The Heavenward Path

by Kara Dalkey

  Desperate, I looked over at the bowls again. You respect rank and power too much, Goranu had once said. I acted like a wild creature, unthinking. I took up the bowl of sand and threw it in Chomigoto-Dento's face.

  He staggered back a moment. "What! How dare you!"

  I picked up the bowl of chalk and threw that, too.

  "Stupid creature!" He became enraged and rushed at me.

  With nothing left to do, I picked up the bowl of wasabi and, as he was nearly upon me, threw it in his eyes and nose.

  "Arrrrrrggggh!" Chomigoto-Dento screamed, holding his face. "Ungrateful child!" He roared. "Now feel the power of my cur-cur-cur-ka-CHOO!" A bolt of green lightning escaped from his hand, but because of his sneeze, it missed me.

  "Run around him!" Goranu called from the trees above and behind me. "Keep moving!"

  My knees were terribly weak from fear, but my heart lifted upon hearing his voice, and I managed to get to my feet. I staggered to one side of the shrine foundation and then the other. Suddenly, there were many of me encircling Chomigoto- Dento, each of the other images looking as real as I was.

  "Hold still!" cried Chomigoto-Dento. "Which one are you?"

  "Here!" yelled one of the other images, waving her hand. "I'm over here, you silly ghost."

  Chomigoto-Dento unleashed another bolt of green lightning from his hand that, of course, did the illusion no harm but split the tree behind it in half. "Ah-ah-ah-ah-CHOOOO!" he sneezed even louder.

  "Over here!"

  "Over here!"

  "No, me! Curse me!"

  I continued to run back and forth, paying no attention to how tired my legs were becoming, fighting back my fear. To the tengu, no doubt, this was all very amusing, but I was running for my life.

  "Aghhhhhhhhhhh!" In frustration, Chomigoto-Dento spun around, flinging curse bolts willy-nilly, some striking quite close to me. Then he stopped and tilted his face toward the sky. "No… no… ah-ah-ah-" He pinched his nose shut. But he could not stop gasping and at last, eyes squeezed shut and watering in pain, he let loose with a mighty "AHHHHHHH-CHOOOOOOOOO!"

  A spray of white substance came exploding out of Dentd's mouth and nose, coalescing into the ghostly form of Chomigoto floating beside him. Dento collapsed onto the ground.

  A chorus of cheers and whistles and clacking of beaks erupted from the trees around us.

  "You worthless tengu!" roared the ghost. "You think I am defeated, but you will see. I have more power than you know!"

  The stone to Lord Chomigoto's tomb burst out of its hole, and two horse-headed oni ran out carrying loops of shining rope. They flung these over the ghost, saying, "Chomigoto-san. Lord Emma-O would speak with you. Now." Tightening the nooses around Chomigoto's form, the oni dragged him back into the tomb.

  "No!" cried the ghost. "No! He does not understand. This is my vengeance. He promised me vengeance!"

  As soon as the oni and the ghost were inside, the sealing stone flew up into the air and planted itself in the entry hole.

  Goranu said behind me, "Lord Emma-O is stern, but just."

  I turned and smiled at Goranu, then I ran to Dento, who still lay on the ground. "Dento-san! Sensei! Are you all right?"

  He moaned loudly, still holding his face, but he allowed me to help him up to a seated position. "Did you have to throw the wasabi?" he groaned.

  "I am so sorry, Dento-san. I did not know what to do. So I tried everything."

  He nodded and patted my shoulder. "Never mind. You did well. You have the makings of a fine ubasoku."

  There was a flapping of great wings, and Kuroihane alighted before us, holding a wet cloth. "Here, old man. You look even more a wreck than usual. Maybe this will ease your runny old eyes."

  I took the cloth from the tengu and gently applied it to Dento's face.

  The ubasoku sighed. "Thank you."

  "Hey, hey! Pretty good, Mountain Puddle." Suzume came running up to me smiling.

  "Thank you," I said, still too shaken to think clearly. "But you mustn't call me that anymore."

  "I know, but we don't have another name for you yet. Hey, did you like the weapons we set out for you? Worked pretty well, didn't they?"

  "You left those offerings?"

  "Yes! We knew Old Blowhard was up to something. The chalk was left in case he tried to attack invisibly. The sand is from the temple garden in Kyomizudera. The tengu had to send me in to gather it myself, since they couldn't enter the holy grounds. And the wasabi just seemed like a good idea."

  "Why did you not just warn us before we got to the shrine?"

  "We didn't know what to warn you about. And we didn't want to hang around here and make Old Blowhard suspicious and change his plans. We figured whatever he would do, you two could handle."

  "I am honored by your faith in me," I said.

  Suzume grinned. "Well, now that you're not going to Court, I'm willing to be your servant again."

  "Ubasoku do not have servants."

  "But they can have friends, neh? Besides, you're not an ubasoku yet. And you will need someone to gather firewood and water while you are studying. And since you need to be trained by tengu, we'll have them around, too. What could be better?"

  I looked uncertainly at Dento. "Can she travel with us? Is that not too much attachment to my previous life?"

  "Considering," said Dento, still wiping his face, "that I will be in poor condition for a while-ai, I feel like that ghost sapped the marrow from my bones-I think we should accept whatever assistance is offered."

  I turned to Goranu. "I am so very glad to see you again."

  Goranu scratched the back of his head and looked around at the trees. "Well, I couldn't let Old Blowhard get his way and ruin everything."

  "Yes. Well. Dento says that so long as I have a new life, I may choose the path it takes. And I cannot imagine such a path if you are not there with me. Even if it keeps me bound to the Great Wheel for this turn or the next. The world is not so bad, neh? I have so much more to learn, and I am beginning to look forward to learning it. Will you stay and teach me, and perhaps we can think about… other things?"

  The snickering and hooting began again among the surrounding tengu.

  "Ooo, they're talking lovey talk!"

  "Maybe we'll get to see them bill and coo."

  Goranu turned and glared at them. "In order to get away from these clattering idiots…" He turned again and gazed down at me. "I will follow you anywhere you ask."

  And so, that afternoon, we set off: Dento, carried in a litter; Goranu; Kuroihane, who thought Dento needed some more lessons; Suzume; and me. We headed for a place in the mountains where we might begin our new lives.

  I have set these words down as a way of putting my past behind me, and for Kai-Lung, so that he might know the rest of the story, and for those readers who might find such a tale interesting, though it is hardly a normal sort of monogatari.

  As well, Esteemed Reader, I will give you that same gift that I offered to the dragon Kai-Lung. I will let you choose the ending of this story. Perhaps Goranu and I will find a way to remain together, though it might further increase my turns on the Wheel. Perhaps I will become a learned ubasoku, wandering the mountains with magical powers like the tengu, giving occasional aid to those in need. Perhaps my feet will find the Heavenward Path, and I will join the saintly souls at the River of Death someday. Who can see the future? Choose whichever ending pleases you.

  The mountain path forks;

  leading high, low, and straight on.

  Which way shall I go?

  AUTHOR'S NOTE

  Even though The Heavenward Path is a fantasy, it is placed within a historical setting. But because Heian Japan is so far away in both time and location, it may be difficult for the reader to know just which parts are historical, which parts are from Japanese mythology of the period, and which parts I made up for the sake of the story.

  The Heavenward Path is set in approximately A.D. 1100, a time when the great cultural flowering of Heian J
apan was beginning to decline. The Imperial Court had become rigid in its customs, and the nobility, the "Good People," as they called themselves, or the "People Who Dwell Above the Clouds," clung desperately to their status and looked down upon anyone who was of lesser birth.

  Mitsuko and her family are all fictional characters, but the Fujiwara clan did exist and held great social and political power. For a time, the Fujiwara clan was second only to the Imperial clan itself, the Yamato, and the Fujiwara held on to this status by often marrying their daughters into the imperial line. However, toward the end of the Heian period, other clans were beginning to assert themselves and gain more political clout at Court, threatening the Fujiwara supremacy. This is why Mitsuko faces the dilemma she does at the beginning of the book.

  Noblewomen of Heian Japan could wield some political power, either through marriage or by plotting behind the scenes. But at the same time, they lived closeted lives behind screens or curtains of modesty, dressing in many layers of voluminous kimonos to hide their shapes, and hiding their faces behind their sleeves in public.

  The noblewomen's greatest contribution to Japanese culture is their literature, their monogatari. Unlike noblemen, who wrote in the stilted Chinese language of scholars, the women were free to write whatever they pleased in their native language. Much of these writings have survived to this day. Some of them are diaries and accounts of likes and dislikes, such as The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Some are stories, such as the great novel The Tale of Genji, now regarded as a masterpiece of ancient literature. Some are collections of poems and reminiscences, such as The Sarashina Diary. The noblewomen would write monogatari for each other and trade them back and forth, expecting that they would only be read by others like themselves. The closest modern equivalent are what are called "zines"-works written informally for a small audience of readers. But the Heian monogatari give such wonderful insight into the lives of the Japanese noblewomen that I drew upon them heavily as background for The Heavenward Path.

  There were two religions in Heian Japan: Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto is an animist faith based on reverence of kami, gods or spirits that inhabit awe-inspiring places or persons. Shinto is the oldest religion in Japan and forms the foundation of much of its culture. Buddhism originated in India and was introduced in Japan through China in the middle of the sixth century; it became popular among the Japanese nobility and scholars of the period. Buddhism emphasizes transcendence and turning away from the material world through meditation and the study of sutras, long religious poems. Although these two faiths are very different in beliefs, they coexisted and even blended in Heian culture. Thus those of a Buddhist sect, such as the character Dento, might still perform Shinto rites. It was not unknown for Buddhists to bless and leave offerings at Shinto shrines with the hope of converting the kami that dwelled there, and Shinto demons often were depicted as guardians for Buddhist temples.

  Tengu, the mischievous shape-shifters of mountains and forests, are from Shinto folktales. As with any myth, I had to reconcile many conflicting stories as to the nature of the tengu and select the most consistent. There is no Tengu-Do in the stories; however, it is said that tengu were teachers of master swordsmen and shared their magical knowledge with the ubasoku.

  The Kofun culture, known by the enormous grand tombs their nobility left behind, flourished several centuries before the Heian period. Some of these tombs are believed to contain ancestors of the Japanese imperial line, and they remain protected and unexcavated to this day. But those that have been opened are much as I have described Lord Chomigoto's tomb, and some are regarded with such reverence that locals believe kami live within them. It is true that the Fujiwara were once called Nakatomi and that their women were said to have been great healers and sorceresses, a legend that fit perfectly into the story I was telling in The Heavenward Path.

  For those interested in reading more about the Heian Japanese, I recommend (in addition to the monogatari mentioned above) The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan by Ivan I. Morris.

  GLOSSARY

  Amaterasu: Shinto goddess of the sun.

  Amida: One of the names for the Buddha, the Japanese version of Amitabha (which means "Boundless Light").

  bosatsu: In Buddhism, a spiritual being who, out of compassion, delays entering nirvana in order to give spiritual assistance to mortals. In some regions, they are worshipped as saints or minor deities.

  -chan: A diminutive suffix used between members of a family or loved ones, indicating affection.

  daikon: A large white radish usually harvested in winter.

  Enoshima (Eno): Formerly an island, now a peninsula on the north coast of Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo. In folklore, it was believed there was a cave on this island that led all the way to the heart of Mount Fuji.

  Enryakuji: The temple complex at the top of Mount Hiei, founded by the monk Saicho early in the Heian period. Over time, the complex grew to nearly thirty buildings.

  Fujiwara: The most powerful and influential clan (other than that of the Emperor) throughout the Heian period. The name means "wisteria."

  gimmu: Duty or obligation. Sometimes confused with karma, gimmu also refers specifically to those actions that cause one to earn a better or worse fate in the next life.

  go: A game of skill played with black and white stones, similar to the modern game Othello.

  haniwa: Red-painted clay figures of men, women, houses, and animals, found in Japanese tombs of the Yayoi period (A.D. 300-600).

  hapi: A short upper garment with short, wide sleeves.

  Heian Kyo: Modern-day Kyoto, this city was the capital of Imperial Japan from A.D. 798 to 1867, although the actual center of political power shifted from Heian Kyo to Kamakura in 1199.

  Jizo: A Buddhist saint or bosatsu thought to intercede for troubled souls before the Judge of the Dead, especially on behalf of children.

  kami: Usually defined as god or spirit, kami is that force that produces awe. Often associated with natural features such as mountains or rivers, it also can be associated with persons, weather, buildings, etc.

  kappa: A mythological creature with the shell of a turtle, the head of a monkey, and the arms and legs of a frog. They are said to live near rivers and ponds and pull children in to drown them. On the top of a kappa's head there is a hollow filled with water-if the water is spilled, they lose their strength.

  karma: An individual's fate, determined by the moral quality of that individual's actions earlier in life or in a previous reincarnation.

  kicho: Sometimes translated as "curtain of modesty," this furnishing consists of a cloth hung on a low frame, behind which ladies of the Heian court would sit when in the company of men to whom they were not related or married.

  kirin: A creature of Chinese mythology, sometimes described as having a deer's body and a dog's or lion's head, and flames on its shoulders. It is regarded as a divine messenger.

  koto: A stringed instrument, usually described as a zither. It is a box with a curved roof over which thirteen strings are stretched. It is played by plucking the strings, either with fingers or plectrum.

  Miroku (The Buddha Who Is Yet to Be): The Buddha who is supposed to arrive on earth 5,670 million years after the present Buddha has entered nirvana.

  monogatari: A written narrative, sometimes fictional, sometimes historical, or a diary. A common literary form written primarily by noble women of the Heian period.

  mono no ke: Evil spirits that were thought to be the cause of illness, both mental and physical.

  Mount Hiei: Mountain to the northeast of Heian Kyo, on which was founded a major Buddhist temple, Enryakuji. As the temple complex grew to cover the whole mountaintop, it became more common to refer to the mountain itself when indicating the temple complex.

  neh: An interrogative, such as "isn't it?"

  Noh: Japanese drama form arising out of a blend of Buddhism and Japanese harvest-song traditions, consisting of chanted poetry and symbolic dances to tell a
story.

  oni: A demon, depicted either with an animal head or with three eyes and two horns. They are sometimes guardians for temples or great kami.

  sakaki: A tree sacred in Shinto belief. Sakaki are planted within every shrine area and branches of the tree are often used in rituals.

  sake: An alcoholic beverage made from rice, usually served warm.

  -sama: An honorific suffix used in addressing someone of very high status (i.e., "Lord").

  -san: An honorific suffix, sometimes used as "Mister," indicating respect.

  sensei: Teacher or master.

  Shingon: ("Pure Word") A sect of Buddhism that believed that mystery lies at the heart of the universe. It tended to blend the beliefs of Shinto and Buddhism.

  Shinto: The original folk religion of Japan and the basis of much of its culture, Shinto beliefs centered around the worship of kami and ancestors.

  shoji: Sliding door, usually made of wood and paper.

  Shrine at Ise: A major Shinto religious center.

  sutra: A long religious poem recited as a part of Buddhist worship.

  Tendai: A sect of Buddhism, named after a mountain in China, followed by the nobility of Heian Japan, in which the Lotus Sutra was the primary sacred text.

  tengu: In Japanese folklore, a shape-shifting goblin or demon who lives in the forests and mountains. They are said to take the shape of birds or people with very long noses. They are masters of magic and illusion and love to harass monks.

  Tokaido: A major road connecting the cities of eastern Japan.

  torii: A symbolic gateway consisting of two pillars and one or more crosspieces, indicating entry into a sacred place.

  ubasoku: Wandering monks of the mountains and forests. They were often thought to have great magical powers.

  wasabi: Horseradish, usually in the form of a fine, green powder.