Where they could, monks found makeshift stands on tree branches, or if they had the time cut rudimentary ones, to balance the heavy weapons as they readied their remaining arquebuses.

  Tanaka’s boat cast a long, ominous shadow over the beach as it neared the shore. A flash from the gunwales and a delayed boom uprooted a clump of young trees as an incoming cannonball exploded near the left edge of the monks’ perimeter, sending dangerous shards of flying wood around them. Through the drifting smoke and jungle debris, the monks saw dozens of screaming mercenaries standing on the deck, ready to jump into the shallows. The air resounded with their fearsome chanting. The monks readied themselves from the tree line. They had gained a small advantage.

  The beach sloped down to the water so the monks now had the high ground, such as it was. As soon as Tanaka’s mercenaries began their descent on the long rope ladders from the huge vessel, Kansuke and his men fired their arquebuses. Ninja fell into the blood-stained water washing against the sand, joining the floating bodies that now impeded their ability to gain the shore. The ninja on board the ship gave covering fire to their comrades by firing into the forest.

  Still, plenty of mercenaries made it to the beach, and soon a fearsome onslaught of well-paid soldiers of fortune charged the forest. The monks fired in volleys, displaying shooting skills that dropped more of their attackers into the sand.

  ‘Retreat and reload!’ Kansuke shouted. The monks turned and ran deeper into the forest, repositioning themselves behind tree trunks. Partially shielded from return fire, the monks fired again at the mercenaries who had gained the forest edges.

  The black smoke of the arquebuses provided the mercenaries enough cover to take control of the beach. The monks fired their last remaining rounds into the smoke, hoping to kill a few more of their attackers. Then they dropped their firearms and charged the mercenaries with their naginatas, short swords on poles. The clash of metal and shrieks of combat and dying soon filled the forest.

  * * *

  Several miles inland, the Christians had stopped in a clearing in the forest for a brief rest. Father Joaquim accounted for everyone in their group. So why, Noboru asked, could he – and then many others – hear people approaching?

  Joaquim set Akihiko on the ground and faced the forest behind them. He withdr
ew Master Yamaguchi’s sword from a brown canvas sack and tracked back towards the sounds. The priest listened and took stock, but the sounds of rustling grass, cracking twigs and foliage persisted. Barely breathing, the villagers waited in silence.

  Just as Joaquim prepared to strike, a lone Kansuke emerged from the forest, setting everyone’s fears at ease.

  ‘Kansuke-san, thank heaven it’s you. Where are the others?’ Joaquim asked. He lowered his sword and stared at Kansuke. The old monk was sooty, sweaty, and blood-streaked, and clearly exhausted and traumatized from the fighting.

  ‘Only a few remain,’ Kansuke answered. He approached, out of breath and bleeding from his shoulder.

  ‘We are forever indebted to you and your men. How can we repay you?’

  ‘Help a Buddhist one day, Father. That’s all I ask.’

  ‘Without question, Kansuke-san.’

  ‘Now I must return. My remaining brothers have suffered great injuries, and I must attend to them.’

  ‘You should have stayed with them.’

  ‘I wanted to see you one last time to tell you you’re safe to continue your escape.’

  ‘We will not forget you.’

  ‘We are forever brothers in spirit, Father.’

  ‘What about your men, and Tanaka and his mercenaries?’

  ‘Almost all dead . . . on both sides.’ Kansuke sighed. ‘Save your village. Let the death of my brothers not be in vain.’

  ‘Yes, Kansuke-san. With your help, we’ll survive.’

  After embracing Father Joaquim, then Master Watanabe, Kansuke disappeared back into the forest.

  ‘What now?’ Noboru asked. ‘Shall we continue?’

  ‘First, we catch our breath and pray for our fallen Buddhist friends.’ He pulled out his little hidden Bible and read. ‘“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”’