by Unknown
‘See! There’s nothing to it.’
‘Thanks for your help,’ said Jack. He was beginning to wish he hadn’t been so distrustful of Takuan. He seemed to be genuine in his offer of friendship.
‘My pleasure. We’ll keep going until you get used to the rocking motion. Then I’ll teach you how to stop.’
Takuan led the horse round in a circle using the lunge line.
‘So how’s the Two Heavens training going?’
‘It’s tough,’ replied Jack. ‘It’s like juggling with knives. As soon as you get the right hand working, you forget about the left.’
Takuan nodded sympathetically. ‘I wish I had the sword skills to be chosen to learn the Two Heavens. But what I don’t understand is why Yamato isn’t in your class?’
‘He didn’t get into the Circle of Three,’ explained Jack. ‘But he should be able to train in a couple of years or so.’
‘If it was me, I’d be so frustrated. And a little embarrassed. I mean he’s Masamoto’s son.’
‘Yamato’s brilliant with a bō. That makes up for it.’
‘And what about Akiko?’ asked Takuan casually, nodding in her direction.
Akiko was mounting her steed for a first attempt at Yabusame.
‘What about her?’ said Jack, surprised at the directness of the question.
‘Tell me what she’s like. She’s so different from all the other girls I’ve met.’
Akiko acknowledged them as she made her way to the head of the course. Takuan immediately bowed back. He seemed to have forgotten Jack completely and cheered Akiko on as she started down the track.
‘Isn’t she a natural on a horse?’ said Takuan, not taking his eyes off her. ‘Most impressive form.’
So this was the real reason for off ering to help, thought Jack, seeing how entranced Takuan was. Takuan wasn’t interested in teaching him horseriding. He was interested in finding out about Akiko.
Standing up in the saddle, Akiko attempted to nock an arrow, but she’d already passed the first target before she could take aim. As she galloped past them towards the second target, Jack’s mare suddenly picked up speed and began to follow Akiko’s horse.
‘Takuan?’ called Jack nervously, but the boy was so focused on Akiko’s run he didn’t appear to hear him.
Akiko successfully released her second arrow but missed. Off-balance, she tried to keep a grip astride the saddle with her thighs. She reached for another arrow. Takuan let go of the lunge line and began to clap and shout encouragement. At which point Jack’s mare suddenly bolted.
The horse seemed to think it was a race and charged down the track after Akiko. Jack held on for dear life.
‘How do I stop this horse?’ he screamed, almost bouncing out of the saddle.
Takuan, suddenly aware of the problem, shouted, ‘Pull back on the reins!’
In sheer panic, Jack wrenched on the reins.
The mare came to a sudden halt, flinging Jack over its head. He cartwheeled through the air before landing heavily in the dirt, a cloud of dust billowing out around him.
Jack lay there very still, the wind knocked out of him. He felt sick from the shock and ached all over, but he didn’t think anything was broken. As the dust settled, Takuan and Sensei Yosa appeared by his side.
‘Jack-kun, are you hurt?’ asked Sensei Yosa.
‘I’m… fine,’ Jack groaned.
Takuan and Sensei Yosa gently helped Jack to his feet as the rest of the class gathered anxiously round. He saw Kazuki and his gang sniggering.
‘Next time don’t pull back so hard on the reins,’ advised Takuan, brushing the dirt from Jack’s hakama.
‘You could have told me that before!’ said Jack.
‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea the mare would bolt like that.’
‘Forget about it,’ Jack wheezed, though he was surprised Takuan had let go of the lunge line in the first place.
Sensei Yosa ushered everyone back to the edge of the track.
‘Jack-kun, I think until you’re more competent riding, you should use my training horse to practise Yabusame,’ Sensei Yosa suggested kindly. ‘You’ll find it far more docile.’
‘Thank you, Sensei,’ replied Jack, rubbing his ribs. ‘But isn’t your horse a little big for me?’
A few of the students looked enviously at Jack and then at Sensei Yosa’s magnificent steed.
‘No, not this horse,’ she smiled. ‘That one.’
Sensei Yosa pointed to the corner of the field where a target had been set up. Beside it was a wooden dobbin complete with saddle. The class burst into laughter, while Jack stared in dismay at the model horse.
15
BŌ RACE
‘It’s humiliating!’ said Jack as he and the others made their way through the picturesque gardens of the Eikan-Do Temple to their bōjutsu class.
Up on the hillside, the spire of the Tahoto pagoda poked through the tree canopy like a tiered crown. The leaves surrounding it were still green, but with autumn not far off these would soon turn into a glorious blaze of red, gold, yellow and orange. Then the gardens would fill with people to experience the wonders of momiji gari, the maple-leaf viewing ceremony.
‘I have to sit on a wooden toy, while everyone else rides around on real horses!’ he protested.
‘It won’t be forever,’ consoled Yamato.
Suppressing a grin, Saburo added, ‘No, I’m sure Sensei Yosa will put some wheels on it soon.’
Yamato and Saburo convulsed with laughter.
Jack glared at them. ‘Kazuki hasn’t stopped taunting me about it all week. I don’t need you two rubbing salt into the wound!’
‘But Takuan’s still helping you learn to ride, isn’t he?’ asked Akiko, trying to maintain a straight face herself.
‘Yes,’ Jack admitted, glancing ahead to where Takuan was chatting with Emi and her friends, Cho and Kai. The girls were giggling behind their hands at something he’d just said. ‘But I don’t altogether trust him.’
‘Why not?’
‘He let go of the leading rein when my horse bolted.’
‘Why would he do that?’ said Yamato, suddenly serious.
Jack shrugged. ‘To show me up in front of the class. To prove gaijin can’t be samurai.’
‘I think you’re being overly suspicious, Jack. He’s been nothing but friendly and courteous towards us,’ insisted Akiko. ‘He actually mentioned to me how responsible he feels.’
‘I’m sure he’d tell you anything.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Akiko.
He immediately regretted his rash comment. He knew Akiko was only trying to help.
‘Oh… nothing really,’ said Jack, quickening his pace to get ahead of his friends.
Yori caught up with him.
‘Are you all right?’ he whispered.
Jack shook his head. ‘Not really,’ he confessed. ‘The Yabusame training is making me look a fool in front of everyone.’
‘Everyone’s got to start somewhere,’ said Yori. ‘And you can’t be the hero all the time.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ said Jack, sighing. ‘But Takuan’s so good at Yabusame. Everyone’s talking about it – he’s even impressed Sensei Yosa. And he seems to be spending a lot of time talking to Akiko.’
‘He spends a lot of time talking to everyone,’ said Yori. Studying Jack with a serious eye, he then pronounced, ‘Beware the tiger that tears not only its prey but also its own heart.’
‘What does that mean?’ said Jack, utterly perplexed.
But Yori only raised his eyebrows in an all-knowing Sensei Yamada-like way and walked on.
Sensei Kano rapped his long white staff upon the ground, ending the student’s bō kata.
‘Now you’ve warmed up with your staffs, we’ll move on to honing your balancing skills,’ he announced in his booming voice.
Big as a mountain bear, with a short crop of black hair and a fuzzy beard, Sensei Kano was a formidable samurai. He strode over to a woode
n jetty at the edge of the Eikan-Do’s central pond. The confident manner in which he walked gave no indication he was blind. Only his eyes hinted at the truth. Misty grey and unfocused, they registered nothing. With his other senses, though, he saw everything.
He tapped the edge of the landing stage with his staff. Several small rowing boats were bobbing gently in the water.
‘I want you to pair off and row these boats to the other shore and back.’
‘How’s that going to help with our balance?’ asked Saburo.
‘One of you will be rowing. The other must stand on the stern,’ explained Sensei Kano. ‘Change over when you reach the far bank. It’s a race, but one not necessarily won by the fastest rowers. If your partner falls in, you have to row in a complete circle before continuing again. Yori-kun, can you ensure everyone observes this rule?’
The class began to pair off and clamber into the boats.
‘Would you join me in my boat?’ asked Takuan of Akiko, stepping in front of Jack in the line.
‘I was intending to row with Kiku,’ she replied, bowing her head in appreciation of the offer.
‘Of course,’ replied Takuan. ‘But wouldn’t it make more sense if Saburo partnered Kiku?’
Saburo’s mouth fell open at the suggestion, while Kiku blinked in surprise.
‘A big strong samurai like you would surely relish the opportunity to race with a light, fast girl like Kiku.’
Saburo stood tall, tightening the obi round his ample waist, trying to match up to the praise. ‘Well, if you put it like that…’
‘Excellent,’ said Takuan, as if the decision had been made. ‘Don’t look so put out, Jack. I’d row with you, but it would be an unfair advantage.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Jack, taken off-guard.
‘With you having been a sailor, you stand the best chance of winning,’ explained Takuan, helping Akiko into a boat. ‘It wouldn’t be fair if the girls didn’t have some male strength to even up the competition.’
‘Not that Akiko needs any help,’ Takuan added quickly, noticing her brow furrow slightly at his comment.
‘You’re certainly right about that,’ said Jack, climbing into a boat with Yamato. ‘It’s good of you to add ballast to her boat, though! But I still don’t rate your chances.’
‘That sounds like a challenge,’ grinned Takuan. ‘See you at the finish line.’
Takuan eased his boat away from the jetty, Akiko settling in the stern.
‘He’s certainly got a way with words,’ said Yamato, taking up the oars.
Jack nodded his agreement, watching Akiko drift by, her gentle laughter carried on the breeze. He very much hoped she wasn’t being taken in by Takuan’s charms.
Once everyone was lined up, the non-rowers climbed on to the rear rail of their boats. Many of the students were wobbling precariously, despite holding out their staffs for balance.
‘Are you ready… go!’ shouted Sensei Kano.
The little boats surged forward. There was a huge splash as Saburo was the first to topple into the water. He came up gasping and nearly capsized the boat as Kiku helped him back in, before picking up the oars and starting their penalty circle.
Jack quickly found his sea legs and urged Yamato to paddle harder. They eased ahead of the pack. Behind them, Jack heard another splash and glanced round to see Cho floundering in the pond. Emi was irritably telling her off, saying she should have chosen Kai instead. Kai looked like she would have appreciated swapping over, considering her partner was the heavyweight Nobu.
Akiko and Takuan were making steady progress, with Takuan being careful not to rock the boat as he rowed, though Jack knew Akiko could probably stand on one leg in a storm and still not fall over. These days her new talents seemed boundless. Then Jack spotted Kazuki and Hiroto speeding up behind them, Hiroto rowing in long, powerful strokes while Kazuki crouched on the stern, keeping his centre of gravity low and his bō in hand.
‘Row faster!’ shouted Jack. ‘They’re catching up.’
Yamato put his back into it. They passed the midway marker of an ornamental stone, but Hiroto proved the better oarsman and soon the two boats were drawing level with one another. All of a sudden, Jack’s ribs flared with pain and he almost toppled overboard.
‘That’s cheating!’ exclaimed Yamato, having witnessed Jack receive a jab in the back from Kazuki’s staff.
‘No, it’s not. It’s tactics,’ Kazuki replied as Hiroto brought their boat alongside. ‘This is a bōjutsu class after all. And don’t forget our agreement!’
Kazuki thrust his staff at Jack a second time. Still off-balance, Jack couldn’t avoid the strike and was caught in the stomach. He doubled over with pain. Kazuki went for the final blow, hoping to knock Jack into the water. But Jack managed to raise his bō at the last second and block the strike. He then whipped his own staff round in an arc, aiming for Kazuki’s head. Kazuki ducked and swept his bō low across Jack’s boat. Jack was forced to jump and barely avoided getting cracked across the shins.
Landing unevenly on the rails, Jack felt the little rowing boat rock dangerously. Yamato’s right oar dug deep into the water and was snatched from his grasp. The boat lurched to one side. Jack teetered on the edge of the rail, arms cartwheeling manically. Only years of seafaring allowed him to regain his balance.
To no avail. As their boat keeled over and water rushed in, Jack jumped to the other side, trying to level the boat before it capsized. But it was too little, too late.
Kazuki and Hiroto coursed ahead, laughing to one another.
‘Hope you can swim!’ Hiroto shouted back as Jack and Yamato floundered in the chilly waters of the pond.
By the time they’d righted their boat, clambered in and completed their penalty circle, three other boats had passed them by, including Takuan and Akiko.
Yamato grabbed the oars and began to row furiously, while Jack crouched low on the stern urging him on. They passed two of the boats before reaching the opposite bank. Takuan and Akiko were setting off on the return leg. Kazuki and Hiroto, however, had swapped positions and were already heading back towards the jetty. Jack took over the oars from Yamato, checked to see his friend was balanced, then dug the blades in.
With each stroke, they gained on the two lead boats. Takuan appeared balanced, but Akiko was not as accomplished a rower as Jack. He soon overtook their boat. Then Jack focused on catching up with Kazuki. Keeping the strength in his pull even and ensuring the blades didn’t catch the pond’s surface, he brought the boat cutting smoothly through the water until they were head-to-head with Kazuki and Hiroto.
But Kazuki was determined not to let them pass. Their oars clashed and he threatened to ram Jack’s boat. Hiroto tried to dislodge Yamato with his staff, but Yamato was too quick and skilful with the bō. He neatly deflected the strike, cracking his staff across Hiroto’s knuckles and forcing him to drop his weapon. Then he jabbed Hiroto hard in the chest and the boy flew off the stern. Kazuki cursed and broke off from the race. Jack and Yamato let out a shout of triumph.
They’d won!
All of a sudden their boat came to a juddering halt, Yamato landing in a heap on top of Jack. Too intent on beating their rivals, they’d crashed into an ornamental rock. They could only watch as Akiko rowed calmly by.
Takuan raised his staff in salute. ‘Your exploits have inspired me to compose a haiku in your honour…
‘Spring hare runs too fast
to cross the finish line first –
hear the tortoise laugh.’
16
SNATCH AND GRAB
Jack, still wet from capsizing in the pond, trudged through Kyoto’s side streets in the direction of the Niten Ichi Ryū. Yamato had stayed behind with Sensei Kano for his advanced bōjutsu practice, while the rest of the class, in high-spirits following the race, had taken a more direct route back to school.
But Jack was not alone. Yori had insisted on accompanying him.
‘He’s so full of himself!’ muttered J
ack, kicking at a loose pebble on the ground.
‘Who?’
‘Takuan.’
‘Ah! The tiger returns,’ said Yori, arching his eyebrow in a sage-like manner.
‘What are you on about?’
‘The tiger of jealousy, of course.’
‘I’m not jealous,’ declared Jack. ‘Why on earth should I be jealous of him?’
‘No reason. Good-looking, excellent at martial arts, impresses the sensei, a bit different, admired by Akiko…’
‘OK, I might be a little bit envious,’ admitted Jack.
Yori stopped walking. Jack turned round to see his friend shaking his head, a despairing look on his face.
‘I was describing you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes,’ sighed Yori in exasperation. ‘Jealousy is seeing the other person’s blessings instead of your own. You chose to hear it as praise for Takuan. But I was pointing out why you’ve no reason to feel threatened by him.’
‘I’m not… I’m just worried for Akiko’s sake…’ began Jack, but he trailed off under his friend’s questioning gaze.
‘Takuan is a nice person. He’s just being friendly. He wants to be your friend too. Why don’t you let him? Then he’ll no longer be a threat; he’ll be your ally.’
‘You’re right, as always,’ said Jack, squeezing the water from the sleeves of his kimono. ‘I don’t know why I’ve been acting so irritably recently. Perhaps it’s the pressure of the Two Heavens. It’s so hard to learn. Even Masamoto-sama’s admitted only a few students ever master the technique. What if I’m not one of them?’
‘You will be,’ assured Yori. ‘You conquered the Circle of Three. Remember what the High Priest said. “If your spirit is strong, you can accomplish anything.” It’s just going to take time. Besides, a fruit that falls without shaking is too ripe for eating.’
‘Have you swallowed Sensei Yamada’s prayer book or something?’ exclaimed Jack, laughing.
‘It means good things only come through hard work.’
‘But Kazuki and Akiko seem to be progressing so much faster than me.’