The Way of the Dragon

by Unknown

  The packing complete, Jack smiled to himself as he slipped Yori’s good-luck gift of a paper origami crane into the wooden inro case secured to his obi. The little bird rested on top of Akiko’s black pearl, guarding it as if the precious gem were an egg.

  He was about to shoulder his bag when he remembered Sensei Yamada’s offering. Picking up the omamori, he tied the Buddhist amulet to the strap of his pack. Contained within its tiny red silk bag was a small rectangular piece of wood upon which Sensei Yamada had inscribed a prayer. His Zen master had told him the omamori would grant him protection. He’d warned Jack never to open it, otherwise the amulet would lose its power. But by hanging the omamori on his bag, Sensei Yamada prayed the amulet would convince locals Jack was a Buddhist, and that as a result they would be more willing to help him on his journey.

  Sliding open the shoji to his room, Jack stepped out into the garden.

  It was dark, the sun still below the horizon. The air had that fresh cool taste as if the world had yet to breathe. Jack slipped on his sandals and walked across the wooden bridge in the direction of a small gate set in the garden wall. As he put his hand upon the latch, Jack was reminded of the very first time he’d run away from Hiroko’s house. He’d got himself into serious trouble – though he had learnt a very useful Japanese word as a result. Abunai. Danger. Jack knew that by stepping through the gate this time he was guaranteed to encounter abunai.

  ‘You’re leaving without saying goodbye?’ said a softly spoken voice.

  Akiko stood behind him, her hands clasped in front of her obi, her hair neatly combed and in a single plait down her back. She gazed at Jack with sorrowful, almost accusative eyes.

  It hurt him for her to look at him that way.

  But he’d said his farewells to everyone the night before at dinner. Akiko had been strangely quiet, though Jack had put that down to her slow recovery. Hiroko had offered to let him stay in her house indefinitely. Sensei Yamada had suggested Jack join Yori and him when they departed for the Tendai Temple in Iga Ueno. But he’d made up his mind.

  ‘It’s time I went home,’ said Jack, his heart breaking at having to say goodbye to Akiko.

  ‘But your home can be here,’ she said, a tremor entering her voice.

  ‘I can’t stay. If I do, I’ll only endanger you and your mother further. Rumours are spreading fast that you’re sheltering a gaijin. It won’t be long before daimyo Kamakura sends a patrol looking for me.’

  ‘But I can protect you –’

  ‘No, let me protect you,’ insisted Jack. ‘It’s time I took responsibility for my actions. My determination to safeguard the rutter at all costs put you, Yamato, Emi, Masamoto and daimyo Takatomi in great danger. I will not do such a thing again. Masamoto-sama said I’ve come of age. I must face these challenges on my own.’

  Akiko looked deep into his eyes and saw the path he’d chosen to take. She bowed in acceptance of his decision. When her head rose again, the tearful expression on her face had been replaced by one of strength and determined independence, a look Jack knew so well.

  ‘You cannot embark on a warrior pilgrimage without swords,’ she said, glancing at his unarmed hip. ‘Wait!’

  As Akiko walked back to the house, Jack felt a wave of guilt at losing Masamoto’s daishō. It had also been foolish of him not to retrieve the samurai swords after his fight with Kazuki. But Akiko had been his priority.

  A shoji opened and Akiko returned, bearing a katana and wakizashi.

  ‘Jack, you’re samurai. You must carry a daishō,’ she said, bowing and holding out the swords.

  Jack was stunned by her gesture. In her hands, she held two magnificent swords with dark-red woven handles. They were sheathed within gleaming black sayas inlaid with mother of pearl.

  ‘I can’t take these,’ protested Jack. ‘They belonged to your father.’

  ‘He’d want you to have them. I want you to have them. Our family would be honoured if these swords served you on your journey.’

  She bowed lower, pushing the sayas into his hands.

  Reluctantly, Jack accepted the daishō. He slipped the swords into his obi. Unable to resist, he then withdrew the katana. The sun, now peeking above the horizon, caught the steel of the blade. A single name glinted in the morning light.

  Shizu.

  The swords had a good soul.

  Resheathing the katana, Jack realized he would be forever indebted to Akiko. He wanted to give something in return, however small the gesture. Jack reached into his pack and removed the Daruma Doll.

  ‘This is all I have to offer you,’ he said, handing Akiko the little round doll.

  ‘But it contains your wish,’ she protested.

  ‘That’s why I want you to look after it for me,’ he replied, closing her hands round the doll. ‘You’re the only one I’d trust with my wish.’

  Akiko stared back into his eyes, aware as much as Jack of their hands touching.

  ‘It would be an honour,’ she whispered. ‘But how will I know if it’s come true or not?’

  ‘When I am home, you can fill in the other eye.’

  Akiko nodded, understanding that she didn’t need to ask how she would know when. She just would.

  Both of them remained standing close to one another, hands wrapped round the little doll. Neither seemed to want to pull away. There was so much more that needed to be said. But Jack knew that words would never be enough. How could they express all the experiences they had shared? All the challenges they’d overcome together? All that they meant to each other.

  Memories flashed through his mind.

  A mysterious girl upon a headland in a blood-red kimono. Japanese lessons in the shade of a sakura tree. Stargazing in the Southern Zen Garden. Sharing the first sunrise of the year on Mount Hiei. Witnessing her conquer the waterfall in the Circle of Three. The gift of the black pearl. Her winning performance in Yabusame. Discovering she was a ninja. The moment beneath the water when she pressed her lips against his and breathed life into his lungs.

  But the sea beckoned. Home and his sister were waiting for him.

  If he did what his heart really desired, he knew he’d never leave.

  ‘I have to go,’ said Jack, pulling away. ‘I must get a head start.’

  ‘Yes,’ Akiko replied, breathless and slightly flustered. ‘You are right to travel by foot. A horse will draw too much attention. Don’t trust anyone and keep off the main roads.’

  Jack nodded, undid the gate latch and went through on to the dirt road that swept round the bowl of the valley, weaving though countless paddy fields before disappearing over the rise in the direction of Nagasaki.

  Before he could change his mind, Jack turned to head down the road.

  Then stopped.

  ‘Yori would never forgive me if I didn’t give you this,’ he said, reaching for a slip of paper in the fold of his obi.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Akiko.

  ‘A haiku.’

  ‘You wrote one for me!’ she said in astonishment.

  ‘It’s about sharing a moment… forever,’ replied Jack.

  Before Akiko could open the paper, he turned and walked away.

  He’d reached the bend in the road before he heard her call his name.

  Akiko stood, her back to the rising sun. She appeared to wipe a tear away, or perhaps she was waving goodbye. But her words floated to him clear and pure on the breeze.

  ‘Forever bound to one another.’

  She bowed to him.

  Jack returned her bow.

  When he looked up again, she was gone.

  For several long moments, Jack gazed at the rising sun. He questioned if he’d made the right decision. But he knew in his heart of hearts that it was his only option. He couldn’t stay. In Japan, the Shogun wanted him dead. In England, his little sister needed him.

  Turning to face the long road ahead, Jack took his first step, alone, upon the Way of the Warrior… and home.

  NOTES ON THE SOURCES

&nb
sp; The following quotes are referenced within Young Samurai: The Way of the Dragon (with the page numbers in square brackets below) and their sources are acknowledged here:

  [Page 86] ‘He who works with his hands is a mere labourer. He who works with hands and head is a craftsman. But he who works with his hands, head and heart is an artist’ by Louis Nizer (lawyer and author, 1902–94).

  [Page 152] ‘A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools’ by Thucydides (Greek historian, 471 BC–400 BC).

  [Page 405] ‘When it is dark enough, you can see the stars’ by Charles Austin Beard (American historian, 1874–1948).

  The following haiku are referenced within Young Samurai: The Way of the Dragon. The page number are in square brackets below and the sources of the haiku are acknowledged here:

  Flying of cranes

  as high as the clouds –

  first sunrise.

  [page 82] Source: haiku by Chiyo-ni, 1703–75

  Look! A butterfly

  has settled on the shoulder

  of the great Buddha.

  [page 83] Source: haiku by Bashō, 1643–94

  Letting out a fart –

  it doesn’t make you laugh

  when you live alone.

  [page 87] Source: anon., seventeenth century

  Evening temple bell

  stopped in the sky

  by cherry blossoms.

  [page 88] Source: haiku by Chiyo-ni, 1703–75

  Take a pair of wings

  from a dragonfly, you would

  make a pepper pod.

  [page 169] Source: haiku by Kikaku, 1661–1707

  Add a pair of wings

  to a pepper pod, you would

  make a dragonfly.

  [page 170] Source: haiku by Bashō, 1643–94

  “She may have only one eye

  but it’s a pretty one,”

  says the go-between.

  [page 203] Source: anon., senryu, seventeenth century

  Temple bell

  a cloud of cherry blossom

  Heaven? Hanami?

  [page 204] Source: haiku after Bashō, 1643–94

  I want to kill him,

  I don’t want to kill him…

  Catching the thief

  and seeing his face,

  it was my brother!

  [page 207–8] Source: after maekuzuke, seventeenth century

  Haiku Notes

  The principles of haiku have been described in this book from the point of view of writing this style of poetry in English, so may not necessarily be accurate for true haiku written in kanji script.

  Haiku is actually a late nineteenth-century term introduced by Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902) for the stand-alone hokku (the opening stanza of a renga or renku poem), but the term is generally applied retrospectively to all hokku, irrespective of when they were written. For purposes of clarity and to aid understanding for today’s modern reader, the term haiku has been used throughout this book.

  For further information on writing haiku, please refer to The Haiku Handbook by William J. Higginson (New York: Kodansha, 1989).

  JAPANESE GLOSSARY

  Bushido

  Bushido, meaning the ‘Way of the Warrior’, is a Japanese code of conduct similar to the concept of chivalry. Samurai warriors were meant to adhere to the seven moral principles in their martial arts training and in their day-to-day lives.

  Virtue 1: Gi – Rectitude

  Gi is the ability to make the right decision with moral confidence and to be fair and equal towards all people no matter what colour, race, gender or age.

  Virtue 2: Yu – Courage

  Yu is the ability to handle any situation with valour and confidence.

  Virtue 3: Jin – Benevolence

  Jin is a combination of compassion and generosity. This virtue works together with Gi and discourages samurai from using their skills arrogantly or for domination.

  Virtue 4: Rei – Respect

  Rei is a matter of courtesy and proper behaviour towards others. This virtue means to have respect for all.

  Virtue 5: Makoto – Honesty

  Makota is about being honest to oneself as much as to others. It means acting in ways that are morally right and always doing things to the best of your ability.

  Virtue 6: Meiyo – Honour

  Meiyo is sought with a positive attitude in mind, but will only follow with correct behaviour. Success is an honourable goal to strive for.

  Virtue 7: Chungi – Loyalty

  Chungi is the foundation of all the virtues; without dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to one another, one cannot hope to achieve the desired outcome.

  A Short Guide to Pronouncing Japanese Words

  Vowels are pronounced in the following way:

  ‘a’ as the ‘a’ in ‘at’

  ‘e’ as the ‘e’ in ‘bet’

  ‘i’ as the ‘i’ in ‘police

  ‘o’ as the ‘o’ in ‘dot’

  ‘u’ as the ‘u’ in ‘put’

  ‘ai’ as in ‘eye’

  ‘ii’ as in ‘week’

  ‘ō’ as in ‘go’

  ‘ū’ as in ‘blue’

  Consonants are pronounced in the same way as English:

  ‘g’ is hard as in ‘get’

  ‘j’ is soft as in ‘jelly’

  ‘ch’ as in ‘church’

  ‘z’ as in ‘zoo’

  ‘ts’ as in ‘itself’

  Each syllable is pronounced separately:

  A-ki-ko

  Ya-ma-to

  Ma-sa-mo-to

  Ka-zu-ki

  abunai danger

  ama Japanese pearl divers

  arquebus heavy portable gun, an early rifle

  ashigaru foot soldiers, low-ranking samurai

  bakemono-jutsu ninja ‘ghost’ technique

  bō wooden fighting staff

  bōjutsu the Art of the Bō

  bokken wooden sword

  bonsai small tree

  bushido the Way of the Warrior – the samurai code

  Butokuden Hall of the Virtues of War

  Butsuden Buddha Hall

  cha-no-yu literally ‘tea meeting’

  chiburi to flick blood from the blade

  chi sao sticky hands (or ‘sticking hands’)

  Chō-no-ma Hall of Butterflies

  daimyo feudal lord

  daishō the pair of swords, wakizashi and katana , that are the traditional weapons of the samurai

  Dim Mak Death Touch

  dojo training hall

  dokujutsu the Art of Poison

  fudoshin literally ‘immovable heart’, a spirit of unshakable calm

  futon Japanese bed: flat mattress placed directly on tatami flooring, and folded away during the day

  Gambatte Try your best!

  Ganjitsu Japanese New Year festival

  gaijin foreigner, outsider (derogatory term)

  geisha traditional Japanese female entertainers

  gi training uniform

  hai yes

  haiku Japanese short poem

  hajime begin

  hakama traditional Japanese clothing

  hamon the visual pattern on a sword as a result of tempering the blade

  Hanami spring flower-viewing party

  hara ‘centre of being’

  hashi chopsticks

  hatsuhinode the first sunrise of the year

  hibachi small charcoal brazier made of clay

  Hō-oh-no-ma the Hall of the Hawk

  inro a little case for holding small objects

  in-yo an old samurai prayer meaning darkness and light

  irezumi a form of tattooing

  itadakimasu let’s eat

  jindou arrows with their blunt wooden ball heads

  kachi victory

  kachi guri dried chestnuts

  kagemusha a Shadow Warrior

  ka
ginawa three-pronged grappling hook on a rope

  kakegoe a shout

  kakurenbo Japanese version of hide-and-seek

  kama a sickle-shaped weapon

  kami spirits within objects in the Shinto faith

  kamon family crest

  Kampai a toast, as in ‘Cheers!’

  Kanabō large oak club encased in iron or with studs

  kanji the Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system

  kappan a blood stamp sealing a document to make it binding

  kata a prescribed series of moves in martial arts

  katana long sword

  kenjutsu the Art of the Sword

  ki energy flow or life force (Chinese: chi or qi )

  kiai literally ‘concentrated spirit’ – used in martial arts as a shout for focusing energy when executing a technique

  kiaijutsu the Art of the Kiai

  kimono traditional Japanese clothing

  kisha Japanese archery on horseback