by Boris Akunin
STORYTELLER
On a dark, inclement night the merchant Futoya-san
Has secretly sneaked into a deserted temple.
Why would a haughty merchant, richest of the rich,
Suddenly come alone to such a fearsome place?
Ah, a dark business, this! A meeting has been set here
By the mysterious one known to all as ‘Invisible’.
We all have heard of Ninjas and Sinobi,
Those well-known killers, but few have seen them in the flesh.
They take commissions to perform dark deeds
And no power on earth is there more cunning and more terrible.
The Jyonin is the title of their fearsome leader,
Whom Futoya has asked to meet with him in secret …
The Storyteller strikes on his drum and lightning flashes.
VOICE OF THE INVISIBLE ONE (a rumbling sound, it is hard to tell where it comes from) I am here, now we can get straight down to business. It must be important, if you have asked to meet with the Sinobi.
Futoya almost jumps up in the air in surprise. He does not know which way to look. In the end he speaks to the statue.
FUTOYA Yes, yes, a most great need has brought me here to you. I simply cannot kill a certain person. Four times have I sent assassins to her. Wandering samurais and intrepid bandits … But alas, the woman is well guarded. I cannot manage this without the help of the Sinobi.
THE INVISIBLE ONE What is her name? When? And how much? This is all that I need to know.
FUTOYA Her name? Izumi, a geisha. When? There is one difficulty here. It would be best not to carry out this commission straight away, but only at the moment when I give the signal. In the garden of the Yanagi tea house there is a little apple tree. I will break off one of its branches to show when the time has come …
THE INVISIBLE ONE Aha, a delayed commission, requiring readiness to act at any moment. That is a contract of the highest class of difficulty.
FUTOYA (hastily) Your go-between informed me of your charges. And I have brought the sum – this is exactly one thousand ryo.
He holds up the sack, but does not know how to hand it over.
THE INVISIBLE ONE And did the go-between tell you that, once having placed a commission, you can never cancel it? Such is our ancient law: those who have been condemned must die.
FUTOYA (bowing) Why would I cancel the request, if I have paid the money?
THE INVISIBLE ONE Put the sack at the statue’s feet. Our contract is concluded.
The Storyteller strikes his drum.
Futoya places the sack at the feet of the statue and backs away.
THE INVISIBLE ONE My finest warrior will fulfil your request. ‘Inaudible One’ is the name that I myself have given him.
FUTOYA (timidly) I have been told that it is usual for you to give a certain item in place of a receipt …
THE INVISIBLE ONE Yes, my jade dragon. I have a dagger with a dragon on the hilt – the symbol of my rank. You must return the sacred talisman to me when our contract with you has been fulfilled.
FUTOYA How shall I know to whom to give it?
THE INVISIBLE ONE My messenger will show you a dagger with a blade like a snake.
A single drumbeat. The beam of a spotlight illuminates the statue of the Buddha. We see a hand thrust out from behind it, holding a long dagger with a sinuous blade like a snake. The other hand unscrews the pommel from the handle and tosses it to the merchant, who picks up the jade dragon, presses it respectfully to his forehead and bows. The beam of light goes out.
THE INVISIBLE ONE But know this, merchant Futoya, you are responsible for this token. If it is lost, you will pay for it with your life.
The merchant freezes in a pose of horror. A simultaneous drumbeat and flash of lightning. Darkness.
The curtain closes.
The stage revolves.
Scene four
The garden in front of Izumi’s pavilion. The shoji are closed. Okasan is sitting on the engawa, with her adopted daughters beside her. At the sides are the pupils Yuba and Sen-chan, holding large fans in their hands. The sun is shining brightly. It is hot.
Soga is peeping out from round the corner. As always, he is on the lookout.
STORYTELLER
Following the advice of wise Kubota,
Okasan spread the rumour through the city:
‘The venerable Yanagi tea house wishes to invite
Jugglers, acrobats, comedians and jesters’.
This call spread though the fairs and circuses
And next day all the show folk came along.
The choosy owner, though, was difficult to please,
Being concerned for the honour of the tea house.
No one suited her taste, but then, at close of day,
A most strange man arrived at the Yanagi …
The Storyteller strikes his drum. Everybody starts moving: the ladies and the pupils with the fans; Soga, who appears and disappears by turns.
The Inaudible One walks out onto the stage. He is not dressed in a kimono, but in a close-fitting black leotard painted with jester-like varicoloured stripes. His face is completely covered by a silk mask with a foolish face drawn on it, the mouth stretching from ear to ear. He is carrying a bag with his props. The Inaudible One walks over to Okasan with a waddling, clown-like gait. Sen-chan giggles and puts her hand over her mouth.
With the gesture of a conjuror, the Inaudible One produces a paper rolled into a tube, seeming to extract it from the very air, and holds it out to the owner.
STORYTELLER
He handed her the sheet of paper with a bow.
She took it and read what was written there:
‘I have been dumb from birth. My name is Nobo-ji.
My face is disfigured and I always wear a mask,
And I shall show you now what I can do.’
Okasan shrugs and shows the letter to one of her adopted daughters, then to the other. She gestures for the show to begin.
The beam of a spotlight rises and illuminates a tightrope stretched above the stage. The Inaudible One takes a rope with a hook out of his bag, deftly casts it onto the tightrope and clambers up in a jiffy. He walks along the tightrope, acting the fool, pretending that he is about to fall off at any moment. He starts juggling with knives that he takes out of his belt. The spectators watch admiringly. Sen-chan forgets to wave her fan and squeals in delight.
STORYTELLER
It is not hard to guess that this indeed is he,
Whom the Sinobi leader dubbed ‘Inaudible’.
His face is hid beneath a mask for a good reason:
A Ninja may not show his face to strangers.
He can only appear unmasked in token of
Absolute trust – and then only among his own.
And he has not been dumb from birth. The tale
Of how he lost his speech is worth the telling here.
One day he was instructed to assassinate the leader
Of another Ninja clan – an extremely dangerous order.
The killer might be taken alive by the bodyguards
And tortured to set his tongue wagging.
Not hoping to remain alive, before the mission
He cut his own tongue out with an untrembling hand.
And from that time his friends called him ‘Inaudible’ –
For them he was a paragon of honour and of skill …
The acrobat jumps down and hands the owner another sheet of paper.
OKASAN (reading aloud) ‘And now permit me to show you the Hoo bird. The wings of the phoenix burn but they are not consumed. I know a magical gesture, with which the fierce element of fire can be subdued.’
The Inaudible One shows them an impressive trick. He takes a pair of jester’s bird’s wings out of his bag and attaches them to his sleeves. Then he takes an oil lamp that is lit from the engawa and pours oil onto his ‘wings’. He makes the ‘magical gesture’, squats down comically and spreads out his
arms. Then he strikes one finger against his knee, and the finger bursts into flame. He runs the flaming finger along one ‘wing’, and then the other, and they flare up. The conjuror spins round on the spot, fluttering his burning ‘wings’. Everyone gasps in horror.
At this point the Storyteller explains how the trick is managed.
STORYTELLER
This trick, impressive though it is, is easy to perform.
In pouring burning oil onto his wings of rag,
The conjuror in no way risks being burned himself.
That cloth has been soaked in a special fluid.
The fire will not touch his skin, nor even scorch it.
And the magical gesture has nothing to do with the case.
Sen-chan repeats the magical gesture.
OKASAN (in a pleased voice) Well now, this will do for us. You are hired, Nobo-ji. Until the performance you will stay here in the Yanagi. Please, Soga-san, show the actor the way to the servants’ wing, he can settle in there.
Soga walks up to the conjuror and looks him over suspiciously. He pulls the knives which the Inaudible One used for juggling out of his belt and keeps them.
SOGA No carrying of weapons is allowed here. Especially since you are far too skilful with your knives. My heart mistrusts your jeering grin, my lad, and I shall keep a sharp eye on you. Why are you standing there? Come on now, follow me.
The Ronin leads the Inaudible One off the stage.
The owner gives a sign to the pupils and they open the shoji. The owner and her adopted daughters walk into Izumi’s room and sit down. Okasan gestures for the pupils to go. They leave with a bow, and then Sen-chan runs off, hopping and skipping.
OKASAN Well, now I feel assured for the performance. This wibble-wobble monster will provide the perfect foil for your ardent appeal, O-Bara, and for your style too, Izumi. Kubota is our ally. He thinks that you, Izumi, will catch the prince’s fancy. But the prince’s taste may differ from the servant’s. The call of the flesh, as we know, is stronger in the young, and I think it is quite possible he might choose you, O-Bara. If anyone knows men, I do! And let me tell you frankly, it is all the same to me which of you triumphs and is chosen for the prince’s concubine. I love you both, my daughters. May this great prize not go to someone else’s house … But then, you have no rivals in the entire capital. I know that one of you is destined to win this victory.
O-BARA In a rich princedom I would shine bright as a star! No, not a star, the sun! And I would soften the prince with my rays, softer than wax. I would take charge of all Satsuma in a trice. What a great dream! If only fate would grant me this good fortune! I would be forever grateful to you, my mother!
OKASAN And what say you, Izumi?
IZUMI I am resigned to karma. If I had my way, truly, I would live here for ever. But a geisha is not entitled to choose her own fate. Since you have decided that there is more money to be made by handing me over to a man, then so be it.
OKASAN Could that be resentment I hear in your voice? As if I were selling you to some ugly old man or a filthy merchant! The prince of Satsuma is young and handsome, so they say. Perhaps with him you will know the joy of love. And then you will be grateful to Okasan and fate.
IZUMI I have heard many times about the joys of love. And I have sung songs of them for my audience. But what they are, I have no wish to know. All men bore me and I do not believe in love.
OKASAN You are wrong not to believe. Love does exist in this world. To be precise, there are only three loves. One love is earthly. And all, whose spirit is bowed down low to the surface of the earth, are in its power. Such people are at least nine out of ten. Sinful and sordid, but sweet is this kind of love.
Then there are those who are seduced by hell. I call their poisoned love ‘infernal’. It is an igneous potion that burns away the soul, leaving nothing, and vanishes in black smoke.
And sometimes, although rarely, one may find another kind of love. It captures those souls that aspire aloft, therefore the poets call it heavenly. But its time is not long, like the flight of a butterfly. Or the flight of a comet, tracing its luminous path across the sky once in two hundred years …
IZUMI A comet is alone, it has no need of anyone. Ah, if I could fly through life like a comet! The flight may not be long, but what great beauty!
O-BARA Love? A comet? Oh really, this is comical to hear, I say, soar across the sky or go down into hell, but squeeze out everything this life can give. A miraculous, luscious fruit has fallen straight into our hands. We must squeeze out the juice, every last drop!
OKASAN (with a sad sigh) Both of you, my daughters, are renouncing love. But here it is for karma, not for us, to choose. Heavenly, earthly or infernal love: the path is set out and we cannot turn aside.
All three women freeze in various poses. Okasan folds her hand together in Buddhist style and closes her eyes; O-Bara raises one hand to adjust her hairstyle; Izumi sits there with her head elegantly lowered.
The light goes out, the curtain closes.
The stage revolves.
ACT TWO
Scene one
O-Bara’s room, brightly lit and richly decorated, with predominant tones of gold and scarlet. When the stage is revealed, we see two motionless figures. They are O-Bara and a man wearing a straw cloak and a hat pulled forward over his eyes. They are sitting facing each other and leaning forward – as if they are whispering. The room is dimly lit.
STORYTELLER
After nightfall a visitor slipped in to see O-Bara.
(Sometimes men did come to visit her.)
And this one, who conceals his face behind a hat,
Probably comes more often than the others.
Not for amorous games has he come here today.
They sit there, making quiet conversation …
He strikes his drum. The light in the room becomes brighter and the figures start moving.
O-BARA (impatiently) Take off that hat and look me in the eyes. And speak more clearly, I can hardly hear you! Have you settled this business, as you swore to recently? I relied on you and hope my trust was not in vain.
The man removes his hat and cloak. It is Futoya.
FUTOYA (in a low voice, after glancing round) You know, I feel uncomfortable shouting about this. I have arranged it all just as you wished. Now all you have to do is give the sign. When you decide the time has come, break a branch off the apple tree. I have done all the dirty work alone. The horror I went through, God only knows. They could have finished me, those savage brutes. I contacted that rabble only out of love for you.
O-BARA And this one also fancies he should talk to me of love! I thought you more intelligent than that, Mr Futoya. You and I love money. We love strength and power. And we shall leave the nonsense and the sighing for the others. And if on this occasion you have taken a great risk, you have your own reasons for that. You know that if I tame the prince, then all trade with Satsuma will fall into our hands. And spilled blood – surely I do not need to explain this to you – will bind us together for ever, more firmly than any glue.
FUTOYA (sighing) All this is true, in our souls you and I are twins. I have not simply thrown away a thousand golden coins. I count on earning my costs back many times over. But still, it is a bitter thought that we shall part. God willing, you will become the prince’s concubine. You will transform him into a tame monkey. (Oh, you know very well how to do that, you have no equals there.) But I shall never lie in your embrace again …
O-BARA You are intelligent, strong and mature. Exactly as I am. You and I both know how much an embrace is worth.
FUTOYA Tell me then, O-Bara, how much is it worth?
O-BARA Enough of this, we know the true value of embraces. They are bought and sold easily. He who does not know this is more stupid than Izumi.
FUTOYA Then tell me this. I have condemned Izumi to death for the sake of profit, I feel no enmity for her. But it seems that as soon as Izumi’s name is mentioned, you turn black in the face from h
atred.
O-BARA (furiously) I hate that haughty air she has! That rotten yugen of hers is like a bone stuck in my throat! Tell me, who needs a beauty that cannot be touched and seen? But there are fools walking this earth who prefer languid Izumi to me! No, I do not understand! I cannot understand this! And what I cannot understand …
FUTOYA (joining in) … You must destroy. Ah, poor Izumi. And the prince is no more than an excuse for all of this. If not for him, you would have found some other reason.
O-BARA Are you going back on your word? Do you pity her now?
FUTOYA Whether I pity her or not is idle talk. Under the Ninja laws the commission cannot now be rescinded. Consider her already dead.
O-BARA (with a pensive smile) Then I shall wait a while before I break the branch. It will be my great pleasure now to watch the fool. Breathing in the gorgeous aroma of Izumi’s hair, I shall smell the stench of carrion.
FUTOYA Since you have mentioned carrion, there is one little hitch that bothers me. To warrant the completion of our deal, their Jyonin gave me a secret token, which I have to keep safe. And if it should be lost, consider me a dead man. Here it is, a dragon made of jade, it has been burning a hole in my bosom … (he takes out the little figure). Let me tell you what I am afraid of. The accursed Sinobi are guileful and cunning. What if they should decide to steal this token from me?