SHIGURUI

The tournament at Sunpu castle

NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

Norio Nanjo
Norio was born in 1908 in Tokyo. After graduating from the Imperial
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law and Economics, he worked as a professor
at both Chuo University and Kokugakuin University while he was writing his
works.

He was especially known for the violence and intensity of his works, among
which are numerous works of a historical nature. In 1956 he won the Naoki
Literature Award for Todaiki (Devil of the Lighthouse). In 1982 he won the
Yoshikawa Eiji Literature Award for Saiko Nikki (Saiko's Journal).

Many of his nov els have been taken to the cinema and television. Shigurui was
adapted into manga and anime with great success from critics and readers
around the world.

Twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era
(September 24, 1629). Sunrise at Sunpu Castle and a desolate atmosphere
envelops everything. The tension is palpable in the air. This is the place where
the greatest martial arts masters in the country have come to duel.

A devious snake, hiding under guise of Tadanaga, the great counselor of Suruga
province, will kick off the tournament that is set to become the most important
in Japan's history. Eleven battles will be held, in which participants will fight to
the death with real swords, a thing very rare in time of peace.

When the struggle begins, the masters will plunge into an abyss of destruction
that will cause rivers of blood and be remembered for centuries. At midnight,
when all is over, the fortress will be empty and silent, inhabited only by the
weary spirits of the fallen fighters.

It would be a mistake to understand this work as a simple samurai novel, since

it combines the best of classical Japanese literature: passion, rancor, love, hate
and... death. A superb story about the lowest instincts of the human being and
about the causes that provoke them.

This is a historical novel that transcends history.

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MUMYO SAKANAGARE
("The inverse flow of unawareness.")
I

Little is known for certain about the so-called "Kan'ei era tournament":
neither when it took place, nor the participants, nor how its legend came
about. But it is obvious that no historical facts support it. The official
record of Tokugawa shows that on the day of the tournament, September
21 of the eleventh year of the Kan'ei era (1634), the third shogun
Tokugawa Iemitsu1 was not at Edo Castle2, but visited a temple in Nikko.
And it is unthinkable for such a tournament to be held in the castle garden
in the absence of the shogun.
However, we cannot say for sure that this tournament held in the presence
of the shogun is just a fiction born from the fantasy of a storyteller. As in
many similar cases, a reality existed that seemed to repeat the pattern of
these fights. And that pattern undoubtedly was the great tournament that
took place on September 24th of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629), at
Sunpu Castle, in the presence of the great chancellor of Suruga Province,
Tokugawa Tadanaga3.
Attendees were prohibited to spread details of the Sunpu tournament. One
of the reasons, needless to say, was the fact that Tadanaga's territories were
later seized on suspicion of treason and he was ordered to commit
seppuku, although this was presented as a voluntary suicide; the other
reason was the very essence of this unprecedented tournament, as it
involved cruel and brutal fights to the death with real swords4.
During a period of peace of that kind, there were very few cases of
confrontations with real swords. But what became unprecedented was a
publicly organized tournament by a feudal lord of a large territory in which
eleven duels to the death with real swords took place.
While acknowledging that Tadanaga had some sort of mental disorder, it is
surprising that the veteran generals, under the command of Torii
Naritsugu, the Tosa daimyo, appointed by Hidetada5, did nothing to
1 Names of all the characters appear in Japanese order: the last name goes first, followed by the first name.
2 Old name of Tokyo.
3 Brother of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.
4 Instead of using wooden swords.
5 Tokugawa Hidetada, second shogun of the Tokugawa clan and father of Tadanaga.
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dissuade him from such an act of violence. Perhaps Tadanaga's behavior

had already reached such an extreme level that no subordinate could
control it; or perhaps the period of the Sengoku wars (1467-1568), when
massacres and killings were commonplace, had yet to fade away from the
memory of common folk; either way, the atrocious tournament overcame
all opposition and came to be held.
If we look closely at the events of these matches, we see that, of the eleven
initial pairings, in eight of the duels one of the opponents slays his enemy,
and in the remaining three both swordsmen die together. In the same way,
in the so-called "Kan'ei era tournament" eleven fights also took place, of
which eight ended in victory on one side, while the other three ended in a
draw, so it is clear that it follows the same pattern.
During the celebration of the tournament, the white sand that extended
through the south courtyard of the castle's interior became a sea of blood
and the stench of rot floated in the air; even some samurai who were
attending the tournament had to step aside to moan and vomit in secret.
However, Tadanaga apparently watched it all from the beginning to the
end, with his marked blue veins showing prominently on his pale forehead.
In October of the tenth year of the Kan'ei era (1633), after Tadanaga
moved to Kofu, the emissary of the shogun, Aoyama Yoshinari, arrived to
take over Sunpu Castle.
—An act of a demon, — he muttered, then ordered all documents
connected with the tournament to be burnt.
As a result, no official records are kept of that tournament. However, the
secret writings left by those who watched the fights were passed on from
hand to hand, and eventually became the main source of the legend of the
"tournament of the Kan'ei era", which excites all those who listen to it,
despite the violent bloodshed of the historical events.

Although the tournament started at the time of the snake (ten o'clock in the
morning), from the moment the first two competitors pulled back the
curtain on the east and west sides, and appeared in the combat area, a
strange tension enveloped everyone present.
At the eastern end appeared Irako Seigen, about thirty years old, who,
despite his extraordinary beauty, was blind in both eyes and had to drag his
right foot quite a little as he walked. A mature woman, who seemed to be
of the same age, of captivating beauty, accompanied the beautiful master
of the sword, blind and crippled, to the curtain, but obviously she did not
pass through it to enter the enclosure where the fight was held.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

On the other side, the west, appeared Fujiki Gennosuke, probably about
twenty-seven or twenty-eight years. In comparison with Seigen's sharp and
tender features, he possessed an exceptional well-shaped face, although a
certain sense of anguish was present on it. Furthemore, his left arm,
severed at the base, was missing.
Gennosuke was also accompanied by a beautiful and elegant young
woman of about twenty-one. While the attractiveness of the other woman
brought out a slight feeling of lust in the chest of the young samurai
present there, it was the refined beauty of this young woman who filled
them with astonishment.
Two cripples and two beautiful women. Although this alone was
more than enough to awake the curiosity of the samurai
tournament attendees, out of nowhere came a rumor, which went around
from one to another, that the two swordsmen had previously been partners
in the same dojo. The woman accompanying Irako Seigen had been the
concubine of their master, Iwamoto Kogan, and the young woman who
came to Fujiki Gennosuke's side was Kogan's only daughter and Irako
Seigen's lover.
These four people, bound together by such unique ties, separated each
from his companion to the east and west and, after crossing the curtain, the
two men stood face to face, their bodies equally crippled, prepared to fight
each other with their katanas.
The one who attracted the most curiosity and interest from the audience
was Irako. And not simply because he was blind. Fujiki was a man whom
everyone had seen for the first time that day, while countless rumors had
been circulating about Irako for at least half a year, about his stay at the
residence of that fiefdom's martial arts instructor, Okakura Bokusai, and
his mysterious sword technique, called Mumyo sakanagare ("inverse flow
of unawareness"). This secret technique had only been witnessed by a few
of Tadanaga's subordinates, but it was said to be of exquisite skill
impossible to describe by words. It was also said that, above all, what
surprised people was the original stance he took.
Irako and Fujiki bowed respectfully and when they drew their swords, as
expected, the spectators shouted in unison. The shock was due to the fact
that, compared to Fujiki's Gennosuke initial position with his sword drawn
high above his head, Irako Seigen, with his blind eyes fixed on his rival,
had nailed the drawn sword to the ground, in the space between the toes of
his right foot, like a cane, and remained motionless. It was a grotesque
stance that had never been seen or heard in any school of martial arts
before.
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II

Iwamoto Kogan, Irako and Fujiki's teacher, was an expert unparalleled in

the art of swordsmanship, known throughout the region of Nobi6 from the
end of the Keicho era (1596-1615) to
the beginning of the Kan'ei era. The story says that at first he really looked
a savage from the mountains when he appeared near the Nagoya Castle,
with his hair tangled and his face dirty, carrying in one hand a seventy-
centimetre wooden stick with which he confronted and crushed all the dojo
without much effort, which left everyone amazed. However, it seems that
this is nothing more than a legend mixed with traces of the history of the
great swordsman Toda Seigen, who defeated Umezu, in the Eiroku era
(1558-1570), with a wooden stick.
In any case, his superb swordsmanship was widely known, and in his
maturity he had more than a thousand disciples. However, among his many
disciples, there were quite a few who, despite the poor prospects for the
future, were attracted to learning kendo by the innocent beauty, like of a
rose that is beginning to bloom, of Kogan's only daughter, Mie.
Nevertheless, it was obvious to anyone that Mie's future husband would be
either Irako Seigen or Fujiki Gennosuke. Among Iwamoto's disciples there
were three who were known as "the tiger and the two dragons": assistant
instructor Ushimata Gonzaemon, Irako and Fujiki. But Ushimata was in
his thirties, had been married, and was a large, hideous-looking man. By
contrast, both Irako and Fujiki were in their twenties and single. They were
equal in physical strength, but when it came to sword technique, each had
his own particular style: Irako was fast and agile, while Fujiki was strict
and powerful. If he had to, Kogan would've preferred Fujiki's technique by
far, but instead his daughter Mie seemed to be enthralled by Irako's
peculiarly devilish beauty, and not by Fujiki's elegant features.
—Fujiki is more direct with the sword, but since Mie seems to have a
crush on Irako, we will have to choose him — said Kogan to his concubine
Iku as he sipped a small glass of sake.
Kogan, although he was approaching fifty, having been graced with a
strong constitution and unparalleled vitality, had several concubines since
his wife's death, but he seemed to have a special preference for the last one
he had procured — Iku, the daughter of a Matsuzaka merchant, so he had
placed her in his home from the beginning to take care of her at any time.
—But, if it comes to choosing a successor, obviously I think it would be

6 Great plain where the city of Nagoya is located.

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better if one had earned my husband's favor, — argued Iku, — Besides, no

matter how good-looking they say he is, there is something weird and
scary about Irako, capable of filling a young woman's heart with
restlessness, whereas Fujiki gives the impression of being docile and
trustworthy, or so it seems to me.
—Yes, I think so too, but my young daughter prefers Irako. I'd say it's
because there's something in his eyes that makes him strangely seductive.
Sometimes it even happens to me, as a man, that when this guy looks at
me, I get a funny feeling. Apparently he is very popular not only among all
the girls and women of the clan, but also with all those in the village
surrounding the castle. They say that when he looks at them, they feel like
their bones are melting. Ha ha ha! Gonza told me about it the other day,
and it seemed to make him a little envious. Do you get that impression,
too?
—Well, I'm not at such a fickle age as to let myself be taken in by the
looks of gentlemen. On the other hand, what the disciples always say is
that when they are struck by my husband's gaze, they become immobile.
—It is that, as my name indicates, my eyes are those of a tiger, or an ogre7.
When I look at someone, they get scared and freeze, but in Irako's case
people are captivated and feel like they're going to lose their senses.
—Well, I think, in that case, he's even less desirable as a suitor for Mie...
—Ha-ha-ha. You're weird. You just were going to support Irako, now
you're totally against him.
—Come on, none of that! — he rushed to deny Iku. Then he filled
the little cup with sake again, with his fingers slightly shaking.
Kogan watched Iku's white fingers closely, but suddenly a sharp gleam
appeared in his eyes. His gaze shifted from the sensual nape of Iku's neck
to her shoulders and hips, but all of a sudden, as if he had just discovered
something new, his eyes glowed for a moment and then an ominous smile
formed on his lips.
A few days later, Kogan, accompanied by a number of his disciples, left
for the Shinto shrine at Sengen. Iku was in a separate room of the house
arranging Kogan's clothes, when a man sneaked into the room.
—Oh, Irako, — whispered Iku quietly, restraining herself, but both her
eyes and cheeks brimmed with a joy impossible to conceal as she stared at
the man's face.
—I couldn't find a better time...
Seigen quickly approached and sat down so that his knees touched Iku's,
7Kogan is written with the characters tiger' and eye(s)'. By changing the first character to 'ogre' you get
Kigan (ogre eyes).
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placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. He knew only
too well the bewitching charm of his own pupils. Iku, as if struck down by
those eyes, closed hers and raised her head. Then Seigen embraced her
neck with his hands and drew her face toward his. After a while they
separated their bodies, which were entangled in one another.
—Irako, it seems that soon my husband will choose you as the husband of
his daughter Mie, — Iku pronounced as she tucked her skirt in tightly, her
cheeks rosy and her voice a mixture of rancor, sadness and jealousy.
Seigen had that expectation as well. Naturally, he craved as much for Mie
— who, while still only a bud to blossom, was already known as "the most
beautiful of Nobi" — as he was for the status that he would confer on her
as the master's successor if he married her. However, he couldn't go a
single day without the smell of womanhood that had enveloped him almost
from the first moment in his life he could remember. He knew that his
relationship with his master's wife was bad, but the burning, pure passion
that this mature woman showed him in an unexpected way dragged him
into this situation.
—Seigen, what do you plan to do?
—Mmm, at the moment we have no choice but to accept.
—I hate it. I hate that you have a lover, I hate that another woman takes
you away from me.
—And you say it, the master's beloved? If word got out about us, the
master would probably kill me.
—What do you mean, kill you? Instead, kill him and it's over. After all, my
husband is old and you are young, — Iku shouted vehemently.
—No, that's impossible. I'm not capable of killing him. Not me, not
anyone. There is no one in the world who can stand up to the master's
nagareboshi ('shooting star').
Kogan's nagareboshi technique was a fearsome, swift sword strike that
inflicted the certain death of the rival. It consisted of aiming at the
opponent's neck and, emulating the movement of a shooting star, cutting
horizontally. Precisely because he knew how to handle the sword, Seigen
was quick to reject Iku's bold proposal.
—Well then... take me with you and let's run away.
Iku embraced Seigen with a desperate look. In that moment, he felt a
threatening presence on the other side of the sliding door. He broke away
instantly and jumped out into the corridor overlooking the garden.
—Who's there? — he shouted.
He looked around, his heart stopped pounding and a cold sweat ran down
his back. Between the thick trees of the garden shone a pair of eyes that
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burned with rage and glowed like wildfire. The next day, Kogan had Mie
and Iku join him and summoned Ushimata, Irako and Fujiki.
—Lately, the situation in the dojo has been nothing more than a matter of
weakness. The impetus is weakening of the three of you who are the
leaders; so, after a long time, you are going to make an effort and fight a
duel in my presence.
Kogan's voice was unusually severe. If that had been the only objective, it
would have been more logical for the duel to take place in the dojo, in
front of all the disciples. But it was clear that there was some ulterior
motive for summoning only the three of them into the garden of the
separate room in the main house.
Ushimata Gonzaemon had a feeling that this was a preamble to initiation
into the mystery of the nagareboshi technique. Fujiki Gennosuke
concluded that it was a matter of choosing a husband for Mie. And, for his
part, Irako Seigen sensed in the master's eyes, full of hatred and directed
especially toward him, a cruel stratagem of revenge, although he was
unable to guess its exact scheme.
By Kogan's order, Ushimata and Irako would duel. Ushimata's specialty
was his hien kirikaeshi, or "swallow flight counterattack," which he
developed.
It consisted of waiting for the opponent to lose his balance during the
exchange of blows in the fight and then rushing at the opponent, acting so
quickly that one wondered where such speed was hidden in that enormous
bull's8 body, and pushing the opponent with his whole body until he was
bent. Then, taking advantage of the flexibility provided by the desperate
attempts by the rival to resist, Ushimata jumped back and just at that
moment with his huge sword he smashed his opponent's right hand. No
one else apart of Master Kogan had been able to defend himself from this
supernatural counterattack.
Irako was easily defeated. He was intimidated by the abnormal glow of
Kogan's piercing gaze, which disturbed and inhibited him. This caused him
to lose his usual agility and speed. In contrast, Gonzaemon's simplicity, his
mind free of all thoughts, did not have to exert much effort to strike Irako's
right forearm with a blow so hard that it hurt like a real slash.
—That looks bad, Irako! What a shame! — Kogan scolded him, and as he
bowed and withdrew, he continued, — Wait, Irako. Now fight Fujiki.
Kogan signaled to Ushimata, who had won the duel and was waiting to
face Fujiki, to withdraw and then pointed to Gennosuke.

8 Ushimata's surname begins with the character *bull* (ushi).

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Irako still had a sore, half-numb right arm where Gonzaemon struck him.
Irako was hesitant, but the glint in Kogan's eye was increasingly
aggressive and wild, and Irako resigned himself to him fate.
In terms of technique, Gennosuke was orthodox and although he faithfully
devoted himself to learning both the nagareboshi of the master and the
counterattack of his more experienced companion Ushimata, he had
obviously not yet reached their level. But that was only in comparison to
Kogan and Ushimata; of course, in comparison to an ordinary rival, he was
a fearsome virtuoso. Besides, the fact that Mie was witnessing everything
made him very concentrated.
As soon as he got up, he lunged nimbly at Irako's chest, backed away
quickly, and as soon as he saw an opportunity to counterattack on the
forearm, without losing a moment, he brandished his sword and delivered
a lightning strike to him horizontally. Seigen had any movement in his
right arm and was now receiving a blow in the same forearm again; his
blade received a side blow right in the middle and flew nearly six feet to
the left.
—Amateur! Since you barely train and only get to leer at the girls, that's
how it goes. Irako, I'm going to fix that corrupt spirit of yours with a few
strokes. Get a sword. Idiot! A real sword! — Kogan screamed his violent
curses.
—What?! — when they heard "real sword", both Mie and Iku became
pale.
—But master... — Ushimata and Fujiki were also surprised and tried to
dissuade him, but Kogan silenced them with a roar.
—Silence! If I don't fix this rookie with the sword, he'll never come to his
senses. Ha, ha, ha. You don't have to worry. With that loose arm, Irako
can't even scratch me. Although it won't take much to beat him up... Ha,
ha, ha! Are you afraid? I won't take your life, I promise. I'll only spare
your life, only your life, okay?
Although he had already surrendered, Irako was still stunned by the
exaggerated sequence of events. Then there was the sound of Iku shouting
frantically in a choppy voice from a corridor overlooking the garden.
—Irako, confront him and kill him. Kill him! If you don't kill him, he will
kill you!
Seigen drew his sword like a sleepwalker. The moment he felt the eyes of
Kogan the ogre before him, who pounced upon him like a massive beast,
the fiery silvery edge of the blade sliced through his eyes, leaving a
horizontal line in the middle of his face.

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Seigen gave a scream and fell to the ground on his back. Kogan's
nagareboshi had torn his eyes out.

III

Three years later, the successor to the Iwamoto family had not yet been
chosen, because when Kogan announced Fujiki Gennosuke as Mie's future
husband again, she rejected him. The seventeen-year old girl, who watched
the events of that day from beginning to end without blinking an eye or
saying a word, despite the paleness of her face and the tremors that ran
through her body, unexpectedly made her intentions clear.
—I already decided in my heart that my husband would be Irako. I regret
that he has left me for another woman, but while he lives I will not accept
another for a husband. So, whoever he is, I will marry the one who does
me the favor of killing Irako.
The other woman she referred to was Iku, the woman who ran barefoot
toward Seigen when he fainted after his eyes had been slashed, hugged
him in tears, and then turned to Kogan and dared to call him a brute while
beating him. When Irako was taken away, she accompanied him and left
the mansion not to return.
No matter how much they fought her or tried to appease her, Mie
stubbornly refused to listen and others didn't know what to do with her,
until finally it was decided to investigate what had become of Irako
Seigen, and it was discovered that a few days after that event he had gone
off somewhere, eyes covered by a white cloth, by Iku's hand.
That way, without knowing his whereabouts, the Iwamoto dojo days went
by in a dark atmosphere, ominous and oppressive.
Three years later, on a summer evening, when every external disciple had
already withdrawn and had already finished sweeping the garden,
unexpectedly, in the humidified hall of the Iwamoto dojo a couple formed
by a man and a woman appeared.
—It's Irako! — shouted one of the two or three disciples, his silhouette
invisible in the shadows.
In his beautiful, fine, pale face, with deep features chiselled, dark nerves
were marked and the eyes were tightly closed. His companion, Iku, was
also visibly thinner than at the time when Iku lived in the mansion, but still
her unusual beauty seemed to have increased. Seigen went to the
astonished disciples and spoke to them in a cold, muffled voice.
—Irako Seigen wants to duel the owner of this dojo, Iwamoto Kogan. Get
the message to him.
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As soon as Kogan, who was preparing to sit at the small table to begin
dinner with his new concubine, heard Irako being mentioned, he rose
immediately, but then changed his mind and broadly smiled.
—Tell Irako that Kogan does not fight novices, but that if he is
determined, he can return tomorrow and face either Gonzaemon or Fujiki.
Hearing Kogan's response, Seigen slipped away a scornful laugh; as if he
had undergone a transformation, took on a fierce appearance and screamed
in such a way that it could be heard at the deepest end of the dojo.
—Irako is no longer a disciple of Kogan. As a skilled swordsman who
wanders the world, I challenge him to a duel with real swords. Have you
chickened out, Kogan? Shame on you!
Kogan grabbed his favourite katana and ran out into the corridor outside.
—Come into the garden so I can tear you apart!
Seeing Seigen's smirk and Iku to give him a penetrating look of hate,
Kogan was furious and boiling with rage. He went down to the garden and
pulled the sword out of its sheath.
—Irako, I won't spare even your life today. En garde! — declared Kogan.
Just then he felt a chill and began to doubt his own eyes, for Seigen had
already taken his stand. As soon as he saw it, that pose with the sword
stuck firmly in the ground and the blade facing the opponent reminded him
of a blind man leaning on his cane, but it was actually a stance that looked
totally impenetrable, loaded with a threat.
Kogan, who thought he knew all the techniques Seigen have mastered.
"And that's precisely why I had been despising him from the start." He was
baffled — and he had to swallow his saliva in the face of such a
mysterious, fearsome posture that emanated bloodlust.
The two remained facing each other during what seemed like a long time.
Or maybe, it was just an extremely brief moment.
To blind Seigen, once fearsome ogre eyes of Kogan no longer contained
any spells. He simply emptied his mind with total indifference and waited
for his chance. "It is clear that he is no longer the Seigen of old. And my
nagareboshi is the last resort..." Kogan thought about the first formidable
opponent that had found him in all his life. This was the first time Kogan
was going to use for his nagareboshi the second time before the same
opponent with a real sword. So far he had defeated all his opponents with a
single nagareboshi strike.
"I should have killed him outright when I had, uh, the chance."
Kogan deeply regretted doing a cruel revenge, shattering those eyes that
carried an incomparable fascination, rather than killing him. But he
couldn't put it off any longer. The darkness of the night was approaching,
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which would be no problem for blind Seigen, but would instead be a

considerable disadvantage for Kogan, who was already approaching old
age.
He applied his secret nagareboshi technique, which had been unbeatable
thus far, but when his blade moved toward Seigen's neck with the intention
of slitting his throat with a side cut, Seigen's blade, which was stuck in the
ground, flashed like a white spark, rose vertically in a bow and brought
down Kogan, who was left lying on his back. An impressive cut ran across
his face vertically from his chin to his crown.
—Prepare to die! — shouted Mie, and ran to Seigen, but Seigen knocked
her down with the sheath of his sword and her dagger flew out of her
hands.
—Are you Mie? I'm sure you're even more beautiful now, too bad these
eyes can't see you. But you alone will not achieve anything. Tell Ushimata
or Fujiki that if they want defeat the master's enemy, then let them come
and get me. I'll stay behind Rakuei Temple for a while.
The terrifying face of Seigen directed toward Mie shone sinisterly with
satisfaction at having materialized the rancor accumulated over three
years, and in the midst of darkness of the night it was so beautiful and
seductive that it didn't seem of this world; it gave the impression that it
shone like a mirage.

IV

Irako glanced sidelong at the trembling disciples, who dared not attack
him, and left the dojo being led by Iku.
—Congratulations, darling. — tears were streaming down Iku's cheeks.
—Well, I have made you suffer as well, — Seigen replied as he clenched
Iku's hand, still shaking from the excitement.
Having lost his eyesight, Seigen had already abandoned any illusions
about mastering the way of the blade, but it was the tenacity of this woman
that encouraged him to continue. In the Kogan dojo, Iku had discovered,
without realizing it, the inherent intensity of the sword and had fathomed it
deeply. Her cunning intuition that, once blind, the only thing that could
keep her beloved's vitality going was the sword proved correct.
More than the thought of revenge for the cruel master's punishment, what
clung to Seigen's soul like a devil in a nightmare was the determination to
try and defeat the nagareboshi he had hitherto considered invincible even
if it cost him his life.

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Now that he was blind, he no longer felt the same passion for women as
before. He devoted himself diligently to improving his sword techniques.
Under the light of the sun countless bright sparks frolicked, and in the
darkness of the night a thick black mist covered everything, but neither the
shapes of the world nor the silhouettes of people were visible. Seigen
polished his technique by challenging this greyish universe with his sword,
convinced of its infallibility.
To counter the horizontal cut of the nagareboshi, the secret technique that
Seigen devised was a cut that he was totally convinced would grant him
absolute victory: Sakanagare ("inverse flow").
To counter the horizontal cut of the nagareboshi, the secret technique
devised by Seigen was a cut from the bottom to the top: Sakanagare
("inverse flow"). This fast sword strike, which took advantage of the
impulse of the katana blade stuck in the ground to make a vertical cut, had
even more potential to kill the opponent than the horizontal cut of the
nagareboshi.
But the problem was in being able to reach the body of the opponent with
that fleeting flash of the sword. How could a blind man achieve this?
Seigen ordered Iku to throw all sorts of objects at him and practiced his
sakanagare technique relentlessly. Eventually he mastered it and, just as
the object, whatever it was, entered the path of the sword, he cut it with a
vertical movement from below. At first, Iku would throw clothes, pillows,
bowls, go pieces, hairpins... and Seigen would cut them in two right in the
middle as soon as he entered a field of about one hundred and twenty
centimeters in front of him, even the bean seeds that Iku would later throw
at him and that would make a lot of noise as they flew.
And then one day, when Seigen was resting, satisfied after having knocked
down everything Iku had thrown at him, suddenly his sword rose vertically
to the sky.
—Oh, did you cut something? — asked Iku, not understanding what had
happened.
—I don't know what it was, but as soon as it entered Sakanagare's path,
the sword rose unconsciously, — answered Seigen.
Iku started looking for signs on the ground and found a small mosquito
lying there, its body cut right in half.
—So it was a mosquito?
Seigen held the cut remains of the tiny mosquito on his finger and smiled.
The next day, they began to make preparations for the journey and headed
for the vicinity of Nagoya Castle after an absence of three years.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

As soon as they were informed of the violent death of Kogan, Ushimata

and Fujiki ran to the place and, seeing with their own eyes the corpse of
the master with the torn face, and after learning from Mie about the
inexplicable handling of Seigen's sword, both looked into each other's eyes
and had an indescribable and frightening feeling.
Both decided simultaneously within themselves, as if they had agreed, that
they had to kill Irako. Whatever diabolical technique he had learned, it
seemed impossible to them that he could directly defeat the master's
nagareboshi. All they could conceive of was that it was an accidental
defeat.
Knowing the Seigen's skill from three years ago, it seemed to them that if
they both put their all into combat he could not defeat them easily; they
had to defeat this mysterious technique for the honor of the Iwamoto dojo.
Immediately, both swore to retaliate for the death of the master. There
were other disciples who proposed to attack Seigen among all, but the two
of them firmly dissuaded them.
—It cannot be. To attack one rival with several people would be a disgrace
to the disciples of Kogan. Moreover, it is the two of us who have been
designated by the rival.
So, the next morning, both of them went to the back of Rakuei temple in
search of Seigen.
—Did you come? — Seigen introduced himself to them with a slight
smile. He silently prepared, went down to the garden and drew his sword.
In the corridor overlooking the garden was Iku, totally changed from the
day before, with a face that showed only a mocking smile, as if she were
totally convinced of the victory of her beloved.
"Fujiki, come here. I will set things straight, starting with you."
Seigen turned the edge of his sword towards his rival and plunged it
vertically into the ground. On the basis of Mie's story, Gennosuke had
spent the previous night planning strategies, but confronted with this
peculiar stance personally, he felt a sense of dread when he realized that,
as he was expecting, it would be very hard to beat. Nevertheless, he
promptly took the original stance that was one of his strengths, with his
sword pointed at his opponent's eyes, and resolved then to put into
practice, as he had thought, the secret technique he had been devising in
private for years: hien yokonagare, or "horizontal cutting of the flying
monkey". He was sure that this would be the only technique that could
anticipate the vertical cut of the Seigen's sword that Mie had described to
him.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

He started from the basis of the master's nagareboshi, but he had made it
even better: one pounced on the opponent as if he were going to hit his left
shoulder with his whole body, and mowed him down with a horizontal cut.
Assuming that by the time the blade appeared to be moving, the entire
body had already flown diagonally to the right, then Seigen's reverse
upward cut should not rip more than the air.
Unfortunately, however, he had not taken sufficient account of the
sakanagare's fearsome speed. When Gennosuke's body moved diagonally,
and it looked as if the side cut was going to reach Seigen's torso,
Gennosuke's left arm flew off, severed at the base, and Gennosuke was left
standing with his blade up, turned around, and fell to the ground.
Despite that he was about to lose consciousness due to the pain of the
mutilated arm, Gennosuke witnessed the duel between Ushimata
Gonzaemon, who had taken his place, and Irako Seigen to the end. His
profound desire as a martial arts expert to see with his own eyes the true
essence of Irako's sword technique, who ultimately had failed to fully
elude his hien yokonagare, made his body, on the verge of collapse, able to
bear the pain.
The fight between Gonzaemon and Seigen was equally overwhelming.
Surely both fought with the awareness that this was a critical moment
without any precedent in their lives.
As he watched the battle between Gennosuke and Seigen, an idea had
flashed through Gonzaemon's mind. He glanced around quickly in all
directions and, when he moved about twenty or thirty feet to the south,
called out to his opponent with a shout.
—Irako, come! — Following Ushimata's voice, Seigen approached, sword
drawn in his hand, to where he stood. As soon as he saw that the
expression on Irako's face showed signs of confusion, without wasting any
time, Gonzaemon yelled at him again:
—Begin!
Seigen instantly stopped and thrusted the sword into the ground.
—Oh! — Iku let out a short scream from the corridor.
The sword sank easily into the soft earth. Right in that instant, Gonzaemon
threw himself on Seigen's chest, with a force akin to that of a hit from a
huge rock. With no resistance from the soft earth in which the sword
rested, Seigen's sakanagare managed only to slightly tear Gonzaemon's
clothing at the height of his chest and injure the tip of his chin.
Seigen's sword, placed back in position, and Gonzaemon's sword, firmly
pressed against the former, were locked at hand-guard level, a position that

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

was undoubtedly more suited to Gonzaemon and his particular counter-

attacking technique.
Both Gennosuke, who began to lose consciousness, and Iku, who became
pale, sensed that Gonzaemon was going to kill Seigen. Just as it seemed
that Gonzaemon would take a step backwards, though, Irako stepped
forward and suddenly jumped to the right.
Once the opportunity for counterattack was lost, the two fighters returned
to their initial positions, facing each other. But Gonzaemon was bleeding
from his injured chin... and Seigen was bleeding from the instep of his
right foot. No one had noticed the blood that flowed from Seigen's foot,
but it was precisely that wound that decided the fight's outcome.
Assuming the original stance again, instead of sinking the sword back into
the earth, Seigen moved his right foot forward and plunged the tip of his
katana into his foot. Victory was decided at that very moment.
When Gonzaemon began to move to try to rush on Seigen a second time,
Seigen's sakanagare rose vertically: he tore the previous wound again and
continued on his way up, penetrating deeply in a straight line, until he
reached just above the ridge of the nose.
But before that, the sword had torn the flesh of Seigen's right foot instep to
the bone.

The body of Ushimata Gonzaemon, with his face cut in the same way as
Kogan's body, and Fujiki Gennosuke, caught between life and death after
losing his left arm, were taken to the Iwamoto dojo, where a deep silence
settled in.
This time no one proposed to go out to avenge them but, on the contrary,
everyone was afraid that perhaps Irako Seigen, with his pale face and thin
figure, could strike back at any moment with his mysterious sword.
Everyone was relieved the instant they heard that Seigen had left saying he
was going to Sunpu, holding Iku's hand and dragging his right foot, and
had left the vicinity of the castle. They then began preparations for the
funerals of their teacher and assistant instructor.
After losing his leaders in one fell swoop, the Iwamoto dojo fell rapidly
into decline and was disbanded quickly. Only Fujiki Gennosuke remained
in the vast mansion, who could finally get up on his feet; Mie, who seemed
to harbor a deep determination; and a few servants who had already been
working there for many years.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

Mie begged Gennosuke again and again to tell her about the fight, and
each time he did so, with a lost look wandering from one place to another
in the empty house and a voice like a possessed one she speaked:
—That despicable Irako. How could he have thought of that magnificent
and sinister technique? I hate it. It's disgusting. Please, Gennosuke, kill
that man. He is my father's enemy, Ushimata's enemy, yours and mine.
—No, that guy's extremely talented, I'm no match for him.
—Why are you talking as if you're afraid of him? He's lost his sight in
both eyes. You've only lost one arm. Please defeat him. I'm sure you can
beat him.
By imagining the deserted interior of the mansion they lived in, people
assumed that Gennosuke and Mie had become husband and wife. And
besides, they behaved in public as if they were. But the truth was that they
hadn't married yet.
After losing his self-confidence regarding the mastery of the sword,
Gennosuke became shy and sought comfort in the beauty of Mie, whom he
asked and begged to become his wife. But Mie outright refused.
—Kill Irako, that detestable Irako. If you kill him, that very night I will
become your wife. — Mie's answer was always the same.
This dialogue was repeated over and over again until Gennosuke gradually
developed a tangle of dark, unresolvable doubts in his soul.
"Could it be that Mie, impossible as it may seem, loves Seigen deeply?"
That was the impression he was getting. When Mie said that she hated
him, it was hard to believe that she was referring only to the bitter hatred
against her father's enemy and the man who had betrayed her, but she also
seemed to be filled with a severe grudge and a deep sadness that made her
squirm. It all sounded more like an agonizing cry that she gave in an
attempt to stifle the loving feeling that was eating away at her flesh with
deliberately inflamed hatred.
—If you don't stand up to him, I will. In any case, even if I am no match
for him, I will strike him with my sword and he will strike me down. — As
Mie reached the point of proposing such a thing, as was to be expected,
Gennosuke was again aroused by a slight fighting spirit that encouraged
him to pick up his sword again and fight.
That night, however, he dreamt that Seigen attacked Mie with his sword
and knocked her down without much effort. In the dream, Seigen
immobilized Mie and she suddenly stopped pushing with her arms and
legs and said in a voice that began to fade:
—Despicable Irako, I love you. I love you so much that I would even die.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

After saying this between fiery gasps, she opened her kimono and her
body intertwined with Seigen's. Gennosuke awoke with his entire body
drenched in sweat and full of jealousy.
He had to kill Irako.
Finally, Gennosuke had made his decision. He knew that that fearsome
blade had sunk deep within him. Still, he had to kill him; he certainly had
to kill him.
To achieve this, the first thing he had to do was come up with a strategy to
be able to avoid the first blow of Seigen's sakanagare technique. And it
didn't matter if he was injured on the chin like Ushimata in the attempt.
Secondly, if he managed to throw himself on Seigen's chest, he had to
attack him without giving him a chance to turn his body. Since even
Ushimata Gonzaemon had failed, it seemed obvious that a counterattack
would not be effective. A method had to be developed that would make
feasible the almost impossible task of knocking down the opponent while
keeping his body close to the enemy.
Gennosuke devoted himself day and night to strategizing to defeat the
sakanagare. Not even in his sleep, while he was sleeping, the sword of
Seigen stuck in the ground was going out of his head, or the silhouette of
him when he stood upright and shone mysteriously.
And so two years passed by, until one early summer night Mie told him:
—Just one month from now it's the second anniversary of my father's
death. You still haven't decided to kill Irako? — Mie spoke as she cut with
a knife a large watermelon she ordered a servant to bring.
—What a watermelon! — Gennosuke intentionally said to change the
subject. — When I was a child we could seldom eat them, for they were an
exotic delicacy imported from Holland, and the ones we got very
occasionally were very small, not even half as big as this one. And now
you can even get them here?
Suddenly, Gennosuke was silent. His eyes looked intently at Mie's hands
as she cut the watermelon, as it was making a great impression on him.
From the next day on, Gennosuke would lock himself away for hours and
hours in the spacious dojo that had long since no one used; and since no
one was allowed to peek, nobody knew what he was doing in there, but
from every now and then, sounds would come to the outside that sounded
like groans. This was not the typical attack cry used in martial arts, but it
was like a short moan: "Uh!". However, as the days went by, those slight
groans, even if they were low, became a strangely penetrating and intense
nuisance to the people who heard them, as if they were getting up to their
eyeballs.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

It was the second anniversary of Kogan's death, but Gennosuke said

nothing. And Mie seemed to have forgotten to encourage Gennosuke
again, too. It was not that Mie had forgotten about it, however, but that
lately, when she looked at Gennosuke, she felt that he was devoting his
body and soul to development of a new secret technique. In these
moments, swordsmen become to look like they're possessed by a demon.
When that demon disappeared it would mean that he had already perfected
his sword technique. Being Kogan's daughter, Mie was fully aware of this.
As one might expect, she was full of anticipation, and treated Gennosuke
with too much of a kindness, avoiding at all costs the subject of sword
technique in conversations.
One morning, in early September of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629),
when she saw Gennosuke's face after leaving the dojo, Mie gasped and her
eyes lit up. Gennosuke stood before her with a smile on his face.
—I finally figured out the strategy. Let's kill Irako.

VI

They were aware of Irako's subsequent movements after he left for Sunpu
as he had announced. He was in the mansion of Okakura, the fencing
master of Hasederacho, near Sunpu Castle.
Fujiki Gennosuke, accompanied by Mie, made his way to Sunpu. He
carried with him a letter of introduction from the captain of the Bishu fief
guard, Saida Mitsunoshin, to the advisor of Sunpu Castle, Saegusa
Izunokami. The day after his arrival, he went to Saegusa's mansion,
showed him the letter, explained the whole story and expressed his wish to
duel with Irako.
After listening to his explanations, Saegusa doubtfully tilted his head.
—Ah, so that's what happened to Irako? I fear that his exquisite swordplay
also enjoys my lord's great approval, so it is not something I can decide on
my own. You'll have to wait.
Barely half a year earlier, upon his return from the long journey to Miho
no Matsubara, Irako Seigen caught the attention of Tadanaga, the lord of
Sunpu Castle. Something must have frightened one of the horses and the
animal started rampaging, knocked the samurai riding it to the ground,
slipped out of line, and ran away. It knocked down the two soldiers who
tried to stop the animal and ran like an arrow down a path through a rice
field.
—Watch out! Get out of the way, it's dangerous! — shouted the samurai as
the horse chased the person, a blind man with a cane, who appeared in the
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

path of the horse. But by that time, between the runaway horse and the
blind man there were left only about four or five metres. Suddenly, when
everyone unconsciously stopped, imagining the worst of it, the blind man
halted as well.
As soon as he saw the stick in the blind man's hand rise to the heavens, the
horse reared up, turned a couple of times to either side, and finally fell and
lied sideways on the ground. The samurai who approached through the
path left by the horse were stunned to see the body of the animal: its face
was split in half, with a reverse cut that went up from the long jaw to the
space between the eyes.
The blind swordsman, who unemotionally wiped the blood from the
camouflaged katana and returned it to its original position as a staff, was
graciously invited to the castle.
By order of Tadanaga, three renowned swordsmen of the clan were
chosen: Aiki Kyuzo, a student of the founder of the Gan style,
Matsubayashi Samanosuke, Ishimura Ittetsu, the legitimate successor of
Ono Shogen, of the Kurama school, and Izubuchi Heijiro, the legitimate
son of Izubuchi Heibee, of the Shinkage school. The three faced the blind
swordsman Irako Seigen, amidst the most absolute secrecy. In each case,
Seigen nimbly lifted his wooden blade and with its tip slashed their jaws
severely, sent the wooden blades of his rivals flying through the air and
knocked them down with a blow to the chest.
To Tadanaga's question about which school this curious stance belonged
to, Seigen answered without a single smile:
—Mumyo sakanagare.
After the duel with Ushimata Gonzaemon, in which he had managed to
escape danger by tearing the instep of his own foot, he had devised another
way to raise the blade without relying on the ground. It was to hold the
blade firmly between the first and second toes of his right foot. Once
Seigen inserted the tip of the blade between his toes and left it standing
upright, not holding it in his hands, and then challenged a young,
physically fit man to attempt to remove it. No matter how hard the young
man tried, he could not get it out even a little bit, even though the portion
of sword between the fingers was barely an inch.
Many members of the clan heard of Seigen's incredible technique and
begged to witness it, or even asked him to instruct them in it, but Seigen
laughed and never picked up the wooden sword again.
Seigen's sword technique was not something that could be taught to other
people. But, despite this, they did not want such a sword expert to go to
another province either. He was granted an independent stay within the
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

mansion of fencing master Okakura, where both Iku and he received

friendly and warm treatment.
Fujiki Gennosuke was at a traveler's inn, pondering the path he should take
after learning all these things through rumors, when he received a message
from Saegusa to come visit him.
—I have had an occasion to tell my lord all the details of your story, —
explained Saegusa, — and my lord approves of your heroic heart in
avenging the death of your master. So you have been granted a
magnificent setting, perfect for your revenge.
That magnificent setting was, in other words, the dueling tournament with
real swords before the feudal lord. It had been the advisor of the daimyo
Saegusa who had prepared this magnificent pairing, between a blind
swordsman and a one-armed fighter willing to take revenge on him, as the
first match of the day, with an eye toward a successful duel for which he
would receive the thanks of his lord.

And now the stage changes and we return to the tournament grounds set up
in a courtyard of Sunpu Castle, at the moment when Irako and Fujiki,
facing each other, were wielding their drawn swords.
The sky was completely blue and clear, without a single cloud. Nor the
wind was blowing. The square fell completely silent, not even a cough
could be heard.
Seigen, as usual, planted the sword as if it were a staff and pointed the
blade toward Gennosuke, then inserted the tip of the sword between his
toes and stood perfectly still. For his part, Gennosuke, contrary to custom,
brandished the blade above his head and stared fiercely into the space
between Irako's blind eyes.
The excitement of the audience reached its peak and a desperate cry
shattered the silence of the square.
—Eeeh!
Gennosuke's blade left his hand and flew into the air. It looked as if it was
going to pierce Irako's crown, but Seigen set his secret sakanagare
technique in motion and his blade flew through the air like a bolt of
lightning until it split his rival's in two. Gennosuke seized the moment
when the pieces of his blade fell to the ground with a loud noise and threw
himself at Seigen.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

In his right hand he firmly held a short sword9 that got locked with the
long sword of Irako, who lost no time in getting back on guard. A few
seconds passed and as Seigen was preparing to launch a counterattack,
Gennosuke's voice echoed with a sort of gasp ("Uh!") and, to everyone's
surprise, Irako's long sword fell to the ground, split from the keeper, and
Gennosuke's short sword, as if it met no resistance, sliced through his
opponent diagonally.
Gennosuke took a couple of steps back and stared.
The body of Seigen, who had wielded the blade until it snapped off from
the warden and flew away, looked as if it were standing still as it had just
been just a moment before, but right at the next moment his diagonally
severed torso collapsed to the left side and fell heavily to the ground.
Gennosuke's short blade had cut Seigen in half from his right shoulder to
his left side, as one would cut a watermelon, by pressing down on it until it
splits in two.
Amidst the unanimous cheers of those attending, who looked as if they had
just woken from a dream, there were also two faint but piercing shrieks.
Iku and Mie, who had witnessed everything through the spaces between
the curtains, had stabbed themselves in the chest at the same time.

9 Samurai used to be armed with two swords: a long one for combat and a shorter one to defend themselves
in close quarters or in small places.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

HIGYAKU NO UKEDACHI
("The sword of suffering")

At the time of the ox — about two in the morning — as he used to do for

many years, the Shinto priest from the Ox Sanctuary, Abe Kuramaro, woke
up and opened his eyes completely, as the faithful were about to arrive to
perform the purifications with cold water and offer their prayers.
Kuramaro had to observe everything in secret and, after getting a general
idea of possible reasons for praying, the day the faithful finished their
vows he had to pronounce the most appropriate oracle.
Since the deity to whom the shrine was dedicated was Takemikazuchi (god
of martial arts), most of those who came to offer prayers were warriors.
Many prayed to get into the service of a good daimyo and progress in life,
or begged for a quick improvement of their skills of martial arts.
Sometimes people also prayed for revenge on a rival.
When they offered their last prayer in front of the shrine, the bells rang
slightly inside, papers with excellent katana drawings fell out, and
everything was done to make the strips of paper containing the omens fit
their expectations. It was a place that had a great reputation for its
miraculous efficiency.

—Ah, tonight is when that sinister samurai finishes his vows, — thought
Kuramaro as he adjusted his obi and pulled a padded cotton jacket over his
evening clothes. If anyone saw the Shinto priest in that quilted jacket they
would not be very impressed, but the cold was unbearable. Even in this
cold there are eccentrics who do cold water cleansing. "Anything for a
living", he said to himself, opened the door and went out into the hallway.
His whole body was shaking. The moonlight was as cold as a sharp
sword's blade and pale as the columns of the sanctuary. The moonlight also
shone on the back of a naked samurai who was kneeling beside the well.
The samurai squeaked and squeaked the pulley and then threw the bucket
of water he had just drawn over his head. Though he was used to seeing it,
Kuramaro shivered all over his body and pulled his clothes closer to his
chest. At that point, the warrior turned his body slightly to the right and
lifted the bucket above his head with both hands.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—Oh! — obliviously exclaimed Kuramaro. He said it so loudly that, had it

not been for the sound of the phosphorescent splashes of water falling,
after the samurai emptied the bucket over his head, the warrior would
surely have heard his exclamation.
During those twenty-one days he had seen the warrior's back every night,
but that was the first time he had ever seen it from the front. And on that
body numerous sword scars stood out from the front. Starting from the
face, and going down to the shoulders, the chest, both arms, the abdomen,
even from the thighs to the shins, was covered with dire scars, as if it were
the mischief of a child who had taken a brush and marked it all over.
They did not look like injuries received in a normal battle or in any duel.
For a few moments, Kuramaro was absorbed in observing the naked body
of that dreadful warrior as he crouched, stretched, and knelt again.
Kuramaro nodded, for now he was beginning to understand that it was
because of these scars that the samurai always did his best to avoid
showing his face. When he visited the sanctuary he always wore a black
cloth to cover it extensively, and when he went to pray in front of the
shrine he would bend his head so low that he even touched his forehead on
the floorboards.
But still, what was that man asking for in his prayers?
Usually, the devotees whispered in front of the shrine the object of their
request. By means of a mechanism on the wooden floor, almost everything
reached the ears of Kuramaro, who hid in an enclosure at the bottom. And
in the cases where that did not happen, as after they prayed they did things
like waving the sword in front of the sanctuary, one could more or less
intuit the content of their prayers. But that man remained taciturn from
beginning to end, kneeling on the stairs of the shrine and then leaving in
silence, so until that very day, which was the day he finished his prayers, it
had been impossible for him to get an idea.
Would he ask to have his scars healed, or would he perhaps ask to never
have to suffer such wounds again?
In that instant, something suddenly occurred to Kuramaro.
—That's right! How could I not have realized it until now?
Kuramaro hurried to the shrine and tried to open the donation box, which
would only be opened at the end of the month.
Indeed, inside he found a sealed white envelope. Sometimes people who
did not know the official protocol for offering Shinto prayers, or those who
were ashamed of the content of their prayers, acted this way, putting them
in the box for the offerings.
Kuramaro took the sealed letter, ran to the deity's altar and sat under the
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

lamp. No doubt the warrior would finish his ablutions at any moment and
come to perform his final prayer. By then he should have read the prayer
and thought of a suitable oracle.
When he broke the seal he could see that the prayer was long and written
in Chinese characters on top quality paper. Both the writing and the
calligraphy were splendid, but as Kuramaro progressed in his reading, his
breathing began to falter and his vision became blurred with amazement.
The content was, broadly speaking, as follows:

"I, Zanami Kanzaemon, resident of the Abe district in this same province,
aged thirty-two, due to a strange vice that is difficult for me to confess to
others, have long suffered a deep shame and, despite my efforts to heal
myself, to this moment, found nothing to be effective. I pray that by the
will of the god of the martial arts I may be granted the power to rid myself
of this shameful inclination."
"First of all, this strange mania began to appear when I was only nine years
old, and for unknown reason, if a man or woman with a beautiful face
inflicts a wound on my body, I feel a sensation of boundless pleasure that
makes me feel almost as if I was frolicking in the heavens."
"So far I have fought dozens of times wielding a steel sword and although
I have not yet been defeated even once, I have reached a point where, if
my opponent is a handsome man or a beautiful woman, I am not satisfied
if, before defeating them, I do not deliberately allow them to wound me
with their swords several times and each time they do so I feel an exquisite
pleasure."
"Besides, in the last few years I've found out that if I let them hurt me and
finally kill those rivals with my sword, then I enter a state of mind of
indescribable supreme happiness."
"I find it really embarrassing, effeminate, pitiful and utterly despicable. I
wouldn't mind losing an arm or a leg in return, I just pray that I'm granted
a cure for this detestable deviation."

When he had finished reading the strange prayer, Kuramaro was so

extremely confused that he had completely forgotten about the cold in his
legs, which were already almost frozen, and remained seated. In his long
life as a Shinto priest he had never seen or heard such a strange prayer. But
what kind of oracle should he write to him?
While Kuramaro hesitated about what he should do, completely oblivious
to the passage of time, the warrior, who had already finished his ablutions
and had dressed, crouched in the prayer room and after a while rose.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—In the end I could not get any kind of oracle. It seems that even the god
of this sanctuary has abandoned me, and he always make sure that he
always has some. — he whispered, covered himself with the black cloth,
and left the compound. In the moonlight, his silhouette seen from behind
seemed disconsolate and grief-stricken, and so thin that it could freeze.

II

Zanami Kanzaemon first became aware of his strange vice, as he wrote in

the prayer, at the age of nine. Kanzaemon lost his parents at an early age
and was adopted by his uncle Isoda Gunbee and his wife, who loved him
as if he was their own son. It seemed that his relatives intended to marry
him off in the future to their daughter Kinu and make him the heir to the
family.
At such a tender age, the young Kanzaemon held his beautiful young aunt
Nahome in great esteem and admiration. Once, when Nahome stood in
front of the mirror and began putting on makeup after taking a bath,
Kanzaemon sat down next to her and felt a pleasure not at all like that of a
child as he watched in fascination as his aunt's smooth skin took on a
pinkish hue.
—Auntie, your hands are as soft as silk, — he said as he held Nahome's
arms between his fingers. Sometimes just holding her was unsatisfactory
and he would pinch her.
—Kanza, that is bad.
When his aunt gave him a soft angry look and rebuked him, Kanzaemon
blushed, but he pinched her even harder on the soft inside of her arm.
—Ah! You're hurting me. — Nahome got quite angry and jabbed
Kanzaemon in the back of his little hand with the sharp end of the comb
she was holding. — When you do something bad I will do that to you, and
it will hurt.
—It didn't hurt.
—And now? — Nahome jokingly pressed a little harder and the boy's thin
skin tore and began to bleed. — I'm sorry, Kanza. Did I hurt you? Forgive
me, I didn't mean to...
Nahome hurried to wipe away the blood, but when he saw Kanzaemon's
face, she drew back in surprise. The boy had his eyes open like plates and
smiled in ecstasy. And in his eyes floated a strange lust that stunned
Nahome.
When his precious aunt's hand picked up the comb and plunged it into the
back of his hand, Kanzaemon felt a pleasant sensation, as if a wave of joy
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ran through his entire body. At that time he was not yet fully aware of it,
but it was a feeling of carnal euphoria throughout his body resembling the
peak moment of that vice in which he was secretly immersed.
It was impossible for Kanzaemon to forget the feeling of that moment of
delight. After that, he often played pranks deliberately in order to receive
his aunt's punishment, but Nahome had made it a point never to inflict
another wound on Kanzaemon's body. Something told her, instinctively,
that she should do no such thing to that child.
Nahome found, however, that Kanzaemon's legs and arms were often
suspiciously cut.
—Kanza, how did you get that wound? — she'd ask him, and the boy
would always try to make excuses like he had fallen or bumped into
something, but it was obvious that it wasn't that kind of injury.
When one day, by chance, Nahome discovered the secret of Kanzaemon,
she had to suppress a scream of terror in his throat. Kanzaemon was lying
face down, naked to the waist. Straddling his back sat her daughter Kinu,
who had just turned five, cutting into Kanzaemon's skin with a knife.
—Brother, does it hurt yet?
—No, it doesn't hurt. Harder, cut me harder.
—Oh, there's blood coming out.
—It doesn't matter. More, cut me more.
Nahome was horrified by the strange conversation they were having. She
spoke to her husband Gunbee, called the two children and reprimanded
them severely.

Of course, Kinu simply acted on her cousin's instructions. What his

relatives failed to understand, however, was why Kanzaemon, of his own
free will, sought to hurt himself and feel suffering. In any case, they gave
him a good scolding and forbade him to meet with Kinu again in any case.
Shortly after that, Kanzaemon's strange vice appeared to have been cured,
but on a visit to the hot springs in the summer it became completely clear
that this had not been the case. Kanzaemon had been robbed of his
companion at home, but he in turn had made a beautiful boy he used to
play with take on that role. Kanzaemon's body was once again filled with
bruises and scars.
His uncle was furious and spanked him. Kanzaemon experienced intense
pain from this, even though he felt nothing but pleasure when his aunt or
the beautiful boy hurt or beat him. The boy swore that he would suppress
himself with all his strength and never do it again.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

However, when he was thirteen years old he began to attend the

neighbourhood dojo to learn how to handle the sword, and again the vice
reappeared with inexorable intensity.
In those days bamboo swords were not yet used in training and instead
they've mostly sparred with wooden swords, so there always were injured
in the duels that were held every now and then. And Kanzaemon was
always the first on the list of wounded.
Kanzaemon handled his sword especially well, improved quickly and
outperformed his fellow disciples; but when it came to practice, when
faced with a particular opponent, it seemed as if he had become someone
else and thus became careless, letting himself to be hit by his opponent's
wooden sword and taking strikes all over his body.
That particular opponent was a beautiful young man. Despite having
brilliant swordsmanship that could put any opponent on the ropes, every
time Kanzaemon challenged the attractive young man he was easily hurt
and received hard blows to the shoulders or arms.
—What a strange guy, — commented his own classmates when they
noticed.
There were also those who said that he was looking for homosexual
relations and that was why he was being bullied. However, Kanzaemon
had no inclination toward homosexuality whatsoever, in the usual sense of
the word. He simply derived unsurpassed pleasure from being beaten or
injured at will by beautiful boys with womanly looks.
And it wasn't enough for him to have it with random pretty boys; they all
followed the same pattern. One only had to look around to see that they all
shared similar features to his aunt Nahome.
Apparently, when Kanzaemon was beaten and injured by his rivals,
it was his aunt's face that came to mind. In those days, when he returned
home he would look at his aunt with burning, wet eyes.
The lustful look that Kanzaemon sometimes showed, who was no longer
young enough to be considered a child, along with the gossip that came
from the outside, made his parents feel uncomfortable and they decided to
leave Kanzaemon in the custody of other relatives. When his uncle told
him, he bowed his head, rose silently and that very night left the house
with his clothes on.
He wandered into the western regions and at the age of seventeen entered
the service of the Todo clan as an infantryman. That year the winter
campaign took place in Osaka, and the following year came the summer

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

campaign10. During the winter, the troops of Todo were placed in the
vanguard, but in the area of Sumiyoshi and Abeno there was only a small
skirmish with the garrison of the castle that went to invade Sakai, so it
seemed to him that there was no opportunity to fight a real battle. Even so,
Kanzaemon managed to take the head (including the helmet) of a high-
ranking soldier from the castle garrison and was chosen as the head of the
foot-soldier squad.
In the summer campaign, being an advance party at the entrance to
Kawachi, the troops of Todo met the troops of the famous Chosokabe
Morichika head-on and on the dyke of the Nagase River they were
severely defeated in a fierce struggle. Had the troops of Li Naotaka not
come to their aid, the situation might have been more uncertain.
Kanzaemon fought fearlessly, his entire body splattered with blood, and
killed several enemy soldiers. On the road leading from Yao to Kyuhooji,
they caught up with Chosokabe's troops as they retreated and ravaged them
left and right. Then, however, a young man planted his face against
Kanzaemon and approached him with
a sword. As he saw the young warrior's face, Kanzaemon felt a
singular shock run through his entire body.
The sun that shone during the day at the beginning of the fifth month
(according to the ancient calendar) was already very hot, so the enemy
soldiers of the castle garrison, with the exception of the generals on horses,
were lightly clothed and showed their half-naked bodies; likewise, the
opponent who cut Kanzaemon off was wearing a bare shoulder, his hair
was tangled, and his whole body was drenched in sweat and blood.
He would be approximately the same age as Kanzaemon. His flushed
cheeks glowed beautifully with sweat, and the dishevelled hair that fell on
his forehead possessed an enigmatic and seductive sensuality that dazzled
him. Both his bare chest, which moved violently when he breathed, and
the coolness in his armpits when he raised his arms, aroused a fascination
in Kanzaemon that was difficult to resist.
"How beautiful", he thought and at once he was overcome by an intense
desire: to be hurt by that beautiful boy with all his strength. His opponent
seemed to be so tired that he could not even fix his eyes, and even the tip
of the katana he was wielding above his head was wobbling. If he wanted
to kill him, Kanzaemon would not find it difficult at all.
Nevertheless, Kanzaemon dodged the blade of his rival by moving back

10This refers to the siege of Osaka Castle, which took place in two campaigns: the winter campaign (1614)
and the summer campaign of the following year (1615). The Todo clan supported the Tokugawa, who took
over the castle and were victorious in the battle.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

and forth, just as if he were cradling a child. And then, he chose the
appropriate moment and let himself be cut on the right shoulder. His skin
rose and his flesh tore and as soon as he began to bleed, Kanzaemon had a
smile of pleasure on his face: it was the feeling of having satisfied a
hunger that had been dragging on for years. Then he let the boy cut him
little by little, on the torso, thighs and left elbow. Kanzaemon was out of
his mind, for with every incision he received he increased this brutal
enjoyment.
—Zanami, you're badly hurt. Is he too tough for you? Let me help you,
now, — offered his partner Watanabe Kyusuke, who ran up to him when
he was covered in blood.
—Don't interfere, — Kanzaemon answered quickly, but Kyusuke
immediately noticed the unusual way they were fighting.
—Why don't you just kill him, Zanami? — Watanabe shouted at
him and launched a sword attack on the samurai from the castle forces.
—Get out of the way! — yelled Kanzaemon to Watanabe, with his face red
with fury, but once he realized that the situation could not continue, he
resigned himself and lunged at his opponent's chest. He sliced the boy
diagonally from the right shoulder while saying "Forgive me!".
The beautiful boy gave off a pungent smell of blood, twisted in pain, and
arched backwards. Seeing this, Kanzaemon became so excited that even
his eyes blurred and he froze, as if in a trance.

III

Kanzaemon returned to his hometown of Sunpu in the spring of the fifth

year of the Kan'ei era (1628). It had been twelve years since he had left the
Todo clan, shortly after the summer campaign, and had become a ronin, a
samurai with no feudal lord to serve.
Although he had done more than enough in the summer campaign, there
were extremely negative rumors about him and he was not rewarded.
While there were, of course, smears that came from envy of the young
beginner Kanzaemon's exploits, the smears that had the greatest impact
were those of Watanabe Kyusuke.
—I can't understand Zanami's way of fighting. He had a rival in front of
him that he could easily beat with a single blow, but he still did nothing to
kill him. I went over to finish him off and then he did kill him reluctantly,
but while killing him he asked for forgiveness. Could it be that he has
some secret connections with the castle?

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

There was no official investigation, but as soon as he perceived the cold

stares of his comrades, Kanzaemon immediately decided to withdraw of
his own accord. He was young, confident in his abilities and also had a
firmness of character in the face of adversity that would help him make a
name for himself anywhere. But the situation throughout the country had
changed considerably since the fall of Osaka Castle. It was not easy for
him to find a new position to serve as a samurai and he had to wander
around.
Even in those moments Kanzaemon persevered and continued to focus his
efforts on the way of the blade.
If he found a good teacher, he would go to work for him as a servant and
receive his teachings in return. Above all, he studied in depth the Imagawa
style of Master Imagawa Echizen, in the town surrounding Owari Castle.
The Imagawa style was a school whose feature was that it relied on the
defensive use of the long sword. It was devised by Imagawa Yoshizane, of
the Suruga branch of the Imagawa clan, and consisted of receiving any sort
of attack by standing persistently firm until opponent became fatigued and,
in the end, defeated with a single knockout blow.
By focusing on the use of the defensive sword, this technique went against
the very character of the samurai, so it did not spread too much; it was
only briefly exposed somewhat later by Motegi Yasuzaemon of Sendai,
and then disappeared completely; however, Imagawa Echizen's defensive
sword technique rumored to be truly sublime.
Echizen initiated Kanzaemon into the basics of the Imagawa style, but he
only used this secret technique on a few occasions.
Since a bloodthirsty nature was still widespread at that time, and swords
were occasionally drawn to fight over trifling matters, Kanzaemon
generally resorted to the Tendo style, which he had been practicing since
childhood, and would strike down his rivals on the spot with a wondrous
sword blow.
For him, the use of the Imagawa style defensive sword was restricted only
to cases where the opponent was a beautiful swordsman; in such cases he
used it to his heart's content and, although he could dodge his opponent's
sword attacks easily, Kanzaemon always missed his strikes and allowed
himself to be cut on purpose.
Having sufficiently tasted the joy of being wounded, he also enjoyed the
moment when, because of physical and mental exhaustion, his rival
staggered with even more seductive beauty, and he stabbed him with a
single mortal blow; that was for him the greatest of pleasures.
After many duels, and with his whole body scarred, he returned to his
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province of Suruga and opened a dojo in the town around Sunpu Castle,
which at that time was the residence of Tokugawa Tadanaga.
As soon as Tadanaga learned that there was a unique swordsman living in
the city near the castle who was said to be full of scars but an expert in
martial arts, he immediately invited Kanzaemon to the castle. In the blink
of an eye, Kanzaemon defeated the three swordsmen who had been chosen
for the occasion with a wooden sword, and on the spot he was hired for
two hundred koku11. But it was not until the following year that he
exhibited the secret technique of the Imagawa style defensive sword in
front of Tadanaga.
In those days, Tadanaga's naturally choleric character was increasingly
aggravated by a malignant disease, and he always displayed an irrational
anger that chilled the blood of his courtiers. He was also angry that day
and said that he did not like page Ichikawa Yanosuke while looking into
the eyes of his concubine Aya.
—Don't you have any respect for Tadanaga? How dare you, in the
presence of your lord, give that lascivious look to his beloved? Insolence!
— He brought Yanosuke down and beat him on the forehead with all his
might with an iron fan. The skin tore and the blood went into his eye.
Yanosuke cried, put his hand to his eye and when he looked up at
Tadanaga again, Tadanaga continued:
—You fool, do not look at your master with those eyes!
After hitting him violently again, he shouted:
—Somebody come and kill him!
All those present remained silent and there was not a single one who came
instantly to obey him. It would not be the first time that Tadanaga had
killed or injured a servant for a trifle, but until recently Yanosuke had been
Tadanaga's chodo, that is, the protege with whom he had sex. Also present
was Den'ichiro, Yanosuke's older brother and known as the clan's greatest
expert on the Toda style. Everyone feared Tadanaga's wishes so they
lowered their heads and looked away.
Tadanaga's eyes stopped at Den'ichiro. Having the older brother murder
the younger brother... such cruelty excited Tadanaga's aberrant interest, but
just as he was about to give the order, someone raised his voice from the
back seats:
—My lord, please wait a moment...

11 Unit of volume representing the amount of rice needed to feed one person over a year (1 koku = 150 kg of
rice). Many samurai received their stipend in the form of a koku, and this unit was also used to measure the
wealth of a fiefdom.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

That was Zanami Kanzaemon. He quickly stood before Tadanaga and

offered himself:
—Sir, a humble servant will kill Yanosuke.
He bowed his head and continued:
—However, my lord, since Yanosuke has caused you displeasure and must
be punished for it, I humbly ask that you at least have the indulgence to
allow him to do it sword in hand like a warrior.
—To have Yanosuke face someone like you? Hmm... for someone with
your skills, that would be like killing a baby. All right. Give Yanosuke a
sword!
—My lord, I have one more favor to ask of you. If a servant were to kill
Yanosuke, I believe his elder brother, Den'ichiro, who is also present here,
would not be pleased. So I ask you to please allow me to face Den'ichiro's
sword as well, after I have finished with Yanosuke.
This unexpected statement left all present in awe and with eyes like dishes.
But the surprise soon turned to deep admiration. They were impressed by
the consideration Kanzaemon showed for others, both by his sense of
justice and humanity in wanting to grant Yanosuke a death worthy of a
warrior, and by his guts in considering the thoughts of Den'ichiro, who
would have to witness the death of his brother. Only someone like Zanami
would do such a thing, they thought as they watched him wield his sword.
—A duel to the death against Den'ichiro? He's a good opponent, he'll be
interesting. Go ahead, I give you permission.
Tadanaga was intrigued by this new event; as soon as he finished speaking,
Kanzaemon thanked him and approached Den'ichiro, who was also sitting
in one of the back seats.
—Lord Ichikawa, as you have heard, to avoid you having to lay hands on
Yanosuke, one servant has had no choice but to offer himself. Forgive me.
In exchange, if a servant were to kill Yanosuke, you must attack me
immediately and avenge your brother, — Kanzaemon said quietly to
Den'ichiro, who bowed his head to him.
—I thank you very much for your consideration. If you kill Yanosuke, I
will attack you without mercy.
—Agreed, then.
Kanzaemon got ready right away and went down to the garden. Yanosuke
and Den'ichiro followed. Since it seemed obvious to him that Yanosuke
would be defeated in one fell swoop, Den'ichiro began to prepare: he tied a
ribbon around his kimono sleeves, loosened the blade at the mouth of the
sheath, and sat down on the ground with one knee up.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

With Yanosuke already in front of him, Kanzaemon declared aloud,

addressing Tadanaga first and then all present:
—Gentlemen, look closely at the essence of the Imagawa style defensive
sword mastered by Zanami.
Everyone had only heard of the Imagawa style defensive sword, but none
had seen it; they all swallowed up the thought that perhaps it was a matter
of stopping Yanosuke's first sword strike and, using his momentum, cutting
it in two.
The duel took a completely unexpected form, however.
Yanosuke had resigned himself to the idea that he was going to die and set
about attacking Kanzaemon with his katana, but he, despite proving time
and again that he could dodge it without trouble, was caught on one such
occasion and received a cut on the upper arm.
People were beginning to wonder, but the Kanzaemon himself smiled and
kept slipping left and right, and once again he was caught and his earlobe
became bloodshot.
The first time he received a cut, the attendants interpreted it as a small
deference to Yanosuke before he died, but the unexplained handling of the
Kanzaemon blade caused quite a stir.
—What are you doing, Zanami? It looks like you're letting yourself get cut
up on purpose...
—I don't understand either, that in order to show us the secrets of the
Imagawa style defensive sword he lets himself be cut on purpose.
—Look, doesn't it seems like Zanami's trying to get Yanosuke to kill him?
Kanzaemon was already bleeding from five wounds. And yet there was a
smile on his face that expressed an increasingly suspicious joy.
Earlier, when he saw the extraordinarily beautiful face of Yanosuke,
covered in blood after being struck on the forehead by Tadanaga, he felt
the blood begin to boil all over his body.
"I would like that beautiful young man to cut me to his heart's content and
in the end, I would like to tear this tender meat to pieces."
After a long time, his strange vice asked for blood and was out of control.
The pleasant pain in the parts of his body that had received Yanosuke's
cuts caused him to enter a state similar to drunkenness, but when he saw
that Yanosuke was already having trouble breathing and that the tip of his
blade was wobbling from side to side, his head began to burn.
—Forgive me! — he shouted, and instantly pounced on his opponent and
cut him down from the middle of his forehead.
He was bathed in the stream of blood and felt a supreme pleasure that

35
NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

overwhelmed him and made him forget everything, but then Den'ichiro
flew towards him like a bird.
—En garde!
It seemed as if Kanzaemon was going to sleepwalk right into the mighty
and powerful sword that was thrown at him, but suddenly striking back, he
brought Den'ichiro down with a clean diagonal cut from the shoulder.

IV

The strange attitude of Kanzaemon, who crossed swords with the weak
Yanosuke for nearly half an hour but defeated the mighty blade of
Den'ichiro with a single blow, gave rise to much speculation and rumor; in
the end everyone concluded, shaking their heads and shrugging, that there
was no doubt that the blade was fearsome and grew stronger depending
upon the opponent.
Two days later as he was preparing to leave the castle, a voice from behind
stopped Kanzaemon. A warrior he had barely seen approached him.
—Since I am on duty in Kofu, we haven't had the pleasure yet, so I will
introduce myself: my name is Isoda Hisanoshin, pleased to meet you.
—Isoda?
—I am the successor to your uncle, Isoda Gunbee.
—Ah, so you're Kinu's husband... — it had come to his attention that his
parents passed away, but he knew nothing of Kinu's fate.
—That's right, I married Kinu. Since you and Kinu are cousins, I would
like us to become well acquainted.
Hisanoshin praised Kanzaemon's martial arts, which he had the
opportunity to witness the other day, and then invited him to visit his
humble home as he too aspired to deepen his swordplay. Surely, Kinu
would be delighted to see him as well. Kanzaemon accepted the invitation
and was accompanied by Hisanoshin to the Isoda residence. When, after
thirteen years, he saw Kinu's face again, the two cousins were so surprised
that they even doubted what their eyes were seeing.
While what surprised Kinu was to see that the face of his cousin, whom he
remembered with the pale complexion of his childhood, had become a
fearsome, scarred face, what surprised Kanzaemon was that Kinu looked
so much like Nahome, his beloved and longed-for aunt who was still
etched in his memory; one could say that they resembled each other like
two drops of water.
From that day on he was possessed by a vehement obsession that ate away
at him: he wanted Kinu to hurt him and then he wanted to cut Kinu
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

himself. Kanzaemon was afraid of that abominable obsession, ashamed

and worried. He severely restricted himself and swore that he would rid
himself of such thoughts.
It was at this time that he went to the Ox Sanctuary, where he would
perform ablutions with cold water in the freezing nights and pray that he
could be freed from those despicable thoughts. In the end he even thought
of giving up his remuneration and sacrificing his entire future by
disappearing from Sunpu.
But prudence, introspection and his own reproach could not contain the
intense desire, which was increasing day by day. It reached the point that
when he visited the mansion to which Hisanoshin had invited and
accompanied him for no ulterior motive, and observed Kinu's face as she
told him nostalgic memories of the past, his throat would dry up and his
knees would shake.
Kanzaemon was becoming increasingly haggard and absorbed in his
thoughts, and rumors among his peers grew. Kanzaemon then strengthened
himself in his final decision:
"Even if I'm considered a brute or a demon, even if the afterlife is hell and
I have to suffer until the end of time, I can't stay without Kinu cutting me
and me cutting her."
It is clear that Kanzaemon's mind was on the road to insanity. Had it not
been for his eccentric state of mind, he might not have been able to devise
a strategy to get Kinu to lacerate him.
On June 14, in the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629), a play was
performed, in the presence of the feudal lord, by the Konparu and Kanzen
schools who had come from Edo. The samurai of the clan took their seats
in front of the newly installed stage in the west courtyard of the castle
interior. Tadanaga sat upstairs, in the main box.
Kanzaemon invited Hisanoshin and they were sitting on the grass
watching the show, a little away from the others, when Kanzaemon
whispered in Hisanoshin's ear:
—Do you think you could attack Konparu Hachiro while he's dancing?
Hisanoshin turned to Kanzaemon to answer, but when he understood the
meaning of the question he laid his eyes on the stage again and
concentrated on the actor Konparu Hachiro. Obviously, what Kanzaemon
was implying was not that Konparu had any knowledge of swordplay.
However, as he had dedicated his life to the theatre, his figure had reached
the zenith of excellence and did not have a single flaw; his whole body
radiated an intense inner strength which suggested that as long as he was

37
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dancing on a stage, nothing and no one could get near him, and he even
gave off a penetrating and threatening aura.
The previous January 2nd, at the opening ceremony of a no recital at
Chiyoda Castle (Edo) on the occasion of the shogun's visit, the sword
master Yagyu Munenori was present and when he saw the dancing
silhouette of Konparu Hachiro, he commented:
—It adopts poses that would be hard to attack even for the most prominent
experts of martial arts.
Rumors of his words of admiration had reached these lands as well.
—I think it is not impossible to attack, — Hisanoshin replied after a while.
—Ha-ha-ha! Really? — Kanzaemon replied in a strange voice.
—Are you suggesting that he is invincible? — the tone of that mocking
laughter had offended Hisanoshin.
—It would be very difficult for you.
—What?!
—Well, with your technique it would be very difficult for you.
—Zanami, there are some things you shouldn't tell a friend. You've been
very rude.
—Precisely because there's trust, I must tell you the truth without qualms.
—Do you know what you're saying? — Hisanoshin looked at him
sideways, implying that in the field of martial arts he would not tolerate
such defamation.
—There is no need to be frantic. If you were to throw yourself at him with
that face, before you could even get on stage, Konparu Hachiro would
have sensed the threat and fled away. You would have no chance to attack
him. You are an amateur, starting from the mental training.
—Hey!
—To attack someone you do not have to make a scary face, but you have
to do it quickly and quietly.
—Like this? — Hisanoshin lost his patience, pulled out a dagger and
quickly attacked Kanzaemon.
The nearby clan members began to rise alerted by the glare of the dagger,
however, Kanzaemon had already risen to his feet and wielded his own
blood-covered dagger. Hisanoshin had been cut from his left shoulder to
his chest, he staggered a few times and fell heavily to the ground, where he
laid with his face down.
Kanzaemon silently wiped the blood from the dagger and returned it to its
sheath. Then he addressed the people who rushed to him:
—Gentlemen, Hisanoshin suddenly lost his head and without a word

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attacked me, so I was forced to end his life. I await your verdict on this
crime which has unleashed such a quarrel in your presence.
As a result of the investigation, not a single evidence was found against
Kanzaemon as no one had heard the conversation between the two,
furthermore, all those around them confirmed that it was Hisanoshin who
had drawn his dagger and suddenly attacked his friend. Again
Kanzaemon's skill with the blade received praise from people, who
admired that he had been able to stop a lunatic so quickly with only a
small dagger.
He was eventually pardoned, but Kanzaemon had been temporarily taken
into custody at the mansion of guard captain Watanabe Kenmotsu, as he
had ultimately murdered a member of the clan in the same compound
where the feudal lord was enjoying a play.
At the same time, a written request from Hisanoshin's wife Kinu was
delivered to the advisor of the daimyo Saegusa Izunokami. In the letter she
said that she did not consider her husband Hisanoshin a madman who
would lose his mind and go insane, and what probably happened was that
Kanzaemon somehow made him draw the dagger. She was asking to be
able to avenge her husband with a sword.
The officers quickly rejected her request, considering that Hisanoshin was
entirely to blame and that, with her female body, no matter how hard she
fought, she would not be able to make a single scratch on Kanzaemon.
However, Kinu was persistent in her requests and in the end Tadanaga
granted her permission.
—When my master gets an idea in his head, there's nothing to be done. If
there is no other option, let us make it a public duel on the grounds of the
next duelling tournament in the presence of my lord. Although it will
naturally not be a serious match, it will also be interesting to have a
woman participate, — decided Saegusa Izunokami.
And so it was that Kinu's revenge became the second match in the duel-to-
the-death tournament at Sunpu Castle, in the presence of Tadanaga.

In the first match, the one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke had

defeated the notorious secret technique of the diabolical blind swordsman
Irako Seigen's Mumyo sakanagare. Once new sand had been scattered on
the battlefield, which had been stained by the blood spilled by Irako,
Zanami Kanzaemon and Isoda Kinu entered the compound.

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The ferocious silhouette of Kinu, her long black hair hidden from the roots
by a tight white ribbon, dressed from head to toe in pristine white12 and
carrying a naginata13, totally resigned to her fate, was so beautiful that for
a few moments it took the audience's breath away. In front of her,
Kanzaemon's eyes, on that wounded face, shone brightly and were already
full of frenzied delight and intoxicated with blood.
Knowing Kinu's personality, Kanzaemon knew that she would devise a
plan to avenge her late husband, and during the two and a half months she
remained in custody, she waited and wished day and night for that moment
to come.
Of course Kinu didn't think it was possible for her to defeat Kanzaemon.
Since she had set out only to harm her opponent with a single blow, she
suddenly rushed to attack him from the side; he dodged her but then she
lifted the naginata and with a downward stroke hit him in the middle of
the forehead. Then she tried to overwhelm him with all sorts of blows,
which he dodged, until she became exasperated and finally, with a blow
that seemed impossible for the inexperienced woman, she unexpectedly
pushed the sword of Kanzaemon with which he was trying to defend
himself and cut his right cheek. Feeling the blood rushing to his cheek,
Kanzaemon went into ecstasy and lost his self-control. Two blows, three...
all of them were initiated by him, but they ended up causing the tip of
Kinu's naginata to hit his body and cut into his arm and thigh.
That was a sensation of pleasure as if the body were dissolving into an
iridescent cloud. All of his limbs were screaming: cut more, please cut me
more.
It was not Kinu that he saw before his eyes but his aunt Nahome, with her
comb in her hand, gently rebuking him with her gaze. Kanzaemon returned
to his childish body and with sweet thoughts of being spoiled and punished
by his aunt he became obsessed.
To the surprise of all onlookers, Kanzaemon had already given up using
the sword. He was waiting for the ultimate moment when, after allowing
Kinu to cut him down at will, he would defeat her with a single stroke of
his blade. By then, however, both Kinu's spirit and body had already
reached their limits.
—It's over.
Kinu prepared for the last moments of his enemy, who would be struck
down with a cut that would split him in two; she stepped forward, raised

12 White is the traditional color of mourning in Japan.

13 Instrument used in martial arts consisting of a long pole with a curved sword-like blade at the tip.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

the naginata and struck him in the forehead with a kabuto-wari ("helmet-
breaker").
Kanzaemon felt his forehead crack and, when he sensed his end
approaching, he cut Kinu down diagonally from his left shoulder and
smiled.
Suddenly, amidst the confusion created in the enclosure, staggering with
the naginata as her walking stick, Kinu barely managed to get back on her
feet.
In front of her eyes was the body of Kanzaemon lying on the ground, still
with that enigmatic smile on his lips and his brains sticking out like a
pomegranate split in half.
At the climax of his ecstasy, Kanzaemon had completely lost the fighting
strength of his body and soul. In the midst of the trance the blade he
wielded had barely grazed Kinu's sleeve, and he had fallen limp to the
ground.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

MINEUCHI FUSETSU
(«The non-lethal back of the sword»)
I

—Don't kill me, Gunnoshin, don't kill me! Stop, please! I beg you! Put the
katana away!
If there was one tone of voice that could be considered appropriate for the
plea, that would be exactly what Yukinosuke used at the time when he
uttered these words.
Though he had no choice but to draw his blade he had not been on guard
but, using a column as a shield, standing in the outer corridor that overlook
the garden, he raised a hand to his opponent and prepared for an imminent
escape.
—Shit! I'll cut you! En garde, you coward! — Gunnoshin's eyes were
bloodshot, and because of the drunkenness and agitation caused by all the
sake he had drunk, the muscles on his bare chest were shaking violently.
—Stop it, Kurokawa, don't do anything stupid!
—Kurokawa, sheath the sword. Have you lost your mind?
Both the host, Ishida Sanbee, and Arakawa Kyutaro were trying to pin
Gunnoshin down from behind, but every time they tried he swung his
sword like a lunatic and prevented them from getting close. Taking
advantage of that commotion, Yukinosuke jumped barefoot into the
garden, but the other man chased and cornered him under a large plum
tree.
—Were you trying to escape? Coward! And yet you're an assistant
instructor at the Shibukawa dojo?
—What?! — Yukinosuke's eyes lit up, but he came to his senses right
away, — Gunnoshin, stop it. If I made a mistake, I do apologize.
—Hey, don't whine now!
Gunnoshin suddenly threw himself and as he lowered his katana from its
above-head position, he slashed a branch of the plum tree without a single
petal falling from its flowers. When it seemed that the sword would tear
Yukinosuke's right cheek as well, despite the fact that Yukinosuke had
made a firm resolution not to attack no matter how much his opponent
attacked him, he stopped Gunnoshin's katana and almost involuntarily
stretched his out and cut horizontally.
—Grrr... mmm...
—Damn it! — as Yukinosuke watched Gunnoshin's body fall apart, he bit
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

his lip, disgruntled and with his bloody sword still hanging in his hand.
When he became aware that blood was suddenly flowing from his head to
his torso, he gritted his teeth.
—Kurokawa!
—Hold on, Gunnoshin!
Sanbee and Kyutaro rushed over and helped Gunnoshin to sit up, but he
had almost lost consciousness and was groaning. They immediately sent
for Dr. Tsusai.
—It is a very serious injury. If it worsens, there is surely nothing we can
do for him, — Tsusai diagnosed after the first aid was completed.
—You saw it. I tried hard to avoid using the sword, but all my efforts were
in vain. I would like to receive the punishment that I am entitled to under
the law for the crime of having injured a fellow samurai, — Yukinosuke
said to the host Sanbee, sitting formally on the tatami in a room in his
home, and then closed his eyes. On those closed eyelids, Mie's sad and
resentful look appeared.
—No, Tsukioka, it wasn't your fault. From start to finish, the culprit was
only Kurokawa. Both Arakawa and I are well aware of that. The self-
control you showed was admirable. However...
The point was that, anyway, it was a fact that had hurt him. They had to
think of some countermeasures to remedy it. Ishida Gunbee folded his
arms and spent quite a bit time thinking.
—Even if Kurokawa survived, it would not do his family's honor that he
lost control because of sake and was injured after drawing his sword
irrationally. However, if it were reported that it was an ordinary duel, it is
certain that Tsukioka, who played a completely passive role, would be
punished. Let's see how would you like this: only the three of us know the
details of the event, so we can force Tsusai to be silent and put Gunnoshin
through a sudden illness; and if Gunnoshin died, we would say it happened
because of the illness and ask his cousin Kojiro, who lives in Edo, to
become the new head of the family.
Ishida thus convinced Yukinosuke, who insisted that it would be a disgrace
to him, and a messenger was immediately sent to Gunnoshin's residence.
—I can't appear before Mie, so I'm saying goodbye to you. I'm sorry. —
with these words Yukinosuke went to sleep. That day he couldn't sleep all
night.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

II

He worried not because he'd hurt someone with his sword. He had already
experienced what it was like to bathe the katana in blood on three
occasions. And all three times he had killed his opponents.
"What will Mie think?"
It was that thought that kept Yukinosuke from falling asleep all night. He
had injured Mie's older brother, with whom she had such a close
relationship; perhaps he would not survive and then it would become his
fourth murder.
"My arms are cursed."
Yukinosuke blamed himself, agonized, regretted, and wept. In that
situation he had no choice. His only intention was to intercept Gunnoshin's
katana. He magnificently struck with his sword and cut Gunnoshin's chest
because that was precisely the essence of the ukifune technique of the Toda
School: the defensive sword was simultaneously transformed into the
offensive sword.

—Look at this cut. He mowed the branch without a single petal falling.
Even if Gunnoshin was drunk, the tip of his blade was sharp as if he was
sober. Now, Yukinosuke's ability to stop that sword and slice through it
horizontally... was splendid, what else can we say? — Ishida Sanbee told
Arakawa Kyutaro when they were on their own.
But that magnificent ability was more of a source of resentment.
"Will Mie believe me when I tell her the truth? And will she forgive me for
hurting her brother?"
His personality was not at all violent or reckless. Rather, he had a quiet
and reserved character. This was recognized by his teacher and his
classmates. And yet, both the teacher and his classmates claimed:
—The tip of Tsukioka's sword has a threatening aura.
"They may be saying this because they know that in the Hizen fief of the
Nabeshima clan I killed someone, but since then I have made a firm
resolution never to hurt anyone, and I was striving to remain serene and
not show bloodlust to anyone."
In Hizen, he first took the life of Fujikura Yago, but this was inevitable
because of the heat of the moment. As he lifted the curtains, a gust of air
came in. It caused the water in the cup Yago held in his hand to spill over
his knees. The whole thing was completely unintentional.
—I'm so sorry, excuse me, — Yukinosuke immediately excused himself
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

when he realized what happened, but Yago threw the remaining water in
his face. He was able to quickly dodge but it fell on his chest and left him
standing with the water dripping.
Yago drew the katana and attacked Yukinosuke before he could rebuke
Yago for his rudeness. Immediately after, Yukinosuke's blade stopped the
attack and cut Yago from shoulder to chest.
None of those present sided with Yago since he usually was arrogant,
boastful of his abilities and took advantage of the privileges of being the
feudal lord's chodo. Everyone easily agreed with Yukinosuke's behavior,
but feudal lord Nabeshima Katsushige was of a different opinion:
—Kill that insolent man, — he ordered.
That feudal lord was not one of the fudai daimyo14 who had supported the
Tokugawa. Yukinosuke's young heart rebelled and following the
recommendation of a close friend, he left the fief and became a masterless
samurai. On the orders of the feudal lord, two samurai of the clan had
chased him to the borders. At the Boju mountain pass, Yukinosuke stood
up to them and said with a sorrowful look:
—Kumoi, Kuwata, I beg you, go back and say you didn't get me. There's
no need for bloodshed.
—We don't hold any grudges against you either but these are our lord's
orders, so we have no other choice.
—I don't want to kill you. I beg you. Turn a blind eye, — Yukinosuke
insisted without even being on guard but Kuwata launched an attack on
him without saying a single word.
His first blow killed Kuwata and then he, reluctantly, downed Kumoi.
After that he fled to the Chugoku region.
Due to the hokokamai15 letter that the feudal lord circulated as a
punishment for his desertion, it was impossible for him to find anyone to
serve. He wandered around and ended up reaching the city surrounding
Nagoya Castle, in the Owari fief. There, while attending Shibukawa
Shogoro's dojo, he showed his skills and was recommended to the lord of
the fief, whom he began to serve after changing his royal name
(Shigetomi) to Tsukioka.
Protests from the fiefdom of Nabeshima came immediately, but because of

14 The feudal daimyo were feudal lords who had supported the Tokugawa for generations. The Nabeshima
clan, on the other hand, were tozama daimyo, as they had only submitted to the Tokugawas after being
defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), and were viewed with suspicion.
15 A circular with which the feudal lords punished the deserters, preventing them from serving in other
fiefdoms and condemning them to exile.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

the authority granted to Owari by belonging to one of the three branches of

the Tokugawa16 family, they could afford to deny the will of another lord.
For that alone Yukinosuke sought to be as discreet as possible and gave
himself humbly and faithfully to the service. Ever since he had met
Gunnoshin's younger sister Mie, he had begun to picture a pleasant future
for himself in his dreams and behaved with unusual modesty in front of his
peers and acquaintances, but for some strange reason he could not get
along with Gunnoshin.
Their personalities were very different and the outcome of the struggle
between the two for the position of assistant instructor at the Shibukawa
dojo also played a role. But Gunnoshin, too, made absurd excuses not
justified by his drunkenness, and thus explained why on this or that
occasion he drew his katana and launched an attack:
—Maybe there's a terrifying killer instinct inside me that's asking for
blood. Pathetic.
Yukinosuke remembered again Mie's large, sad eyes staring at him, and
again started to toss and turn not being able to sleep.

III

Apparently, it's totally impossible to keep a secret known by more than one
person. Gunnoshin died next day, at dusk, and before long his death and
it's real circumstances were almost openly gossiped about throughout the
fiefdom. The officials agreed that if the matter became public it would
destroy the Kurokawa family, and that Tsukioka would have to be
punished in some way, so they simply pretended that they had heard
nothing.
But then, as is often the case, a troublemaker appeared: Yabe Rokudayu,
Gunnoshin's uncle, who, even though he was an uncle, was about the same
age as Gunnoshin.
—That wretch Tsukioka killed Gunnoshin, and you're going to leave him
as he is? A true warrior does no such thing!
Rokudayu pretended to know nothing, though in reality he was aware of
Gunnoshin's guilt and that complicating things further, in a reckless
manner, would only cause problems for the honor of the Kurokawa family
and for his own; but no matter how much he was reminded about it, he
could not remain silent.

16 The Owari were one of the three branches of the Tokugawa clan, along with the Kii branch and the Mito
branch (all descendants of the younger sons of the clan's founder, Tokugawa leyasu), which gave them the
favor of the shogun.
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Rokudayu also was an expert in the art of Iai from the Tamiya school:
drawing, cutting the opponent and re-sheathing the sword. He was
confident that regardless of Yukinosuke's skill he would win easily. If he
will be forced by Yukinosuke to draw his katana first and then kill him,
then he would have full right to do so. Thus Rokuday tried to provoke
Yukinosuke again and again but Yukinosuke, for his part, skillfully
avoided these attempts by turning a deaf ear.
Several days later, Yukinosuke received a letter that Mie had sent to him in
secret:
"Mr. Ishida and Mr. Arakawa have informed me of the absurd pretexts my
brother used under the influence of alcohol. I don't hold any grudges
against Mr. Yukinosuke. I feel only sadness and regret."
Every trace of her writing seemed like she was in tears.
—Mie, I'm sorry, — he whispered as his own eyes filled with tears. He
again promised himself that from then on, whatever happened, he would
never hurt another person. But what is perfectly straight will always
appear crooked in a distorted mirror. Rokudayu interpreted Yukinosuke's
mild-mannered attitude as a simple mockery. He thought that Yukinosuke
was implying, "amateur, you're no match for me".

IV

On the third day of the great festival at Nagoya's Tosho-gu shrine, which
had begun on April 15th, a portable mikoshi shrine was carried in a
procession to Honmachidori and at night floats came out — the pride of
every town — from Shimoshichiken-cho, Miyamachi, Kyomachi,
Nakaichiba-cho, and Tenma-cho. The atmosphere was one of carnival
never seen before in Edo.
A large group of young samurai descending from the castle met at the
western gate, which led from the outer wall to the Tenno shrine.
—What do you say if we go see the festival? From this year, the
Shimoshichiken-cho float is said to represent Benkei17 on the bridge.
—Yes, you can see it has a mechanism that makes a Ushiwaka18 doll jump
onto Benkei's naginata every time the float makes a turn.
—Ha-ha-ha! More than just going to see it, you want to go around
Zomeki's red-light district afterwards, don't you?

17According to legend, the warrior monk Benkei would challenge anyone who wanted to cross the Gojos
Bridge (Kyoto) and after defeating them he would keep his swords. He did so with 999 swords, until young
Minamoto no Yoshitsune defeated him. Since then Benkei became his faithful vassal and companion.
18 Name by which Minamoto no Yoshitsune was known in his childhood.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—No, for that I'd rather go to Nishikoji19, to the Yamagata brothel... Hee-
hee!
—Shame on you, don't laugh so strangely when you remember it.
Rokudayu recognized Yukinosuke among his companions who were
laughing and having a good time. He approached him quickly and said:
—Tsukioka, do me a favor and go away.
—What?
—It could be considered that, since you've entered the castle, everyone
here is of your lineage. A newcomer like you cannot just join the group of
friends.
—What kind of nonsense are you talking about? — one of the companions
rebuked him, embarassed. But Rokudayu kept looking at Yukinosuke with
a hateful face and went on:
—Someone who has just arrived must behave with the modesty of a
newcomer. You should stop poking around where you are not wanted.
These were rude and meaningless words. Everyone present become very
tense, for they thought it would not stay that way; but Yukinosuke himself
replied with a smile on his lips:
—I'm very sorry, I was too bold. I will be more discreet from now on, —
after uttering these words he tried to leave as quickly as he could, but
Rokudayu held him back with a sharp cry:
—Tsukioka, you were smiling now, weren't you? Are you making fun of
us? — this was clearly more than a false accusation: he was deliberately
looking for a fight.
—Yabe, stop it.
—Rokudayuu, you've gone a bit too far.
Taking advantage of these reprimands, Yukinosuke said goodbye and left.
But that same night, at time of the boar — about ten o'clock at night — a
very drunk Rokudayu had said goodbye to his companions and was
returning through the stable area, near the gateway to Honmachi, when he
came across Yukinosuke, who, unfortunately, was on the way from
Shichikencho at that moment.
—Oh, Tsukioka! Wait!
—Yabe, you're drunk, aren't you?
—Even if I'm drunk, I don't let my mind wander away, and you won't get
away from me tonight. Let's talk, about Gunnoshin... and don't tell me you
don't know anything.

19 Old red light district in Nagoya.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—If you already know, there's nothing more to talk about. That happened
because I had no choice, and I'm very sorry.
—Huh! You're really sorry? Duel a man like me and get it over with!
—I won't. I don't want to draw my sword anymore.
—If I attack you and make you draw, no one will hold it against me. That's
right, I won't fall into that trap. Fight, coward!
Yukinosuke took a couple of steps backwards as he sensed danger, for he
knew that as soon as Yabe got his hands on his blade, he would draw it and
approach to attack. As if the urge to unsheath his sword was difficult to
suppress, Rokudayu drew his infamous iai.
It seemed that just after his war cry the opponent would've been split in
two but Rokudayu had drunk too much and that momentarily affected the
trajectory of his katana. It was not his opponent who collapsed and
groaned but Rokudayu himself.
As Yukinosuke stared at silhouette laying prostrate on the ground, upside
down, he suddenly felt dizzy and everything before his eyes turned black.
"Again..."
This time there was not a single witness at his side. Even if he was accused
of attacking Yabe, he could not justify himself in any way. He had killed a
companion on the night of the great festival in front of the moat; he had
killed Mie's uncle at the foot of the castle.
He knelt and confirmed that Rokudayu was no longer breathing, then he
headed for the Kurokawa residence in Buhei-cho, staggering like a lost
soul. His intention was to see Mie.

It was two years after, in the spring, that it came to the attention of the
castle lord Tadanaga — an unique swordsman called Hoshikawa
Ikunosuke had opened a dojo in Hasederacho (Sunpu). On the sign
hanging on the facade it read: "Instruction in the Toda style". This
technique was so extraordinary that it could be considered infallible, so
rumors spread from one place to another and the number of students who
signed up was considerable.
One day, a martial arts expert proposed to the dojo a duel between
different schools, which was not unusual at that time; they fought each
other up to three times, and although his intention was to fight as equals,
after being defeated all three times, he became furious and insisted on
fighting a duel with real swords.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

It seemed that Ikunosuke was having second thoughts, but on the contrary,
he readily agreed.
—Don't worry, — he said to his disciples with a smile, and then he calmly
drew his thin sword and took up a stance of attack aimed at the eyes of his
opponent.
His figure did not inspire any fighting spirit in his opponent, who saw him
as an easy target, so the warrior rushed to attack him. Ikunosuke
persistently defended himself against his opponent with his katana, but
just when it looked like he would repel the blow coming after his opponent
swung the sword over his head, a cry was heard that reached the disciples'
insides. The rival warrior became stiff, turned around and fell to the
ground.
Ikunosuke looked first at the body of his opponent then turned his gaze to
his own sword. A satisfied smile spread across his lips. There was not a
drop of blood on the sword. He had struck his opponent with the back of
his sword and the warrior had lost consciousness.
The disciples were speechless at their master's prowess. But when they
were able to question him about the sword technique that he had never
shown even to them before, Ikunosuke held a hand to his forehead before
answering:
—Well, then... Although it doesn't have any special name... If you force
me to give it one, I suppose we could call it "the non-lethal sword that
strikes with the back".
As soon as this story reached the ears of the lord of Sunpu Castle through
disciples who were vassals of the fief, Tadanaga (who was enthusiastic
about anything unusual) summoned Hoshikawa Ikunosuke to the castle
and had him confront several warriors of the fief with real swords; all
without exception, after a few attempts to attack, received a single blow
from the back of Ikunosuke's sword and passed out. Ikunosuke declined
the offer to enter the service of the castle, accepted the praises and left.
Needless to say, that Hoshikawa Ikunosuke was actually Tsukioka
Yukinosuke. After killing Rokudayu, Yukinosuke went to the Kurokawa
residence and told Mie what had happened in detail.
—Mie, fate wanted me to kill your brother and your uncle, and I don't
want to exist anymore. My wish is that you kill me with your own hands.
Mie listened in awe to the events he was telling her, but when it came to
this point, she shook her head vehemently.
—No. Both my brother and my uncle made unfair accusations about
Yukinosuke. Why should I kill you?

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—So then, Mie, I'll perform the seppuku, and ask you to be my assistant20
during the suicide.
—It can't be, Yukinosuke, you shouldn't die.
—You're wrong, I've killed two comrades and can't escape seppuku.
—Please run away. Run away and keep on living. If you are still alive
somewhere, I can still think of you, but if you die, I will die, too.
Finally succumbing to Mie's heartbreaking request to flee before the
officers took action, he left the place and took refuge in Nagoya.

While hiding in a mountain village in Hida, Yukinosuke met the monk

Soshin of Gakusen Temple who taught him a new path in life.
—I'm cursed. If I draw the katana, I will surely kill someone, —
Yukinosuke lamented.
—Then you should not draw, — Soshin replied.
—But I am a warrior, I cannot do such a thing.
—In that case, it would be enough if you, despite drawing and
attacking, won't kill anyone.
—But how could I do something like that? I don't know.
—I don't know either. It's the way of the sword — you should think about
it and find out yourself.
He began to think and think about a method with which, even if he drew
and attacked someone with the katana, he would not kill them. When he
finally found the solution, it turned out that the theory was quite simple:
instead of attacking with the edge of the sword he had to attack with the
back.
Although it sounded easy, in a duel to the death against a rival who
attacked willing to kill you it was not easy to fight, so it was much more
complicated to strike with the back of the sword at the moment of decision
between life and death.
"And yet there's no other way to escape my bloody murdering sword."
For over a year Yukinosuke worked hard to improve and polish this
technique. He finally mastered the secret technique of striking with the
back of his sword: while receiving the last blow from his opponent, before
attacking, he made sure to turn the blade of his sword by 180 degrees with
the palm of his hand. Now, even without being particularly aware of it, the
blade that was going to attack his rival turned automatically, and when he
withdrew it, it turned again and returned to its original position.

20A person who was in charge of beheading the person who was doing the harakiri after he had cut his
belly.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—This way, even if I were to throw myself at my opponent, I won't kill

him.
Yukinosuke was relieved and went to the city surrounding Sunpu Castle.

VI

Kurokawa Kojiro, who was serving in Edo, was informed of the violent
death of his uncle Yabe Rokudayu and the escape of his murderer,
Tsukioka Yukinosuke. At the same time he was also made aware of the
cause of death of his cousin Kurokawa Gunnoshin, which had been kept
from him until then. Although he had been named as the successor to the
head of the Kurokawa family due to Gunnoshin's sudden death, he was
completely convinced that Gunnoshin had died as a result of illness.
For Kojiro it was an unexpected stroke of luck to go from being the second
son of a poor family to becoming the heir to the Kurokawa family, who
had a stipend of three hundred koku. But more than that, what really got
his heart pounding was his thinking that by becoming the heir to the
Kurokawa family he would also end up marrying Mie.
Kojiro had been deeply in love with his cousin Mie, who was his own age,
since he was a teenager living in Nagoya. Despite being the second son he
had been appointed as a weapons inspector because of his exceptional
mastery of martial arts. However, when he reflected on his meagre stipend
of twenty koku for three people, and especially on his unattractive
physique, despair drove him to give up, and his feelings for Mie pierced
his young soul and caused him intense pain as if his nails were torn out.
What he did was to distract his sorrows through the method young men
usually resort to in such situations: he frequented a brothel in the red-light
district of Nishikoji, at the foot of the castle, and immersed himself in
alcohol and women.
One night, after drinking until he was completely drunk, he had an
argument with a merchant who was in the same brothel and in a fight he
hurt the merchant. Seeing that illegal bloodshed stained the world of
pleasure21, a crowd of young men gathered and beat Kojiru.
Despite being outnumbered, in the end he managed to slip away and run
until he reached Hiya-cho, but he was already exhausted and without
strength left, so his pursuers managed to corner him. Just at that moment
of greatest danger, the one who rescued him was precisely Tsukioka
Yukinosuke who was passing by.
21At that time brothels and other entertainment establishments were concentrated in specific
districts authorized for this purpose, and therefore within the law.
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Also, when the rumors began to rise in the city and an official
investigation was opened, Yukinosuke was called as a witness, but he
testified with a surprised look on his face:
—That's ridiculous. It is true that a few nights ago I helped a man in the
guise of a samurai to escape because of our connection as warriors, but he
was a man who looked nothing like Kojiro. I fear it was all a mistake.
Someone like Kojiro cannot be beaten up by merchants just like that.
It seems that even the hierarchical superiors knew that this was a lie but
were deceived by this selflessness, and soon after Kojiro was sent to Edo,
without receiving any serious punishment.
Since his arrival in Edo he become severely frustrated and devoted all his
attention to martial arts. As a teacher he had Kanezawa Ichiusai, of the
Mugen-Itto style, who had founded a dojo in Yamashita-cho. To
compensate for his past immoral behaviour and to get rid of his feelings
towards Mie, Kojiro devoted himself, body and soul, to the way of the
sword, and his progress was magnificent.
It was at this point that the decree came unexpectedly, making him the heir
to the Kurokawa family. But with the letter he received afterwards, all his
joy vanished. Although he would become the new head of the family, it
was clear that he would not marry Mie.
He reread the paragraph that said "at Mie's request" and a contemptuous
chuckle escaped him.
—I'm not surprised she hates me so much. It's because of this ugly face I
have.
From the next day, as if he had forgotten everything, he immersed himself
in the practice of the sword even more intensely. Three months passed
before he received another letter: he was informed of the violent death of
his uncle Rokudayu. He found it impossible to believe that Tsukioka
Yukinosuke was the culprit, and even more so when he learned that
Yukinosuke was also the murderer of his cousin Gunnoshin.
—That gentle and understanding Tsukioka has... — again and again he
tried to say it to himself, but the reality was just too hard to swallow.
Although he could do nothing for Gunnoshin officially, as a nephew he
had to avenge his uncle Rokudayuu's death. He knew that Yukinosuke's
mastery of the blade was formidable, but he too had become one of the top
three disciples of the Ichiusai dojo, so he thought Tsukioka could not
defeat him so easily. His rival, however, was the benefactor who had saved
him when, after sinking in a bog of self-indulgent pleasure, he was about
to receive the dangerous humiliation from the merchants. The event
become a turning point in his life. Not only that, but he was one of the
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most respected people in the Owari fiefdom. By contrast, it was his

immediate family, Gunnoshin and Rokudayu, who were despised. The
youthful purity and naivety of Kojiru, which remained intact despite his
life halfway between debauchery and discipline, made him agonize over
this dilemma.
In the letter, they wrote that Tsukioka had fled and his whereabouts were
unknown but it seemed possible that he had headed for Edo, so they were
investigating there too, and as soon as something became known they
would get in touch.
All those in charge of the case were relieved of their duties and he was
ordered to continue the search for Tsukioka. He then explained the
situation to his master Ichiusai, who replied:
—I do not know what this Tsukioka is capable of, but if you are willing to
sacrifice your life, nothing will stop you from taking revenge. It's just
that... Kojiro, you are hiding something, aren't you?
—What?
Kojiro hesitated for a few moments, but finally explained that he was
suffering because he had to kill his benefactor in the name of a person for
whom, despite being of his own blood, he felt neither affection nor respect.
Ichiusai listened to him with a keen eye, but when he finished speaking the
expression of his master still seemed to harbor doubts.
—Kojiro, I understand the circumstances. But what I want to hear isn't just
that. Ever since you entered this dojo, there has always been a part of you
that I did not fully understand. Though your blade is unmatched, there is
one decisive thing that it is not capable of cutting. Moreover, it is precisely
that thing that marks the barrier between mastering the true essence of the
sword or not. What I believe is that there is something that remains in the
depths of your heart, like an obsession that traps your soul and does not let
go.
Kojiro, surprised, felt a twinge in his chest and noticed that his master's
power of intuition was causing him to sweat. Until now he had told no one
of the secret of his heart: his love for Mie, a lasting affection and love that
made him feel a deep sense of shame and that, no matter how hard he
tried, he could not get rid of. This time he confessed everything to his
master.
—It's not warrior-like, it's embarrassing and it makes me insecure, —
concluded Kojiro, blushing, and bowed his head.
Ichiusai's looked very tenderly on his favorite student.
—Kojiro, I'm glad you told me. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've been
there myself. Why do you think my sword technique is called "the Mugen
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Itto style" ("a single sword strike without illusions")? I haven't explained it
to you yet, have I? Well, I'm going to tell you, and maybe it will help you
get rid of this obsession of yours.

VII

Surely no one would be able to imagine that Ichiusai, old and dry as a dead
tree, had lived through such an experience.
When he was young he was fighting, against a close friend, for a beautiful
girl named Satoe. In terms of social position and appearance the friend
outdid him by far, and there was nothing but the sword in mastery of
which he outdid the friend. He was finally able to become the winner of
his love because of his prestige as a swordsman.
After winning in the love battle despite the fact that he did not have many
points in his favor a priori, and after obtaining the woman he longed for
after many vicissitudes, Ichiusai put all his youthful ardor into loving his
wife. His was a humble, adoring love that mixed equal parts awe and
reverence.
He was convinced that the only thing he could offer his beautiful wife was
his glory as a swordsman, so he plunged permanently into the way of the
sword. Eventually he gained a great reputation as a swordsman and one
day he met Yagyu Munenori at the mansion of Sakai Tadayo, a member of
the shogun's council of elders.
Munenori was the shogunate's sword instructor. Although he was certain
that he would not agree to face the owner of a simple village dojo like
himself, he did not give up and dared to ask him to grant him the honor of
fighting a single-strike duel with him. And Munenori, contrary to what
might be expected, willingly accepted, picked up a wooden sword and
went down into the garden.
Facing each other, the two wooden swords went towards the opponent just
at the same time and struck each other on the shoulder.
"A draw" thought all those present, but suddenly Ichiusai jumped back,
bowed and said:
—You have defeated me.
—Not at all, — answered Munenori, smiling, — I was impressed by your
formidable mastery of the blade.

The next day, Ichiusai visited Yagyu's mansion and expressed his gratitude
for the previous day's duel.
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—In yesterday's duel, why did you say it was a draw? I know perfectly
well that I was defeated.
At this question, an amicable expression appeared in Munenori's eyes,
which he answered:
—What looked like a draw to everyone is better left as a draw. But, as
expected, you have recognised it as your own defeat.
—Yes, with wooden swords it was a draw, but if they had been metal, I
wouldn't be here.
—That's right. Now, I would have been seriously injured too... Ichiusai,
your skill is neither superior nor inferior to mine. And yet, if we had used
real swords, I would surely have defeated you. Do you know why?
—What is it?
—Even I find it curious to say so, but right now neither my body nor my
soul is attached to anything. My spirit is serene, and therefore I can wield
the sword with complete impartiality. But it seems to me that there is
something in your soul that has you trapped. Isn't that the only thing that
makes us different?
Munenori did not harass him to tell him what it was that imprisoned him,
but Ichiusai knew clearly about it: it was his dear, beautiful wife Satoe.
From that moment on, Ichiusai decided that he had to get rid of his
devotion to her, which he could not get out of his head for a moment, and
he devoted himself to training day and night. But the glowing beauty of his
wife, whom he saw from morning till night, clung to his pupils and did not
leave him.
Several years passed, and one autumn morning Ichiusai was in the outside
corridor looking out over the garden when he happened to turn his head
and see her in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. Ichiusai stared at the
silhouette on his wife's back when a look of dread, as if struck by
lightning, came into his eyes. The reason was that among his wife's black
hair he had discovered two or three white hairs.
—Satoe!
Ichiusai walked over to the side of his wife, who had turned around, and
stared at her face as if seeing her for the first time. The fine wrinkles at the
corners of her eyes, the tiny spots on her temples, the skin that was
beginning to lose its luster... despite that he watched it to the point of
exhaustion each day, he had not yet noticed her new face, which already
reflected clearly the fleeting decline of a woman who was no longer in her
prime. Ichiusai had his glowing beauty from when he was young engraved
on his mind, and now he had been able to see her wife's true face with his
own eyes for the first time.
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—What happened to you? — Satoe asked in amazement.

—Nothing, you are as beautiful as ever, — that was all Ichiusai could
answer.
Accustomed as she was to such praise, Satoe smiled and turned to the
mirror again. Surely she did not realize that at that moment her husband
had passed into another world.
That same day Ichiusai headed immediately for Yagyu's mansion. He
asked Munenori for a new duel with a single blow but Munenori stared
him in the face and answered:
—No, there's no competition possible. You've been training admirably.
This time we'd surely end up in a draw.
Shortly thereafter Ichiusai added the two characters of mugen ("no
illusions") in front of the itto ("a single sword strike") to give his technique
a name, which gradually gained a reputation throughout the fiefdom.

VIII

In late July of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629), an old man named
Jubee Ichikawa visited Kojiro in Edo, as a representative of his relatives,
accompanied by Mie and a servant named Uhei. His enemy, Tsukioka
Yukinosuke, had changed his name to Hoshikawa Ikunosuke and was in
Sunpu. He immediately notified the official registry of the shogunate and
requested that he be granted an official license for his revenge.
Hearing the stories of his master, his story had struck a chord with him but
Kojiro had no way of ridding himself of the obsession that nestled deep in
his heart, and anxiety took hold of him. When he saw Mie again for the
first time in three years, he stared at her in amazement. The beauty that had
once been a cocoon had now fully matured and blossomed. Indeed, the
intense melancholy that tinted her face with deeply chiseled features gave
her the impression of being an otherworldly oddity in Kojiro's eyes.
Ichiusai saw the face of Kojiro, who visited him every day, and frowned.
—Kojiro!
—I'm sorry. I'm ashamed of myself. I am weak, — after exchanging these
words, they both let out a deep sigh.
Kojiro was busy day and night preparing his departure to follow the
procedure for his revenge, but he took some time out and went to the Hie
shrine to say some heartfelt prayers.
But when he returned home and saw Mie's face and smelled her perfume,
all his determination vanished like smoke. And finally the day came to
leave for Sunpu. There, at the official request of the Owari fiefdom,
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Tsukioka Yukinosuke was already in the custody of Inspector Noda

Yinoshin. Of course by now Yukinosuke no longer felt like running and
hiding, and since Noda himself was aware of the situation, his restriction
of movement was not too strict either.
All the clansmen who were familiar with Yukinosuke's Mineuchi Fusetsu
("The Non-Lethal Sword") technique had a vested interest, as expected, in
whether or not Yukinosuke would kill his opponent in this duel. No doubt
his rival would wield a sword willing to kill. What could a non-lethal
sword do in the face of that?
—This will be a very interesting show, — announced advisor Saegusa
Izunokami to Tadanaga. It was he who had included this revenge as the
third match in the duel-to-the-death tournament to be held inside Sunpu
Castle on September twenty-fourth.
—I have heard that the young Kurokawa Kojiro is an expert from the
Ichiusai dojo. Are you sure Tsukioka can bring him down with the back of
the sword?
—This duel is different from the others. I think perhaps Yukinosuke will
trade his non-lethal sword for a deadly attack.
—In any case, the main thing in a duel with real swords is the intention to
kill, so Yukinosuke is at a disadvantage...
—You're right.

Kojiro and his companions arrived at an inn in the Hiraya district of Sunpu
five days before the duel. The melancholy expressed on Mie's face grew as
the day approached. Kojiro did not know what the reason was, but even
now his mind was completely overwhelmed by the worldly desires from
which he could not free himself. At midnight he saw how Mie was secretly
writing what appeared to be a letter and could no longer hold it. He made
sure that Mie had fallen asleep, stole the writing from her and read it.
The contents felt as if lightning had passed through him. Every character
in that letter to Yukinosuke was imbued with the love of the sad Mie:
"I beg you not to kill Kojiro. If Kojiro were to die, we would have to
accept another man to become the successor to the Kurokawa family. If
you have any compassion for my heart, which desires nothing more than to
become your wife no matter what, do not kill Kojiro."
The letter made it clear to Kojiro that Mie's heart belonged entirely to
someone else. "Maybe those two are virtually married already," he
thought.

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His deep despair instantly turned to intense anger. Moreover, the fact that
Mie's writing seemed convinced that Kojiro's own life was entirely in
Yukinosuke's hands hurt him in the last vestiges of dignity that remained.
And so it was that his love for Mie and his respect for Yukinosuke were
transformed into a violent fighting spirit.
If Ichiusai had seen his face the next morning, he would surely have
shouted, "You did it, Kojiro!". Mie's figure was as important as a pebble in
the gutter to Kojiro.
Two days later, as he strode into the dueling grounds within Sunpu Castle
with his blade, a murderous impetus glowed persistently like a star in
Kojiro's eyes.
Yukinosuke glanced at him silently and drew his weapon. Although it did
not bear the name of the forger, it was an excellent sword, thin and with a
straight blade, the curvature was extremely shallow and at first glance it
looked like a double-edged sword, which he wielded firmly in the eyes of
his rival. As soon as he took up his stance, Watanabe Kenmotsu and
Murakami San'emon, who were acting as referees, let out a shout of
surprise, as if they had come to an agreement. Yukinosuke had turned the
back of his sword on his opponent.
Even if Mie had not asked him not to kill Kojiro, he had no intention of
doing so himself. So far, however, all his rivals had clearly been one step
below him, but perhaps Kojiro, in terms of technique, was on the same
level. At the last moment, in the decisive blow, when he had to turn the
blade around, perhaps he could take his life.
"All right, in that case, I'll fight from the start with the back of my katana",
decided Yukinosuke.
Surprisingly, the duel lasted only a short time. The fact that he turned the
back of his blade on him multiplied the fury of Kojiro, who threw himself
at him like a bolt of lightning.
Yukinosuke dodged his blade a couple of times and, as he intercepted
Kojiro's last murderous attack, he stepped forward and dealt the Toda
School ukifune blow.
—Grrr..
—Ah!
They both screamed at the same time.
The one standing in front of his opponent prostrate on the ground was
Yukinosuke, bloodied katana in hand and apparently doubting what his
eyes saw. Because of his training and against his own will, the blade he
wielded had turned at the last moment, and thus had cut his opponent
down with the edge.
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—Kojiro, hold on! — Yukinosuke shouted as he embraced Kojiro, while

hearing a voice in the corner of his head screaming that he had lost Mie.
But Kojiro had already stopped breathing.
Amidst the muffled whispers of stupefaction in the courtyard over the
victor's inexplicable behavior, the strange sobs of Yukinosuke echoed
through the air.

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GAMAKENPO
(«Toad fencing»)
I

It was planned that in the fourth match of the duel-to-the-death tournament

that took place in the presence of Tadanaga, the lord of the castle, in the
south courtyard of the interior of Sunpu Castle, on the twenty-fourth of
September of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era, the instructor in the handling
of the spear of Suruga fief, Sasahara Shuzaburo, and the wandering
assassin Kutsuki Gannosuke would face each other.
However, aside from the one who was in command on the day — the
advisor to the daimyo Saegusa Izunokami — no one else was certain that
the duel would go as planned. In other words, no one could predict
whether Kutsuki Gannosuke would actually show up at the combat site.
As for Sasahara Shuzaburo, he was a vassal of the fief and of course he
was at the tournament venue very early on, as he had been looking forward
to this duel from the very beginning.
On the other hand, Kutsuki's whereabouts were unknown. It was rumored
that he was hiding in a cave on Mount Fuji and that from time to time he
would appear around the castle town like a gale, but this was just talk.
Sasahara had hung posters challenging Kutsuki throughout the fief, and
those posters had even included clarification from the fief government that
they were independent.
Fearful of the outcome of the duel, no further injury would be inflicted on
Kutsuki's body. Even so, he was not at all sure that Kutsuki, who had
already killed up to three famous swordsmen in the city, would trust the
poster and come forward. Consequently, the fourth duel was declared to
begin and from the curtain on the east side Sasahara Shuzaburo appeared
in the enclosure after being summoned, holding in his hand his prized and
famous spear, the "Silver Serpent". Then the other opponent was
summoned and suddenly the atmosphere was filled with unusual
expectation.
—And on the west side, the swordsman Kutsuki Gannosuke.
For a few moments no one answered the call. The purified sand in the
enclosure reflected the rays of the sun and an uneasy tension spread
through the place.
But in response to the second call, from among the group of low-ranking
rural samurai from neighboring villages and merchants who were allowed
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to carry swords, a man leapt up from the west side. Like a frog leaping
from the bushes, he entered the compound and introduced himself in a low,
hoarse voice:
—Kutsuki Gannosuke, present.
—Oh, he's come!
—But what is that, a toad?
—What audacity...
As the commotion of the crowd swept through the room like a gust of
wind, the two swordsmen were already facing each other in the center of
the dueling room.
Whereas Shuzaburo was a handsome, tall, white-skinned man, Gannosuke
had a deformed, plump body with extremely short legs and a dark,
purplish complexion, with eyes noticeably separated from one another, a
flattened nose and a large, protruding mouth beneath it. As his nickname
indicated, he certainly had something reminiscent of a toad.
The eyes of all onlookers, focused on Gannosuke, clearly showed disgust
and, above all — panic.
Surely the vast majority of those present wished for Gannosuke's defeat.
At the same time, however, the vast majority also harbored the fear that he
might be victorious. Such was the fear of the people of the city around
Sunpu Castle of the Gannosuke's "toad fencing".
Until three years ago, few people knew his name. At first it was only
known that he was the orphaned son of a ronin whose name was unknown
and whose lineage was unclear. Two years ago, since the celebration of the
Kabuto-nage ("Helmet throwing") of the Funaki dojo, he had become the
target of strange gossip and the following year, again, after the night of the
Kabuto-nage, he earned everyone's fear and hatred for being an extremely
ruthless swordsman.
Kabuto-nage was a unique martial arts event held every 5th of May at the
dojo of Funaki Ichidensai, acclaimed in the city of Sunpu for his
swordplay since the Keiko era (1596-1615). All details are carefully
explained in the "Book of the traditions of the Funaki family" and in "The
method of Kabuto-nage".
In short, however, it differs from the more usual kabuto-wari ("helmet
breaker") in that a fixed helmet is cut down, while in kabuto-nage the
helmet is thrown from the side and must be cut in half just as it passes in
front of your eyes. It goes without saying that this requires extraordinary
strength and great speed.
In the Kabuto-nage of each year there was at most one person who could

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cut the helmet thrown at him in two. And once there was not even one
person who aspired to perform such a feat.
In the Kabuto-nage of May 5th of the fourth year of the Kan'ei era (1627),
considerable interest arose among the young vassals of the fief and the
other disciples of Funaki, since it was conjectured that perhaps the one
who demonstrated a splendid skill in that Kabuto-nage would become the
successor of Ichidensai and future husband of his daughter Chika. But this
is not to say that Ichidensai showed any sign in particular that would give
away such intention. It was simply that Ichidensai's state of health and the
exceptional beauty of Chika, who was already of marriageable age,
contributed to making such an event seem possible, with no room for error.
With no doubt this gave wings to the hearts of young samurai.
There were as many as three people who tried to cut the helmet, namely:
fiefdom vassal Saida Sonosuke, fellow vassal Kuwaki Juzo, and ronin
Kurakawa Kizaemon.
Among them, the favourite and the one with more chances of winning was
Saida Sonosuke, who was said to be the most capable disciple of the
Funaki dojo, and who had the experience of having already managed to
make a cut of more than ten centimetres in the helmet thrown to him the
previous year.
Both Kuwaki and Kurakawa were also prominent swordsmen in the
Funaki dojo, and it was said that in preparation for that day they had been
practicing kabuto-wari non-stop until they fell apart.
But then a fourth candidate came forward. It is not necessarily unusual for
a new candidate to suddenly appear with a chance of winning. What
surprised and stunned everyone, however, was that this fourth candidate
was Kutsuki Gannosuke, who had been living at the Funaki dojo as a
servant for more than ten years, and in the eyes of all the disciples was
nothing more than a servant.
Gannosuke was the son of a ronin who was found dead in the street.
Funaki Ichidensai took care of the orphan and brought him to the dojo.
Since he was a child, because of his unpleasant appearance and his
arrogant attitude that did not match his position, no one had any affection
for him, not even in the dojo, but he performed all the tasks Ichidensai
commanded him with a great sense of responsibility.
If Ichidensai protected Gannosuke it was because he sensed that he
possessed a natural talent for the blade. Because of his lower social status,
Gannosuke could not participate in official training, but gradually his
unique and fearsome swordsmanship gained notoriety among his fellow
disciples. Occasionally, however, this or that disciple would duel with
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Gannosuke, and at the last moment, when Kutsuki got cornered, he would
be so bitter that the brutality of his sword earned the dislike of the
disciples, and there were many who swore never to fight him again.
After Gannosuke expressed his desire to participate in the "Kabuto-nage",
Ichidensai was perplexed because the disciples were opposed to it head on
with a mixture of envy and indignation.
—That lout... But what does he think, that he has so much skill? Is he not
aware of his limitations?
But what was really behind these unpleasant words was something even
more insulting: "Has he fallen in love with Chika, with that toad-like face
of his?"
However, it had been the custom for many years that one could not refuse
anyone who wished to participate in "Kabuto-nage", even if it was an
anonymous ronin who was passing through. After some thought,
Ichidensai finally allowed Gannosuke to participate.
When the master had informed him of his decision, Gannosuke's bruised
face suddenly glowed with an expression of joy that he had never shown
before. Borrowing the ill-intentioned expression of one of the disciples, he
actually expressed his joy "with a guttural sound, like a toad croaking at
the sight of clouds".

II

The next morning Gannosuke's toad face, which had recently shone with
joy, underwent a dramatic change and became a face of alarm and distress.
Despair, fury, and humiliation were all over his face, adding to his already
complex and mysterious features, and turning the stomach of those who
saw him, while a sinister premonition sent shivers down their spine.
What prompted such an overnight transformation was the conversation
between Chika and her father Ichidensai that Gannosuke overheard the
previous night, when he was hiding in the recess beneath the floor of
Chika's room.
For some time now, Gannosuke had been in the habit of hiding under the
floor of Chika's room each night and listening to her trivial soliloquies, or
the faint sounds of fabric rubbing as Chika prepared her bed, changed her
clothes, went to bed, and finally fell asleep. Even after Chika had fallen
soundly asleep, Gannosuke would often squat there for a long time,
ecstatic at the thought of the tender body of his beautiful love lying on his
head. "Same as a toad", he would sometimes say to himself with a bitter

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smile over his crouching figure in the darkness, but he could no longer
shake off his dubious habit.
That night Gannosuke was crouched as usual under the floor and happened
to overhear the conversation between Chika and the master. He would
have been happier if he had not heard those words; but once heard, they
stuck in his mind and he could never forget those cruel comments.
—Father, is it true that you have allowed Gannosuke to participate in the
next Kabuto-nage? — Chika asked with a clear hint of discontent in her
voice.
—It is by tradition we can't refuse anyone.
—Is it true that the rumor is that whoever succeeds in cutting the helmet
will become my future husband?
—I don't remember saying such a thing. Anyway, there are many young
people who aspire to be your husband, and whatever criteria we use to
choose him, it will surely sow bitterness. As for me, if Saida Sonosuke
were to succeed, I think we'd do well to choose him under that pretext. Do
you dislike Sonosuke?
—No... well... if it's Sonosuke...
—He's a splendid young man, you have nothing to complain about.
—Yes, but...
—Both Kuwaki and Kurakawa are also very skilled, but don't worry, they
won't outdo Saida.
—Yes, but what if that Gannosuke... What?
—It's true, if there's anyone who can defeat Saida, it's Gannosuke.
—Well, Gannosuke disgusts me, — replied Chika, raising her voice, —
Did Gannosuke happen to show more skill than Sonosuke? I am disgusted
by that toad-like man with the flattened nose and crooked legs.
—Ha-ha-ha. I'm not saying I'm going to accept Gannosuke as a son-in-law
either. And even if it comes to the worst, you'll see what we'll do with him,
so don't worry.
Gannosuke's entire body shook violently in his hiding place and a few sobs
echoed down his throat.
He certainly had a flat, crushed nose, and his short legs were crooked, just
as she had said. He had heard insults of all sorts being hurled at him
behind his back, and often he was teased to his own face as well. Now, as
he heard it from the mouth of his longed-for Chika, to whom he had
secretly given his body and soul for more than ten years, the feeling of
humiliation pierced him to the core like a raging spiral, tearing at his flesh
and excising his soul. Likewise, the way Chika screamed when she said

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she was disgusted, full of disgust and as if he was going to vomit at any
moment, hit him like a burning iron bar and crushed his morale.
Gannosuke, who had seemed to stagger around like a soul in distress all
day, appeared the next day — the day of the Kabuto-nage — in the back
garden of the dojo, where the ceremony was to take place, with an
atrociously fierce, annoying countenance.
The Kabuto-nage martial arts tournament began at time of the snake — ten
o'clock in the morning. Throwing a heavy helmet skilfully after measuring
one's breath was no easy task. Ichidensai himself did it from an elevated
platform. On a wooden platform, the helmets he picked were lined up and
hurled with the shouts of "Hey!" to the swordsmen waiting in front of him;
they had to swing their swords and cut the helmet off just as it passed in
front of their eyes.
First Kuwaki came out and barely scratched the top of the helmet. Then
ronin Kurakawa tried, making only a six-centimeter incision.
Then came the confident favourite, Saida Sonosuke, who took his rightful
place. The beauty of his pale, somewhat rosy cheeks and straight nose was
evident upon sight. The white, shapely calves that peeked out from under
the hakama pants he wore on his sleeves were stiff and showed the tension
that overflowed through his body.
—Hey! — Ichidensai shouted as he threw the helmet.
—Ta! — Saida shouted and tore the helmet in half. Seeing it on the
ground, Sonosuke smiled broadly. Chika's face, who was watching
everything from the corridor overlooking the garden, suddenly flashed a
cheerful smile as well.
—Magnificent!
—I expected nothing less from Saida.
—He's done it!
Amidst the unquiet cries of admiration from the crowd, a taciturn Kutsuki
Gannosuke took his place in Sonosuke's place. As soon as people saw that
ungraceful figure, at the opposite end of Sonosuke's, they began to laugh at
him.
In the eyes of Ichidensai, however, who had picked up the last helmet and
was preparing to throw it, there was a look of astonishment.
"He can do it. I did not think it would go this far."
Ichidensai involuntarily shook the hand that held the helmet, but
concentrated.
—Feh, — he said quietly before throwing the helmet.
There was a loud metallic noise.

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The helmet was lying on the ground after the swift blow from the still
taciturn Gannosuke's sword, but the crack was not even halfway through
the helmet.
Suddenly there was mocking laughter again, and among it a voice that said
—It's over.
It was the voice of Ichidensai, speaking as he wiped the sweat from his
forehead. Meanwhile Gannosuke had knelt and was examining the helmet.
—Wait a minute! — he shouted in a strange voice. His eyes were glowing
as if on fire, and his lips were twitching in spasms. — I ask you to repeat
this helmet throwing.
—What?! — exclaimed Ichidensai and glared at Gannosuke as the ribbon
that had kept his kimono sleeves rolled up was untied, but his face was
troubled.
—Master, Gannosuke is not satisfied with the throw.
—Why?
—For one thing, the cry you used to warn of the launch was particularly
low and it was not well-synchronized with the throw. Secondly, it seems as
if you deliberately threw it so that the point at which the helmet crossed
my sword was particularly low. Having explained to you in detail the two
reasons why I sense a method of favoritism, I reiterate my desire that you
throw the helmet back to me.
—You suggest that my throwing was not like the others?
Gannosuke looked at Ichidensai, who was biting his lip, and answered
clearly without hesitation.
—That is correct. The master teacher himself more than anyone should be
aware of that.
—How rude! How do you address the master like that, Kutsuki?
Withdraw! — a disciple shouted.
—How do you put on such airs when you're just a servant?
—Imbecile! — added another.
Ichidensai silenced his enraged disciples with a wave of his hand, brushed
aside the aggressive tone he had been employing thus far and addressed
Gannosuke with softer words.
—Gannosuke, I've raised you since you were a child, you're like a son of
mine, so to speak. How can you accuse me of favoritism like that? The
thing is simply that I'm getting older, and no longer have the same strength
in my arms as I once did. This Kabuto-nage was to be the last. I was
thinking of entrusting it to someone else as of next year. Unlike other
years, this time I had to make four pitches, and in the last one I was

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perhaps already a little short of breath, which is just a sign of my advanced

age. You can't repeat the throwing as there is no such custom.
—Even so, master...
—Gannosuke, you're forcing me to argue, so listen. Even if the helmet-
throwing I did with you was out of sync and flew a little lower, if you had
been skilled enough, you should have been able to cut it off. Do you think
that on the battlefield the enemy's helmet will fly past your eyes when it
suits you and at just the right height? It is very unpleseant that you answer
so rudely without being aware of the inexperience of your own abilities or
the position you hold, Gannosuke.
Gannosuke stared at Ichidensai as he spoke, then looked down at the floor.
Startled, his shoulders shook and his response was surprisingly docile.
—Master, I ask your forgiveness. Certainly if I had had the necessary skill,
no matter what the throw, I should have been able to break through the
helmet without trouble. Your lesson has touched me deeply.
Like a frog that is going to jump over a prey, he stood up, tiptoed and
looked for Chika's figure in the corridor overlooking the garden. He caught
her glance above the heads of the attendants, but saw that she quickly hid
behind them, so Gannosuke bowed his head, said goodbye to Ichidensai,
and left the place in silence. No one noticed that the corners of his lips
were cut off with bites from his own teeth, and the red blood fell to his
chin.
That same night Gannosuke disappeared from the Funaki dojo.

III

In the time of the greatest aroma of the chrysanthemums, Saida Sonosuke

took Chika as her wife. As an assistant instructor at the Funaki dojo she
actually took over everything on Ichidensai's behalf.
Everyone had already forgotten about Gannosuke. But just then a rumor
came out of nowhere that Gannosuke, whose whereabouts were unknown
at the time, was seen secluded in a cave on Mount Fuji. Sometimes,
woodcutters who frequented the area at the foot of Mount Fuji would meet
a sinister man there "who looked like a hybrid between a toad and a
turtle". No one dared say so, but everyone thought it was him.
And indeed it was none other than Gannosuke. It is not known what sort of
life he had been leading until then, but his once obese body had thinned
considerably and a rectangular torso rose above his invariably short legs.
His face was still dirty, with a flattened nose and crowned by a tangle of

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hair. He truly looked worthy of the fruit of the union between an old
tortoise and a sick toad.
From autumn to winter, Gannosuke spent his days in the cold inside caves.
In particular, he would take refuge in a deep, narrow, shallow cave —
barely a foot high — and inside he would wield his sword and utter
piercing cries. He stretched his left leg back and raised his right knee, and
as if he wanted to cover that knee with his torso he bent down and in that
grotesque position drew and held his sword. And within that cave, which
was narrow even when Gannosuke was thus crouched, his sword flashed
freely and moved about at will, as if ignoring the stone walls around it.
—Heh, heh, heh. In this position I look just like a toad. I'm a toad, and I'm
fine with it. I'm an ugly toad. Just like Chika said. But... I'll show you what
this toad's sword can do, damn it! — he grumbled persistently.
On days when the wind was so strong that it blew dirt and heavy pebbles
off the side of Mount Fuji, Gannosuke would come out of his cave and
wield his wooden blade. With it he brought down, one after the other, all
the pebbles that had been flying from every possible direction and angle.
Gannosuke's body flexed up and down at a dizzying speed and precisely
ablated the flying pebbles, no matter where they came from.
The bitter experience he suffered when that helmet was deliberately
thrown too low and he missed the blow had taught him something
important: that in case of cutting an object that is below the center of
gravity, the power of the sword decreases considerably the lower that
object is.
Of course, it is not that he understood perfectly the concept of the center of
gravity. He simply thought of the central point of his body and called it
"the core".
So he began to train himself to make the core of his own body, that is, his
center of gravity, move freely up and down, or in other words, to make his
whole body instantly elastic.
Seen from this perspective, it was extremely advantageous to fight with
the body glued to the ground. To begin with, it had the effect of weakening
the power of the opponent's sword when he attacked from the usual
position. Secondly, it offered the possibility of attacking the opponent in
the lower part of the body, which is the most unprotected.
Gannosuke devoted all his energies to perfecting his swordplay
from that position, which he called Gamakenpo ("Toad Fencing"). Days
and nights followed in which he was possessed and driven mad by the
sword.
Although he forgot everything and concentrated only on his efforts with
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the sword, sometimes, when he was exhausted and fell asleep inside the
cave, Chika would suddenly appear in his dreams. The young blood that
ran through their veins, overflowing with emotions, expelled fire and
burned, and in the midst of those flames Saida Sonosuke embraced Chika
and loosened her obi, and she arched back melancholically her white skin.
In those moments, Gannosuke bellowed like a beast, he'd get up all of a
sudden, come out of the cave and start wielding his wooden sword and run
across the moor until dawn.
—Chika! Chika! — he cried out in desolation and, under the glare of the
winter moon that looked like a cruel, sharp sickle, the tears that fell down
his cheeks glowed and froze between his beards.
Since he did not have access to decent food, because of the dry, snow-
hardened herbs he used to eat, he would occasionally gag and a bitter juice
would rise from his stomach into his throat.
Since he did not have a drop of sake to celebrate the first day of the fifth
year of the Kan'ei era (1628), Gannosuke received the new year like any
other day, exhausted and prostrate inside the cave.
But in the early hours of the morning, between sleep and wakefulness, a
suspicious silhouette suddenly appeared to him, approaching where he
laid.
He drew almost unconsciously the sword he was holding. He slashed
horizontally followed by a vertical downward stroke and felt a reaction,
but in the midst of the black darkness it was impossible for him to
distinguish what sort of opponent it was.
Gannosuke stared for a long time and looked around, sword in hand. The
interior of the cavern became permeated with the stench of fresh blood and
when it finally disappeared in the wind, Gannosuke wiped the edge of his
sword, leaned against the cave wall and fell asleep as if nothing had
happened.
When he awoke to the light of dawn, he discovered that at the entrance to
the cave laid a huge mountain wolf: the two front legs were cut
horizontally and separated from the body, the tip of the snout had been
severed at the front and split in two.
Something similar to a smile formed on Gannosuke's face.
When he went outside, passing over the wolf's carcass, snowflakes were
falling. He was standing in front of the cave watching the snow when his
body suddenly came forward and looked as if it was going to lie down, but
then he extended the sword he was carrying in his right hand and divided
into two, about ten centimetres from the ground, a falling snowflake as

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small as a poppy seed. Again a shadow of a smile fell on his face. He

stepped on the snow and disappeared in a southerly direction.
The next day, in the evening, Saida Sonosuke was murdered, by whom —
no one knew, on the corner of Anzai-cho in the city of Sunpu Castle, as he
returned from a New Year's visit.
Everyone was astonished that someone could have murdered Sonosuke, so
physically gifted, even if it was through an attack in the middle of the
night. But what horrified all who came to the scene was the shocking state
of his body: after cutting off both legs just below the knee with a clean cut,
his throat had been slashed through with the blade, causing his death. And
to top it all off, with cold blood, they had sliced off his nose.
People wondered, as a chill ran down their backs, what sort of person
would be capable of hurting and killing a man like Sonosuke so
mercilessly. Naturally, no one there remembered Gannosuke anymore,
who had not been heard from in a long time.
The only person who, upon hearing the details of what happened, thought
of Gannosuke as a possible culprit was Funaki Ichidensai, but he kept it to
himself and told no one.
The assailant acted very quickly, snatching the katana from Saida
Sonosuke's waist and soaking up the blood that poured from his body.
Despite being attacked by a villain, Sonosuke fought to the death, for
which the reputation of the family grew. When Chika returned to the
Funaki dojo, however, she spent a few agonizing days, and it goes without
saying what she expected.

IV

May 5th arrived again on day of Kabuto-nage.

The melancholic Chika, who had just lost her husband, looked distracted
and was thus even more suggestive. Her tenderly afflicted expression tore
the hearts of the young samurai.
"Perhaps, if I succeed in demonstrating my magnificent abilities at this
year's Kabuto-nage, I will be able to make Chika, a beautiful and refined
woman, my own" — was perhaps the hope that stimulated the young
people who were aware of their abilities, for the number of candidates who
wished to participate in this year's Kabuto-nage tournament had reached
an unprecedented six.
Ichidensai took over the inspection duties and handed over the role of
helmet thrower to Sasahara Gonpachiro, known throughout the fief as a
master of the Itto ("One Sword Strike") style.
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On the appointed day, the young swordsmen who had signed up, carried
away by Chika's tender beauty and overestimated their abilities, failed one
after another. Only one barely managed to break the helmet: ronin
Kurakawa Kizaemon, who had failed miserably the previous year by
breaking the helmet by only about six centimeters.
—All right, you've been training hard! — Ichidensai praised Kurakawa
with a smile, but just then a ragged man appeared out of nowhere and
pushed his way through the crowd and took a leap.
—Oh, it's Kutsuki! — the audience exclaimed in surprise.
Gannosuke walked towards Ichidensai and prostrated himself before him.
—Master, you'll punish me later for running away without warning. Now I
ask you to test Gannosuke's ability again, which you branded as immature,
— he declared so firmly that it was impossible to refuse.
Silence fell over the place for a few moments.
Finally, Ichidensai responded with an expression of immense displeasure,
as if wanting to get rid of Kutsuki.
—I grant you permission. Try it, — that was all he replied, guided by his
irrepressible desire as a swordsman to witness with his own eyes the
secrets of the new technique this strange wizard had perfected, as his
menacing firmness suggested, and setting aside all other considerations.
Gannosuke took his position.
—Sasahara, I will replace you.
Ichidensai stepped onto the launch pad to replace Gonpachiro. His gestures
were unusually violent. As soon as he picked up the helmet he threw it at
Gannosuke suddenly, out of sync, aiming at his knees with intent to injure
him.
Even for someone who has the sword ready and is in the normal position it
is impossible to cut a helmet thrown in that way before it falls to the
ground. The moment everyone in the room had this same feeling,
Gannosuke recoiled like a bird in flight and threw his body forward as if to
lie down.
He tore the helmet in half spectacularly from about six inches high and
then dropped it to the ground. Gannosuke looked at the stunned faces of
the spectators, who had been left breathless, then turned his gaze to Chika,
who stood in the corridor overlooking the garden.
—Honorable Miss Chika, last year Saida broke his helmet in two and
became your husband, right? On this occasion, will you do me the honor
of becoming my wife?

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Chika gave a heart-rending cry and left. Then Ichidensai, frightened and
wide-eyed, began to gasp for air.
—Rude boy! You are so conceited, there is no connection between the
throwing of helmets and Chika's choice of husband. Withdraw!
After these words, Kurakawa Kizaemon stepped forward with a flushed
face.
—Kutsuki, such arrogant remarks are unforgivable. You are not the only
one who has broken a helmet today. I have broken one admirably myself.
—He he. That's right, Kurakawa, you broke it, too. But there are ways and
means of breaking a helmet. You couldn't break a helmet the way it was
thrown at me.
—You're being rude!
—If you wish, we can face each other right here and get rid of any doubts
about who is the best, — Gannosuke's voice was
calm from start to finish, but it contained a distinctly dismissive tone.
—I wish. Come here!
In an instant, in the midst of the crowd that had pulled away to make room
for him, Kurakawa Kizaemon rolled up his hakama.
Gannosuke fixed his piercing gaze for a few moments on Chika, who
watched with a frightened face from behind the crowd, and then moved on
to Kurakawa.
—He, he, he. Kurakawa, your legs are beautiful, so thin and slender. Mine,
on the other hand, are ugly and crooked like those of a frog. Besides, your
nose describes a perfect straight line, while mine is squashed like a toad's.
But Kurokawa, in the way of the sword, forgive me for saying so, you are
not on my level.
—Shut up, servant!
Kurakawa brandished his katana above his head and brought it down in a
vertical strike, but just then Gannosuke crawled away with his body hitting
the ground. The tip of Kurakawa's blade tore the air futilely. His upper
body moved forward, at which point Gannosuke took advantage of a low,
horizontal cut about a foot off the ground.
He had severed both legs with a clean cut just below the knees.
—Did you see it? It's toad fencing! — Gannosuke shouted as Kurakawa
collapsed and, almost at the same time, with the same sword movement, he
cut off his nose with a diagonal cut.
—You, the murderer of Saida Sonosuke, stay put! — Ichidensai
proclaimed as he threw a dagger at him with his right hand like a pebble.
Gannosuke easily repelled the dagger with the back of his katana. The

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expression on his face changed dramatically to a sinister, angry look, and

then he let out a grunt:
—Ichidensai, with those senile arms you can't kill Gannosuke. It would be
too easy for me to kill you, but in gratitude for feeding me for more than
ten years, I will spare your life. Listen, Chika. If you leave Gannosuke
aside and marry any other man, whoever he is, I'll take care of him. Did
you hear that, Chika? I'll cut off that man's nose, I'll cut off his legs and
he'll stop breathing.
—Hey, you, wait!
—Kutsuki, you are unforgivable!
When Ichidensai and Gonpachiro came to their senses after recovering
from their bewilderment at what had happened, they drew their swords and
rushed towards Gannosuke, but then he made a strange leap, like a toad,
made his way through the crowd, left the residence and vanished.

The fearsome toad-fencing of Gannosuke, which had brought down

Kurakawa Kizaemon with a single blow after the helmet they had thrown
at him had been split in two, caused fear to spread among the population.
In light of the brutal technique with which he had defeated Kizaemon,
there was no longer any doubt that Gannosuke had also been responsible
for the murder of Saida Sonosuke.
Whoever took Chika as his wife would have to be prepared to live
constantly under the threat of that vindictive, incomparable, and ghostly
swordsman.
Even if her suitors were drawn to the beauty of Chika, they obviously
could not help but waver at the risk of facing such danger. After that, all of
the young men who had hitherto passionately desired Chika showed no
further interest, with one exception: Sasahara Gonpachiro.
He had been invited that day and had seen Chika for the first time, but he
had been completely taken by her delicate fragrance and her frightened
pupils. Also, the fact that Gannosuke had outwitted them and managed to
flee without being caught had hurt his pride as a swordsman considerably.
—But who the hell is this Gannosuke? What is this toad fencing?
After that, Gonpachiro used to visit the Funaki dojo frequently to comfort
Chika and encourage Ichidensai. It was natural for Ichidensai to conclude
that Gonpachiro was the only man he could trust with Chika.
After the first anniversary of Sonosuke's death, Chika married Gonpachiro.

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—This won't end well.

—The toad is sure to attack Sasahara.
Such was the talk of the people, in which a certain touch of envy was
mixed.
From the beginning, Gonpachiro had everything ready.
He took every precaution every day and prepared for Gannosuke's attack,
who did not know when it might come.
He avoided any nighttime outings at all costs, and doubled the security of
the estate. Perhaps that was why, for a time, the expected Gannosuke
showed no sign of life and there were some quiet days. But, after a while,
suspicious rumors began to be whispered here and there again.
—I saw Gannosuke outside the city!
In the early hours of the morning there was a toad-like man lurking around
Sasahara's house!
And the one who showed the most dread at these rumors was Chika.
—Will we be safe? It seems Gannosuke is on the prowl again, and he's
after you...
Her words made him deeply uncertain, but when Chika clung to him,
Gonpachiro was overcome by a love for his wife that made him proclaim
vehemently:
—Even if that guy did show up again, that kind of toad is no match for me,
a prestigious expert in the Itto style.
Despite these statements by Gonpachiro, Chika's fears were increasing day
by day. After some time, when a loud noise was heard one night, Chika
woke up suddenly, shaking, and hugged Gonpachiro tightly.
—The toad... the toad has come! — she shouted frantically.
Chika's neck was almost transparent and her veins were blue, and her
delicate legs were trembling as she inserted them between Gonpachiro's
thighs.
Gonpachiro tried to calm her in his arms as if cradling a baby, and stroked
her tenderly all over his body. After this, as if to confirm once again the
bond between the two, they made passionate love again.
As he looked at Chika's glowing face, his eyes closed and she lay utterly
exhausted in his arms, Gonpachiro's blood began to boil with a feeling of
boundless rage against Gannosuke, as he thought of how much he had
made his dear, sweet wife suffer thus far.
"It's all right, you bloody toad. I am not going to wait around for you to
show up. I'll come and get you and take your life."
Gonpachiro went to visit his cousin Sasahara Shuzaburo for advice.
Shuzaburo was the instructor of sojutsu ("spear handling") in the Suruga
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fief. He had learned to wield the spear from Nakamura Ichiemon

Naomasa, the founder of the Nakamura faction that propagated the
teachings of the Hozoin school of sojutsu, and he was praised for his
exquisite skill.
—I've heard of this Gannosuke, and as far as I know he's not
a not-so-easy rival, — after saying this, he asked Gonpachiro to explain in
detail the technique Gannosuke used on the day of the Kabuto-nage and
then asked him several questions.
—That Gannosuke has completely mastered the movement of his blade
tip, eh? When I was learning the techniques of the sword and the spear, I
also learned the specific use of the blade depending on the flexibility of the
body, but I understood something important and that is why I finally chose
the spear. In a confrontation with a sword, the space in which you could
effectively injure your opponent was extremely small: from the top of your
head to above your knees; there was barely a space of one meter.
In contrast, the range you could reach when you went to your opponent to
pierce him with a spear, from head to foot, was more than two meters.
Gannosuke had developed a particular secret technique that allowed him to
increase his range by shifting the center of gravity of his supple body.
Shuzaburo, having mastered the lance technique, which originally allowed
him to circumvent such a difficulty, was on a path that made it easy for
him to deliver a deadly blow to any enemy, whether on horseback or
prostrate on the ground.
—Someone who only uses a sword can't defeat that toad. He could only do
it with a spear. That is the only solution, — Shizaburo assured.
Although Gonpachiro had told Chika that the prestige of the Itto school
would not allow him to be defeated, from that day on he had not stopped
thinking about how he would be able to cope with the fencing of that
Gannosuke's toad, who until then was a complete stranger to him. As he
listened to the words of his cousin Shuzaburo, Gonpachiro began to
understand and nod his head.
—Would you accept me as your disciple?
—To learn how to handle the spear?
In other words, he was going to temporarily give up the secret techniques
of the highest level and again adopt the role of a disciple. Shuzaburo was a
bit surprised, but he was impressed by the extraordinary and intense
fighting spirit that Gannosuke had awakened in Gonpachiro.
—It's fine. As for you, I have almost nothing new to teach you, if only how
to handle the spear... — Shuzaburo nodded.
For three months, Gonpachiro attended Shuzaburo's dojo. Both the master
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and the student were colleagues who had reached the highest level, so the
progress was spectacular.
—Gonpachiro, no need to say anything about your sword, but if you were
to reach such a high level with the spear, then there would be no more
fearsome opponent than you, — Shuzaburo said one day as he held the
spear upright, and Gonpachiro smiled as if to say:
"That's what I think!"
During those three months there were several changes in Gonpachiro's life.
Ichidensai died and he inherited his dojo. Also, the Kabuto-nage that year
was not held, as it coincided with Ichidensai's illness. Looking back at the
calamitous events of the previous year, everyone was glad that it had been
cancelled.

VI

Although Gonpachiro never let his guard down and was always alert even
when he decided of his own accord to go in search of Gannosuke, the
attack came at the most unexpected time and place.
It was on the first day of July, the morning of the visit of all the vassals to
the castle, that Gonpachiro and the young servant Sasuke, who carried the
spear for him, went around Fudanotsuji-cho, which communicated with
Terashita-chu through the main entrance to the castle.
—Hiee! — there was a sharp, whistling voice just behind Gonpachiro.
Gonpachiro stopped short and Sasuke's head rolled to the ground.
—Ah!
Gonpachiro stepped back to the right and in his hand he was already
wielding his sword, but Gannosuke was approaching him, his body
slumped over the ground like a toad.
The decapitated body of Sasuke laid barely six feet away, still wielding the
spear. But it was utterly impossible to get hold of. To alter one's body
posture in the slightest would mean becoming a victim of the enemy's
blade on the spot.
"Damn it!"
Gonpachiro gnashed his teeth in rage when he realised that all his training
with the spear had come to nothing, but at this point he had no choice but
to fight against his rival's diabolic sword using the secret technique of the
Itto style.
Gannosuke's body continued to advance, little by little.
Following his movements, Gonpachiro in turn retreated, little by little.

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Gonpachiro had assumed that the enemy's attack would be directed at his
legs, so he had adopted a low-sword attack position, but no matter how
impatient he got, he could not find the right moment to inflict an attack on
an enemy that was crawling on the ground, more than a foot below him.
One step back, two steps... Gonpachiro was gradually being cornered.
When he felt the edge of the adobe wall at his left he prepared to go on the
offensive even at the risk of his life, but just then the blade of Gannosuke
rose in a flash.
—Uuh!
Gonpachiro's face squirted with fresh blood and he staggered forward.
When his sword, anticipating that his enemy's would attack him from the
legs, went on the offensive and hit nothing but the air, Gannosuke jumped
up and with his sword mutilated Gonpachiro's nose.
Gonpachiro's crippled blade should have sunk deep into his opponent's
shoulder, but again it cut through the air in vain and his body collapsed
forward.
By this time Gannosuke had crawled to the ground and with his blade had
cut Gonpachiro's legs off at shin level.
The samurai assembled at the castle heard Gonpachiro's agonizing cries
and rushed to the scene, but Gannosuke had already vanished and only
Gonpachiro's gruesome corpse was left for all to see, both legs severed, the
nose mutilated, and to top it off, the throat slashed. The brutal murder
made everyone in the castle tremble and outraged the vassals of the fief.
The exact circumstances surrounding the event became known through the
mouth of the servant in charge of carrying the sandals to his master, who
was found panicking near the body. Unlike the case of Saida Sonosuke,
this time it was known with absolute certainty that the assassin was
Gannosuke. A vassal of the fief had been slaughtered near the main
entrance to the castle in broad daylight. And unlike when the ronin
Kurakawa was killed, this time it was taken as a problem that affected the
entire clan.
A plan to arrest Gannosuke was immediately decided upon, and caution
signs were placed throughout the area around the castle, but there was no
sign of the strange figure of Gannosuke, as if he had hidden away
somewhere.
—There's a rumour that he's hiding in a cave on Mount Fuji. Send the
police in!
—That guy can't be caught by traditional methods. Let them take a squad
of riflemen and shoot him! — the vassals of the fief were commenting and

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cursing in agitation, but Sasahara Shuzaburo held them back and offered
himself:
—If we make such a fuss over a single wanderer and the other clans find
out, it would be very embarrassing. Let me, Sasahara Shuzaburo, kill
Kutsuki Gannosuke.
Upon learning that Gonpachiro had been killed, Shuzaburo was overcome
with an irresistible desire to fight this unknown and strange swordsman,
Kutsuki Gannosuke. Through the servant he was able to ensure that
Gonpachiro had not been given a chance to even wield the spear.
"Even if Gonpachiro had been able to wield his spear, I have no doubt that
he would not have been able to defeat this Gannosuke," — considered
Shuzaburo.
The mere fact that the man who carried the spear behind his back was
murdered already meant defeat for someone who had made the spear his
life. There was no point in insisting that he was an inexperienced
practitioner. When carrying weapons and engaging in combat to the death,
excuses and mistakes cannot be tolerated. Victory and defeat, life and
death: in the end those are the only answers.
"It must be acknowledged that Gannosuke would have been able to surpass
him even if Gonpachiro had wielded the spear, simply by the strategy of
making a surprise attack and knocking down the spear-carrier with one
blow."
Such was Shizaburo's verdict that he resolved to go head-to-head with
Gannosuke himself, using a lifetime of Nakamura School spear wielding
skills.
Shuzaburo's proposal was accepted and, following his wishes, posters
challenging Kutsuki Gannosuke were installed everywhere around the
castle. To attract the proud and diabolical swordsman, the incomparable
setting of the duel to the death before the feudal lord inside the castle of
Sunpu.
As the challenge signs were hung, Shuzaburo began to take all the steps
for his showdown with Gannosuke. He did not let his guard down twenty-
four hours a day, and made sure that he was always the one carrying the
spear if he made an exit.
He had named his precious spear "The Silver Serpent" but by then it had
earned the nickname "Sasahara's Tongue-Cutting Spear".
The nickname was due to an anecdote that had happened several years
before, on the occasion of the visit of the great counsellor Tadanaga to the
mausoleum of Ieyasu on Mount Kuno. At one point, as they were climbing
up the slope through the long row of stone steps leading to the top of the
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mountain, the samurai leading the expedition shouted and stopped their
steps. In the middle of the stone steps was a huge, coiled serpent more than
ten feet long that raised its head.
Those samurai, who would not hesitate and throw themselves fearlessly
against a sword-wielding foe, thought twice about this opponent who
waved his long, unpleasant body back and forth, raised his monstrous
head, and directed his demonic, wavy red tongue at them. Precisely when
the feudal lord was there, the fear of making a mistake was more present
than ever.
—Excuse me, — said Sasahara Shuzaburo, who was further back, as he
made his way through the crowd. Arriving before the huge snake, he drew
his spear and stood in front of it.
The immense reptile swayed mysteriously and seemed at any moment to
be throwing itself against it, but just at the moment when it seemed to
stretch out to attack it Shuzaburo pushed his spear and with the tip pierced
the tongue of the snake, which had barely shown itself outside its mouth
for a moment and had shone like a flame.
With the reptile's tongue pierced by the spear, Shuzaburo slowly moved
the coiled snake to the right, to pull it out of the stone steps and leave it in
the bushes to the side. Then he stuck the tip of the spear that pierced his
tongue even deeper into the mouth cavity, and although it looked like it
was going to be pulled out, he rotated the spear, pushed hard with the other
end, and dethroned the head of the huge snake.
Both the ingenuity with which he managed to exterminate the giant reptile
without spilling a single drop of blood on the way to the sanctuary his
master was to follow, and the skill of the tip of his spear, which pierced the
serpent's tongue just at the briefest moment when it flashed like a spark,
earned unanimous praise. From then on Shuzaburo's spear became known
as "the tongue-cutting spear".
What drove Shuzaburo to deliberately call his spear the "The Silver
Serpent" was the determination that, just as that spear had been able to
exterminate the enormous toad-eating snake, it could also wipe out the
excellent toad-swordsman, Kutsuki Gannosuke.
Shuzaburo, who was daring and determined on the one hand, and
meticulous and prudent on the other, studied Gannosuke's technique from
every possible angle and honed his tactics to deal with it.
Despite his great confidence in the offensive skill of the spear, there was
one point that Shuzaburo pondered deeply: how to defend against the
blade of Gannosuke, who could apparently make his body stretch at will in
a thousandth of a second and in the blink of an eye attack you in the face
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and legs. For that reason he made a special protection made for the shins
by gathering fragments of imported iron blades more than an inch thick.
He often visited Chika and assured her that he would kill Kutsuki
Gannosuke.
—I give you my word that Shuzaburo will finish off ...the murderer of
Sonosukeand Gonpachiro. You should come to to witness the fight, — he
added.
Shuzaburo was thirty-two years old and had been widowed the previous
year, so there were people who gossiped that he had been seeing Chika
ever since, that he was captivated by her beauty and that his fighting spirit
had been set on fire. But the truth was that at that time there was not a
single hole in Shuzaburo's heart for something like that. It would be more
accurate to say that the only thing that occupied his heart was how to
defeat the Gannosuke toad-fencing.
Everyone openly acknowledged Shuzaburo's superb ability, and he himself
had great confidence in his victory. The day of the duel was approaching,
and the danger of an attack by surprise from Gannosuke seemed to be
gone.
However, there were also many who harboured serious doubts about the
outcome of the duel, and while they had no obvious reason to do so, the
thought that Gannosuke might win lurked deep within them. It was also
because of this that Saegusa, the advisor to the feudal lord, secretly
ordered, and shared only with Shuzaburo that a squadron of riflemen be
prepared on the day of the duel.
A plan was devised so that, in the event that Shuzaburo was defeated, a
bullet would hit Gannosuke. The note attached to the posters, which stated
that regardless of the outcome of the duel, Gannosuke would not be dealt
with, was nothing more than a worthless ploy by the cunning Saegusa.

VII

The autumn sky at the end of September — according to the old lunar
calendar — was completely clear and without a single cloud. The hour of
the horse was approaching — approximately midday — and the white
sand that was swept and purified after each fight reflected the rays of the
sun dazzlingly.
Sasahara Shuzaburo slipped his lance ("The Silver Serpent") into his
hands, stood on guard and declaimed in a commanding manner:
—Hey, Kutsuki Gannosuke, murderer of my cousin Gonpachiro! Get
ready!
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Then Gannosuke, leaving a distance of about a foot from the head of

Shuzaburo's spear, took up his stance with his sword pointed at his rival's
eyes and, staring at Shuzaburo's pupils above the tip of his, said in a low,
guttural voice:
—Shuzaburo, you are a coward.
—What?!
—You have guns ready, huh?
—Oh, — Shuzaburo had already told Saegusa that his preparations were
too obvious, so he was indignant, and just as he turned his head to look
back and disapprove, Gannosuke kicked against the ground to gain
momentum and jumped, the wind picking up his pass grazing the tip of his
opponent's nose.
If it had been someone else, he would certainly have sliced off his nose
without a problem. Even Shuzaburo himself had narrowly escaped, taking
a step backwards.
But Shuzaburo regained his position in an instant. He quickly projected the
spear in his hands into his opponent's chest, like a bolt of lightning. But
that death thrust only mowed through the air. Gannosuke's body was
suddenly gone.
He had adopted his toad-like posture: with his right knee raised, his left
knee stretched back, his upper body bent and sunk about half a meter off
the ground. The sword resting on his left shoulder pointed at Shuzaburo's
legs and glowed with demand for blood.
For a time, both swordsmen glared at one another in their strange postures,
not saying a word or moving a single muscle. Minutes passed that even
caused the spectators to hold their breath and a tension that caused their
entire bodies to seize up.
Shuzaburo lowered the tip of the spear slowly, almost imperceptibly, just
when it seemed that the straight line extending downward passed through
Gannosuke's neck, both swordsmen began to move at once.
Their attacking cries pierced the atmosphere of the place intensely and
unsettled the spectators, but when they returned to their positions, it
seemed that their postures had been slightly altered.
Gannosuke, unlike before, now had his right knee straight back and his left
knee raised, and was crouching low, but had both his right arm and his
blade straight. Shuzaburo grabbed the spear he had projected in his hands
again and held it upright. The two remained in those positions for several
seconds.
Then Gannosuke lowered his left knee and collapsed forward: before he

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picked it up again, Shuzaburo's spear had penetrated deeply from

Gannosuke's right shoulder to his spine.
As soon as he saw it, Shuzaburo staggered violently and brought his hand
to his right knee. Gannosuke's blade had cut sideways into his right leg,
pierced the imported iron shin guard, and sliced through to the bone.
Leaning on his upright spear, Shuzaburo watched Gannosuke's recumbent
body closely.
Everyone had assumed that the fight was over, but when the referee
Watanabe Kenmotsu was about to announce it, Gannosuke raised his head
and then slowly crawled forward.
It seemed that, because of the deep wound he had suffered, he could no
longer make out Shuzaburo's figure, as he drifted far to his left. He
crawled slowly and heavily, like a gigantic, injured toad, and arrived near
the place where the families of the vassals of the fief were witnessing the
fighting.
He made a monstrous grunt and arched his upper body, and at once there
was a shriek from the group of attendants.
Just as the knife thrown by Gannosuke stuck in the chest of Chika, who sat
among the spectators, the silver snake thrown by Shuzaburo penetrated
Gannosuke's back.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

AIUTSU SHISHI HANTEKI

(«Simultaneous charge of the twin lions»)

The sun that illuminated the southern courtyard of the interior of Sunpu
Castle had already reached its highest point. In the blue, clear autumn sky
not a single cloud was visible, and a refreshing atmosphere extended far
and wide from the summit of Mount Fuji to Miho no Matsubara.
A disastrous and macabre halo covered the courtyard of the castle,
however: in the four duels to the death that had taken place so far, not only
had four swordsmen shed their blood and collapsed on the sand, but two
women had committed suicide by stabbing themselves on the other side of
the curtains, and a woman who was in the audience had been stabbed in
the chest with a dagger and had also lost her life as well.
Some speople who could no longer bear what they were seeing and quietly
left their seats and went away. There were also whispers asking for the
suspension of the tournament.
On the other hand, Tadanaga, the lord of the castle, sat on the mat in the
main stand, his pale face totally indifferent, like a being that never gets
tired of seeing blood and suffering, and the only thing their eyes expressed
from time to time was the outline of something resembling a dismissive
smile.
Hirose Kyohei, the swordsman's announcer, shouted the names of the
participants on the fifth duel of the day.
—On the east side, Tsuruoka Junnosuke Yoshikatsu.
For a few moments, he looked silently at the curtain on the eastern side,
but for some reason the swordsman who should have appeared after being
announced did not show. Hirose called out to him again, raising his voice
even higher, but again there was no one to pull back the curtain to enter the
fighting enclosure.
Strangely, he chose to turn to the west side for the moment to announce the
other participant:
—The swordsman from the west side, Fukada Gonoshin Masaaki.
But, oddly enough, he didn't get an answer to his call that time either. He
thought perhaps they might suddenly appear from somewhere unexpected,
as Kutsuki Gannosuke had done in the previous match, so he looked
around for a while, but there was no sign of that either.
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The officers in charge of assisting Inspector Watanabe Kenmotsu

whispered to one another in disarray and came and went through the
curtains on the east and west sides in search of the two swordsmen, but
there was no sign of them there.
Voices of confusion and surprise swept through the room like the wind
carrying away the leaves of a tree. Both samurai were waiting ardently for
this fight to die. At this point, there was no reason to flee and hide. And yet
it was hard to believe that some unexpected event had happened to both of
them at the same time.
Since the morning duels would conclude with this fifth confrontation, the
swordsmen of the sixth combat, which was planned for the afternoon, were
not yet in the castle. What could be done to fill this gap that had suddenly
opened up?
As he cast a furtive glance and saw his lord's countenance grow frowned
upon and begin to convulse with nervous spasms, the advisor Saegusa
Izunokami, who carried the staff that day, started panicking.
—But what happened? Neither Tsuruoka nor Fukada appeared?
—That's... that's... right now we're looking for them everywhere inside the
castle...
—Imbecile! Send someone to look for them in their quarters, you fool!
—Yes.
Several people ran to the mansions of the inspectors Matsudaira Inaba and
Kinuta Hizen, where both swordsmen had been in custody for a few days.
At that time, however, the sentries standing guard near the main entrance
to the castle began to shout unusually, and there was an uproar and
vilification.
—What is that?
—What is it?
They looked at each other and questioned each other, but they could see at
once that what was rushing towards the castle walls were the figures of
two men. Both were wielding drawn swords, and as they ran they attacked
and cursed each other. The bare blades of their blades caught the sunlight
and a glow ran through them like white fish jumping into a river.
—Oh! That's Tsuruoka!
—And the one chasing him is Fukada!
—How reckless! You see, selfishly starting a personal fight just before the
duel begins...
—Fukada, stop it!
—Tsuruoka, put the sword away!
The group of people who were running towards them shouted at them, but
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when they got close enough to the two swordsmen, they could not
suppress a few cries of astonishment. Both Tsuruoka and Fukada had
already received injuries to their bodies, and as a result their formal
clothing, which appeared to have been prepared for the duel, was in a
pitiful state, covered in blood.
Fukada Gonoshin's eyes were so wide that they seemed to be breaking out
of their sockets and glowing with murderous, rampant hostility, he
shouted:
—Hey, don't come any closer! Anyone who dares to get in the way will be
killed!
If someone were to approach that imposing sword he was wielding, he
would no doubt cut it in two on the spot without contemplation. The
samurai, who knew the sharp point of Gonoshin's blade well, soon took
five or six steps backwards.
For his part, Tsuruoka Junnosuke still seemed to retain some sense. He
kept his eyes fixed on his opponent and did not let his guard down for a
second.
—Fukada, sheathe the sword for the moment, and we will continue to fight
as long as we wish before our lord, — he shouted, but Gonoshin's ears
were no longer able to hear him.
—Coward! Are you trying to run away, Junnosuke? You piece of shit!
Junnosuke was able to avoid the dangerous blow Gonoshin threw at him,
and ran.
Surrounded at distance by the confused and tense vassals of the fief and
tangled with one another, Tsuruoka and Fukada finally made their way to
the combat grounds... or rather, it seemed as if Tsuruoka had led Fukada
there.
The hundreds of people within the compound wondered anxiously what
the commotion outside was all about, and when they saw the two men
burst into the compound, embroiled in blood, they were stunned and
breathless with surprise.
At the sight of them, Inspector Watanabe Kenmotsu rose from his stool
and shouted:
—Have you lost your minds? Your master is here!
But when he saw the look, the posture, and the vehemence of both of
them, he bit his lips and mumbled: "This cannot be".
For Fukada Gonoshin there was no longer his feudal lord or the hundreds
of spectators, he saw only Tsuruoka Junnosuke.
The edge of his blade was thirsty for the blood of his rival and he shook
himself spasmodically with a dreadful murderous aura. Tsuruoka
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Junnosuke, at this point, could no longer sheathe the blade either. He was
prepared because he was aware that the instant he returned the blade to its
sheath, he would receive the thrust from his rival.
"There's no choice," — decided Watanabe Kenmotsu. There was no other
solution but to throw himself between those two blades, even at the risk of
being cut. Yet, just as Kenmotsu was preparing to make his way between
the swords of those two swordsmen imbued with a morbid dementia, from
the top of the stage, advisor Saegusa Izunokami raised his voice:
—Kenmotsu, do not bother, allow them to continue their fight.
Leaving aside the later judgement on whether it was right or not to break
the rules, in this case there was no other option, so the decision Saegusa
made for this case, with the wisdom of the years, was the right one.

II

If both Fukada and Tsuruoka had arranged for the duel they so longed for
in the tournament, what was the thing that led them to cross their swords
just before and wound each other?
At first, the two were childhood friends. Yet did it not seem that the only
thing between them now was the boundless hatred and fury that was built
into their blades by the flare of their flames?
If you were to ask a Buddhist monk, he would clear his throat and answer
that it was the karma of previous lives, while a Confucianist would close
his eyes for a few moments and explain that it was divine providence.
But we ordinary people have no choice but to breathe a sigh and conclude
that it was just a bunch of random, trivial events that had been building up,
and that the straw that broke the camel's back gave rise to such a strange
result.
The first incident that occurred between the two went back five years. It
happened in the fall when they were both seventeen years old. One day, a
trial sword cutting practice was held at the dojo of Hyuga Hanbee
Masahisa, the Itto style instructor of the fief. In the afternoon, some kids
who had not been able to participate in the test surrounded the cutting
platform that had been left in the garden and commented:
—At first glance it doesn't look like much, but it must be very difficult,
right?
—Of course, if even Yoshiki has failed.
—And us, how much would we be able to cut? — commented one half
jokingly and Gonoshin, who was present, jumped in without hesitation:
—How? I'm sure I can cut it all off.
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He drew his katana as if nothing had happened and headed for the
platform. Above it were two bundles of straw tied together, about one
meter long and about six inches in diameter, wrapped around a green
bamboo core.
After sprinkling the blade with water from a small bucket on the side,
Gonoshin stood in a pose with his legs spread and raised his sword above
his head.
—Eeh!
—Oh!
They all shouted in unison and backed away.
The katana had gone through the straw, but when it touched the green
bamboo it made a loud sound, and the blade broke in half and went out to
the left.
—I've... That katana is useless...
Gonoshin withdrew in shame.
—Well, let me try, — said Junnosuke and headed off to take his place on
the platform.
He leaned his body back, raised his sword above his head, gave a shout,
and when it seemed that his knees were separating, he split the bundle of
straw and the green bamboo core in two.
—That's how you do a cut with your sword, — proclaimed a smiling
Junnosuke.
This does not mean that there was that much difference between the skills
of Gonoshin and Junnosuke. It simply happened that Gonoshin's sword
was more fragile, due to the large wavy marks left on the blade during the
steel tempering process.
Compared to the first ancient swords for martial arts produced before the
Eiroku (1558-1570) and Tensho (1573-1592) eras, from the end of the
Keicho (1596-1615) era many of the katanas were tempered in such a way
that magnificent and deep patterns were produced on the blade, and it was
not until years later (thanks to the essays of Matsumura Hideki, who
pointed it out bitingly in his "Questions about Swords", and later
Suishinshi Masahide, who reiterated it in "On the Functionality of
Swords") that it became known that precisely because of this they were
more fragile and more easily broken.
The boys who witnessed it were also aware of the fact that the sword was
broken was not the fault of the swordsman. As one might expect, however,
all praise focused on Junnosuke, who had managed to break the bundle in
half, rather than on Gonoshin who had broken the blade.

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Normally, Gonoshin would not have given the matter any further
consideration. But Junnosuke's comment ("This is how you do a cut with
your sword") had sunk deep into his soul.
"Damn it! How dare he say that to me? He's rude!"
Perhaps it caught him in a bad mood, but coming from a friend who knew
that he usually dismissed the senseless comments of his close friends,
those aggressive words remained stuck in the depths of his heart like a
poisoned thorn impossible to banish.
From that day on, Gonoshin's attitude toward Junnosuke changed, and he
began to speak to him in a strange manner full of innuendo. His
interactions were cold, with harmless exchanges of words charged with a
threatening tone that surprised his "opponent".
"Gonoshin is a little strange..."
Junnosuke noticed and intentionally softened his words as he spoke to
him, but he hit a stiff answer head-on, he tilted his head a couple of times
in confusion as he thought: "What a strange guy. Well, I'll let him do
whatever he wants!"
At first it was a psychological conflict limited only to the two of them, but
soon their companions realized, too, and they began to suspect that things
were going badly between them. It was then that Gonoshin began to
openly show his hostility in front of everyone.
In the spring when they were both eighteen years old, a ceremony was
held in honor of all those who had reached maturity that year, and in the
duel that took place Gonoshin beat Junnosuke insistently on the shoulders.
In those days, training duels were fought with wooden swords and without
a mask or protective gloves. Since hitting an opponent hard could cause
serious injury, it was customary to stop the blade just before it touched the
opponent's skin. Of course, in duels between beginners there were many
who would vehemently beat their opponent and cause him injuries, either
from their excess strength or from their opponent's weakness.
Now, Gonoshin and Junnosuke were equal in ability and, even when
young, both were considered "the tiger" and "the dragon", the best
disciples of Hyuga Hanbee. Everyone understood that those blows had not
been made by mistake, but that it was done with a clear intent. Obviously,
Junnosuke could not complain after being beaten, but his indignation
showed on his face.
People commented that the difference between their personalities caused
friction between them, and because of the combative spirit of two rivals
competing to demonstrate their skill in the same dojo. This was an
explanation that for the moment left everyone satisfied. It seemed that the
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difference in character between Gonoshin — active and emotionally

passionate — and Junnosuke — quiet and discreet, which during his
childhood was not an insurmountable obstacle for the continuation of their
friendship, now made them constantly oppose each other.
Moreover, they were competing in the same dojo with roughly the same
skills. More than the daily conflicts that caused disagreement between the
two, people noticed the fierce, youthful nature of the interest and
motivation they perceived in their fearsome silhouettes as they devoted
themselves body and soul to intense training, always aware of each other.

III

The second fortuitous event that made the disagreement between the two
more decisive, and that engraved in Gonoshin's soul a lifelong enmity
impossible to erase, came when they were both in their twenties.
That year Gonoshin, after the death of his father, succeeded him as head of
the Fukada family, and his paternal uncle Fukada Judayu told him:
—Gonoshin, now that you are the head of the family you have to find a
wife soon, eh?
—Uncle, in fact I already chose a girl who will be my wife, — Gonoshin
replied clearly, looking into his eyes.
—Ha, ha, ha, you have left me speechless. You've dropped it as if you
were already expecting this question. Well, let's see — who is this girl?
—Miss Kazu, Yamaoka Ichitaro's daughter.
—What? The one who lives right next door? That Yamaoka? Ha, ha, ha!
You've got it pretty close! Ah, in that case I know the girl too. She's a good
girl, and Yamaoka's a great man, too. Well, I'll take care of it, I'm sure I can
do the deed for you.
The helpful Judayu was supposed to take care of everything, but three days
later he returned to Gonoshin's house looking serious.
—Gonoshin, the thing with Yamaoka's daughter was impossible. Forget
about her.
—What? What do you mean, impossible?
—That's right. She's engaged to a previous suitor, who came only four or
five days earlier. It's a pity, but there's nothing to be done. There are many
more girls to choose from, forget about her.
Obviously, this was not a girl he was deeply in love with, but he simply
liked her. When his uncle told him to find himself a wife, her name came
to his lips at that moment, simply because he did not know another option.
Gonoshin was determined to withdraw his proposal, but when he heard a
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comment that escaped Judayu in passing, his face suddenly changed in

color.
—You say it was Tsuruoka Junnosuke, that previous suitor? Uncle, I can't
give up. I'm determined to make Kazu my wife no matter what. Please talk
to them again.
—Ho, ho, ho! I see you've been hit hard. I hear they haven't done the
engagement gift exchange with that Tsuruoka yet... Shall I try again?
Despite several negotiations, the desired result was not finally achieved.
When Gonoshin learned that Kazu had exchanged the engagement gifts
with Junnosuke, his entire body burned and his eyes caught fire.
—That damn Junnosuke is always bothering me, — he mumbled and
gritted his teeth.
It seemed inconceivable to him that both would have selected the same
woman as an object of desire by chance. His thinking became so twisted
that he was convinced that despite the fact that he had hidden his feelings
for her from the beginning, Junnosuke realized that Gonoshin was in love
with Kazu and decided to steal her from him.
However, to save face and pretend that the fact that Kazu married
Junnosuke did not affect him in the least, Gonoshin wasted no time in
marrying another girl. But as expected, things did not go well with a wife
he married out of stubbornness. As soon as they were married, Gonoshin
got a taste for sake in the tea houses, and he frequented the restaurants in
the red-light district and Nishikoji.
At a restaurant called Shimizu he met Chiyo. She said she was going to
turn sixteen. She was a sweet and refined young woman which was strange
to see working in a restaurant as the owner's adopted daughter. Gonoshin,
under the influence of alcohol, tried to seduce her. When he was rejected,
he frequented the place and proposed to her more and more insistently.
On Children's Day, May 5, driven by the extra impetus provided by the
sake served at the castle, Gonoshin appeared at the Shimizu with a group
of bad company. Helped in part by the half-joking incitements of his
friends, it was said that he would bring Chiyo to her senses that day, but
the girl fled in disgust and Gonoshin chased her into a corner of a corridor.
—Mr. Fukada, it won't happen. Please, leave me alone, — said the girl in a
tearful voice, her body shaking with the tremors. The sadness that
overflowed from her big black eyes only managed to add fuel to the fire of
his lust.
—Chiyo, I will never stop insisting, listen to what I am going to tell you,
eh? You will not regret it... Hey! Why don't you come to your senses?

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He took her by the shoulders and pulled her close to his chest, but just then
the sliding door to the room at the end of the hall opened and Junnosuke
appeared, who approached them slowly and quietly.
—Fukada, let her go.
—What?!
Gonoshin looked at him angrily, but Junnosuke whispered in his ear:
—Stop it. Lord Kinuta is in that room.
Seeing that it was Junnosuke who was trying to dissuade him, just as he
had just laid hands on the girl, and hearing that inspector Kinuta was right
in the front room, Gonoshin felt embarrassed and released Chiyo, as
expected.
—Bah, there is nothing interesting here, let's go somewhere else. Come, all
of you, — said grumpy Gonoshin to his friends.
Once they had left, Chiyo thanked Junnosuke, blinking sadly with her
sweet eyes.
—Mr. Tsuruoka, I am so sorry. I am most grateful to you for what you've
done. — she bowed her head.
It was a lie that Inspector Kinuta was in that room, of course.
About a month after that, one of Gonoshin's bad friends approached him
with a mocking smile and commented:
—Fukada, Tsuruoka has played you. Apparently this guy has got hold of
Chiyo.
—How?
—I saw them, I assure you, with my own eyes. Yesterday, in the reserved
room of the Shimizu, Chiyo was hugging him on her lap, and they were
squeezing and playing. Ha, ha, ha. I saw them!
In reality, Chiyo was simply sitting next to Junnosuke pouring him sake,
but that is how that friend described it to Gonoshin.
"Shit! He can't get enough of Kazu from me, he steals Chiyo from me too,
who knows I'm in love with."
The resentment born within his youthful soul became even more pungent
when a woman was involved, and it became an even harder tangle to undo.
The visceral hatred Gonoshin felt for Junnosuke became much stronger,
mixed with bitter experiences, and burned brightly.

IV

In the spring of the fifth year of the Kan'ei era (1628), a burly man of
impressive physique and with sword wound marks on his bearded face
appeared in the castle town of Sunpu. From his appearance, he gave the
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impression of being a survivor of the battlefield just by looking at him, so

he probably must have been in his forties. He carried with him a letter of
introduction written by a certain person from the Kyushu area and
addressed to Torii Naritsugu, daimyo of Tosa and member of the council of
elders, expressing his desire to enter service in the fief as a samurai.
Thirteen years had already passed since the fall of Osaka Castle. The bases
of the Tokugawa shogunate were being consolidated and it seemed
unlikely that there would be any great battles in the near future. Therefore,
each clan had more than enough of the warriors they already possessed, so,
also for financial reasons, they refrained as much as possible from hiring
new personnel.
Rumor had it, however, that the lord of Sunpu Castle, Tokugawa Tadanaga,
hired them on the spot, if they were skilled warriors, and offered them
good compensation according to their abilities. Thus there were ronin from
all over the place who used all sorts of influences and came to offer their
services as samurai, and in fact they still hired many of them.
And as such news reached Edo, the shogunate's suspicions of Tadanaga
grew. In a room of the shogun's council of elders' residence in Chiyoda
Castle, Edo, the following words began to be whispered in secret: "Lord
Tadanaga's betrayal".
But in any case, whenever Tadanaga had one of these candidates to serve
him, he would have them fight in his presence against the best samurai of
the fief, and on the basis of that duel he would decide whether to accept or
reject them. This warrior named Iio Jubee, who had come through Torii,
was also ordered to fight in the garden inside the castle overlooking the
banquet hall and the result was spectacular.
He defeated Aiki Kyuzo, master of the Gan style, and showed good results
when facing Izubuchi Heijiro, the expert of the Shinkage style. In addition,
the instructors Sasahara Shuzaburo and Hyuga Hanbee, who were in
charge of the refereeing, stated that in a real combat Iio's sword would
show a much greater lethal capacity than a duel with wooden swords could
demonstrate.
—Bravo! You have an admirable skill. You're hired! You said you were a
ronin who had served Chosokabe Morichika, right? — Tadanaga asked.
Iio Jubee, kneeling before him, immediately lowered his head and
responded, showing no trace of shyness:
—That's right, my lord. In the Osaka campaign I followed Morichika's
orders and fought on the opposite side against the shogun's clan.
—Ha ha ha! You're an honest guy. Don't worry, being torn between friend
and foe is the norm for today' warrior.
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As he stood up after thanking him, Iio Jubee dropped something shiny off
his chest on the garden floor.
—Oh!
Iio Jubee's face instantly turned pale and tense, and that of instructor
Sasahara Shuzaburo, who was watching him from the top of the outer
corridor, turned red as he shouted at him:
—Iio Jubee, wait! — Sasahara faced Iio, who was trying to run away after
quickly picking up the object that fell on the floor and hid it on his chest
again, and continued with more insults: "I have noticed that you are a
follower of Christianity, which is forbidden22! I am sure that what you
have hidden in your chest is a crucifix!"
Iio stopped in his tracks and turned. His face oozed a scornful smile of
despair. Then, from among the samurai present in the large room, an old
warrior named Ono Matazaemon moved one knee forward and said:
—From the beginning I've been thinking about where I've seen that face
before, and there's no longer any doubt in my mind. lio Jubee is a false
name. In fact, I saw him serving Akashi Takenori as Iimura Kuroemon.
Come on, Iimura, recognize your own name!
Ono Matazaemon was a man who had once served Mizuno Katsunari and
during the campaigns in Osaka had often faced the troops of Akashi
Takenori.
—Heh heh! You have discovered me. Then there is nothing to be done.
Indeed, I am Iimura Kuroemon Masayasu.
A broad smile formed on his bearded face, and in the glow of his piercing
eyes burned an insolent expression of despair that seemed to say, "Do with
me as you will".
Several generals under Akashi Takenori, the famous Christian daimyo, also
believed, roughly speaking, in this heretical doctrine. The reason Takenori
entered Osaka Castle was because Hideyori had secretly promised him
that, in the event of victory, he would be granted the freedom to profess the
Christian faith. The troops under Takenori's command fought bravely, with
the cross hanging around their necks, but were annihilated. Only Takenori
and a few others managed to flee and their trail was lost. Iimura Kuroemon
was one of them.
—The mere fact that he is a believer in the forbidden Christian faith is
already an insult, but he has also lied about his identity. Kill that insolent

22The Tokugawa shogunate banned Christianity and persecuted missionaries and converts. After
the expulsion of the missionaries, many Japanese who had converted to Christianity continued to
practice their faith in secret, even though they were in danger of being tortured or executed.
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man who has mocked our Lord! — cried the adviser Saegusa after reading
the expression on Tadanaga's face.
Iimura looked at the officers and warriors who surrounded him on all four
sides with their swords drawn, and although he too had already drawn his,
he said:
—Even if he falls from grace, there is a part of the samurai that cannot be
easily destroyed. However, let me say one thing: advisor, I want to make it
clear that the person who recommended me, lord Torii, was not aware of
my situation. Come on, you can attack me without any qualms.
One rushed at once to attack him recklessly, but Iimura pierced him with a
single sword strike and managed to break out of the encirclement in which
he had been placed. He returned to his guard and eliminated the next
attacker, and continued to kill anyone who approached him.
Once he had knocked down three opponents with such ease, those around
him tightened their muscles, their limbs stiffened, and no one tried to
attack him so thoughtlessly anymore.
—Fukada Gonoshin, get him! — ordered instructor Hyuga Hanbee,
turning his face back. Gonoshin stood at the end of the corridor. Surprised,
he tied the ribbon behind him to hold on to the sleeves of his kimono and
went down to the garden at once.
On the one hand, there was a man who, although healthy and robust, was
already approaching fifty. Moreover, he had exhausted his strength in two
previous bouts and although he had already knocked down three
opponents, he was, after all, stuck in a predicament with no possibility of
escaping. On the other hand, there was a young, energetic swordsman
known as "the dragon", a disciple of Hyuga. It seemed obvious who would
win the duel.
However, as one would expect from someone as seasoned on the
battlefield as Iimura Kuroemon, his fearsome fighting spirit was so deeply
rooted that he persisted to the end. He skillfully stopped Gonoshin's sharp
blade, repelled it violently, and counterattacked. In short, he did not give
up easily.
Gonoshin's breathing was increasingly violent. Iimura's chest was exposed
and his oscillating muscles were glowing with sweat.
The bloody struggle had gone on for nearly half an hour and attendants,
sitting in a row, were absorbed and focused all their attention on following
the blades of the swords that glowed in the air. But as Tadanaga's face
grew darker and darker as the fighting dragged on, Saegusa gave a new
order.
—It's over, surround him and kill him!
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Seeing that limura had already reached the limit of his strength, two
samurai rushed over and attacked him from the left and right, but limura
cut off one of samurai's right arm and the other was cut deeply into the left
shoulder.
Just then, a young samurai arrived at a brisk pace from the row of samurai
houses of the western district, approached Iimura from behind and just as
he was behind him he roared at him:
—You criminal!
Iimura turned and instantly his huge body staggered, he took a step
forward and fell heavily to the ground.
With a single katana strike (drawing and attacking in the same motion) the
samurai had cut him from his right shoulder to the base of his stomach.
The attacker, Tsuruoka Junnosuke, gave Iimura a final thrust to finish it
off, wiped the bloody katana clean and returned it to its scabbard. He
turned to Tadanaga, knelt, and bowed.

Gonoshin found reason to take offense at each of Junnosuke's actions, and

he could no longer bear it.
Junnosuke had simply overheard that there was a troublemaker making a
fuss in the garden of the banquet hall and headed there. But from
Gonoshin's point of view, that damned Junnosuke had robbed him of all
merit after he had been facing his rival for a half hour waiting for his
energy to run out, and he could not contain his anger at him.
"I'm going to kill that guy", Gonoshin thought. He opposed Junnosuke in
everything and showed obvious hostility.
Junnosuke noticed this and tried to play it down, but this made Gonoshin
even more angry.
The antagonism between them was so evident and intense that Master
Hyuga Hanbee forbade the two to confront one another in the dojo.
Despite their totally opposite personalities, both mastered the secret
technique of Itto known as Shishi Hanteki ("The Lion's Counter"). It
consisted of starting with the long sword raised over the head and held
backwards, as if it was lying on the samurai's back, and, just at the moment
when the enemy's sword descends, throwing oneself like a bolt of
lightning towards the opponent's chest. What decided the result of the duel
above all was to possess immovable courage and strength to act with
agility.
Once there came a moment when the clash between the two seemed
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impossible to avoid. The trigger for this bloody confrontation was the 5th
of April in the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629), the last day of the great
festival of the Sengen shrine. This festival was known as "the festival of
flowers" and, as it was the biggest event in the castle town, it was
celebrated with great pomp and crowds of people under the cherry trees
that had just sprouted new leaves. After five straight days of festivities, on
that last day people were already beginning to show some signs of fatigue
but, on the other hand, they also felt sorry that this was the last day of the
festival, so both young and old went to meet in the huge shrine at the foot
of Mount Shizuhata.
Fukada Gonoshin, who was walking through the crowd accompanied by a
few of his companions, suddenly stopped short,
—Fukada, what's going on? — surprised at Gonoshin's pose — he was
gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with a fierce look — a companion at
his side grabbed his arm instinctively.
—Get out of the way! — Gonoshin yelled at him.
His companions, looking straight ahead, were speechless and surprised.
Thirteen or fourteen yards to the right, in the shadow of an old cherry tree,
they discovered the figure of Tsuruoka Junnosuke. If that were all it was,
there would be nothing to be surprised about, but Junnosuke had his hand
on the shoulder of a young woman, looking like a married one, and it
seemed to be moving toward her chest.
That woman was Kato, Gonoshin's wife. Gonoshin ran up to them and
shouted:
—Adulterers! It's unforgivable!
At the sound of his cries, both raised their heads and parted with each
other in surprise.
—Gonoshin, please, you misunderstand.
—It's not what it seems, I assure you. One of the chariots pushed me and I
nearly fell, but Mr. Tsuruoka helped me.
Junnosuke and Kato justified themselves vehemently, but Gonoshin was
deaf to their explanations.
—Hey, Junnosuke! Excuses will not help you. En garde!
—Are you out of your mind, Gonoshin? Don't do anything you'll regret!
—Draw, you coward! Draw!
—Fukada, what are you doing? — His comrades interceded, after running
up to him.
—Please fix this up. Fukada, you'll be a laughingstock. Consider where
you are, this is a shrine compound!
A shrine! Gonoshin had his teeth grinded but could hardly control himself.
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—Okay, I'll let it go this time, but, Junnosuke, if you don't want to be
considered a coward, then deal with me later under normal conditions.
—Stupid! They're nothing but absurd and false accusations. I don't
remember causing you any disgrace.
—Huh! Are you afraid of my sword? Or are you so attached to life?
Coward! — Gonoshin concluded, spitting on his rival.
Junnosuke was able to dodge the spit that was thrown upon him, but an
irrepressible rage suddenly appeared on his face.
—You're rude! All right. Whatever the circumstances, it's unforgivable to
face a samurai and spit on him. We'll meet in a duel another day!
—Oh! Don't forget those words.
Thanks to the help of his companions, he moved Kato to his parents' home,
but the next day an official letter of challenge arrived for Junnosuke from
Gonoshin.
However, through the mouths of the comrades who were present at the site
of the conflict, the incident came to the attention of the vassal officers and
they immediately sent them both a notice: "Dueling for personal reasons is
strictly forbidden".
Gonoshin again strongly insisted, arguing that his wish as a warrior was to
be granted permission to duel. Junnosuke also stated that, at this point, the
only solution was to resolve the situation with sword in hand.
If they were forbidden to fight, they were capable of leaving the clan and
becoming ronin to decide their duel themselves.
—They both possess skills too valuable to be left to die just like that, but if
we allow them both to become ronin, the fiefdom will lose them. Instead,
let them face each other. Isn't it better that only one of them remains after
the duel?
That was the opinion that eventually prevailed. And these were the
circumstances that led to this duel being included in the tournament of
duels to the death before the feudal lord.

VI

The last fortuitous event occurred on the very day of the duel. Both were
delayed from the agreed time of the duel. To prevent both of them from
seeing each other's faces and drawing their swords before the match, they
were placed under house arrest at the residences of inspectors Matsudaira
Inaba and Kinuta Hizen, respectively. On the day in question, Junnosuke
was already prepared and waiting for the time to leave in a room, sitting on
the tatami.
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"You have to see the twists and turns of life. I'm going to go up against a
guy I used to spend time with every day since we were kids."
Memories of his nearly twenty years of relationship with Gonoshin were
spinning in his mind like those spinning lamps on which silhouettes are
projected, but suddenly the cause of the first quarrel between the two came
to his mind: what happened on the day of the trial cuts with the swords.
"If his sword had not broken that day, it probably would not have come to
this", he thought and immediately doubts began to creep about his own
katana. Although he considered it good enough, it could not be said to be
the best of all swords in terms of prestige, and it could not be said that it
would surely not break.
He went to the room of the administrator Kajio Jinsuke and asked him, if
he had a good sword, to lend it to him for a public duel. He already knew
that Kajio was an expert at judging all manner of blades and had in his
possession quite a few katana that were engraved with the names of the
artisans who forged them.
Obviously, Kajio had nothing for or against Fukada or Tsuruoka, but since
Junnosuke had been living in the same residence for several months, he
had naturally become familiar with him, so he willingly agreed and gave
his prized katana.
As is often the case with the elderly, Kajio's conversation was long and
redundant. Junnosuke was losing his patience, but since he was going to
lend a sword, he held on and listened to the speech about their strengths.
Finally, he borrowed one that suited his needs and hurried out of
Matsudaira Inaba's residence to head for the castle.
As he reached the moat near the main entrance to the castle, he heard the
rumble of drums. No doubt they were announcing the beginning of the
fifth duel, in which he was to take part.
—Damn it! I am late.
He told himself that he could not lose his cool at that very moment and, in
the shadow of the pines in the moat, he tied the ribbon to hold up the
sleeves of his kimono, rolled up his hakama and tied a cloth ribbon tightly
around his forehead. He quickly prepared so that he would not be surprised
if he was attacked as soon as he entered the fighting grounds, and ran
under the shade of the trees toward the castle gate, but just then something
made him take a step back.
Unexpectedly, the opponent in question, Gonoshin, had shouted at him
from some ten yards behind, brandishing his blade unsheathed:
—Hey, you, Junnosuke! Let's get started!
Shortly before this, Gonoshin had left Kinuta Hizen's residence somewhat
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uneasy, thinking that he would be late, but as soon as he left someone

called him and stopped him.
—Excuse me, Mr. Fukada.
It was Kazu, Junnosuke's wife, leaning against the mud wall of the samurai
residences with a melancholy expression on her pale, thin face.
—Yes? — repressing his complex emotions, Gonoshin looked back at
Kazu, the woman he had once desired as his wife and who was now the
wife of his bitter enemy.
—Mr. Fukada, whatever happens, will you face today Junnosuke?
—You already know that!
—Mr. Fukada, Junnosuke and Kato adultery is nothing but false and
unfounded accusation. Neither Junnosuke nor Lady Kato would be capable
of such an immoral act, and yet they had not exchanged a single word until
that day. I have spoken to Mrs. Kato and asked her specifically.
With a desperate expression, Kazu pleaded with Gonoshin to do whatever
he could to stop the duel that had been caused by false suspicions. Her
feminine instinct told Kazu that the duel was useless and that she could not
stand idly by, but neither could she deny that she was also moved by a
certain fear that she harboured in the depths of her heart: although it was
said that her husband and Gonoshin were equal in ability, due to the daily
contact with her husband, she knew that he was in certain aspects a little
bit wimpy. Being so, would it not be impossible for her to oppose the
terrible fighting spirit of Gonoshin that she had heard about?
Gonoshin did not want to argue further and intended to run, but Kazu
grabbed him by the sleeve. Seeing her begging so passionately, Gonoshin
suddenly had some doubts.
—Junnosuke asked you to come, didn't he?
—No, you're wrong. I haven't seen Junnosuke since the day of the festival.
It was all my idea.
Despite receiving a refusal, Gonoshin became even more convinced that
Junnosuke had sent her with the intention of weakening his fighting spirit.
—Since we have come to this point, it would be foolish to cancel the duel,
— Gonoshin said conclusively over his shoulder. He disengaged himself
from Kazu's hand and ran.
Arriving near the main gate, he recognized Junnosuke later under the
shadow of the pines, tying his ribbon and rolling up his hakama.
"Aha, that wretch sent his wife to tell me those things so that I would let
my guard down, intending to lurk and attack me. Damn coward!"
He too prepared swiftly and, with his sword already drawn, made his way

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under the shadow of the pine forest, approached Junnosuke and shouted at
him:
—Hey, you, Junnosuke! Let's get started!
Junnosuke, who had assumed that Gonoshin would already be in the
battlefield, saw him approaching with his sword and thought, "This
coward has ambushed me," and his blood boiled with rage, but he said:
—Oh! Gonoshin? Shouldn't you save yourself for the duel before our lord?
—Same to you. Draw!
—Let's go to the dueling arena.
—What for? At this point that excuse is no longer valid. Draw! If you
don't, I'll cut you!
And with a sudden slash to the left shoulder, he made Junnosuke's garment
blood-soaked in the blink of an eye.
—You're stubborn, you wretch! I can't forgive you for this! — Junnosuke
also drew his blade and stood on guard.
They engaged in the fight and exchanged sword strikes and insults as they
caused each other injuries.
They advanced and passed through the main gate and were finally
surrounded by the crowd that came running in after hearing the confused
shouts of the sentries.
And so they came to where they were now, facing each other inside the
place where the duel was being held.
The audience there did not know what circumstances had led those two to
cross swords outside the assigned place for the duel or how long they had
been engaged in combat. So they were speechless and did not look away
from the edges of those blades, which seemed to hold such deep hatred.
For a few moments the combatants simply stared fiercely at one another,
perhaps intending to catch their breath as they waited for the opportunity
to attack, but it was Gonoshin who first raised his blade and raised it over
his head.
—Oh!
—It's Shishi Hanteki ("The Lion's Counter") stance!
By the time such whispers had spread among the onlookers, Junnosuke
had adopted the same stance as well, holding his blade high as if it was
resting on his back.
They moved very slowly.
Amidst the breathtaking tension, the space between them was shrinking
inch by inch.
—Uoooh!
From their mouths came in unison cries of attack similar to the growl of a
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wild animal, the two swords pointed over the rival's head and just when it
seemed they would strike with a devastating force, white sparks flew
through the air, a shrill clacking sound of brass was heard and both swords
snapped in half, and those pieces flew out, one to each side. They had
struck one another head-on.
—Oh! — exclaimed those present and began to move excitedly in their
seats.
Just then Junnosuke and Gonoshin smashed their bodies against each other
and began to struggle. Thus, their bodies were almost petrified with their
heads resting on each other's shoulders.
On the order of Watanabe Kenmotsu four samurai approached them from
behind and took Junnosuke and Gonoshin by the shoulders. As they were
separated, both fell heavily to the ground.
Both had the katana cleaved into half by their opponent's body, sunk to the
hilt.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

KAZAGURU MAJU JIUCHI

(«The crosscutting blow of the windmill»)
I

When rumors started that the condition of the retired shogun Hidetada
showed no improvement, a secret, completely confidential letter was
delivered to Date Masamune23 from Doi Toshikatsu, the chief
administrator of the palace kitchens.
The contents of the letter were of a special matter. It told him that in the
event that the great Hidetada shogun passed away, an agreement had
already been reached with the lords of the Owari and Kii fiefdoms, and
they had written oaths of support from such and such a supporter from
various clans both fudai and tozama, to support his third son Tadanaga, the
great advisor to Suruga, as a successor in place of the current head of the
family (Iemitsu), and thus also convey to Date the wish of the whole
country, et cetera.
After reading the letter, a fleeting flash of joy appeared in Masamune's
only eye, dancing like a goblin. It was a gleam of mischievous glee
reminiscent of the expression that always glowed on the face of young
Masamune more than fifty years ago, when he left Sendai and rampaged
away.
That flash disappeared instantly, however. Masamune regained his
customary sly, septuagenarian look, smiled wryly and told his son and
assistant war minister, Date Munekatsu, who stood at his side:
—The kitchen manager is playing his tricks...
Doi Toshikatsu — who at the time was said to be one of the most
influential officials along with Sakai Tadayo, the director of the ministry of
traditional music — he had been confined to his home for a month now,
allegedly due to a sudden illness. It was said that he was counting on the
disapproval of the retired shogun Hidetada, or that he had had a conflict
with the current shogun Iemitsu, but none of that was really clear.
What no one doubted, however, was that the illness was merely a pretext.
Under the circumstances, it was not unreasonable to think that Toshikatsu
could be in collusion with the great advisor from Suruga, who had

23 Outstanding daimyo, founder of the city of Sendai and known as "the one-eyed dragon" because
of his right eye.
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previously shown ambition to control the entire country in order to

overthrow the Iemitsu.
However...
—That Toshikatsu is up to something. Does he think I have done nothing
but eat and grow old in these seventy years? — Masamune laughed and
instantly announced to the war minister, — I'm going to visit the mansion
of the director of the ministry of traditional music.

—Honorable member of the council of elders, I was puzzled by this letter.

In reality, it has gone from bad to worse, — Masamune said to Tadayo
once inside the spacious hall of his mansion and handed him the secret
message.
Tadayo glanced at Masamune's face and took the letter. He read the
contents, bowed his head slightly, drew his lower lip out and held the letter
to his chest. His expression was like the one children get when they stick
out their tongues.
And so, without making a single mention of the secret letter, he began to
chat about other things unimportant and finally said in a goodbye to
Masamune:
—I'm very grateful to you for taking up the trouble.
Four hours after Masamune left, the daimyo Todo Takatora and Shimazu
Iehisa appeared, and then announced the visit of Muri Hidenari.
By the evening of the third day, the number of people who had come to
notify him of Toshikatsu's secret message was already thirteen. The last of
them was Kato Tadahiro, who presented himself with an extremely grim
face.
Each of the daimyo who had come to inform him had his own opinion on
the matter, and obviously after learning of it they were puzzled and had
much to say. However, Tadayo treated them all equally with the same
indifference and dismissed them with a simple greeting ("Thank you for
taking up the trouble"), without saying anything exceptional.
From the beginning, Tadayo disapproved of this "ruse" of Toshikatsu.
Tadanaga, the younger brother of Iemitsu, had enjoyed the favor of his
parents since childhood and tended to despise his older brother, a situation
that was witnessed by several daimyo throughout the country. And it is a
well-known fact that these daimyo began to regard Tadanaga as the person
who should be the successor to the shogun, and showed him greater
reverence than to his brother Iemitsu.
By a decision of Ieyasu, Iemitsu was appointed as the successor to the
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shogunate, but on the other hand Tadanaga was promoted to the position of
great advisor at the age of twenty and received the territories of Suruga,
Totomi, and Kai provinces. All of this placed Tadanaga in a position
overseeing the three branches of the Tokugawa clan. All those who passed
along the Tokaido Route24, because of the system of alternate residences of
the feudal lords in Edo, visited Tadanaga at Sunpu castle to pay their
respects and revered him as if he were a second shogun.
Tadanaga wanted to receive Osaka Castle, but he was not granted it. He
also aspired to take over a territory worth one million koku and was not
granted it either. So due to a pent-up rage and anger, he often exhibited
violent behavior and had an outrageous reputation. He had a particularly
good relationship with the tozama daimyos, hired many ronin, acquired all
the rifles and all the weapons he wanted...
In short, there was enough deeds to suspect a plan of rebellion.
To learn the true intentions of the daimyo, Doi Toshikatsu had proposed
sending a letter encouraging support for an insurrection masked as a last
resort. The goal was to be able to expose and at the same time root out the
evil while Hidetada was still alive, but
Sakai Tadayo did not have much hope that it would work. He felt that even
if someone had real motives for the insurrection, he would not show any
immediate reaction to a mere missive.
Finally he felt it would not hurt to try, so he approved of both Toshikatsu's
feigned illness and imprisonment, and the sending of the secret messages.
But when he saw that each and every one of the thirteen daimyo to whom
Toshikatsu had sent the letter came to deliver it, he could only smile
bitterly as he felt like saying, "Now you see? I told you..."
In any case, what was evident was that the daimyo feared the shogunate
with all their hearts, and depending on how long it took them to report that
they had received the letter, a small, subtle shadow could be discerned in
their minds.
Tadayo went to visit the reclusive Toshikatsu in secret to discuss the
matter.
—It is time for you to return to the castle. I am just very busy and cannot
handle everything, — he said before saying goodbye.
A few days later, however, Tadayo visited Toshikatsu again, this time with
a terribly serious countenance.
—I am astonished. I received this letter again today from Date, — he

24The most important of the five routes that crossed Japan during the Edo period connected the old imperial
capital (Kyoto) with the new capital and residence of the shogun (Edo).
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explained, and handed him a new letter of encouragement to participate in

the rebellion, the contents of which were identical to the secret, false
missive from Toshikatsu. But in addition, this letter was signed by Asakura
Nobumasa, Tadanaga's advisor and provincial governor of Chikugo. It had
no doubt been written at the behest of Tadanaga himself.
—But this... — Toshikatsu paled.
After thinking and discussing the matter, the two concluded that it was best
to wait and see how many of those who had received Tadanaga's letter
came to deliver it this time.
Compared to the previous time, the notifications were much slower and
came little by little: in an interval of about ten days the sixteen
notifications were reached.
Naturally, it was to be expected that there would be some discrepancy
between the recipients Toshikatsu sent his secret letter and the recipients
Tadanaga encouraged. There were nine who had received both letters and
reported on both; there were seven who received and reported on
Tadanaga's letter only; and there were four who despite previously
reporting on Toshikatsu's letter, this time had not delivered a letter.
—Kuroda, Kato, Horio, Kamo... only these four, though they reported the
letter the first time, have not come to say anything this time, — Tadayo
pointed out to Toshikatsu after showing him the sixteen letters.
—But we have no proof that the lord of Suruga sent these four a secret
letter, — Toshikatsu replied, even though he was as convinced as Tadayo
that these four should have received the letters.
—But even without counting them, there must be a few who received the
secret message from the lord of Suruga and said nothing.
—I'm sure there will be.
—We must find, by all means, an confirmation of receipt sent to lord of
Suruga.
—That's right.
The two of them stared into each other's eyes, with that obsessive,
somewhat fearful look that comes from people with a reputation as
strategists, and nodded to one another.

II

Tsugami Kuninosuke had just been hired to serve in the manor of Suruga
barely half a year ago.

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At the time he was a simple ronin who had stopped on the road to rest at
the dojo Funaki Ichidensai had founded in the city. As far as Ichidensai
could tell, Tsugami had considerable skill with the blade.
What he said, however, was that he knew a little about the Itto style,
although when he put it into practice when facing the disciples of the dojo,
it was clear that he did not know just "a little": it was clear that, despite his
youth, he had mastered the essence of the sword to perfection. Although he
only used the Itto style, he also showed complex and eccentric techniques,
but when asked about it again he replied very humbly that he had learned a
little on his own.
A few days after stopping at the dojo, Kuninosuke went to visit the Sengen
shrine with a couple of the dojo's disciples, but when they reached Anzai-
cho they were met by an impressive obstacle.
All of this came out known later, but it was a burly, angry samurai of the
clan named Tendo Kyuzaemon, who had suddenly lost his temper and
killed a fellow student and was now making a big fuss. With the fearsome
force of insanity, Tendo shook off those who tried to contain him and ran
outside like lightning. Because of the unusual speed at which he was
running, no one could catch up with him, and the people just shouted
insults at him as he ran back and forth at an unbelievable speed. He
attacked and knocked down two people who crossed his path before his
eyes, and then he ran on with his sword held high and his eyes lost in the
sky.
Seeing Tendo come running toward him, Kunisosuke immediately
understood that he was a lunatic. Despite the haste of his companions to
move aside, he calmly used the strap of his katana to tie his sleeves
together, rolled up his hakama, and stopped to wait under the eaves of a
nearby house.
As soon as he saw Tendo running past his eyes, Kuninosuke ran to his
side, leaving a distance of about ten centimeters from Tendo's left side. He
continued to run beside him for some time without being left a single step
behind (even though it is said that the speed a lunatic reaches when
running is twice that of a normal person). Finally, when he felt the time
was right, he hit his right elbow on Tendo's left side.
Tendo, who had no eyes for anything other than what appeared in front of
him, turned his head.
—Bastard! — he shouted in a shaky voice at the sight of Kuninosuke and,
as he ran, he tried to strike his opponent with a sword, but instead came
forward, as if his upper body had bent in half, and collapsed in a pool of
blood.
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Kuninosuke, in a single movement, had drawn and thrust his katana into
Tendo's left flank and driven it through to his spine, cutting his torso in
two.
After that, Kuninosuke was immediately summoned to the castle and hired
for one hundred and twenty koku to serve under guard captain Matsudaira
Shimanokami.

One morning, Tsugami Kuninosuke was in his quarters preparing to attend

the castle when he heard his young servant Kusuke attending to someone
in the hallway.
—I have come to bring you the guard for the katana you entrusted to me
the other day, — said an unknown voice.
Hearing this, Kuninosuke hurried out into the hall, for he did not
remember ordering such a thing.
He came upon a young, slim-looking man. He was dressed as someone
from the castle town, but there was no doubt that he had just arrived from
Edo. He put his thumb around the neck of the kimono and bowed down by
bending half his body, a sign that Kuninosuke immediately understood to
be an "urgent incognito messenger".
He accepted the small package and returned to his chambers. Once there
he took the sword guard out of the package, cut it in half with a knife, and
took out a piece of paper from inside. When he had finished reading it, he
burned it in the fire that was lit on the side, wrapped the black ashes
carefully in a paper napkin, and flushed it down the toilet.
He went to the castle with the same attitude as always, greeting everyone
with a smile, until he noticed that in the garden overlooking the great hall
there was a great commotion.
—Did something happen? — he asked a fellow student named Niida.
—Just a moment ago a suspicious fellow was caught hiding in the attic of
the audience hall.
—Oh!
He walked over and saw that surrounded by a crowd a man was lying on
the floor dressed in black with wounds on various parts of his body.
—I looked by chance and saw that this guy's foot was sticking out of the
ventilation space above the lintel, so I didn't think about it and pulled it
out, — explained a proud man named Kusumi for the umpteenth time,
who was a bit shaken.
Kuninosuke peered out to look at the bloody face of the man lying in the

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middle of the crowd. It was a completely unfamiliar face. It looked like he

had been attacked in a group and stabbed to death. Now he was dying.
"Poor devil... he's messed up. What fiefdom could he be from?",
Kuninosuke thought as he looked at him, and his expression suddenly
tensed. The reason was that the pitiful sighs the man exhaled had been
transformed into the breath of "ninja communication".
—Fu... fuu... uuh... uuh... — to any observer's ears, they simply seemed to
be the last sighs of someone in the twilight of his life, but in reality this
was the method of communication characteristic of the province of Iga,
where every sigh became a word. It was a device used to leave a final
message, addressed to some ally who might be in hiding somewhere.
—To lord Sakai... tell him it is Suganuma Ukyo, — Kuninosuke could
decipher. His lord would be another, but surely he was an Edo ninja as
well. Kuninosuke was preparing to convey the message: "All right, take it
easy", but just then someone cleared his throat among the samurai around
him:
—Ahem... huum.
It was just the same message Kuninosuke was going to convey. While
looking ahead, he put into practice the technique of "making the eyes
float", and soon discovered the man who had cleared his throat with his
eyes. In Koga they also called this method "gaze-free vigilance". The man
who had coughed up this signal was the personal secretary of the feudal
lord, Kojima Sozo.
"Him too?", Kuninosuke thought, somewhat surprised, and smirked, for he
already had his suspicions about the man.
Despite being the personal secretary, he was rumored to be very skilled,
and a few facts had come to his attention that testified to that. Kuninosuke
became suspicious simply because, despite his skill, he was serving as a
personal secretary. Also, as he watched him unnoticed, he already harbored
a vague suspicion that he might be a colleague, but the doubt was cleared
up unexpectedly. It was evident that he had not been sent by his master,
Toshikatsu.
"Could it be lord Sakai, or lord Nagai? Or could it be lord Morikawa?"
As he returned to the small room thinking obsessively about it, in the inner
courtyard near the guard room of the low-ranking samurai, he came face to
face with Kojima Sozo himself. At the time, Kuninosuke intended to pass
by as if nothing had happened but, as he passed him, Sozo whispered in
his ear:
—You've got the smell of a smoke. You're so careless! — surprised,
Kuninosuke felt a twinge in his chest. In his haste, after burning the
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writing he had come to the castle without changing his clothes, and Sozo's
keen sense of smell had caught the scent instantly.
—I hope you got rid of the ashes efficiently?
—Of course, — Kuninosuke quickly answered.
Sozo turned his head to look at him and added over his shoulder:
—Your eye surveillance... if you do not improve it, you will be found out
eventually, — he said this, started to walk quickly and disappeared.
It was an action which, to anyone's eyes, simply seemed as if the two had
crossed paths and exchanged a greeting and a couple of words.
"Who the hell is that guy? But, unfortunately, he's one step above me."
Kuninosuke returned to his post feeling that he had lost a point to his
opponent. Whoever had sent him, it was comforting that such a man had
come to Sunpu, and it also raised his enthusiasm and made him think that
they could not possibly be defeated.
And then there could be still others. And the matter was not necessarily
limited to those who had received orders from the shogunate, but there
would surely be spies sent by various daimyo as well. Moreover, to
counter them, there would most likely also be "hidden spies" from within
the Sunpu Castle itself who, pretending to know nothing, would be
probing people around them.
"I cannot afford the slightest oversight", Kuninosuke repeated to himself.
Niida entered with a look of stupefaction, but said to him with his usual
languidness:
—Tsugami, what a strange day today, huh? Someone else has just been
killed.
—What?
—The maid who usually accompanies Kiku... a woman named Ai or
something.
—Ai...?
—That's right, it seems her body was found on the banks of the Abe river.
With a clean cut in the body. Yesterday morning she was granted a leave of
absence, and left the castle not to return. Why would she have gone there?
The inspector, Ramon, put the spy's corpse aside and went away.
Kuninosuke knew the servant Ai by face. She was said to be one of the
most beautiful servants in the private rooms of the castle.
Perhaps it was jealousy? For the moment he opted for that motivation,
which was what everyone thought, but strangely enough he harbored a
doubt in one corner of his mind: he had a feeling that she had some
connection to the spy he had just seen.

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"What nonsense! It's just two events that happened on the same morning.
They have nothing to do with me."
But no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he couldn't calm down. It
seemed as if the painful thorn that Sozo had stuck in him had made his
young soul destabilize.
At nightfall he left the castle and, after his sad, solitary dinner, went out
through the garden into the open space behind it. The adjoining house a
short distance away was the mansion of Kashima Jinzaemon, the chief
falconer.
He stared there for a few moments, but since the figure of the person he
was waiting to see did not appear, he returned to his chambers, ruminating.
He was there when Kusuke came to announce that he had a visitor.
The visitor was Kojima Sozo.
—I have come because I thought that since you broke the code, there is no
longer any need for secrecy between us, and that we could collaborate with
each other, — Sozo explained quietly as Kuninosuke entered the room.
There was a sort of forced smile on his pale, chiseled face, — Although
our direct superior is not the same, it seems that our ultimate goal does
coincide. The man from this morning only got me one name: Suganuma
Ukyo, from the Kanu fief in Mino Province, of a hundred thousand koku. I
also know the names of two other daimyo who sent an acknowledgement
of receipt of the secret message from the lord of Suruga.
—I have just received this morning the order to investigate. To tell you the
truth, other than Suganuma Ukyo, whose name I got by accident this
morning, I have not yet discovered anyone else, — Kuninosuke replied
frankly, somewhat annoyed.
—I am not lying to you. I received the order this morning as well. But
thanks to my position as personal secretary, everything comes to my ears
slightly faster, — he replied, clutching his thin right earlobe with a
boastful expression, but his tone of voice changed abruptly.
Kuninosuke was silent.
—I suppose you have heard that the servant Ai has been murdered. I
would like you to spread the word that you saw that woman walking along
the banks of the Abe River accompanied by a man... a man who looked
nothing like me.
—Did you kill her?
Sozo nodded coldly to Kuninosuke's question.
—I left without finishing her off when I noticed someone's presence. That
was my oversight. You can see that before she died, with the blood that

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flowed from her body, Ai wrote the syllable "Ko" on her palm. What a
clever woman!
—Why did you take Ai to that place?
—She was my lover.
He knocked out a mosquito that flew up to his knee and stared at
Kuninosuke's surprised face, as if to say, "What are you looking at?".

III

Kojima Sozo had been hired half a year before Kuninosuke.

His experience was quite limited, but it was said that he possessed
extremely elegant and precise calligraphy, which is not surprising in the
position of personal secretary. However, the rumors about Sozo that
reached Kuninosuke's ears were about the martial arts, not related at all to
the functions of his official position.
Soon after Kojima entered the service of the castle, there was a fight
between two fellows who were in the same room as him. One of them
suddenly drew his katana and attacked the other. Then Sozo, who was next
to him, instantly threw the ink soaked brush at him and hit the man in the
eye, blinding him, and without losing a moment caught him by the legs
and threw him to the ground.
—Hey, you, stay out of this! — shouted the other man, and Sozo threw
another brush into that mouth of his, then lunged at him, hit him hard on
the wrist and threw the katana to the ground.
—We are inside the castle. Please, calm down, — Sozo scolded them
calmly, as if nothing had happened.
The two men were knocked down and confused, for they were not quite
sure what he had done to them, their blood had turned cold, and it seemed
that they too had lost all strength to resist.
Another anecdote occurred shortly after this, when the lord of the castle,
Tadanaga, was in the Sengen shrine grounds admiring the cherry blossoms.
Taking advantage of his intoxication, Tadanaga suddenly removed a
hairpin from his hair when the maid Ai bowed her head before his eyes to
pour the sake and threw it with all her might. The hairpin flew out of the
air like from a bow and got caught in the top of an old tree a distance
away.
—Ha! Ai, bring me that hairpin, — Tadanaga commanded, showing once
more his usual whimsical attitude.
He was the feudal lord, so when he ordered something, his orders had to
be carried out no matter what. Ai blinked sadly, bowed, and went to the old
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tree. A couple of people picked her up in their arms, she grabbed the
lowest branch of the tree and began to climb higher and higher with
determination.
Tadanaga watched attentively, with sadistic interest, the beautiful young
girl, dressed in her best clothes, zigzagging among the branches, trembling
and self-conscious, climbing from branch to branch while paying attention
to the skirts of the Kimono.
Ai put her foot on a thin branch that looked as if it could bend even under
the weight of a woman, and managed to retrieve the pin, but then the
people who were watching from below began to shriek and ran off to the
side.
A huge monkey that no one had seen appear was stalking Ai from a branch
of an adjacent tree.
Mount Shizuhata, at the foot of which the Sengen shrine stands, was a
place where it had been forbidden since ancient times, by the Buddhist
beliefs, to hunt or kill animals, so more than a thousand monkeys had their
habitat there without harm. They were so used to people that occasionally
they even received food from the hands of visitors to the shrine. However,
in November of the previous year, on Tadanaga's whim, a hunt was
organized on the mountain and more than twelve hundred monkeys were
killed. After that, the monkeys that survived the hunt were rarely seen, and
when one appeared, it always showed violent hostility towards humans,
even to the point of hurting them.
The terrible expression of the huge monkey that stalked Ai also oozed with
restlessness and fury. The distance between them was no more than three
meters. With a simple jump, the monkey could sink his teeth into Al.
At the shouts of his companions, Ai raised his head and saw the monkey.
Seeing the monkey's horrifying face, Ai lost consciousness and let go. It
looked as if he would fall to the ground and break her bones, but Kojima
Sozo, who flew like a bird from the corner of the curtains installed to
protect the courtship from the wind, caught her body.
Almost at the same time, the massive monkey gave a strange scream and
fell to the ground. Without letting go of Ai, whom he was hugging with his
right arm, Sozo approached the monkey, which was writhing desperately
and trying to escape, and struck it down with a blow: he had stuck Ai's
pointed pin, which had served as an instrument of self-defense, into the
monkey's forehead, right down to the bottom.
—With your skill of martial arts, why don't you serve me? I'll put you in
any position you like, — Tadanaga suggested, in a good mood.

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Sozo prostrated himself before the great lord and explained that until he
had a thorough understanding of the martial arts he intended to continue to
serve him with the brush he had inherited from his father. Tadanaga
laughed and thought that Sozo was a strange fellow. For the time being he
gave him three gold pieces as a reward, but soon after that he was
promoted from simple secretary to personal secretary and his stipend was
increased by fifty koku. How and since when Sozo had come to establish
such a special relationship with the maid Ai, of course, would be known
only to the two of them.
—It is a rather naive story, — Sozo said of the secret, then explained it all
to Kuninosuke.
Immediately after the banquet of the cherry blossoms, Sozo sent Ai the
gold that Tadanaga had rewarded him with a note: "In compensation for
the hairpin". In reply, he received a love letter from Ai.
But it wasn't that Ai was a woman especially in love, she also had her own
motivations. She had received secret orders from Asakura Nobumasa, the
provincial governor of Chikugo. She was to identify those charges that she
found suspicious, and she was to extend this mission beyond the confines
of the scenario she had been given, that is, the private chambers of the
court.
A secretary who excelled in the martial arts attracted a lot of attention and
that gave him cause for suspicion. Or so Ai said to herself to convince
herself. But in reality it was perhaps more accurate to say that it was all
because this attractive secretary, who had saved her by defeating the
monkey with her own pin, had touched her heart.
Whatever the motivation, it was what happens whenever a beautiful
woman and a handsome man meet alone, that they end up giving
themselves carnally to each other.
Seeing the course things were taking, Ai felt that she could no longer
deceive herself about her true feelings.
"I love that man", admitted Ai after thinking clearly about her own
feelings. Unable to help herself, she was answering everything she knew to
the questions Sozo was asking her. After saying goodbye, she often
regretted having revealed certain things to him, but when the two of them
were alone, the Sozo with whom she exchanged sweet words was so
tender that he even seemed to be a different person from the usual
frowning man, and his manner of speaking was so ingenious that in the
end, without realizing it, she ended up confessing everything to her.
"But there is not a single piece of evidence that proves he is a spy. Because
of his position, in one way or another he has knowledge of things through
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colleagues that are essential to his professional success", she told herself,
but suddenly she became afraid and felt the need to check Sozo's personal
story, not on behalf of Asakura Nobumasa, but for her own good.
In the midst of the darkness on the banks of the Abe River, amidst the lush
susuki grass, they forgot everything and gave themselves over completely
to "flirting". Later, as she watched Sozo completely exhausted and lying
on his back with his eyes closed, Ai extended her hand stealthily. She
made it seem as if she was going to stroke Sozo's hair, but in reality he was
just trying to inspect his hairstyle. If he was a ninja, he would have a long,
cylindrical object, slightly thicker than the rest of his hair, hidden in the
hair he wore on his crown; his affiliation and full name would be recorded
within it.
When he noticed this attempt, Sozo reacted immediately.
—What are you doing? — he shouted at her. His terrible look had nothing
to do with the person who had been talking to her in a sweet voice only a
moment before, — You gave me your body so that you could look into
mine. That was your plan, wasn't it?
—No, you are wrong, that is not it, — Ai replied, retreating with a cry that
mixed fear and regret, — I really love you.
At Ai's desperate cries, Sozo seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, but
soon he grabbed the hilt of his katana, cut horizontally, and Ai groaned
and fell over.

—That woman was a counter-spy, — after concluding his story, Sozo

looked up at Kuninosuke and forced a bitter smile, — But... maybe she
really was in love with me.
—So why did you kill her? How could you be so cruel?
—A woman who immediately loses her head to one man could be seduced
by another at any time and betray me. Well, leaving that aside, I ask you
the favour I told you about before.
—Mmm... I guess I can do it... — Kuninosuke replied reluctantly.
—I need your help on another matter as well. It's about Fusa, the daughter
of your neighbor Kashima Jinzaemon...
—What?
—I would like her to be my wife. You seem to have confidence in
Kashima, so you could ask for me.
—Marry... Miss Fusa? Have you lost your mind? Are you thinking about
marriage, when you don't know when you will have to hide?
—I need a woman to take Ai's place. That Miss Fusa has a good reputation
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in the castle and it seems that she is an intelligent woman, so for the
moment it would not be bad to have her as a fiance. That's why I'm asking
you.
—Well, I refuse.
—Why?
—I know Miss Fusa, and I won't help you to make her unhappy under my
nose.
—Huh! — on the ridge of Sozo's long thin nose two deep vertical wrinkles
formed. When they disappeared, a sort of mocking smile flew across his
face from his eyes to his cheeks, but he glared ominously into
Kuninosuke's eyes and continued, — You're not in love with that girl?
Kuninosuke's breath was cut short by the feeling that Sozo had pointed out
clearly what was deep in his heart, but his youth gave his pupils, which
had begun to falter, strength to face the challenge head on.
—That is not your concern.
—It does concern me, very much so. If you say you won't ask for me, it's
because she's the woman you're in love with... Tsugami, the first principle
of the ninja is to stay away from love, desire, feelings, anger, sadness and
pleasure. Haven't you forgotten that?
—Getting away from feelings doesn't mean you have to be heartless.
—In some cases it's the same thing.
Even compared to your own experience, you couldn't deny that it was.
Kuninosuke felt blocked and had no choice but to admit that as far as the
theory was concerned he had been defeated, but he felt something inside
that ignored the theory and put up a reckless fight.
—Anyway, I refuse, — Kuninosuke repeated again, immediately wielding
the sword beside him and jumping back, for he had noticed that Sozo had
reached out for the katana, — Do you intend to kill me?
The two men held swords firmly in each other's hands and cast murderous
glances at one another. They spent several seconds in the atmosphere that
made their veins beat visibly, clutched with tension.
—We cannot go on with this, — Sozo whispered and withdrew his hand
from the hilt of his sword, — We would injure each other. Let's leave it at
that for now. But if you let your passion get the better of you and forget
your mission, it doesn't just affect you. It could endanger us, and all the
other comrades who might be there. In that case, I'll kill you.
—I'm not the one who's forgotten about his mission.
—That's what they all say... — Sozo got up, but before he left he smiled
coldly at Kuninosuke, — Finally, I want to ask you one thing: have you
slept with Fusa yet?
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—What are you saying? Miss Fusa doesn't know anything.

—Come on, does my question surprise you? It's not like you're still a
teenager. Ha, ha, ha! What a surprise. You mean I'm unrivaled? Then I will
propose to Fusa without any qualms. Since you won't help me, don't be
mean and spoil it for me either.

IV

The next day, in the gazebo of the vast garden inside Sunpu Castle,
Tadanaga's advisor Asakura Nobumasa and Kuriyama Daizen, advisor to
the Kuroda clan, who was on his way to Edo and had stopped by for a
brief visit, stood facing one another.
—How hot is the weather! We were roasted in my village this year as well,
but it cannot last forever.
Daizen opened his clothing slightly, exposing his chest without any
embarrassment, and vigorously flapped his fan. Aside from being a long-
time acquaintance of Nobumasa, he was also a very capable and stubborn
man, and was referred to as the Kuriyama of the Kuroda, as were the
Kuroda of Kuriyama. His lord, Tadayuki, was also extremely
uncomfortable in his presence, but when it came to negotiations outside,
he trusted no one but Daizen.
As he fanned out noisily and stared at the grass that seemed to be burning
in the sun, Daizen spoke out again:
—At an inn in Nagoya, I learned through a secret message from my lord
Tadayuki of the other day's circular, — as he suddenly entered the subject
matter, Nobumasa simply nodded and looked at it sideways, without even
turning to him, so Daizen continued, — When the honorable great advisor
finds himself in great distress, he will surely ask you for help, — he
continued, — Asakura, naturally Tadayuki will never forget the kindness
the honorable great advisor showed him in the past. Without a doubt... —
at this point, he looked Nobumasa in the eye and a quiet laugh escaped
him.
Nobumasa nodded and looked as if he was going to start saying
something, but Daizen interrupted him, — Did you hear that last month
Doi from the kitchens sent out circulars conspiring in favor of our
honorable great advisor?
—The kitchen manager is a faithful servant of the shogunate, but now he
has done something that has displeased them and so he has devised this
cunning ploy, but it will not succeed.

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—And in the case of your circular, who has sent an acknowledgement of

receipt? — Nobumasa looked away and only laughed under his breath, so
Daizen tried to pressure him by suggesting names.
—Because of that incident, he will not be anymore invited.
"That incident" referred to the previous year, when a vassal of Shimazu got
angry because he had been bitten by Tadanaga's favorite dog and killed the
animal.
Tadanaga became very angry, confronted the Shimazu clan, and muddied
the situation further, but through the mediation of Doi Toshikatsu the
matter calmed down somewhat.
—And Mori? Since the battle of Sekigahara, he has become a real coward.
—And the both Kato?
Nobumasa looked at Daizen and began to say:
—Leaving that aside, the Lord Governor of Chikuzen Province, Kuroda
Tadayuki...
Daizen interrupted him, however, making a face of not knowing anything:
—And from inside the fief, who would be involved?
—They are all trusted vassals.
—And Torii?
—If he would've been found out, he would panic and make a fuss. To this
virtuous man, let us give half a year more.
—Saegusa?
—He is, mostly, very clever, but at his heart he is an idiot, — Nobumasa
commented, apparently annoyed, and returned to the subject he had begun
a moment ago with determination, — I will meet Tadayuki and send him
to you immediately.
"You old fox! He's not going to give it to me just like that. He is playing
both sides," — Nobumasa mumbled irritably behind Daizen's back, who
had already said goodbye and was leaving, but it was better not to make
him angry.
That was the great key that would decide the fate of the Kuroda clan.
Though he understood that they were navigating between two waters, he
had no choice but to work hard to finally bring them to his side. From his
perspective, this conspiracy to overthrow the government seemed the only
way out of the impasse over the fate of his young lord Tadanaga.
Moreover, his lord's fate was also his own.
Sacrificing someone coldly and without remorse, no matter how much that
person was his blood, in order to maintain the safety of the head of the
Tokugawa clan had been traditional policy since Ieyasu. It was for this
reason that Ieyasu murdered his wife, lady Tsukiyama, and forced his
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eldest son Nobuyasu to do a seppuku. Rumor has it that he poisoned his

second son Hideyasu and sent his son, Tadanao, into exile. And that
Tadateru, his sixth son, had his fiefdom taken away from him and forced
him to shave his head and become a monk.
His successor Hidetada sacrificed his own daughter, Senhime, and
murdered Yodogimi — the sister of his wife, whom he loved ardently —
and Senhime's husband, Hideyori.
Even the docile Yoshinao25, lord of Owari, and the upright Yorinobu26, lord
of Kii, trembled at the suspicion of rebellion they often received and
showed their unwavering obedience to the shogun.
There was no reason to believe that Iemitsu would stand idly by Tadanaga,
who had overshadowed him from childhood and shown some inclination
to threaten his position. No matter how humbly Tadanaga served him as a
perfect vassal, an unlucky day could drag him into the depths of
destruction on any pretext. Especially when it came to the arrogant and
dissolute Tadanaga. Such destruction would inevitably come in the near
future. With these arguments, Nobumasa had convinced himself of the
need to take a chance and go into the lion's den. Instigating Tadanaga was
easier than manipulating a child.
Everything that had been done for a few years had this objective: among
the daimyo who passed through the Tokaido route on their way to or from
Edo, they were granted favors. The samurai who had been left without a
lord to serve, but who had a reputation as experts in martial arts, despite
being aware that they were on the side of the shogunate, were hired. They
often visited the shrine on Mount Kuno and fortified in their minds the
plan to usurp the nearly two million in gold coins that had been stored
there. The gunsmiths of the village of Kunitomo, in Omi Province, were
forced to emigrate.
Ultimately, they had to ask the tozama daimyos, who were not on good
terms with the Tokugawa shogunate, for their support. It was necessary to
know the names of those who, when the time came, would rise up under
Tadanaga.
Those who finally took the risk and responded to the letter of invitation to
participate in the rebellion that had been sent to them were far less than
expected. Nobumasa felt that they must succeed at all costs in making
Kuroda and the both Kato allies. So when he had Daizen before his eyes

25Ninth son of Tokugawa leyasu, lord of Owari Province and founder of the main branch of the Tokugawa
family (Owari-Tokugawa branch)
26 Tenth son of Tokugawa leyasu, lord of Kii Province and founder of the Kii branch of the Tokugawa family.
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he turned his face away two or three times, as if to shake off the
mysterious oppression he felt constantly.
"He is but the advisor to Kuroda, a provincial samurai", he thought, but
whenever he met Daizen he felt something overwhelming and unwittingly
became the submissive servant of his interlocutor, and he found it
extremely uncomfortable to recognize himself in such a situation.
"At every turn, this guy is risking everything he has, but what about me",
Nobumasa thought with a twinge in his stomach, and he felt blood rushing
to his cheeks.
Kuriyama Daizen was approaching the main gate of the castle,
accompanied by Sone Masatomo, the director of the stables, but when he
saw that in the courtyard to the right a gang of riflemen was doing target
practice, he stopped and watched carefully. Soon he was walking slowly
towards the head of the riflemen, Kenmochi Jisuke.
—An excellent rifle! May I have a look at it? — he said. After receiving
the rifle he inspected it in detail.
—It's of Tobee's doing, sir, — Kenmochi Jisuke reported, short and round-
faced, looking up at Daizen's face.
—No way, it's a fake, — Daizen replied as he returned the rifle, but when
he saw that Kenmochi had a mole on his cheek that grew two long hairs,
he smiled and grabbed them between the tips of two fingers, — They are
hairs of happiness.
Kenmochi smiled casually at him as well.
"With those hands you can already charm people", whispered Sone
Masatomo as he watched the scene. When he finally escorted Daizen out
of the castle, he returned inside and introduced himself to Nobumasa, who
had already returned to the large tatami hall.
—Do you already have a lead on Ai's murderer? — Nobumasa asked,
turning his head at Sone's entrance as he recalled the matter. He was
cutting his nails thoroughly with a pair of small scissors and had not yet
gotten Daizen out of his head.
—Based on the syllable "Ko", there are Kojima, Koyama, Koshimura,
Kogure, Koizumi Ramon said to start there.
—It wasn't a crime of passion. If you're attached to a woman, you can't end
it so drastically. I'm afraid it was because someone smelled Ai. Kojima
would seem the most suspicious...
—I'm of the same opinion. Now, last night someone dropped a letter
between my home and Naito's mansion, saying that Ai's killers were either
Tsugami Kuninosuke or Ishida Bunzo. As for the syllable "Ko" written on
Ai's palm, we cannot simply assume that it was necessarily written by her
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before she died. It could also have been written by the assassin to deflect
suspicion.
—You're right. Tsugami or Ishida... both have something to be suspected
of. But, to begin with...
—If it's between those two, I'll go for Tsugami.
—That's right.
—But, whether it was Kojima or Tsugami, we don't have any conclusive
evidence anyway.
—Which of the two would beat the other? I don't know.
—It would seem to be a draw... but I think Kojima is possibly above us
precisely because he hides his claws.
—We should get Kojima to kill Tsugami.
—I see.
—Tell Saegusa. Let's include them both in next month's duel-to-the-death
tournament.
—And when Kojima's killed Tsugami?
—If he's innocent, we'll leave it at that. If he turns out to be the suspect,
he'll be happy to kill Tsugami, and then the dirt will surely start coming
out. In that case, it'll never be too late to punish him.
—Right.
—Kojima and Tsugami... maybe it's a duel between spies. What an
interesting confrontation! — satisfied with the idea that had just occurred
to him, Nobumasa laughed out loud.

—You have been discovered, Tsugami, — announced Sozo to Kuninosuke

as soon as he sat down. Today I have been summoned by Sone Masamoto,
Asakura Nobumasa's right hand man. I have been informed that Tsugami
Kuninosuke is suspected of murdering Ai and is also a spy for Edo. I have
been ordered to kill you on the occasion of the next dueling tournament,
using that duel as a pretext.
—How can there be any suspicion that I've killed Ai?
—Ha-ha-ha! It was me who gave you away.
—What?!
—It was quite likely that I, Koyama, Koshimura, or Kogure were being
investigated... so I wrote a letter saying that Ai's murderer was either you
or Ishida, and then I threw the letter into Sone's house. I guess I was
getting more and more confused and didn't know what to do anymore. Ha-
ha-ha!
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Kuninosuke had been stunned by the impassive attitude of Sozo, who to

save himself had placed a fellow spy in a dangerous situation, and he was
speechless as he watched the pale, cold face of his interlocutor as he
continued to brag about his action:
—But if, between the two names, they have their eye on yours, it will be
because they were suspicious before.
Seeing that Sozo did not seem to regret the reckless action he had taken,
Kuninosuke became so angry that he was unable to utter a word of
reproof.
—Tsugami, what if you were to vanish?
—Fool! Can I run away with the blame for the false accusation of killing
an innocent woman?
—Have you forgotten your mission as a spy?
—I may be a spy... but I'm a samurai first and foremost.
—Then I will kill you without hesitation, on the day of the duel.
—It won't be so easy for you to kill me.
As far as preparation as a spy was concerned, Kuninosuke recognized that
Sozo was certainly one step ahead of him, but as far as the martial arts of
samurai were concerned, he did not think himself inferior. It was this self-
confidence, coupled with dislike for his opponent, that had led him to
respond so decisively.
—Heh heh heh. It is ridiculous: two people who have the same objective
fall into the enemy's trap and kill each other.
—Then, Kojima, you could be the one to disappear.
—I still have something to investigate.
—Same.
—But now that they suspect you, it will be difficult for you, Tsugami, —
Sozu hinted with a broad smile and altered tone of voice.
—Could it be that you're worried about Fusa and that's why
you can't leave?
—Shut up, don't mention Miss Fusa.
—I see that you are deeply in love. You are so young! But it's not a good
idea. If I end up killing you, that would be the end of it. And if you killed
me, since you are already suspected of spying, you couldn't stay here for
long. And what would you do with Fusa when that time came?
Once Sozo had left after urging time and time again, as one in a position of
superiority, Kuninosuke to come to his senses, Tsugami stood petrified in
front of the garden, where the sun was already beginning to set, thinking
about the situation.
Sozo was right. Under the circumstances, it was safest for his allies that he
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should disappear from Sunpu castle as soon as possible, and that was what
his spying wisdom told him to do.
From those who had delivered Tadanaga's secret message, he had already
been able to identify Suganuma Ukyo and Horio Tadaharu. Moreover,
from the sudden visit of Kuriyama Daizen, it could be deduced that the
Kuroda clan had to be added to the list as well. If he were to return with
these few, albeit insufficient, results, he could at least complete his mission
for the time being.
Right now, however, he was not capable of leaving Sunpu for anything in
the world.
Kuninosuke repeated himself that it was because his warrior spirit longed
to face Sozo, but as he probed deeper, his greatest concern was what ruse
Sozo would use Fusa once he was gone.
In his mind swirled Fusa's eyes, whose long eyelashes seemed to be
always wet with dew. The shy, innocent expression on her face when, in
contrast, her cheeks, white porcelain, were dyed crimson. Her young, vital
body that oozed from the ends of the tightly woven cloth... and appeared to
him in the darkness of the evening.
"I can't stand a guy like Sozo groping Fusa!"
Unconsciously he gritted his teeth, put on his wooden sandals that he used
in the garden and went out into the open through the back door. Near the
back door of the Kashima family mansion there was a sagging silhouette,
shoulders slumped over.
Involuntarily, Kuninosuke's chest roared, and then that silhouette ran
across the open space toward him and stopped his steps in front of
Kuninosuke's chest. The woman's lips trembled, and the sleeves of her
kimono, which she had worn to her chest to control herself and her
heartbeat, swayed violently.
According to the official regulations for servants in the private chambers
of the castle, she could be absent only twice a year, but she always used
some excuse and generally managed to leave approximately once a month.
And each of those times she would show up near the back door as if by
chance, and exchange just a few words with Kuninosuke, who would show
up in the same manner. That was the way the girl could express all her love
for him.
This time, however, her expression was entirely different. She had come
running to him as if she were throwing herself into his arms and her thin
lips were desperately searching for a way to express what she had to say.
—Miss Fusa, what happened? — Kuninosuke asked hurriedly, surprised

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by the unusual expression on her face and overwhelmed by the exquisite

scent of young women that intoxicated him.
—Kuninosuke, just a moment ago my father received a proposal from the
personal secretary Kojima Sozo, who wishes to marry me.
As she finished speaking, as if she was suddenly ashamed of her indecent
attitude in addressing Kuninosuke just to inform him of it, her cheeks
suddenly blushed and she bowed her head. The area where her white neck
disappeared into the neck of the kimono showed both virginal purity and
indescribable sensuality.
—Kojima has... — Kuninosuke could not escape his amazement.
"Just today... How quickly! He doesn't waste any time..."
—That's right. My father said: "He's an admirable man. How would you
like it if we accepted?".
—Miss Fusa, what about you...? — said Kuninosuke impetuously. Neither
of them realized that Kuninosuke had placed his left hand on Fusa's
shoulder and was holding it tightly.
—Kuninosuke... — it was the only thing Fusa ever said, looking up, and
then she pressed her lips together tightly.
The response was obvious.
An immense, deep joy ran through Kuninosuke's body, throbbing. As soon
as he knew that he had succeeded in attracting the heart of the woman he
desired, and that he had been chosen by her, he felt that emotion of intense
joy that engulfs all men in such cases, a grandiose mixture of pride and
satisfaction that cuts to the bone.
Fusa's eyes seemed to confirm this feeling, for round tears began to flow
from them, running down her nose and falling to the ground.
—Miss Fusa...
Kuninosuke ran both hands behind her back and held her against his chest.
Fusa, pressing her cheek against Kuninosuke's chest, whose heartbeat
resonated with surprising clarity, whispered in complete conviction:
—Kuninosuke, will you go and ask my father for my hand?
Though he felt a twinge in his chest, he immediately made an evasive
response with ease, even to his own surprise.
—I cannot.
—Why?
—Because I have to duel Kojima Sozo.
—What?
—For certain reasons, I have been ordered to face Kojima in the next
dueling tournament before the lord of the castle. But Fusa, do not worry, I
will not be defeated, — as he looked into the woman's wide-open eyes,
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brimming with an infinite confidence that exceeded all logic simply

because he was the man she loved, his fighting spirit was inflamed.
"Without a doubt, I'm going to kill that Sozo. Besides, what to do with
Fusa is no problem, as I can run away with her. Depending on the
situation, I can give up my spying and my social status as a samurai."
Even such thoughts came to Kuninosuke's mind at that moment, as he held
Fusa's tender, soft, fragrant body tightly against his chest.
In the midst of that now-darkened environment, the white face of the
woman seemed to float like the petal of a huge flower. With his right hand,
Kuninosuke gently lifted her face to kiss her lips, but before he could do so
he gave a shout, protected Fusa by holding her behind his back, and in a
single movement drew and raised his katana.
A metallic sound was heard, and a dagger flew out of the air and struck the
ground about ten or fifteen feet in front of them.
—Who is there?
As he protected Fusa with his right arm, the same one with which he
wielded the katana, Kuninosuke seemed to take a couple of steps
backwards, but then he suddenly raised his left hand and from it flew
something small into the darkness before him. He then looked up and set
out to scan the mass of darkness.
The opponent was holding his breath, completely hiding his location, but
since Fusa was there, he could not do the same. In that considerably
disadvantaged position, Kuninosuke again held an object tightly in his left
hand and continued to scan the darkness before him.
The tense atmosphere and fear became so unbearable that Fusa's body
began to shake and tremble, but just then Kuninosuke sighed with relief
and relaxed his own body.
—He escaped, — Kuninosuke proclaimed. His back was covered with
sweat.

A half hour after that, Kojima Sozo found himself in his chamber watching
and turning over a flat, star-shaped object he held in his palm. It was a
pinwheel-shaped shuriken with eight sharp points.
As it was thrown, the fearsome shuriken gained speed as it spun and as it
stuck one of its eight points into the opponent's flesh, it continued to rotate
a couple of times, embedded itself in the flesh and even cut through the
bone.
"So it was he who uses the crosscutting blow of the windmill..."

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He had heard that among his fellow spies in Edo was one who had superb
skill in the use the windmill shuriken. That cruciform attack consisted of
throwing six shurikens at his opponent so that they would stick into him,
without leaving a single gap, from his right shoulder to his left hip, and
another six to stick into him from his left shoulder to his right hip, forming
a cross. According to them, these were pitches that were impossible to
dodge and caused the certain death of the opponent.
And it was none other than Tsugami Kuninosuke who mastered such
exquisite technique.
Sozo had been horrified by the sight of the shuriken that had been thrust
into his blade guard. He recognized the capabilities of the opponent he had
previously been disparaging, and for the first time he experienced a strong
sense of panic.

VI

As explained in detail in the Secret Record of the Great Chancellor of

Suruga, on the twenty-fourth of September of the sixth year of the Kan'ei
era (1629) a tournament of duels to the death, abominable in the extreme,
was held in the southern courtyard of the interior of the Sunpu Castle in
the honourable presence of Tadanaga, the lord of the castle.
The inclusion in the evening part of the tournament of the duel between
Kojima Sozo and Tsugami Kuninosuke, between whom there seemed to be
no connection at all, came as a great surprise to the entire fief.
There were those who whispered that they had asked to duel because of a
grudge over the love of Kashima's daughter. There were also those who
whispered with a satisfied look that it was an indirect punishment for
Tsugami, who had been ordered to duel because he was suspected of Al's
murder.
Many spectators, after the violent clashes of the morning, had lost the
courage to continue watching the tournament and had left; in particular,
almost all the women had disappeared. Probably most of them were not
able to digest their lunch.
Instead, there were men whose desire for brutality was further aroused by
the stench of blood, and who were excited by the pleasure of seeing
atrocities. These men concentrated again around the enclosure surrounded
by the curtains, filled with a new interest and curiosity.
Replacing the morning referees was Sone Masatomo and the guard captain
Nogata Kyuzaemon. For some unknown reason, behind them waited the
captain of the riflemen, Kenmochi Jisuke.
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As soon as they saw the first attack from the two swordsmen, left and right
apart, Sone and Nogata opened their eyes wide and exchanged glances, for
they already anticipated that the manner of fighting of these two opponents
would be completely different than that exhibited by the swordsmen in all
the other morning duels.
It seemed clear that Sozo was going to cut his opponent on the right
shoulder, but instead he lowered his blade to the left; at the first hint, it
seemed that Kuninosuke would dodge the blow by moving to the left, but
instead his body jumped to the right. It looked as if both blades would
collide with each other's bodies, but the next moment the two had sneaked
apart, leaving a distance of fifteen or fifteen feet, and both had altered their
position somehow.
The ability to guess the opponent's intent one thousandth of a second
before he actually moves and faces him, along with the ability to change
position quickly, at such a speed that it is impossible to keep track, was
precisely the raison d'être of the ninja.
The struggle between these two adversaries, who knew the secrets of ninja
techniques, seemed to everyone (starting with inspectors Sone and Nogata,
and including all the spectators who crowded the enclosure) as enigmatic
as two meteorites fluttering in the sky.
—What a strange starting position!
—When you follow them with your eyes, it feels like a spell of dizziness.
Surrounded by whispers of this kind, they crossed each other in the air
again and again like swallows, and attacked each other like hawks.
Suddenly, as if they had suddenly come to an agreement, they both stopped
in their tracks on the white sand. Sozo pointed his blade at their opponent's
eyes, while Kuninosuke held his up high over his head.
But Kuninosuke's stance was different from the usual position of holding
the sword high with arms apart. His was the "in-womb" stance: arms
together in front of the face and the edge of the sword raised vertically.
It was a definitive position, in which the enemy could not see his eyes, but
only caught a glimpse of his nose between his arms; thus concealing his
intention with the sword, he took advantage of the opponent's confusion
and struck a single blow that decided between life and death.
It looked as if that blow would be the death knell, but in the blink of an
eye Sozo stepped back a few feet, raised his left hand suddenly above his
head and three shuriken flew out, describing an arrow of light, into
Kuninosuke's chest — but the only ones who noticed it were the two
inspectors. The rest of the onlookers did not realize it until Kuninosuke
nimbly repelled them one after another with his blade.
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—Oh, they're ninja stars! — shouted the audience when they finally saw
them.
Sozo, after seeing how none of the weapons he had thrown with
murderous intent hit the target, tried to narrow the gap between them in
anticipation of his opponent's counterattack, but then Kuninosuke quickly
retreated seven or eight yards. Sozo turned his body left and right like a
maniac.
A few seconds passed...
With no one having the slightest idea what had happened, suddenly an
expression of intense pain appeared on Sozo's face and his body stiffened.
He had several shuriken shaped like grinders deeply embedded in his left
shoulder and left hip bone. The intense pain caused him to spasm all over
his body.
Resisting as best he could, and without taking his eye off Kuninosuke,
Sozo's lips moved slightly.
"You have defeated me", gestured his lips.
Long before lip-reading was used in communication between deaf-mutes,
the technique of communicating by moving the lips without making a
sound and lip-reading to get the message from the speaker was practiced
among ninja.
A faint smile spread across Kuninosuke's face. He lowered his blade and
moved closer to Sozo.
"You have defeated me. As a final gift before I die, I will tell you the result
of my investigations", Sozo called out as if he had lost all his fighting
spirit already but with his sword on guard to show the others that the duel
was continuing. It seemed to be consuming his last strength to stand
despite the pain.
"Apart from Kuroda, Sugenuma and Horio, Gamo Tadahiro has presented
an acknowledgement, and also..."
"Ah! Gamo and Kato, too?", surprised at the content of those silent words,
Kuninosuke kept his eye on Sozo's lips, which were already trembling so
much that it was impossible for him to vocalize the following words
properly, "Kojima, hold on! Who else?".
Kuninosuke stepped forward and approached him while gesturing those
words with his lips. But then Sozo suddenly let out a scream that opened
his mouth so wide that it looked as if it was going to fall apart, and
Kuninosuke collapsed forward. His torso was bathed in the blood
streaming from his shoulder and he was left motionless.
Everyone in the courtyard was stunned by the unexpected outcome, but
what surprised them even more was the slaughter that was to follow.
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—Victory goes to the west side's challenger, Kojima Sozo!

After he was proclaimed the winner, a wobbly Sozo headed for the curtain
to retire, but then Kenmochi Jisuke shot him in the back with the rifle he
held in his hands and it passed through with a single bullet.
The spectators rioted and there were shouts of surprise, but soon the
thundering voice of Sone Masatomo echoed in their ears, so powerful that
it spread to the front door of the castle.
—Calm down, everyone. This has been a punishment to a spy.

VII

Several days later, a short round-faced samurai walked through the huge
black gate at the entrance to the residence of the Kuroda daimyo in Edo,
just outside the castle in the Sakurada area of the Kasumigaseki district.
He showed his permission, passed the guard guarding the entrance to the
garden and quickly made his way to the study that was located right next
to the large tatami room. As he reached the study he poked his head out
and waved:
—Lord Kuriyama?
In an instant, the resounding figure of Daizen appeared.
—Are you back already? You can come in.
—Okay, — he entered the room and waved again, — First of all, the most
important thing: the report.
—Yes.
—The Katos (Kato Tadahiro and Kato Akinari), Gamo, Horio, Ikoma...
only these.
—So few?
—That's right. The recipients of the circular were twenty-two.
—As far as I know, in terms of weapons, the fiefdom has three hundred
and twenty rifles and three cannons...
—That's right, sir.
—And what is the attitude of the vassals?
—Nobody knows anything yet. But, except for the newly hired ones, the
vast majority have been chosen from the second or third sons of the
hatamoto27, so in my opinion, they would disagree in time.
—And what about the shogunate's spies?
—Let's say there are at least ten. Three have been killed.
—You've come back safe and sound, huh?
27Samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate, who had the privilege of being received in
audience by the shogun.
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—Thanks to these lucky hairs, — the man pulled the tips of his fingers
from the hair growing out of a mole on his cheek and laughed.
—Good job. You can get some rest.
Said that, Daizen withdrew, but only half an hour later preparations began
quickly for the departure of the lord of the manor, Kuroda Tadayuki.
Tadayuki introduced himself to Sakai Tadayo, a member of the council of
elders of the shogun, handed him Tadanaga's secret message and informed
him of what Daizen had told him.
—I received this letter in my home province. Since I have moved to my
residence in Edo today, I have come to deliver it to you as quickly as I can.
—Recently another secret message circulated with the same contents
signed by Doi Toshikatsu. Although you came to deliver it to me
immediately on that occasion as well, does it not seem to you that some
people are usurping the name of the Lord of Suruga on this occasion?
—It may be so.
—Chikuzen Provincial Governor, I believe you met with the Lord of
Suruga on your way to this hearing. Do you remember anything specific
about that occasion?
—Well, the great advisor told me that when there is no way to proceed, at
worst, he trusts his allies completely. And I offered him in reply that when
the honorable great advisor is in great distress because of mutiny, and
someone who rebels against the shogunate manifests himself, I, as general
of the advisor to Suruga, must know when the time has come to face the
rebel and, without a single word, do my work on my horse.
"Tch... how well he has slipped away", thought the director of the
traditional music ministry with a bitter smile, his eyes following
Tadayuki's back as he left.
In the ninth year of the Kan'ei era (1632), shortly after the death of the
retired shogun Hidetada, Kato Tadahiro was stripped of his position and
then the Gamu, Horio and Sugenuma families disappeared. Several years
later, both Hori Naosada and Kato Akinari suffered the same misfortune,
as has been recorded in history.
Tadanaga's fate is also known to all. But it is said that the one who was
instrumental in the shogunate's punishment of Tadanaga was Asakura
Nobumasa. Seeing the complicated way things were going, to save his
own skin, at the last moment he attributed the entire plan to Tadanaga and
secretly accused him before the cabinet of shogunate officials. Whether
this is true or not is a mystery.

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HIRYUKEN YABURETARI
(«The defeat of the flying dragon sword»)
I

Usually, when people talk about the Nito ("Two Swords") school of the
way to the sword, everyone thinks of Miyamoto Musashi's Enmei style.
However, it is documented that in the early Kan'ei era, in addition to the
Enmei style, another faction of the Nito style, based in the city of Kai and a
technique called "Mirai-chishin style" ("Knowing the Future"), also gained
great popularity.
Even in the work "Collection of the History of Fencing", this school
cannot be clearly distinguished: "It is like the Nito style, but it does not
come from Musashi". Moreover, after the death of its founder, Kuroe
Gotaro Muneyuki, it quickly went into decline.
Compared to the Enmei style, which after Musashi's death spread widely
throughout Kyushu and produced great experts (Murakami Heinai,
Shikada Yazaemon and Tsuda Iwata in Higo Province, Otsuka Noboru in
Chikuzen Province, Dayu and Yazaemon Sekihira in Hizen, among
others), the contrast is evident.
Much later, Sugimura Heima, the priest at the Kasuga Shinto shrine in
Hizen, taught a style of Nito that followed in the footsteps of the Mirai-
chishin style, which he called Onko-chishin ("Learning from the Past"),
but the people of that time settled the argument by assuming that that style
was simply descended from Musashi.
The cause of the decline of the Mirai-chishin style, as everyone knows,
was that its founder, Kuroe Gotaro, faced Kataoka Kyonosuke of the
Nikaido school as part of the duel-to-the-death tournament held at Suruga
Castle in the presence of the feudal lord, where he was defeated and lost
his life.
As Kataoka Kyonosuke later explained, despite the fact that he was a
swordsman renowned for his wonderful skills thanks to the initial stance
characteristic of his Tareito style ("Hanging Thread"), until the day of the
match virtually no one was betting that he could defeat Kuroe Gotaro.
Before the duel, Kuroe himself, convinced of his own abilities, often
proclaimed his victory assured. Furthermore, in contrast to Kataoka's
sword technique that was, so to speak, conservative and passive, Kuroe's
tactics were as forceful as a thunderstorm, so in the case of a duel with real

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swords, it seemed that the odds of victory were up to ninety percent in his
favor.
When he died, Gotaro was only thirty-seven years old and, as one might
expect from a man who had developed his own style of blade at such a
young age, he was endowed with an extremely peculiar look. The Secret
Record of the Great Chancellor of Suruga, which records the details of the
duel, describes it as follows:
"His hair, black and long, was combed back and gathered into a ponytail
that fell over his shoulders. His countenance was so pale that it seemed
that he suffered from tuberculosis. His eyes were always half-closed and
elongated, as if he were going to fall asleep. His nose was sharp and his
cheeks sunken. In short, his face resembled that of a starving wolf."
In spite of being described without any kindness, if one makes the effort to
adequately imagine that countenance, what appears is a face that is not at
all unpleasant. Rather, it gives the impression that it possesses a kind of
sinister beauty.
In fact, throughout his life he had been involved in conflicts around several
women, and it cannot be denied that much of the responsibility for his
death lay with his beautiful wife.
However, whichever way you look at it, it is difficult to make any positive
judgment about his idiosyncrasies. According to a couple of things that are
now in the public domain, one could guess how he managed to take his
wife from his employer by means of a complex deception, or why he was
not able in all his life to get some disciples who admired him with
devotion.
In addition, he was extremely conceited and could not bear the slightest
insult. Especially since he created his own school, any criticism inflicted
on his technique received a fierce counterattack, which contributed to the
fact that the rumors about his person were notably negative.
In fact, his participation in the duel with real swords that cost him his life
was not at all necessary, and no one even forced him to do so. He simply
took a few insignificant words as a challenge and insisted on dueling
himself.
As a result of that fight he died, and at the same time his Mirai-chishin
style received a blow from which it would be very difficult for him to
recover. In a manner of speaking, the unfortunate fate of the Mirai-chishin
style was to be born with Kuroe Gotaro Muneyuki and disappear with him.

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II

In the spring of the second year of the Kan'ei era (1625), when he was still
calling himself Akae Gozo, Kuroe Gotaro was hired to serve in the Kaga
fief.
It is not known what kind of life he led until then. It was said that he had
previously held an important position in a certain fiefdom in western
Japan, until he screwed up over an affair with a woman, but in any case
what seems certain is that he had led a life as a ronin for a long time and
was a sly fox.
It was the captain of the fiefdom guard, Muraoka Hanzaemon, who
arranged for him to be hired.
Upon learning that the stipend he would receive as a new hire would be
only fifty koku, discontent ran through Gozo's mind, but he bowed his
head casually, thanked and accepted.
—I have heard that you practice the Chishin style, but that is a technique I
have never heard of before. What is it? — asked the martial arts instructor
of the fief, Ishiguro Budayu, who was also present.
—It is a style initiated by master Yasumura Hanzuemon, practiced in the
province of Inshu. The Kage style is taken as a starting point, but the
master added all the virtues of the other schools that proliferated later until
it was perfected.
—Ah, I see. It seems extremely interesting. But then it's supposed to
include my Tanseki style sword technique as well, right? Ha ha ha! I wish I
could see that, — said Ishiguro with a tone of mockery.
After hearing that comment, Gozo opened his eyes a little wider to the
right side only and gave a piercing glance back to his interlocutor, but
apart from that he gave no answer.
The answer was only given to himself:
"As you wish, I will show it to you without fail, one day."
Gozo was doing everything he could to control the eruption of his rage, for
the chances of finding a new position in which to serve were extremely
slim, and he was convinced that once he found one, he would be able to
break through and move upward with his skill with the sword.
Muraoka Hanzaemon had never liked Ishiguro's arrogant attitude, so after
that he felt a special predilection for Akae Gozo, and took every
opportunity to talk to others about his skill in the martial arts.
Gozo himself often frequented the house at Muraoka. But his attitude was
not especially one of praising others by lowering himself. What pleased
Muraoka so much, even though he was sparing in words and could be
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rude, was his calm composure, which was even unsettling because it did
not agree with his age, and his unusually good instinct for perceiving his
interlocutor's desires incisively and expressing them succinctly as if they
coincided with his own intentions.
—He is a man of no affection and good understanding, — Hanzaemon
used to say to his son Yasunosuke, who was also totally fascinated by the
martial arts of Gozo.
In fact, such was the extent of Gozo's skill with the blade that even
Yasunosuke, the most outstanding swordsman among the young men of
the fief, was nowhere near his level. Furthermore, Gozo not only
distinguished himself in his use of the blade, but also wielded the spear
and even had a knowledge of shuriken from the Matsumura school.
Yasunosuke was convinced that he was not inferior to instructor Ishiguro
Budayu, and on one occasion he expressed that to him.
—Not at all, why compare someone like me to Mr. Ishiguro... — Gozo
replied with a laudatory tone, but it was obvious that he was proud inside.
Gozo was astonished, for he knew the true ability of Budayu.
"Unfortunately, I am no match for him."
He was fully aware of that. He gritted his teeth and a pale, stinging light
shone from the bottom of his pupils.

One day, by order of the feudal lord and advisor Maeda Toshitsune, test
cuts were to be performed to check the quality of the new blades. Budayu
wielded a blade of the master forger Echizen Yasutsugu, and demanded
that the criminal on whom it was to be tested be allowed to wield a katana
as well. The criminal in question was not a samurai, but a ruthless man
named Izo with a history of murder behind him.
Budayu told the fearful commanding officer not to worry, and then turned
to Izo:
—Don't hold yourself off from attacking me. If you could only cut me
down, I would beg for your life to be spared, even if I had to give mine in
return.
With no formal knowledge of martial arts, but used to seeing blood, Izo
threw himself recklessly at Budayu's chest with the force of a demon and a
fearsome murderous intent, risking his life with a daring offensive tactic.
Budayu stood on guard, a cold smile on his face, his body tilted with his
left shoulder forward and his blade down on his right. Just as it looked as
if the blade Izo wielded was about to impact his left shoulder, a cry of
attack erupted from Budayu's throat, divided into two voices:
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—Eei! Too!
The spectators held their breath in amazement and could see before their
eyes Izo's body cut in two, rolling on the ground, and his decapitated head,
which had flown a couple of meters to the right dripping with blood.
With the first stroke of the sword he had split Izo's body in two with a
diagonal cut upwards from his left side to his right shoulder, and with the
next he had slit the torso which was already beginning to collapse and the
head had flown away.
Akae Gozo felt his firmly clenched hands tremble slightly as he watched
Budayu carefully, who smiled exultantly as he contemplated the bloody
blade. Then Budayu wiped the blood from the katana, turned and nodded
proudly in response to the praise of those present, until he saw Gozo and
said:
—Ah! You had come too? Well? The upward diagonal-cutting technique of
the Tanseki style you just saw will be included in that Chishin style of
yours, won't it? Ha-ha-ha!
The scornful comment he made on the day hiring Gozo was decided to be
ignored, because deep down Gozo was convinced of his abilities, "That
one is not capable of defeating me".
This time, however, the mockery reached Gozo's soul and planted a
resentment in it, for he was now aware that he was no match for his
opponent. And this, in turn, shattered the hope that Gozo secretly
harboured: his longing that one day he would defeat Budayu and take
away his position as instructor.
It was from that moment on that an intense hatred for Budayu settled in the
cold bowels of the inexpressive Gozo.

III

After some time passed, the rumor that Ishiguro Budayu wanted to take
Tamae, the daughter of the magistrate of the department of the
construction Sakura Jirota, as his wife began to circulate around the clan.
Tamae was a very popular girl in the fief because of her beauty.
Although everyone in the fief recognized Budayu's unparalleled skill in the
martial arts, considering that face of his that in honor of the truth was hard
to say had anything beautiful, and his arrogant and sometimes even mean
attitude, people commented with all cruelty:
—That man and Tamae?
When the rumor reached Gozo's ears, he squinted so much that his eyes
were almost closed and he stared for a long time at a point in the air, until
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he finally shook his head, as if he had reached some conclusion, and went
to visit the Muraoka residence.
He greeted Hanzaemon and immediately headed for the separate pavilion,
where Yasunosuke was staying. The latter was squatting in the corridor
overlooking the garden, distracted and leaning against a pillar. At Gozo's
call, he turned with a sudden, slightly confused smile, as if he had just
woken from a dream.
—Yasunosuke, something is tormenting me deeply of late, — Gozo said
quietly, as if restrained.
Yasunosuke looked up at his face for any response and opened his eyes a
little wider. Gozo sat down next to him, let out a deep sigh, and added, —
It's obvious...
—Huh?
—Poor Tamae.
The two of them stood silently gazing at the surface of the grass. Under the
rays of the spring sun, in the midst of the greenery there were already
some slight bumps coming to life. Something tender and warm squirmed
into Yasunosuke's heart as if it were tensing, and a stifling restlessness
invaded him. Gozo coldly calculated the boiling feelings in Yasunosuke's
chest and waited for them to explode.
—Mr. Akae, I am having a very hard time, but I think I have no choice but
to give up, — Yasunosuke finally acknowledged, his cheekbones seething,
but Gozo interrupted him with a piercing voice:
—You don't have to give up. You should make Miss Tamae yours.
—But Budayu has already asked for her hand and says that because of his
pride as a man he will get Miss Tamae.
—You have to... kill him.
—What?!
—You have to kill Budayu, — Gozo repeated.
—But as far as skill goes, we're not on the same level. There's no way
I'm...
—On my own, no one would probably be a match for him. But if you and
I join forces, we can surely kill him.
When feelings of love soar on the wings of youth, they easily fly over all
logic.
As the delicate figure of Tamae came to mind as a reward for the obscene
plan to defeat a more senior member of the same clan between two people,
while swallowing saliva, Yasunosuke swallowed the idea as well.
Three nights after that, Ishiguro Budayu appeared alone in the grounds of
the Kosaka shrine, well away from the castle.
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He had received an anonymous letter of challenge.

His opponent clearly identified himself as "the person who loves Tamae".
He also demanded that if he appreciated her honor, he should go to the
meeting alone.
Budayu, who had tremendous confidence in his own abilities, tore up the
letter of challenge and went to the right place without informing any of his
disciples.
From the shadows of the trees a dark silhouette emerged, which
immediately drew its sword and began to speak:
—Lord Ishiguro, do you renounce Tamae, or do we fight a duel to the
death?
Budayu laughed loudly, but in his hand he already had his sword drawn.
—Ha, ha, ha. That voice is that of Muraoka's son, is it not? Don't waste
your life over some nonsense. Go on, go home. I won't tell anyone about
tonight.
Budayu persisted in his contemptuous attitude toward his opponent.
Suddenly his blade flashed vehemently in the darkness to repel two
shuriken flying left and right, but just within those split-second intervals,
Yasunosuke's blade had inflicted a lethal cut on his chest.
—Uh! You wretch...
Unexpectedly, from behind Budayu, who was reeling involuntarily,
another sharp blade was thrust into his shoulder.

IV

Half a year passed without the murderer of Budayu being identified and
Tamae finally became the wife of Muraoka Yasunosuke. A few days after
the wedding night, an unexpected comment from Tamae surprised
Yasunosuke.
—It must have been you who killed Ishiguro Budayu.
—What are you talking about... how could I... — Yasunosuke tried to
make an excuse, but Tamae went on:
—Don't try to hide it. I don't think there's another person in the whole clan
who could kill a man like Budayu.
These words gratifyingly boosted the self-esteem of Yasunosuke, who no
longer showed any interest in denying it and simply smiled ambiguously.
—When the talk of lord Ishiguro began, — Tamae continued, — it was so
unpleasant to me that I even felt chills. But when my father informed me
that Budayu was an expert in martial tactics unparalleled in all of north-
western Japan, I inevitably resigned myself to it. What a woman's heart
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desires, above all, is someone strong. I was very happy to know that you
was more stronger than Budayu.
Yasunosuke listened to these praises while hiding his feelings of guilt. The
glossy face of Tamae, whose long black eyelashes faded in the light of the
fire and whose eyes stared at it, seemed to Yasunosuke of unparalleled
beauty and sensuality.
After Yasunosuke got married, Gozo continued to frequent the Muraoka
residence as much as before... or rather, much more than before.
Obviously, his intention was to get his father Muraoka Hanzaemon to
improve his social standing through Yasunosuke.
His ultimate goal was to get a recommendation for the position of martial
arts instructor for the fief in place of Budayu. He had complete confidence
in his abilities and believed that, after Budayu's death, there was no one in
the entire clan who could surpass him in skill. Furthermore, he was
convinced that Yasunosuke had an obligation to do everything in his power
to help him.
At that time, however, he began to feel that the great weakness that had
ruined his past was catching up with him again, stronger every day. That
weakness was none other than his obsession with beautiful women.
Tamae's innocent, newlywed silhouette gradually awakened a strange
attraction in him, and under his ice-cold skin began to burn a maddening
passion.
Gozo hoped that he could rise in rank thanks to Yasunosuke, and at the
same time he longed to hold his tender wife in his arms. These two
incompatible desires were growing stronger by the day, and stronger in the
consciousness of Gozo, who saw no contradiction between them.
At the same time, Yasunosuke's heart was also becoming embroiled in
conflicting feelings: the conviction that he owed Gozo a favor, and at the
same time the desire to remove from his sight the one man who had the
ability to betray him and reveal his secret. It was not long before
Yasunosuke's heart quickly turned to the second option.
—That Gozo casts every glance at Tamae... and she takes too much
confidence in him, too, — such were the justifications Yasunosuke
whispered to himself.
When Gozo realized that time was passing and that Yasunosuke not only
did not help him to prosper in life, but also tended to show a cold attitude
toward him to get him off his back, he quickly understood what was going
on in his mind.
—Huh! The ungrateful one! Well, I am going to give up my fifty koku
fraction of rice, and in return I will get his wife, — decided Gozo.
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When it came to women, he was an expert, and Yasunosuke was no match

for him. He soon realized that Tamae's love for Yasunosuke was based on
her overestimation of his martial abilities.
Under the guise of innocent jokes, in Tamae's presence, he showed her
how he can shuriken a little bird that had landed in a tree in the garden.
Then he took the opportunity to remind her that shuriken had appeared
next to Budayu's body. He pretended not to notice the shock on Tamae's
face and made her see that it was not only Yasunosuke's strength that had
killed Budayu.

—Don't talk nonsense! — Yasunosuke was indignant and blushed when

Tamae questioned him about it, and assured him that he had killed Budayu
on his own.
The next night, however, he invited Gozo in and rebuked him harshly for
revealing the secret. But Gozo winked at him and smiled from ear to ear.
—Tch. Are you making fun of me?
Yasunosuke reached for the hilt of his katana. At the same time, Gozo
recoiled suddenly, holding a long sword in his right hand and a short sword
in his left.
After half an hour, Gozo appeared abruptly before Tamae and spoke to her
in a commanding, urgent tone:
—Tamae, I have killed Yasunosuke. Just as I killed Budayu. You are mine
now.
Gozo's horribly pale cheeks had been tinged slightly red by the glow of the
blood of the victim he had just murdered, giving it a sinister beauty as he
watched Tamae.

Gozo fled with Tamae and, guided by destiny, settled in Kofu. He changed
his name to Kuroe Gotaro and opened a dojo in the city, on the facade of
which he hung a huge sign that read: "Mirai-chishin style". It referred to
the technique he had been secretly perfecting since he murdered Ishiguro
Budayu, and whose first victim had been Yasunosuke.
After defeating the formidable enemy that was Budayu, through his own
shuriken and Yasunosuke's sword, Gozo suddenly had an idea.
—If I could have carried out the attack made with Yasunosuke and myself,
alone, I am sure I could have defeated Budayu without any help.

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Obsessed by this new thought, he gave himself body and soul to

developing the technique.
He held a long sword in his right hand and advanced by drawing a small
circle with the short sword that he held high in his left hand, and then
threw the short sword at the opponent's chest, lightning fast.
Obviously, if the short sword is thrust directly into the opponent's chest,
the fight is over; but even if it is not, in order to repel or knock down the
coming sword, the opponent should concentrate all his strength on that
task at that moment. It is in those brief moments that one must throw
oneself upon the opponent and slash him with the other sword.
He called this deadly blow as "the sword of the mysterious flying dragon".
Word soon spread throughout the city surrounding Kofu Castle about the
Mirai-chishin style of Kuroe Gotaro, formerly known as Akae Gozo.
After a group of boastful samurai from the castle who had gone half-
jokingly, thinking that the style was nothing more than a descendant of
Musashi's Enmei style, were defeated almost without resistance, one after
another the students joined the dojo where the strange style was practiced
with two swords.
In the city of Kofu the Mirai-chishin style became so popular that no other
style was accepted, and in a short time Kuroe's fame spread first through
the whole province of Kai and then to the city of Sunpu.
As his reputation as an invincible swordsman grew, Gotaro came to
understand the heart of Tamae with greater certainty. At first, Tamae had
reluctantly let himself be drawn in by a mixture of shock and uneasiness in
equal measure, but now he had begun to show admiration and affection for
the husband who was a master of the blade beyond compare.
Having fully understood Tamae, it was now Gotaro's new ambition to be
hired by the fief of Suruga as the official martial arts instructor.
The provinces of Kai, Suruga, and Totomi were the territories of the great
advisor Tadanaga, and Kofu Castle was dependent upon Sunpu Castle.
Gotaro knew that one day and by some means he would have to leave for
Sunpu, and secretly he was waiting for his chance.
With respect to the feudal lord, he had a particularly attentive interaction.
His way of proceeding was the usual one for him: although he showed
himself to be somewhat abrupt, in reality he always guessed the feelings of
his interlocutors and acted accordingly. In many cases he was successful,
but there were also some perceptive people who abhorred him and
commented on him:
—I don't know why, but I have a thing for that guy...

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Obviously there were many who slandered him because they were envious
of his sword technique. He proclaimed himself to be the supreme expert in
all matters of swordplay, and he would answer any criticism of his Mirai-
chishin style with a mocking laugh, and this made people dislike him more
than they had to.
If he deliberately adopted this attitude, it was obviously not only to fulfill
Tamae's masculine ideal, but also because he really had so much self-
confidence and, above all, it can be assumed that he also aimed to attract
the attention of Sunpu Castle by means of this overwhelming self-
publicity.
It didn't take long for the repercussions to appear. Or rather, he took it
upon himself to bring it about.
Gotaro went to the mansion of the Kofu castle magistrate, Hinata Hanbei
Masayuki. In the midst of his conversation with several of the guests, a
man named Doj Sanjuro, who was also present, remarked in passing:
—Using two swords, if you think about it, seems more advantageous than
using just one, but when it comes to a real expert, it seems that a single
sword is much more preferable.
Gotaro could not pass up such a comment.
—And who is this genuine expert you speak of, if I may ask?
Sanjúro answered him in a dazed manner, and with a stern tone of voice
that suggested he could not forgive such an irresponsible comment:
—I was not referring to anyone in particular, it's just that the other day this
debate came up in a conversation about how Musashi, of the Enmei style,
fled in fear from a duel with Murakami Kichinojo, of the Nikaido style.
—Musashi's two-sword style is not the real thing.
After this unpleasant statement from Gotaro, another man named Takio
Jujiro immediately entered the conversation:
—How interesting! Although right now he is on duty at Sunpu castle,
Kataoka Kyonosuke, a member of the guard who is said to be a master of
the secrets of the Nikaido style that Doi mentioned. What would happen if
Kuroe, who describes himself as superior to Musashi, and Kataoka
Kyonosuke, who has mastered the Nikaido style feared by Musashi, were
to confront each other?
—I would, — roared an enraged Gotaro, his voice more aggressive than
usual.
To keep the matter from escalating, they immediately calmed Gotaro down
and took him away, but the next day he asked through an official document
to duel Kataoka Kyonosuke. Given the situation, in order to preserve the
honor of the fief, they had no choice but to accept his request.
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And these were the circumstances that led Kataoka Kyonosuke of the
Nikaido school, who had nothing either for or against Kuroe Gotharo of
the Mirai-chishin style since he knew nothing about it, to stake his life on
a duel against him using real swords.

VI

Within the Nikaido style there were two factions. The first Nikaido faction
was the one founded by Matsuyama Mondo, who lived in Kamakura
during the Eiroku period (1558-1570), commonly known as "Heiho" (the
hei method). The reason for this name is that the movements of this
technique described the shapes of the characters "one" (⼀), "eight" (⼋)
and "ten" (⼗), and if these ideograms were joined together, the character
"hei" (平) was obtained. Mondo's grandson, Daikichi, made a name for
himself serving Motogawa Sansai but was stabbed while taking a nap and
because of that this style disappeared.
The other faction broke away from the Gen style originated by Kiso
Shokuro of the Satomi clan, was founded by Hirai Shinpee and later
implemented by Murakami Kichinojo, who scared Musashi away with it.
Because both schools coincided in using the same name (Nikaido), the
exploits of the aforementioned Matsuyama Mondo and Murakami
Kichinojo were often confused, but the two factions were totally different.
In order to distinguish the latter from the former, it was also called the
Nikaido-Gen style.
Hirai Shinpee's Nikaido style was extremely peculiar. By nature, he was a
weak and feeble man. In fact, as a young man, he was mocked by his
teacher:
—With your strength you won't be able to cut even a spider's thread.
However, the example he had used to insult him served Shinpee well in
developing a wonderful sword technique.
Desperate for his meager skills, Shinpee was wandering the countryside
when he suddenly saw a spider's thread hanging from a tree branch before
his eyes.
He remembered the mocking laughter of his master, which had hurt him so
much, and in a rush he drew his katana and tried to cut the thread, but it
would not cut.
The fine thread, perhaps shaken slightly by the air that shook the
movement of the sword like a master of transformation, gently and

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indifferently ignored the dozen cuts that Shinpee intended to inflict with
his blade and still hung on the tree.
—That's it!
An idea flashed through his brain and opened his eyes like a plate.
And so it was that, after giving himself body and soul to intense training,
he finally developed his tareito ("Hanging Thread") stance with which he
was able to silently dodge any kind of attack.
The theory to avoid an attack is quite simple. No matter how much you
spin it, all you have to do is move left or right at a distance equivalent to
half the width of the front of your own body. Even in the case of a
horizontal cut, it is enough to move the body back so that it is separated
from the tip of the sword by a few millimetres.
As soon as the enemy's sword moves, you must find the place where the
tip of the sword is directed, and then move the body as little as possible.
That was the dizzying technique that Shinpee had managed to master, and
which allowed him to perform such a subtle and fulminating maneuver in
the blink of an eye.
As his opponent lunged and attacked with all his might, Shinpee held
himself up like a hanging thread on a spider in a flexible position and
dodged his opponent's blade, waiting for the opponent to run out of
strength due to fatigue and impatience, then hurling himself at him like a
whirlwind and knocking him down with a single sword strike.
Murakami Kichinojo was the first man to whom Hirai Shinpee passed on
the secrets of that technique. He had originally trained in the Okuyama
style, but he faced Hirai and saw that there was no way to beat him. When
he was already dizzy, Hirai gave him a blow, Murakami bowed his head
and became his disciple. It is said that he used to practice hanging a silk
thread on a door lintel.
Starting with Murakami, many of those who learned this style resembled
Hirai Shinpee: small, delicate-looking men with quiet personalities. It was
probably because such people were comfortable with a sword technique of
this style.
But, deep down, these people were not necessarily frail-tempered or
constantly passive. It is clear that within the flexibility they displayed there
was also a strong and tenacious fighting spirit. The story of Murakami
Kichinojo and Miyamoto Musashi is a good example.
At first, Musashi was willing to duel Murakami and, perhaps with the
intention of making a show of force, day after day he would move into a
pine forest near Murakami's residence and be seen exercising with his
blade. The scene has been described to us as follows:
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"Splendidly dressed in a sophisticated summer kimono with his family's

emblem stamped on it with gold leaf, he would show up night after night
to practice his sword strokes. He was such a skillful man that from his
ferocious attacks left and right, it seemed as if the big-nosed tengu demon
had come down from Mount Atago."
When on one occasion those sword strikes lasted for more than four hours,
a certain person went to inform Murakami Kichinojo, full of admiration,
but Kichinojo smiled and told him:
—He has a lot of stamina! But what would he do if his opponent was able
to hold out for six hours?
When this reached Musashi's ears, he was stunned, for he felt that he could
not go that far, and in the evening he left secretly for another province.

It is not known from whom the guard of the Suruga fiefdom, Kataoka
Kyonosuke, learned the Nikaido-Gen style, but he was among the few who
had mastered the surprisingly flexible and persevering "hanging thread"
stance, so he had a lot of prestige.
When it was announced that Kataoka was to face Kuroe Gotaro, who had
achieved such dazzling fame with his Mirai-chishin, there was unusual
interest among the people of the fief, but the pre-duel predictions, as
explained earlier, were almost ninety percent in favor of Kuroe.
This was because, while many people had witnessed Gotaro's Hiryuken
("The Flying Dragon Sword") and that grand and splendid stance with the
two swords had stolen the hearts of those who witnessed it, Kyonosuke's
technique had been seen by only a few people, and even conceptually it
gave an impression of fragility.

VII

A few days before the duel, Gotaro went into the city of Sunpu Castle,
accompanied by some of his disciples, and never tired of openly
proclaiming his sure victory in combat. Although he had come to terms
with the fact that it would not be easy for him to defeat the "Hanging
Thread" stance he had heard about, he was above all blindly confident in
his two-sword stance and his "Flying Dragon Sword".
Instead, all Kataoka Kyonosuke commented on with an extremely humble
attitude was:
—Kuroe is a renowned expert. The only thing I can do is defend myself
against his "flying dragon sword" with all my might.
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No one realized, however, that Kyonosuke, after a long deliberation, had

made the drastic decision to give up the Nikaido-Gen style technique in
order to achieve victory.
Kyonosuke had realized that if Gotaro destroys his Nikaido-Gen style
technique, then he would be able to defeat him. At the same time, he
became convinced that he had to beat him, and that the only way to defeat
a tough opponent that you seem to have everything to lose against is to get
into the fight at the risk of your life.

When he appeared on the purified white sand on the day of the duel, Kuroe
Gotaro's face was even paler than usual due to the tension of the moment.
His tall, emaciated figure, as people always whispered, was overflowing
with the ferocity of a weathered wolf, but in the piercing pupils of his half-
closed eyes there was a clear glimpse of an inner strength that was haughty
and convinced of his victory.
If he won the tournament he would become the best in the provinces of
Kai, Suruga, and Totomi, and then perhaps he would be granted the
position of clan instructor that he so longed for. And in turn Tamae would
have more respect for him and look at him enraptured with her large,
sensuous eyes filled with admiration again under the pallor of her shaved
eyebrows.
With the glittering path to glory opening up before her eyes, Gotaro was
overcome by a strong fighting spirit that made his entire body tremble with
excitement.
Already in front of Kataoka Kyonosuke, Gotaro held high in his right hand
a long sword forged by Sukesada of Bizen Province, and in his left hand
he held a short sword. His silhouette on guard gently raising both swords
projected vividly before the eyes of the spectators as if they were
witnessing a splendid dance in a kabuki play.
If that short sword, which he threw as if it were a shuriken, flew at the
usual speed, surely Kyonosuke's "Hanging Thread" stance could easily
dodge it. Now, if when the short sword flew out of Gotaro's hand even
faster than an arrow of light, and clearly intended to injure Kyonosuke,
even if he missed his target by a few inches, the "long sword of the flying
dragon" would strike Kyonosuke just at the fleeting moment he moved his
body, like lightning striking the ground.
Kyonosuke adopted the pose of the Gen style with the sword at a medium
height and the body facing obliquely to the left, reducing the portion of the
front of the body that was directed towards the opponent as much as
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possible. His left shoulder, which projected forward, pointed at the base of
his opponent's neck, waiting for the moment to attack the short sword that
Gotaro wielded in his left hand and with which he now drew soft circles.
If Gotaro advanced an inch or two, Kyonosuke retreated the same distance.
If Kyonosuke moved a few inches to the left, Gotaro did the same but to
the right.
These were stifling minutes in which, instead of swords, it was looks and
minds at odds with one another that made the sparks fly.
Although Kyonosuke's strong point should be to wait for the opponent's
exhaustion after repeated attacks and strikes, it was clear that he was
running out of both physical strength and willpower.
Just as he noticed bubbling pearls of sweat beginning to form on
Kyonosuke's pale forehead, Gotaro caused the short sword he held in his
left hand to draw a white light in the sky, and the long sword he wielded in
his right hand to hurl itself and his entire body toward the opponent. Both
his sword and body collided head-on with Kyonosuke's sword and body,
and a scream could be heard, but none of the attendants knew who had
uttered it. The onlookers began to stand and peek out to find out, and they
could see that the one lying on his back on the ground, as if he had been
repelled, was Gotaro.
Kyonosuke staggered violently, with the short blade of Gotaro buried in
his left shoulder, but as he plunged his sword into the ground to support
himself and stand, he smiled.
He had done nothing to dodge the short blade of Gotaro that was flying
toward him. Thus the main technique of the Nikaido-Gen school had been
defeated — or rather, he had allowed it to be defeated. But it was precisely
that which made it possible for his sword to go into the body of his
adversary and cut him one thousandth of a second before Gotaro's did, thus
completely defeating the invincible "Flying Dragon Sword".

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

HAYATE JONMAKUDZUKI
(«The hurricane that breaks through the barricades of the
military camp»)
I

—Please give me your night guard post tonight, — Shujiro asked with a
tone of voice that was slightly out of character.
When Gennosuke looked up to look back at him, his companion suddenly
looked away.
—Saeki, did something happen?
—Yes. We will talk about it later, but tonight please replace me at my post
as warehouse watchman and give me yours as a guard.
Gennosuke went to see his superior, told him that he had a toothache so, in
order not to commit any carelessness, he asked him to replace him at his
guard post with Saeki Shujiro, and he immediately got permission.
At the hour of the boar — ten o'clock at night — Shujiro entered the guard
room. His companion was Shindo Buzaemon.
Since he used a spear from the Shinto school, he had been given special
permission and had a short spear at his side.
In terms of age, Shindo would have been about ten years older than
Shujiro, but in terms of his service in the castle he was relatively new, so it
seems he did not have much contact with anyone. The adjoining room of
ten tatami on the other side of the sliding door faced the bedroom of the
feudal lord Tadanaga.
After half an hour Tadanaga retired to his room. His usual angry and
piercing monosyllable cries were heard throughout the room. After a
while, from the faintest hint of arrival, it could be deduced that the sliding
door in the south corridor was quietly opened and three women entered the
room, two of whom came out again shortly afterwards. Needless to say,
the one who stayed in the room would be the woman who was sleeping
with Tadanaga that night.
What the guards did then was to turn their heads away from Tadanaga's
bedroom and sit upright on the floor with their chests out, their minds
blank. Often the night passed quietly, without a sound coming from the
bedroom, until finally the woman withdrew and Tadanaga rose to go to the
washroom.
Sometimes, however, Tadanaga's sharp, low, relentless voice would leak
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out. No doubt this happened when the woman did something that did not
satisfy the feudal lord, and then the woman's slight voice was heard, with a
tone that mixed fear and embarrassment.
The guards exchanged quick glances, sometimes accompanied by slight
ironic smiles, and sometimes by lewd smiles from ear to ear. But even on
nights when nothing was happening, they still were young people. No
wonder from the moment the woman entered the bedroom, thoughts were
clouded and sensual visions arose in their minds. If one were to look
closely at those faces, one could glimpse the excitement in their hearts.
That night, however, there was something out of the ordinary in the way
that Shujiro's features were altered. From the moment he perceived that the
woman had been left alone on Tadanaga's bed, his clenched fists to his
knees, writhing and shaking, his teeth were grinding behind his tightly
closed lips, his eyes were injected with blood, and his forehead began to
soak with sweat.
Although it seemed impossible that his companion Shindo was not aware
of his strange state, inexplicably, Shindo himself was so extremely
impatient and agitated that he could not even pay attention to Shujiro. It
seemed that all his attention was concentrated on his master's bedroom.
Suddenly the two of them turned impetuously towards the sliding door
leading to the bedroom, simultaneously raising one knee and standing on
guard.
—You idiot! — there was an angry cry from Tadanaga, and then the
sliding door which separated the bedroom from the adjoining antechamber
had been thrown open. This was what made them react in such a manner.
It was at this point that both Shindo and Shujiro first became aware of the
dreadful countenance of each other. They both attributed it, however, to the
tension of a guarded samurai when they noticed that some anomaly had
occurred in their lord's bedroom.
Shindo placed his short spear on his raised left knee and Shujiro, for his
part, grabbed the muzzle of his short sword sheath in his left hand and
placed his right hand on the hilt.
Both sensed that the man was brimming with a fearsome thirst for blood,
and were already preparing words with which to try and quell it, but all the
two could do was move their lips slightly.
In the next room there was a clatter of footsteps as if they were playing cat
and mouse. It was not a normal situation, but until the man called them,
they were not allowed to open the sliding door to the bedroom on their
own. With eyes fixed on the sliding door and trembling hands wielding

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spear and katana respectively, the two men slowly approached, stealthily,
the door. Then there were shouts...
—An intruder!
—Get him!
Surprisingly, though, those cries were not from the adjoining room,
enveloped in a strange eruption of footsteps, but from the area where the
library was situated, much to the north of the bedroom. Then there were
angry cries and booing from four or five different places, which shattered
the serenity of the night, and then there were signs of people running
around.
"What was that", both Shindo and Shujiro wondered when, after looking at
one another, a rumble was heard as if someone had hit the sliding door
before their eyes and shook it.
The bloody slide was still shaking as Shindo's short spear glinted and went
right through the middle. A shriek was heard above the noise of the door
breaking loose and the body of a woman, her snowy underwear dyed
crimson even more intensely than the camellias, collapsed before them.
Shindo hurriedly stepped back and muttered to himself, "Damn it!".
Yet he withdrew suddenly to a corner of the room, as quiet as a water bug,
and put himself on guard with his spear, for he had sensed that, if he had
remained motionless, Shujiro's sword would have descended upon his
shoulder.
Five or six vassals rushed in.
—Chika! — Shujiro shouted as he tried to lift the woman's body.
Tadanaga watched him intently as his veins became more pronounced on
his pale forehead.

II

The incident was due to a logical sequence of events. Chika was serving
Tadanaga in her bedroom, but she refused to untie her obi, so to avoid
violence from Tadanaga, she fled to the anteroom. Coincidentally, at the
same time Komura Gennosuke discovered someone suspicious near the
library, confronted him and, along with his companions, managed to
corner him and kill him with a sword blow. This commotion reached the
ears of Shindo Buzaemon, who interpreted it as some danger stalking his
lord, speared through the sliding door and stuck it into Chika.

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—See, I thought that the intruder who had hidden in the library and the
lady who was serving in the bedroom might be in cahoots to try to inflict
some harm on my lord? — Shindo openly justified himself to Inspector
Watanabe Kenmotsu's investigation.
—And what would have happened if by chance, by attacking through the
sliding door, you had accidentally injured our lord? — Watanabe
interrogated him.
—With all due respect, let me tell you that I am an expert in the art of the
Shinto style spear, one of whose secret techniques is to pierce the curtains
around military camps. I never make a single mistake, — Shindo boasted.
—Well, I have heard of that technique, — Watanabe nodded admiringly.

For his part, Saeki Shujiro kept muttering incoherently, as if his head were
elsewhere. His superiors ridiculed him amidst the whispering. Despite
being an expert in the drawing technique of the Tamiya school, did he
cower at the sight of what was happening? After all, compared to Shindo,
he's so young...
—Maybe Saeki has something to do with what happened last night...
Gennosuke could not bear such insinuations any longer and went to
reproach Shujiro that very night.
—I am going to kill Shindo, — declared Shujiro.
He also made an unexpected confession: he had been having a deep
relationship with Chika for a long time.
When he heard that Tadanaga had claimed his services, Chika went to
Shujiro and assured him emphatically:
—There's no way I'm going to fulfill the lord's wishes.
—But what will you do if he forces you to do so?
—In the worst case, I would bite my tongue and die.
—Chika, I'm very grateful to you. If you are so determined, I won't let you
die unnecessarily by yourself. I'll die with you too.
—What?
—The day you have to spend the night with the lord, I'll take over the
guard post. If the lord persists forcing you, flee to the guard room. I'll stab
you before the lord's eyes, and then I'll kill myself too.
Chika entered Tadanaga's bedroom determined to die. But in the corridor,
before she entered, she suddenly felt uneasy and, to make sure, asked the
older woman who accompanied her:
—Who are the people in charge of the guard tonight?

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Hearing that the guards would be Shindo Buzaemon and Komura

Gennosuke, Chika felt a twinge in her chest. She deduced that something
would have happened to Shujiro and he have failed in his attempt to swap
places with the night guard. Fleeing from the clutches of Tadanaga, she ran
to the antechamber, but she did not open the sliding door to the guards'
quarters because she feared that if she entered there in her disheveled night
clothes, with Shujiro not present, she would end up being captured by
Shindo and Komura.
She escaped as far as she could and resigned herself to biting out her
tongue ...but just then something stuck in her and pierced her from the
other side of the door.
—Why didn't you kill Shindo at that moment to avenge Chika's death? —
Gennosuke asked.
—When he killed her, he quickly retreated a few feet and stood on guard.
Then I saw that Chika was looking at me as she took her last breath, so I
went to embrace her. But I cannot forgive that damned Shindo. I will kill
him.

III

There was reason for Inspector Watanabe to have his eyes opened like a
dish when Shindo mentioned to him in his reply the secret technique of the
Shinto style for piercing the curtains surrounding the military camps.
Obviously, this technique had its origin in the tactics used in battle when a
warrior either infiltrated the enemy's camp under cover of darkness at
night, or taking advantage of the confusion of the contest, assaulted the
enemy's headquarters and, from outside the surrounding curtain wall,
pierced the enemy general with a spear. It was one of the main techniques
of the Shinto style.
The founder of the art of spear handling in the Shinto school was Iizasa
Wakasanokami Morichika, following the tradition of Iizasa Choisai, and
together with his son Morinobu and grandson Moritsuna were known as
unrivalled experts. The technique of breaking through the encirclement of
the camps was acquired by both father and son (Morinobu and Moritsuna)
in the midst of the frequent tumult of war.
If it was already difficult just to get someone across a curtain, the height of
difficulty was to identify the general among all the other people who could
be found on the other side of the fence and to spear him without missing a
beat.
It is said that at the Battle of Okehazama (1560), General Hattori
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Kazutada, under Oda Nobunaga, gave the first spear cut to enemy general
Imagawa Yoshimoto using this technique of piercing the curtains. And it
was also through this secret technique that Yasuda Sakubei managed to
drive his spear into Oda Nobunaga through the paper sliding door, when
Nobunaga was in the Buddhist temple in Honno (Kyoto, 1582), glued to
the door and about to throw himself into the flames that swept through the
temple.
After this, the person best known for his skill with this technique is
Anazawa Unsai, a disciple of Moritsuna. According to the story, Unsai was
at a banquet to contemplate the chrysanthemums when he stood up and
turned in his direction, which were on the other side of the curtains, with
the spear in his hand.
—This chrysanthemum is white, the next one is yellow, and this one is red,
— he shouted as he went through the heart of the chrysanthemums one by
one in the colours he was naming.
Perhaps he also had some knowledge of the technique of seeing through
things.
—If I concentrate with my mind's eye, the curtain, the sliding door, and
even the walls disappear instantly, — Unsai used to boast.
Later, Anazawa Unsai passed on the Shinto style to Kashihara
Gorozaemon Toshishige and it became very popular, especially in Awa
Province, but as the wars subsided, the secret technique of walking
through the curtains of the camps gradually fell into oblivion and it was
believed that there was virtually no one left to master it.
Watanabe, a regular practitioner of the Honma school spear art, was
shocked to learn that Shindo Buzaemon had mastered the technique. He
was delighted to have made an unexpected discovery.

And it was this Shindo whom Shujiro said he wanted to kill. Shujiro was
extremely agitated, so Gennosuke, who was only a little older than him,
tried to calm him down:
—Wait, Saeki. Even if he pays attention to what you tell him, he has
considerable strength. Do not be hasty.
—Whatever strength he has, as Chika's killer, he is my enemy.
—Well, if Shindo speared Chika it was because he felt the lord was in
danger and attacked impulsively. Calling him "the enemy" is a bit of an
exaggeration...
—And can you tell what danger the lord was in? It is clear that the woman
who is going to spend the night with him won't carry even a small knife.
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—Didn't he already explain that when I shouted that there was an intruder
in the library, he thought that the intruder and Chika were in cahoots? He
didn't know Chika, so although he made a mistake, it was partly inevitable.
—In that case, how come he didn't run down the corridor to the north in
search of the intruder? Even if he thought Chika was the intruder's ally, she
was no more than an unarmed woman, whom he could have killed even if
he had waited for the master's order.
—Mmm, — Gennosuke replied, but instantly he opened his eyes wide, —
Saeki, perhaps this is all a bold ploy of that Shindo.
—What?
—Could he not have killed Chika by accident when his intention was
actually to kill the lord?
—Huh?
—Perhaps he prepared everything beforehand with the intruder I killed in
the library: the intruder would enter through the outer corridor of the
northern zone, and when the lord fled to the antechamber, Shindo would
spear him with his technique to get through the wall. But the incident with
Chika spoiled his plan. If that is the case, I must kill the man myself, for
the safety of our lord.
—I don't know if that guy planned murder of our lord or not. But in any
case, I am going to kill him to avenge Chika's death.
Shujiro never directed his resentment towards his lord Tadanaga, who was
the one who caused — even if by accident — the death of his beloved as a
result of trying to dishonor her, but instead guided it exclusively towards
the perpetrator, Shindo Buzaemon.
It seems that he was able to completely suppress the urge to bear a grudge
and consider his lord an enemy, due in large part to the sense of
submission that was so deeply rooted in him. If nothing else, the anger he
felt toward Shindo grew even more intense. Gennosuke was attempting to
restrain an enraged Shujiro by advising him to wait for the right moment
so as not to make any mistakes, and assuring him that he would lend a
hand. The opportunity to confront Shindo came unexpectedly soon,
however.
—I would like to show my lord again the secret technique, rare these days,
of spearing through the camp enclosure, — Shindo had been summoned at
Watanabe's suggestion.
On one side of the curtain which had been spread out in the garden a
person would stand holding a red ball in one hand and a white ball in the
other, and on the other side of the curtain Shindo would stand on his guard

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with his spear and would have to run through the red ball or the white ball
with it, as he was ordered.
—The person holding the balls will be Saeki Shujiro, — Watanabe said.
On Tadanaga's face, who stood in the corridor overlooking the garden,
there was something of a mocking smile, for that nomination had been his
idea.
Shujiro accepted the order by bowing his head. Gennosuke, who was
standing next to him, whispered to him:
—If he makes a mistake in choosing the ball, consider him the lord's
murderer, draw and kill him immediately without warning.
Shujiro stood up without replying. He had already decided that the
moment Shindo got through the ball, whether he got the color right or
missed and got through the other one, he would kill him with an iai.
They stood facing each other, separated by the curtain. Shujiro drew the
short blade he carried along with the long one on the left side and switched
it to the right side. He then turned to Watanabe, who raised his eyebrows in
disbelief, and explained to him casually:
—If I carry both swords on the same side, my left shoulder will fall more.
In fact, his intention was different: if Shindo pierced the ball he was
holding in his left hand, he would draw the long sword in his right hand,
and if he plunged his spear into the ball he was holding in his right hand,
he would take the short sword in his right hand and kill him.
All present considered that, knowing Shujiro's height in advance and the
skill that Shindo had, it would not be too difficult for him to deduce the
position of the balls. The problem was distinguishing between the red and
white ones with a curtain in between.
Shujiro waited, holding the red ball in his hand right and the white one on
the left.

IV

—First he runs through the white ball, then the red one, — commanded
Watanabe.
—I will carry it out according to the rules of the battlefield, — explained
Shindo, and took the stance with his spear.
—Of course, — nodded Watanabe.
Shindo placed the spear halfway up and looked at the curtain with such a
penetrating gaze that it seemed capable of piercing it.
Everyone present was expectant, and assumed that he was concentrating
his mental vision on whether the red ball was on the left or on the right.
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However, what the man with the bold and defiant expression ended up
doing was a totally unexpected act. Without even taking aim, and with a
seemingly careless step, he quickly approached the curtain, stretched the
long spear about ten feet from the tip, and crossed the curtain right in the
middle.
All present shouted in unison, after which there was a strange groan, and
then Shujiro collapsed forward. With his right hand he had begun to pull
out the handle of his long sword, but the tip of the spear had pierced it
from the center of his chest to his back and he already had his last breath.
—What was that for?
—Shindo, that was unacceptable! — exclaimed Watanabe, who had come
to after the initial surprise, and Komura, too.
After removing the spear, Shindo wiped the blood from him silently, then
went to Tadanaga and bowed to him.
—Earlier I said that I would perform it according to the rules of the
battlefield, and I obtained your permission. If I had been ordered to pass
through only one ball, either the red or the white one, I would have done
so, but if I am ordered to pass through both, first the white one and then
the red one, to knock down both in one blow represents the path to victory
on the battlefield.
Watanabe was about to reply, but Tadanaga interrupted him:
—Well done, that was splendid.
Just as when Chika was speared, Tadanaga's veins were prominently
marked on his forehead.
In both cases, it was a sign of his hatred for the young Shujiro who had
embraced Chika and sobbed for her, the woman who had rejected him.
Neither Tadanaga nor Watanabe realized that the people around him were
holding back Komura Gennosuke with all their might so that he wouldn't
jump on Shindo.

That same night, Gennosuke visited Watanabe at his mansion and

confessed all his suspicions to him.
—Shindo plunged the spear into Saeki's chest because he cannot tell the
difference between red and white with a curtain. I have no doubt that he
also speared Chika by mistake, when he intended to spear our lord.
On that occasion, Watanabe himself had immediately thought, "What if he
had wounded my lord Tadanaga by driving the spear through the sliding
door?". That concern was supposed to have disappeared when Shindo
replied that he had mastered the technique of breaking through the camp
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enclosure but, as Gennosuke argued, if despite the fact that Shindo was
skilled enough to spear someone behind a curtain, but was unable to
distinguish which person he was spearing, then his behavior was quite
problematic.
—All that talk about the rules of the battlefield was nothing more than a
deception. Killing a completely innocent fellow man like that, playing a
temporary role, seems to me to be totally brutal and heartless, and not at
all like an ordinary samurai.
Watanabe was puzzled. Gennosuke continued:
—He deduced the hatred the lord had for Saeki and so dared to commit the
atrocity, to cover up his own lack of skill while gaining the lord's trust. But
if he managed to get even closer to the lord, this could lead to a very
serious incident.
Watanabe's dismay was growing with all that Gennosuke was telling him.
Finally, Gennosuke proposed a plan to remedy the situation:
—At the next dueling tournament on September 24th, allow me to face
Shindo. I assure you that you will be able to watch me finish him off in a
spectacular way.

The author has already made it clear on several occasions that the popular
version of the Kan'ei era tournament was based on the extremely violent
dueling tournament with real swords that took place on September 24th of
the sixth year of the Kan'ei era, in the presence of the great advisor and
lord of Suruga Castle, Tokugawa Tadanaga.
On that occasion, the third duel in the afternoon was between Komura
Gennosuke and Shindo Buzaemon.
It had been announced beforehand that, by special order of Tadanaga, the
duel between these two participants would take the form of an exhibition
of Shindo's technique of walking through the curtains of a camp, and so it
had aroused great interest not only among the warrior vassals but also
among the general public.
In the second duel of the afternoon, Kataoka Kyonosuke of the Nikaido-
Gen style, even with a sword deeply embedded in his left shoulder, had
managed to defeat "The Flying Dragon Sword", Kuroe Gotaro's technique
of the Mirai-chishin style. Immediately after the latter was defeated, a
curtain, like those used to fence off military camps, stretched from east to
west on the battlefield.
On the southern side of the curtain stood Shindo Buzaemon wielding his
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long spear, and on the northern side stood Komura Gennosuke with his
favorite blade drawn.
Shindo was granted the privilege of being the first to attack through the
curtain. If he could bring Gennosuke down with that first blow, the fight
would be over. If, however, Shindo missed the blow or was stopped by
Gennosuke, then he could cut the curtain and head towards Shindo to
attack him freely.
Clearly, off the battlefield, Shindo's technique was at a disadvantage. To
begin with, the opponent was fully aware that he was going to be attacked
and was in guard, so a surprise attack was impossible. Also, since the
opponent was not wearing armor loaded with metal parts, if he moved
carefully enough he would not be able to pick up even the slightest sound.
On the other hand, however, he had an advantage that he did not have in
the middle of a battle: there was no danger that an enemy soldier could
discover you from behind or from the sides. It was enough to concentrate
only on the adversary beyond the curtain.
In the face of this, Gennosuke began with the disadvantage of not being
able to make any movement while waiting for the enemy to attack. Also,
with the obstacle of the curtain in the way, as an expert in the Hangan
style, he had no way to use his strength — the "hurricane" sword.
The main characteristic of the Hangan style was the agile and fast
handling of the long sword. It was especially popular in the area around
Kyoto, so there were quite a few people in the eastern provinces who
practiced it. The hurricane sword was one of the ten secret techniques that
Hangan style masters passed on to a single excellent disciple.
Until that time, Gennosuke had only shown his secret hurricane sword
technique to clan members on one occasion. It was several years ago,
when one Kamiya Umanojo, an expert in the martial art of the staff who
identified himself as a follower of the Ookami style, appeared in the castle
town of Suruga and was defeating all the dojos in the town one after
another.
On hearing the rumors, Tadanaga was shocked and summoned him to the
castle, where he made him face the vassal warriors he deemed appropriate,
but not a single one of them even managed to touch Kamiya's body with
their wooden swords.
As soon as his ten-foot staff began to dance through the air and display up
to ten different techniques (oshizume: pushing and cornering; midaredome:
stopping the chaos; ushirozue: behind the staff; taisha: the waiting wheel;
kengome: going into space; kikkake: incomplete cut; shinshin: royal
advance; raiuchi: thunder strike; haraidome: stopping a cross cut;
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yokogiridome: stopping a horizontal cut), it seemed that the opponent, like

water falling from the top of a waterfall or a wheel rolling down a slope,
could do nothing but take those strikes and retreat step by step while
wiping away the sweat.
And then Gennosuke appeared. Carelessly wielding a ninety-centimeter
wooden sword, he suddenly ran in circles around Kamiya Umanojo like a
hurricane.
As soon as Kamiya turned to his right he had Gennosuke on his back, and
as soon as he turned around Gennosuke returned to the original position.
Attacked by the hurricane blade that Gennosuke was drawing as it rotated
at spectacular speed around his body, even Kamiya herself began to feel
dizzy and when he unconsciously began to stagger, sweating profusely,
Gennosuke struck him a severe blow to the shoulder.
—I am sorry... I give up, — Kamiya said, one knee to the ground.

If they faced each other under normal conditions, as much as Shindo

Buzaemon was an expert in the handling of the Shinto style spear, there
was no way he could stand up to Gennosuke's swift hurricane blade.
However, having extended that curtain by order of Tadanaga ahead of
Gennosuke, it was impossible for him to perform those dizzying rotations.
Having been prevented from using his best technique and forced to give up
all initiative to his opponent, the crowd began to fear Gennosuke's chances
of victory, as most felt sympathy for the nice young man.
But now the two had begun the struggle that would decide between life
and death, separated by a curtain. From the seats where Tadanaga sat, one
could see what was happening on either side of the curtain, but obviously
the two combatants could not see the silhouette of their opponent.
Gennosuke stood on guard with his long sword drawn and in a low
position. As soon as the signal was given to begin the duel, however, from
the middle of his side of the curtain he turned east and began to run as if he
was slipping.
As if he was running through the clouds, there was neither the sound of his
footsteps nor the slightest rustle of his clothing.
For his part, Shindo stood motionless in the center of his side of the
curtain, focusing his eyes and ears. He placed his long spear horizontally,
with the tip pointing slightly upward. He squinted so hard that it seemed as
if he had his eyes half closed, but just when it seemed that he was going to
close them completely, he suddenly opened them like plates. In this

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manner he, too, turned to the east and, as if carried away by a misty wave,
glided along at a brisk pace without making any noise or creaking.
Shindo stopped suddenly and stared at the point he was aiming at with his
spear. Beginning with Tadanaga, all onlookers who could see both sides of
the curtain held their breath. The tip of the spear pointed directly at
Gennosuke's chest on the other side of the curtain.
With the spectators already convinced that Gennosuke was going to be
pierced by that spear, the tip of the spear moved flashing like lightning. As
soon as the tip tore through the curtain, Gennosuke's body leapt. Then with
his right hand he lifted the glowing blade vertically and cut the cord that
tied the curtain to the pole, causing it to collapse. Gennosuke grabbed one
end of the curtain tightly and ran towards Shindo's back.
Shindo tried in vain to deliver a killing blow and had to remove the tip of
the spear in a hurry, but then he saw the curtain come down on him from
the right side and go around his back.
Shindo ran to keep it from wrapping him up, but Gennosuke's swift gallop
was a step ahead. Gennosuke circled the pole on the west side as he
continued to grab the end of the cloth and wrapped the curtain around
Shindo's body completely.
Gennosuke continued to circle like a hurricane and, before people could
even suspect what was happening, he left Shindo coiled between several
layers of the curtain.
Aware that the spear was no longer of any use to him, Shindo quickly drew
the short blade and tore the curtain that curled around his body vertically
as if he was a diabolical being. As soon as he barely escaped the curtain,
however, Gennosuke was on his guard and delivered a lethal blow to the
back of his head.
—Do you feel Saeki's revenge now? — Gennosuke uttered the words, as if
to plunge them into Shindo's ear one by one, as he groaned on the ground.
He then moved forward, bowed and calmly began to wipe the blood from
the blade with one end of the curtain.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

MIKAWARI SHIAI
(«Duel of substitutes»)
I

The fourth match in the afternoon at the tournament with real swords in
the presence of the feudal lord that took place in Suruga Castle on
September 24th of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era, even among the eleven
fights to the death that were held that day, had several aspects that made it
especially unique.
First, as indicated in the Secret Record of the Great Chancellor of Suruga,
it was Shibayama Hanbee Takahisa and Kurita Hikotaro Yoshiyuki who
took part in this duel, but in reality others came to the duel posing as them.
Secondly, in this duel the opponents fought as in a real battle: equipped
with armor and helmet, and attacking each other on the back of a horse. In
the popular legend of the dueling tournament of the Kan'ei era, based on
this tournament before the feudal lord of Suruga, Okubo Hikozaemon and
Kagatsume Kai also fought protected by helmet and armor, which is
certainly an adaptation of this combat.
Thirdly, this duel ended, of course, in the presence of Tadanaga, the lord of
the castle, but as a direct consequence of this combat a second duel took
place immediately after, and again a few days later a third duel took place,
and in all cases the confrontation resulted in bloodshed for the participants.
To begin with, why did such a strange and extremely abominable duel had
to take place?
From the perspective of posterity, one can only conclude that it was a
trivial discussion that triggered this succession of duels to the death.
However, even if only superficially, it was a matter of life and death.
Although it may seem silly to an onlooker, perhaps each of the people
involved had his or her own compelling reasons for doing so.
In the only reliable document on the circumstances of the precise day of
the mourning — the codex mentioned above: Secret Record of the Great
Chancellor of Suruga, the author merely describes the course of the duel.
As previously stated, the names of the duelists were Shibayama Hanbee
and Kurita Hikotaro. There is no records about the second and third duels.
Consequently, to know the truth about what happened, we have no choice
but to rely on what Kurita Hikotaro's younger brother Genjiro, who
became a vassal of the Ikeda clan after the abolition of the clan of the great
advisor of Suruga, wrote in his Memo of the Duels of Kurita Nobufusa.
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According to the memorandum, Kurita Hikotaro was then 25 years old and
when his father, Jirodayu Nobufusa, retired, he succeeded him as an
instructor of archery of the Suruga fief.
On the other hand, Shibayama Hanbee had already passed his sixtieth
birthday, but he had no intention of relinquishing his position to his first-
born son, Shinzo Hisayasu, who was the same age as Hikotaro.
"As long as I am alive, I will not give up my post to a young man", he used
to say, and so he continued his work as a horse trainer.
As is often the case with many older, stubborn people, Hanbee liked to
brag about the warlike exploits of his youth, and as soon as few people got
together, no matter how much they frowned thinking "Again?", he would
always start telling stories about the battle of Sekigahara thirty years ago,
or the siege of Osaka fifteen years earlier. And he would always conclude
exultantly, saying:
—Today's young men only wield wooden swords in the dojos, so as they
have no real combat experience they are worthless.
Now, the little battles Hanbee told had their share of truth. At the Battle of
Sekigahara he was under the command of Tokugawa leyasu. He fought
against the advancing troops of Otani Gyobu Yoshitaka, and took the head
and helmet of a general. He did not take part in the winter campaign of the
siege of Osaka, but in the summer campaign he held the bar with the
troops under leyasu, who were retreating after the brutal attack of Sanada
Saemonnojo, and killed Murakami Yasunobu, the brave warrior of the
Sanada clan.
In the old days, his greatest adversary was Kurita Jirodayu. Both were the
same age and competed against each other in the field of martial arts from
a very young age. Jirodayu also stood out for his warlike exploits at the
Battle of Sekigahara and in the two campaigns of the siege of Osaka.
However, when he resigned from service of his feudal lord leyasu and
moved to Suruga to serve Tadanaga, a great distance arose between their
respective social positions. Hanbee, with a forked tongue and a bad
reputation, was appointed as a horse trainer for a stipend of one hundred
and thirty koku, while Jirodayu, sensible and friendly, became the archery
instructor for a stipend of three hundred and fifty koku.
Hanbee was always deeply aware of this difference between their stipends.
He was constantly jealous and argumentative:
"That wretch Kurita, even though he didn't do more feats than me, since
he's good at sucking up, he has achieved a good position."
Jirodayu, on the other hand, was barely aware of the issue and was always
willing to relate to his youthful friend regardless of what separated them,
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but once Hanbee's feelings had been twisted, it was no longer going to be
easy to mend them.
Without their being aware of it, a distance was gradually created between
them. As a result of the mutual accusations, the friendship of the youth
grew cold.
"What a weird guy!", Jirodayu always thought of Hanbee.
"He's just showing off!", Hanbee was always prejudiced.
The rivalry between the two definitely turned into a disagreement when
Hanbee, at the request of his first-born son Shinzo, went to ask Jirodayu
for the hand of his daughter Kiyo to marry his son, which Jirodayu
opposed. Jirodayu's refusal of this marriage proposal was due to his
knowledge of Hanbee's temperament, and he considered:
"A home with such a stubborn and intractable father-in-law is not suitable
for my shy and timid Kiyo."
But Hanbee obviously didn't interpret it the same way:
"That cocky Kurita... he thinks my 150 koku is not up to his 350 koku.
Damn! Has he forgotten the old days?"
He, in his own way, loved his son Shinzo deeply, so the fact that he
couldn't grant his longed-for wish filled him with anger. When he made
that marriage proposal, if it was accepted, he even intended to "forgive that
Kurita for his usual rudeness".
Once Jirodayu had retired and was succeeded by his son Hikotaro,
Hanbee's resentment of the father turned to the son. He was hated for
being Jirodayu's son alone, but even more so because, despite being the
same age as his own son Shinzo, he was, according to him, doing nothing
but "bragging" about the three hundred and fifty koku he received as an
archery instructor, which he found even more infuriating.
All of these accumulated feelings exploded one day during a small
conversation. As usual, Hanbee was explaining one of his little battles
when he noticed that Hikotaro was among the attendants and
unconsciously began to spill his intents:
—Today, learning the sword is child's play. What's the use of wielding a
wooden sword and practicing only according to the patterns established for
each stance? In a battle your opponent is a living being, and he is also a
living being who is going to fight to the death, and there is no idiot who
comes to order you to hit him according to the patterns. Ha, ha, ha! I have
heard that lord Hikotaro has formidable swordsmanship in the Okakura
dojo but what of the battlefield? Would fencing in the dojo be useful to
him?

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Hikotaro was somewhat puzzled and only forced a smile, but apparently
Hanbee interpreted that forced smile as a mockery and continued:
—And, of course, since you only tap with the wooden sword, you can't tell
who really deserves it. Aren't those who are the most talkative, rather than
the most skilled, the ones who are getting better and better? Ha ha ha! But
then, it's doesn't matter. Since the old days, instead of taking into account
the achievements on the battlefield, those who always ascend are the ones
do lip service the most.
It was a malicious insinuation implicitly directed at his father, Jirodayu. If
only he had referred to him, since his companion was an older person,
Hikotaro would have let it pass with a smile and without a word of
complaint, but when he heard the latter, he tensed up.
—Shibayama, do you not think you have gone too far with your words?
Hikotaro intended to end the conversation after these brief words of
reproach, but his interlocutor, with the stubbornness characteristic of older
people, kept insisting:
—Well! If I really was rude, I apologize. But can't you see how I am right
in saying that the techniques you are taught in the dojo are of no practical
use?
—There are no ways around the sword. Clumsy as I am, I am still not
learning anything that cannot be useful in practice, — with his youth, as he
momentarily freed himself from the discipline that repressed his emotions,
Hikotaro's speech became incisive.
—What a rebuke. In that case, do you think you can match the techniques
you have learned in the dojo with the skills I have developed in practice?
—If you wish...
—How interesting... Let's do it!
The abrupt turn that the conversation had taken took everyone present by
surprise, and they tried to stop and appease them, but excitement reigned
in their heads and they both turned a deaf ear.
—There is no better occasion than the tournament of duels to the death
before the feudal lord on the twenty-fourth of September. To see what that
dance of yours with the wooden sword is capable of, should you face me
with a real sword.
—I accept the challenge.
—Well, I will fight as on the battlefield, wearing full armor, riding a horse,
and wielding a real lance. Don't think I'll make it easy for you.
—I take that for granted. I'll put on armor too and fight you like a in real
battle. And I won't make any handicaps just because you're too old.
—Don't forget those words.
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When the two of them simultaneously requested to participate in the

dueling tournament before the feudal lord, the advisor Saegusa Izunokami
looked at them in surprise with eyes like dishes, but as soon as the lord
informed the feudal lord, Tadanaga gave his approval on the spot.
—A duel to the death in armor is unusual. Let them face each other as they
want.

II

The discussion that day spread immediately and reached the ears of the
entire clan. All the young men, without exception, took pity on Hikotaro
and cursed Hanbee. With his usual arrogance he had earned the displeasure
of all of them, and in the same way, with his disparaging criticisms of the
dojo techniques he had earned their fury.
—Although Hanbee is a man with much experience on the battlefield, he
is now an old man in his sixties. There's no way he can keep up with
Hikotaro.
—But it's not just Hanbee. All the senior vassals do nothing but put on
airs, telling stories that are outdated and exaggerated to the maximum, and
end up criticizing the young people of today. We must show them and
make it clear to them how sharp the skills gained in the dojo's are.
—Hikotaro, for the honor of the Okakura dojo... What am I saying, for the
honor of all of us young people: smash that stubborn old man!
With comments like these, everyone showed their support.
The older group, on the other hand, were not exactly sympathetic to
Hanbee, but since the matter had taken the form of an older person against
a young man, they naturally directed scathing criticism at Hikotaro.
—Do you really intend to fight a duel to the death with dojo trainee?
Shibayama is a stubborn and incorrigible man, but his behavior on the
battlefield is admirable.
—I feel sorry for Hikotaro, but perhaps it would be good to show those
young men the reality of a battlefield for once.
—Hanbee, it's been a long time since you fought in armor. I am sure you
will be eager to prove your prowess. You used to be so good. Don't even
think about losing to this puppy.
Even older men who usually didn't have a very good relationship with him
would encourage him.
In contrast to this irresponsible encouragement and flattery from others,
however, the faces of the members of both families, the Shibayama and the
Kurita, showed a much more serious expression.
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When Hanbee told him all the details, his wife Tayo was stunned and
reproached him in tears:
—But how old do you think you are? You have just reached the age where,
with nothing a little cold, your hips hurt and your shoulders stiffen... And
you intend to fight a duel with real swords against young Hikotaro, who is
in the prime of his life? What an irresponsible man!
Even his son Shinzo argued:
—Father, I know Hikotaro's ability well. His skill is considerable, and he
is especially good at dueling. Not that I question your technique, father,
but in the hypothetical event that the duel is too long, it is clear that a
young person is more likely to endure it, — he became pale at this quite
sensitive point.
Only Hanbee kept up the enthusiasm:
—Don't talk nonsense! Although I am still in my sixties, my body is now
well seasoned. I cannot be defeated by an infantile children of today. I'll
teach him the difference between practicing with a wooden stick and
fighting in a true bloodshed.
When both Tayo and Shinzo asked if something could not be done to stop
the duel, the look on Hanbee's face was so horrifying that it was scary just
to look at it.
—Cowards! And you are the wife and son of a samurai? Do you think it
would be proper for a samurai like me to back out at this point from what I
have already proclaimed to so many people and requested from the
daimyo's advisor himself?
Seeing his veins swollen across his forehead and his fists trembling as he
clenched them tightly, the wife and son were silent.

The same family conflict was repeated in the Kurita house. When Hikotaro
returned from the castle and told them the news, his father Jirodayu
frowned in horror.
—How reckless, Hikotaro! Do you know what you've got yourself into?
Why didn't you just smile and let it go?
—That was my intention, but then he began to make disparaging and
malicious remarks about your war exploits, father, and then I could no
longer keep quiet.
—I had already retired and had made up my mind not to pay any attention
to what Shibayama might say. You behaved like a fool.
—No, father. It's not just about what happened today. I've been repressing

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my anger at Hanbee's frequent slander for a long time. This had to happen
sooner or later.
—I'm the one who knows Hanbee's skill best. He was a guy who would
run amok like a badly wounded beast as soon as he stepped onto the
battlefield.
—You're saying I'm not up to it and it could be dangerous?
—I'm not saying that your ability is immature. I am merely saying that
there is a huge difference between a duel and a real combat.
As an old man who had also stepped onto the battlefield, Jirodayu was
skeptical of the effectiveness of dojo swordsmanship.
—He will not defeat me in any way, — Hikotaro replied, indignant at such
an underestimation of dojo fencing by none other than his own father.
Genjiro, Hikotaro's younger brother, trusted unconditionally in his older
brother's triumph and looked at him with sparkling eyes as he spoke
hopefully, but his younger sister Kiyo felt more complex emotions and was
sad and confused. And it was not only because she knew that Shinzo, the
son of Hanbee, loved her ardently, but also because she reciprocated his
love.
Their early love started and flourished when they were both children and
shared innocent games, before relations between the Shibayama and Kurita
families grew worse. When her father refused the Shibayama family's
proposal of marriage, Kiyo shed tears in secret. In those days, no one
could in the least contradict a father's decision.
But Kiyo had not completely given up on Shinzo, and was convinced that
one day her father would change his mind. There was even a thought that
sometimes appeared in a corner of her heart and made her blush: "If there
was any way that old Hanbee would disappear..."
And lo and behold, the subject of mourning came up. If Hanbee and
Hikotaro fought a duel, whoever won (or rather, whoever killed their
opponent), the union between her and Shinzo would become absolutely
impossible.
Of course, she prayed for the victory of her older brother, but would not
that victory make her the sister of Shinzo's irreconcilable enemy? Despair
seized Kiyo with its fearsome claws.
As the day of the duel approached, she was indifferent to the emotions of
everyone involved.

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III

From that day on, violent shouts constantly echoed inside the Shibayama
family residence. Hanbee and Shinzo, both clad in armor, were conducting
combat training.
Obviously, instead of a real spear Hanbee used a safe spear, with a padded
tip, and Shinzo used a wooden sword instead of a steel one, but apart from
that the training was done with all the intensity of real combat. If Hanbee
started to do this kind of practice at this point, it was in no way because he
felt unsure of his abilities. On the contrary, his intention was to reassure
Shinzo and Tayo by showing them his competence. On top of that,
however, in many cases the intense practice in itself of emulating real
combat made him feel a great sense of exhilaration as he relived the glory
of his youth.
As you might expect, Hanbee's spearhead was very nimble. So much so
that it even surprised Shinzo.
—Here I come, Shinzo! — Hanbee announced in a loud voice before
launching his spear attack.
His technique did not follow any specific style, but was something he had
acquired naturally in the midst of the recurring life-and-death struggles on
the battlefield. For that reason alone, Shinzo, who wielded his blade in
established patterns, found it an unexpected and extremely violent form of
fighting, capable of striking and stabbing him indiscriminately through
every accessible part of his body.
—What do you think, Shinzo? No matter how hard you try to strike at the
face, torso or forearm like you've learned in the dojo, on the battlefield that
does absolutely nothing for you. The face is covered by the helmet and
face shield, and both the torso and forearms are protected by leather and
metal plates. Whether you're hitting or cutting, you have no choice but to
target the chinks in your opponent's armour. The best places are in the
crotch or under the armpit. But when even that fails, you have to hit your
opponent above the helmet with all your might, or push him in the chest
until he is pulled from the horse.
And he proved that he was right in everything he said. With spectacular
strength not befitting an old man, he gave Shinzo a powerful blow to the
head with the hilt of the lance that blurred his vision, and when he received
a violent thrust to the chest he lay on the ground in a state of anxiety.
And when he pointed it deftly at his crotch or armpits, there was hardly
any way of protecting himself.

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Shinzo tasted deeply the ferocity of the real battle and appreciated with
new eyes the true skill of his father.
"If he fights like this, even Hikotaro will not be able to cope", he thought
to himself, and when he expressed this conviction to his father, Hanbee
boasted, with a wide smile on his face:
—It's only logical, I'm more experienced.

On the other hand, the situation at the Kurita house was totally different.
Although Jirodayu agreed to tell Hikotaro about his own experiences on
the battlefield, it seemed as if he was simply trying to idly recall his own
exploits of old. Hikotaro, for his part, tried diligently to extract
information from him, and sometimes even asked him for practical
guidance, but he always received the same response.
—There is no need, — Jirodayu answered and stared at his son's face with
a strangely confused look.
Hikotaro had no choice but to go to the Okakura dojo where, besides
receiving the encouragement of his companions, he had to be content with
giving himself to the same practices as always and receiving some advice
from instructor Okakura.
Okakura, in spite of being thirty-something years old, did not have any
experience on the battlefield. Therefore, all his advice was just second-
hand information that he had heard from older colleagues, and one could
say that all his suggestions were summarized in the following point:
—After all, your opponent is an old man. The most sensible thing to do is
to try to extend the fight as long as possible and wait for your opponent to
become exhausted.
Meanwhile, despite the superficial appearance of total serenity, a far more
intense struggle was going on inside Jirodayu than the one that occupied
the busy Hanbee day after day with the preparations for the duel.
He had had the opportunity to witness his old friend's fighting form on the
battlefield to the fullest. He recognized perfectly the devotion to the blade
of his own son Hikotaro and was even secretly proud of it, but he found it
difficult to imagine that his son could defeat this battle-hardened Hanbee,
and even face him with a real sword and spear.
Since the untimely death of his wife, he had devoted himself entirely to
raising Hikotaro and enjoying watching him grow up, facing all odds,
without ever marrying again.
When he retired voluntarily, even though he was still in a position to
continue serving, he did so for Hikotaro too, because he wanted to
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introduce him to society soon and begin to build a future for him.
Fortunately, after succeeding him in his post, Hikotaro gained a good
reputation as a very skilled man despite his youth. In his old age, this was
what brought him the greatest joy.
But at the moment all that was in danger of coming to nothing. And not
only that, but Hikotaro's own life was facing almost certain destruction.
The thought of it clouded Jirodayu's heart, but hid it beneath a mask of
feigned serenity.
—That Shibayama... Who could tell me...
Over the past few years, Jirodayu had unwittingly accumulated a hatred of
Hanbee because of his unpleasant behavior. Suddenly, the floodgate of the
dam that contained him opened and the hatred overflowed into intense
indignation. Jirodayu remembered an image of Hanbee in his mind that
showed him his teeth.
No matter how much he thought about it, he concluded that Hikotaro had
no chance of winning, so Jirodayu made a firm resolution:
"Shibayama, you'll see. It's me you're going to face."
He was determined, but thinking a bit, he realized that it would be
impossible to convince Hikotaro to consent to fight in his place. Late at
night, as he watched the gloomy shadows cast by the lamp swinging from
the ceiling, Jirodayu thought about how to make it happen.

IV

It was already September twenty-third, so Tayo, thinking about the

expected duel the next day, suggested to her husband:
—Today you could take it easy and get some rest.
But Hanbee on the other hand, as if those words had made him even more
obstinate, continued with his daily practices.
After fiddling with Shinzo as he pleased, a fully satisfied Hanbee removed
his armour and wiped the sweat from his skin, but as he went up from the
garden into the outer corridor, he miscalculated his pace and suddenly fell
to the ground. Apparently, he received a blow to the hip bone.
He shouted involuntarily at that moment and when the night came he
could not even move. His chronic neuralgia had reappeared.
So far it had always resurfaced with the change of season. It didn't do him
any good that in the early morning, the weather suddenly began to cool
down. But the way he fell after exercising his bones and muscles so
intensely also influenced his condition.
The pain was so unbearable that he could not even stand up to go to the
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toilet. He knew perfectly well from his own experience that no treatment
existed so far that would be quick and effective. He had no choice but to
wait until the pain healed naturally as the days went by, or else the pain
would disappear completely at any moment as if by magic.
Hanbee was exasperated as he laid on his bed and grinded his teeth. The
day began to dawn and the time of morning approached.
"By noon I have to do whatever it takes to at least get on my feet. If only I
can get up, I'll endure any pain and rush to the castle."
He groaned, panted, screamed, and shouted, but as if the inside of his
muscles from his hips to his upper limbs had been transformed into a
heavy mass of lead, he was unable to rise even a few inches from his bed.
Still...
—Let us go and talk to the adviser and ask him to postpone today's duel,
— Tayo suggested.
—Bah, don't be silly! Can I do such a thing at this point? It would seem
that I have chickened out before, and that would be a worse disgrace even
than death.
—But being a disease...
—Shut up! Send for a palanquin, then you'll help me up and accompany
me to the castle. And when I enter the dueling area, you'll see that I'll stand
up straight, as if I was on the battlefield.
Hanbee attempted to rise by force, but ended up lying again in acute pain.
Shinzo, who was standing beside him staring at him, summoned up his
courage and made a proposal:
—Father, I will replace you and duel Hikotaro in your place.
—What?!
—When we meet in the dojo, Hikotaro and I are evenly matched... Well,
he might have a bit of an advantage over me. But in a duel with real
swords and armor, having trained hard with you, I think I have a good
chance of winning.
—Hmmm...
—I've also come to terms with the fierce and unconventional nature of
fighting in a real battle. As far as I know, Hikotaro has continued to go
exclusively to the dojo, so perhaps he is unaware of the heroic fighting
technique of real combat. I am firmly convinced that I can beat him.
Father, allow me to face him in your place.
—Even so, at this point we cannot go to the Counselor and tell him that
you will go out in my place.
—It's not necessary. If I put on the helmet and face shield, by the height
and even by the tone of voice I can pass as you. I will participate under
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your name, Shibayama Hanbee Takahisa, and I will defeat Hikotaro

completely.
It was already approaching midday, and they had not yet decided what
action to take. Finally, Hanbee agreed to have Shinzo replace him.
—You know, Shinzo. Don't forget the way of fighting that I have been
showing you all these days. No stances, no methods, just throw yourself
recklessly into a collision with your opponent with your whole body. If
you do it the way I did, you can win for sure. — Hanbee repeated these
instructions again, redundantly, as Shinzo said goodbye to him before he
left, having donned his armor.

At the same time, the Kurita house was also experiencing some unforeseen
circumstances.
As the hour approached, Hikotaro was putting on his armor with the help
of his younger brother Genjiro and his younger sister Kiyo, under the
silent gaze of his father Jirodayu. Since the day before, Jirodayu had
become strangely taciturn and it seemed that something was going on in
his head, but now he was simply watching carefully, and smiling
amusingly, as Hikotaro's figure was gradually covered with the armor.
When they had finished dressing him, however, he said suddenly in a
gentle tone of voice:
—No, this is not good...
—What? What? — asked Hikotaro in surprise.
—That's not right... At first glance the armor may pass, but the crucial
parts are not well attached. It would all fall apart in the middle of the fight.
Let me fix it for you, — he stood up, took off Hikotaro's armor, and even
took off his shin guards, — Starting with the tie of the armour, everything
is wrong.
After saying this, Jirodayu, who was standing in front of Hikotaro,
suddenly pushed him forward, sat on him and tied his hands with one of
the ropes.
—Father, what are you doing? — Hikotaro shouted, stupefied, but from
the impact of the surprise he could not even resist.
—Hikotaro, forgive me, but I will take part in today's duel in your place,
— Jirodayu excused himself after he had pinned his son down.
—What are you saying, father?
—I've held a grudge against Hanbee for a decade. I felt like facing him in
a duel sometime, but in these times of peace there was no more occasion

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for that. If I let this opportunity slip away, I will not have another one to
take revenge and get rid of this grudge. Let me do this duel.
—I can't, father. It would be a disgrace for me. Father, please untie me.
Genjiro, Kiyo, untie this rope.
—I forbid Genjiro and Kiyo to lay a single finger on the rope your father
has tied. If they disobeyed their father's order, I would disinherit them until
their deaths.
—Father, father, I beg you, don't make me look like a coward.
—Calm down. I will participate in the duel on your behalf, as Kurita
Hikotaro Yoshiyuki. If there's anyone who knows Hanbee's fighting style
perfectly, it's me. I will return after I have beaten him.
Turning a deaf ear to Hikotaro's pleas and fury, Jirodayu put on his own
armor and helmet, donned his face shield, and after reiterating to Genjiro
and Kiyo the order not to touch the rope that restrained Hikotaro, mounted
the horse and headed for the castle.

Immediately after the end of the third match of the afternoon, in which
Komura Gennosuke of the Hangan style managed to break the curtain on
Buzaemon Shindo of the Shinto style and gave his opponent a fatal cut in
the neck with his impressive hurricane sword, the beginning of the fourth
match in the evening was announced.
—On the west side, Shibayama Hanbee Takahisa.
In response to the call of Hirose Kyohei, the announcer of the participants,
who actually advanced through the curtains, protected by armor and on the
back of a majestic horse, was Shibayama Shinzo Hisayasu.
The other participant was announced then.
—On the east side, Kurita Hikotaro Yoshiyuki.
Needless to say, in response to this call, the one who showed up equally
armed and on horseback was Hikotaro's father, Jirodayu Nobufusa.
Both had their entire bodies covered by armor and helmets, and had worn
protective masks as well, so one might think that no one would notice their
true identities. But even so, Shinzo leaned forward slightly, intending to
look like an older man, and Jirodayu intentionally stuck out his chest to
give the impression of being a boy.
Obviously, all those present without exception, beginning with the lord of
Sunpu castle who was sitting in the main stand, were firmly convinced that
the participants who had appeared were the people whose names had been
announced.
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The only thing that some people noticed was that Shibayama, who was
assumed to be a spearman, appeared wielding a long sword in his right
hand, while Kurita, whose specialty was supposed to be the long sword,
appeared wielding a spear, which surprised them. But those doubts also
disappeared completely once, at the first sign of the drums, the horses of
both warriors rushed towards their opponent, and all looked up to the
combat.
The fight to the death between these two opponents was totally different
from all previous duels. This time there were none of those stifling
moments of silence as both rivals looked at one another fiercely, on guard
with their sword or spear, and slowly approached one another waiting for
the right moment. They simply crossed paths again and again, riding on
the back of their horses, like a hurricane or a whirlwind, and with their
katana or spear they would strike, push, and collide with one another.
Surrounded by a cloud of dust rising from the ground, the horses and the
men, the lance and the katana, danced, shone, ran... The brief grunts and
the sound of colliding metals were all that made one think of a clash
between the lives of the two.
Since Shinzo believed his opponent was Hikotaro, he was astonished at the
fearsome skill of his spear.
"How could he have acquired such intense impetuosity so quickly? That
spear is on a par with my father", he thought, astonished.
No doubt if he hadn't been training day after day, his opponent's spear
would have knocked him down at the first moment. He put all his efforts
into making a reckless and even thoughtless attack on his opponent,
instead of simply remaining on the defensive by repelling his spear. Shinzo
was sure that, knowing Hikotaro and also knowing that Hikotaro thought
his opponent was his father Hanbee, his intention would be to prolong the
duel and wait for the old man to run out of breath. So he was determined
not to play along with him and settle the matter quickly and decisively
through the strategy of surprise attack.
Jirodayu, on the other hand, thought his opponent was his old friend
Hanbee, although he had doubts from the beginning that he had come
without his spear, and then he was surprised at his fighting manner, which
was so remarkably sloppy for someone like Hanbee, who was supposed to
be experienced in battle. If this were the Hanbee of old that he knew, even
if he fought recklessly and chaotically, he would spontaneously
demonstrate an ingenious and incomparable strategy. And that was
precisely what he feared most. But the opponent he took for Hanbee,
though he was brimming with courage, gave him the impression that he
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was completely thoughtless, as if he was a boy unfamiliar with the

battlefield, following a tactic that would lead him to a violent death.
"Shibayama, do not be impatient", he thought and felt a certain relief.
After a dozen or so clashes, his skillfully planned and calculated attack
eventually sank unerringly into the inner thigh of his opponent.
As soon as Shinzo's body began to swing visibly, Jirodayu hit him with his
lance on the side without wasting a minute. When Shinzo could not resist
any longer on his horse and fell heavily to the ground, immediately the tip
of Jirodayu's lance pierced his throat.
Amidst the sudden ovation of the audience, Jirodayu went forward and,
with the lance dripping with blood under his arm, bowed to them, but
fearing that his impersonation might be discovered, he immediately left the
enclosure on the back of his horse, before the spectators could even be
surprised.
By the time Jirodayu returned to the entrance of his residence, his sons
Hikotaro, Genjiro, and Kiyo were already on their way out. By this time
Hikotaro had finally freed himself from the rope that held him down, had
severely scolded his brother and sister, and was about to leave the house.
—Father!
—Hikotaro, calm down. I killed Hanbee.
Genjiro shouted with joy at his father's gallant comment. Kiyo, instead,
groaned and sank her face into the sleeve of her kimono.
Hikotaro and Genjiro accompanied Jirodayu into the house and as they
helped him take off his armor, asked him in chorus about the details of the
duel. Jirodayu told them proudly about his hard fought battle, but suddenly
he realized something and looked around.
—Where is Kiyo?
—Oh, damn it!
Hikotaro ran immediately outside. There was no sign of Kiyo.
"She must have gone to see Shinzo. She will apologize to him, and if he
does not forgive her, she will kill herself", Hikotaro sensed at once, for he
knew perfectly well the heartbreaking love Kiyo felt.
So he ran at once to the Shibayama residence.
Just at the same time, Shinzo's body was being transported from the castle
to the Shibayama's home. The umpire Sone Masatomo was greatly
surprised to learn that the person who lay despondent was not Hanbee but
Shinzo. He preferred to postpone the inspection of this circumstance on
part of the lord of the castle, Tadanaga, and move the body as soon as
possible.

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—Damn Hikotaro! — shouted Hanbee as he saw Shinzo's body with its

throat brutally punctured, and instantly rose to his feet.
Strangely enough, at that moment the stiffness that had made his muscles
look like blocks of steel and the intense pain that had gnawed at the flesh
of his hips disappeared completely.
—If only I could have lifted this body half an hour earlier... — Hanbee
lamented as he clenched his teeth and stared at the back of Tayo, who was
sobbing as she hugged Shinzo's neck, — I'm going to duel that wretch
Hikotaro right now and avenge Shinzo's death!
After saying this, he immediately took up his spear and without even
putting on his shoes, only with the tabi28 on, left the house in a hurry. And
less than a hundred yards away he came upon the very rival in question,
Hikotaro, who was grabbing his sister Kiyo by the arm to bring her home.
—Hey, you, Hikotaro!
As he looked up at the man who was calling him, Hikotaro was stunned
and could not believe his eyes, for he had before him Hanbee, whom his
father had allegedly killed, armed with a huge spear.
"Oh! Hanbee sent a replacement too?"
Hikotaro was astonished at such a coincidence, but seeing Hanbee's altered
behavior, on guard with his spear, he
naturally had no intention of fleeing back.
—Kiyo, step aside! — he ordered his sister, and drew his long sword.
The duel was resolved in an instant.
Hanbee ran, imbued with a fighting spirit that boiled throughout his body,
fueled by his thirst for vengeance. He aimed at his enemy and thrust his
sharp spear into a Hikotaro who had abruptly drawn his sword and was not
at all prepared to face him. The spear sank into Hikotaro's side and he
collapsed immediately.
—What, Hikotaro? Have you learned the difference between dojo
swordplay and real combat before you go to the next world? — Hanbee
groaned in a sobbing voice.
That same night, Jirodayu went to Hanbee and handed him a letter of
challenge. Hanbee immediately accepted the proposal: to fight to the death
with his spears as they had done twenty years before, carrying an armor
and on the back of a horse. Having lost his only son, Hanbee had also lost
all desire to continue living.
The duel between the two took place at sunset the next day, on the banks
of the Abe River, just outside the castle, without involving anyone else.

28 Traditional Japanese socks. They are still used with traditional footwear.
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The only people who witnessed the deadly combat between the two late-
night warriors on their horses were several people who happened to be
passing by, but according to the Memo of the Duels of Kurita Nobufusa:
"It is said that they could not help but feel overwhelmed and totally
paralyzed by fear as they watched that terrible scene."
The same memorandum also indicates that after a time of fighting,
Jirodayu's horse stumbled over a stone and twisted its front leg, at which
point Hanbee took advantage of hitting Jirodayu on the side, but even as
he fell to the ground he managed to stab Hanbee in the crotch. But since
the author of such a narrative is Genjiro, it is not clear whether he can be
given full credibility.
But what surely must be admitted as an undoubted fact is that eventually
both of them drew their short swords while rolling on the ground, stabbed
each other, and in the end ended up exhausted and collapsed
simultaneously.
When the samurai of the clan arrived in a hurry after being warned by a
passerby, each had his short sword stuck in the body of the other,
entangled in a jumble of armor, both already dead.

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HAGEN NO HIDACHI
(«The illusion-breaking secret sword»)
I

Shimanosuke stared into Kayo's pupils with his eyes, slanting, eyelashes
thick and looking half-asleep.
She sensed a deep, bottomless chasm in his eyes. A sensual magnetism she
could barely resist was forcibly drawing her in. Shimanosuke himself too
sensed that through his eyes an intense desire was spreading throughout
his body, like an electric shock, directed at Kayo, so passionate to make
her lose consciousness.
—Kayo...
From Shimanosuke's lips a small voice escaped, so low it could barely be
heard. He placed his right hand on Kayo's shoulder, even though his palm
was shaking slightly.
—Oh, — a short scream-like murmur came from the woman's throat.
Kayo's entire body was facing Shimanosuke and broke down like it was
going to melt.
"He's a man, but his skin is so white and eyes so seductively moist; still, he
has a sinister air around him", thought Kayo. She had heard that he was a
womanizer, once she heard even his father claim that he was very skilled
but dishonest. However, all measures taken to protect her heart dissolved
faster than a light spring snowfall.
Kayo looked up at Shimanosuke.
—Shimanosuke! — she whispered.
From that moment on her fate was sealed.
Suddenly they heard footsteps coming.
—Kayo, tonight, at time of the boar.
These words remained in her mind and once the man had left in a hurry,
Kayo prostrated herself, completely exhausted, on the part of the tatami
where he was sitting, that still retained its warmth.
A sensual throbbing, which she had not yet experienced, together with a
stubborn feeling of love which drove her on no matter what, caused a
pleasant ecstasy to run through the immature body of the seventeen year
old girl to the tips of her limbs.
That night Kayo tried to control the shaking in her legs, opened a sliding
door, and in front of a room in one of the houses, in the row of houses
north of the mansion, whispered his name.
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Shimanosuke appeared and embraced her. He held her in his arms. His
eyes, unlike his expression during the day, now glowed and burned with
undisguised desire, reminding of the moment when a ravenous beast
pounces on its prey.
The lamp was out, so all Kayo could sense were his white cheeks, floating
in the blackness, and his breath, burning like a flame. In the midst of the
darkness Shimanosuke held her tightly in his arms and untied her obi.
Kayo had returned to her chambers four hours later, and slept until dawn,
swarmed by flashes of every color.
At the same time Shimanosuke's pleasant stupor was gradually spreading
through his limbs as of a man who had completely released the passion
that had long plagued and boiled throughout his body.
Upon waking he stared at the ceiling with a smile on his lips. He always
felt a refreshing vitality pouring out of him at moments like these.
Shimanosuke felt that he was a totally different man than the day before.
He went out into the garden, came to the well and poured bucket after
bucket of ice-cold water over his naked body.
Then he picked up his wooden sword and practiced hundreds of strokes
with it. His white cheeks became a pink, like the clouds of a dawn that the
sun shines on from inside.
He entered the dojo and waited for the arrival of his master, Kasama
Jinzaemon.
—Master, I have perfected the technique and I would like to show it to
you, — as he said this, looking up at his master, with strong fighting spirit
showing in his eyes.
—Huh... — Jinzaemon got a slight smile from the corners of his mouth.
Surely what he was suggesting was that a new technique is not so easily
mastered.
Yet as soon as Jinzaemon took up his wooden sword and stood before
Shimanosuke, he became astonished, completely, as if he saw it with
different eyes.
Both the mental dullness that haunted Shimanosuke until just the day
before and the impatience of the tip of his blade have disappeared without
a trace. Now he was still and sober, and his three-foot wooden blade was
imbued with a solemn, lethal aura, as if it was made of freshly polished
steel.
Silently, Jinzaemon made the tip of his wooden sword descend a little and
put guard on with the sword at half height. Shimanosuke suddenly
advanced his left foot half a step, wielded his sword high to the side in a
straight line, and placed his left hand lightly on the body of the sword.
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"An inexperienced young man facing his master..."

The outrage spread to the tip of the Jinzaemon blade and, like a bird of
prey taking flight in the tree, he pushed his wooden blade forward and it
seemed certain it would plunge it into Shimanosuke's throat. Just then,
however, the sound of the two blades colliding came out, and Jinzaemon's
blade slipped out of his hands, following a downward trajectory to the
right.
He groaned and jumped back about six feet. His left wrist was swollen and
red.
—I have mastered the Shigi no Hakaeshi ("The Counterattack from the
Side Path") technique, — Shimanosuke announced, smiling and exultant,
after returning the sword to its sheath on his left hip.
Even among all the techniques of the Shinto and Kasumi schools, "the
counterattack from the side path" is considered the most difficult, a
technique so commendable that it did not receive any criticism ever.
Jinzaemon opened his eyes like a plate, not so much because of the
unexpected blow or the intense pain in his wrist, but rather because of the
incredible progress of Shimanosuke.
—Sasajima, that was wonderful. How skilfully you worked and how well
you managed to perfect the technique!
—Thank you, — Shimanosuke bowed his head respectfully, but was
actually laughing cruelly inwardly as he thought, "If only the master knew
the real reason why I suddenly mastered my secret sword technique".
As soon as it became known that Shimanosuke had defeated the master
with "the counterattack from the side path", the news caused quite an
agitation within the dojo.
—What a weird story to tell about!
—Just out of the blue...
—It's a fearsome technique, one of a kind...

After noon, Kayo noticed Shimanosuke's figure in the hallway. Her cheeks
blushed immediately and he ran towards Shimanosuke.
—Shimanosuke, congratulations, — her joy at this man's victory was far
greater than her sadness at her own father's defeat.
Shimanosuke stared at Kayo's face with wide eyes. The expression in those
eyes was cold and translucent, as if they had left no trace of the yearning
or passion of the previous night. He stared for a moment at Kayo's face,
which burned with love, with a strange expression, as if looking at a
stranger, and then left without a word.
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Five days after that, in the evening, Kayo took her life.
Since she left no notes, Jinzaemon could not think of a single reason that
could have led his beloved, innocent daughter to suicide, but whispers
began to emerge among his disciples.
—Kayo died because of Sasajima.
—I'm sure I saw Kayo clinging to Sasajima while he was saying
something to her.
—Wasn't it because that womanizer cheated on Kayo?
Obviously no one knew that Kayo spent four hours in Shimanosuke's
room, but everyone suspected that there had been something between the
two of them.
Shimanosuke was summoned to Jinzaemon's room, and was rigorously
interrogated.
"I don't know" and "I don't know anything about it" were his only answers.
There really wasn't a single piece of evidence to incriminate him.
However, Shimanosuke's unnatural coldness during the questioning gave
unnatural impression and only intensified the doubts about him. When
Shimanosuke vanished unexpectedly from the Kasama dojo one day,
surrounded by a melancholy and distressing atmosphere, everyone
reversed their doubts to absolute certainty and outrage.

II

Sasajima Shimanosuke was a cursed man. Or, to be more specific, it were

the women who fell under his spell and ill-fated destiny.
Sasajima Shimanosuke was the second son of Sasajima Chubei, vassal to
Date Masamune with a stipend of three hundred and twenty koku. He lost
his parents at an early age and, since he was a boy, began to receive the
teachings of Tada Umanosuke of the Shinto style. Soon he surpassed his
senior peers and showed magnificent progress.
When Shimanosuke was only nineteen years old, his teacher gave him a
certificate stating that he had been initiated into the techniques of the
school.
One day, Umanosuke turned to Shimanosuke and asked him:
—Sasajima, do you harbor any hard thoughts inside your mind?
The master's words were cordial, for he held his sword technique in high
regard and had a deep affection for the boy, but Shimanosuke raised his
eyes wide and only answered:
—Nothing... In particular.

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—Are you sure? Well, it's better that way... But lately I can see a certain
amount of agitation in the tip of your sword. The other day I thought of
introducing you to the Kasumi Takirata ("Water Falling from the
Waterfall") technique, but that made me wonder.
—There's nothing to worry about. I'd like to be initiated into that technique
without any delay.
—No. Even if you don't have any personal concerns, if you don't see it,
there is still something deep in your heart that is troubling your spirit.
What the path of the sword shuns most is hesitation. We will wait until the
clouds at the bottom of your heart have completely cleared.
Shimanosuke stood in awe of his master's keen clairvoyance. He had no
concerns, but there was certainly something that disturbed him, shook his
heart and weakened him to the point of exhaustion. And that "something"
was Michi, the youngest daughter of the neighbor next door, Yamanaka
Kyunoshin.
Whether Shimanosuke was awake or asleep, the figure of Michi was
always present before his eyes or in corner of his mind. He was fully
aware of this issue, but when another person pointed out that it was also
showing itself in his swordsmanship, Shimanosuke was stunned by the
fact.
That same day, upon returning from the dojo, Shimanosuke stood in the
garden, absorbed, pondering the dialogue he had had with the master.
"I have to do something about it. I should completely forget about
women", he thought. But then he added in his mind, "I can't; whatever I
do, I can't get them out of my mind".
As he anxiously shook his head, he heard a voice calling him.
—Shimanosuke! — Michi showed her white, small, pleasant face across
the fence, — Shimanosuke, what are you thinking about, with that sad
look?
—I was thinking about you, — the words came out of his mouth with
unexpected frankness.
—Oh!
Michi's candid, youthful face turned instantly into a face of a woman and
she blushed with embarrassment and glee. The light emanating from
Shimanosuke's eyes penetrated Michi's entire body and made her feel as if
all her muscles were numb.
Perhaps that mysterious fascination that appeared in Shimanosuke's eyes
when he gazed upon the woman he loved was something innate. Be that as
it may, it was not a look he consciously adopted. Shimanosuke had fallen
in love on countless occasions, but each time — at least at the start — he
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desired the woman with all his heart. It was the purity and ardor of that
desire that made those eyes that watched the beloved woman glow like a
star with a boundless longing, deep as a demonic abyss. But as soon as that
fervent love was fulfilled, it always melted away, like a snowflake falling
on the embers of a fire.
It is not known how the relationship between Shimanosuke and Michi
developed, but what is clear is that shortly after that first confession of
their love, Shimanosuke enjoyed Michi's body at his leisure, pure as a bud
that has barely begun to bloom.
The morning after tasting Michi's body, Shimanosuke took up his wooden
sword and stood motionless in the midst of the pristine atmosphere of the
sunrise.
There was no longer a trace of Michi's presence that had floated along the
edge of his katana just the day before as an illusion that would not go
away no matter how hard he tried to shake it off. His warrior's spirit was
now serene and filled with his two-foot wooden sword. He felt renewed, as
if the blindfold had suddenly fallen off.
When he entered the dojo and presented himself to his master, Umanosuke
was in awe of what he saw. That same day Shimanosuke was initiated into
the Kasumi technique of "water falling from the waterfall".
About four months after this, Michi's brother, Yamanaka Chikara, visibly
affected, passed Shimanosuke by the moat as he returned from the dojo.
—Sasajima, as a samurai, I'd like to know what your real intentions are.
What do you plan to do with Michi?
—I'm sorray about her.
—That's all you can say, Sasajima, that you're sorry? Bastard! Is that all
you can say? Is that all you're going to do?
—Yamanaka, forgive me, but there's nothing can be done about it
anymore.
—Why? Why don't we appoint a suitable person to act as a go-between
and you marry Michi? At the moment, things can still be straightened out.
—Huh?
—Michi is pregnant. Were you going to let it go by pretending you didn't
know?
—Michi... Pregnant?
"If we only made love once...", Shimanosuke thought, stunned.
—You're an adulterer and a scoundrel! With your pale face and your sweet
talk, you tricked the young Michi, you played with her as you pleased, and
after disposing of her as you pleased, you changed your mind and began to
treat her with indifference. What are you going to do with Michi? And
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what are you going to do to cleanse the honor of the Yamanaka family that
you have sullied?
—Yamanaka, I did not play with Miss Michi. I loved her sincerely.
—In that case, why didn't you come to ask for her hand?
—Not even I understand my heart. Right now I don't have any relationship
with the Michi I loved so madly. I feel as if she now a stranger.
—What a scoundrel! How can you talk so brazenly? Anyway, it doesn't
matter what you think. There's only one way to wash the Yamanaka
family's honour and save Michi's life: marry her.
—That won't happen.
—What?!
—There's a woman I'm going to be in love with for life.
Because of his extremely unexpected remark and the coldness with which
he pronounced it, Chikara stared for a few moments at Shimanosuke's
beautiful but soulless face with stunned look, as if he could not believe his
ears. Then, however, a violent rage made his arms shaking.
—Bastard! — he shouted in a thunderous voice, then drew and attacked
with a single movement of his sword.
But Shimanosuke took advantage of this upward movement in a diagonal
direction to the right and inflicted a deep cut on Chikara's side. After this,
Shimanosuke fled the city, accompanied by an older woman.

Nine years passed and Shimanosuke showed magnificent progress in his

technique. He received instruction in the seven sword techniques of the
Shinto style, the seven long sword techniques of the Kasumi style and the
four of the Ma style. In total, eighteen techniques. After that he devoted
himself to perfecting five secret techniques, namely Daikage ("The Great
Shadow"), Hanatai ("The Flower Crusher"), Ryuryo ("The Clear Sound"),
Koshi ("Shining Pride"), and Daikyoka ("The Highest Peak"). But with
each secret technique he mastered he accompanied it with the sacrifice of a
beautiful woman.
At almost regular intervals of about half a year, Shimanosuke would hit a
barrier in the way of the sword that prevented him from moving forward.
It was like a cloud that rose diffusely at the edge of his blade, swirling
around and bewitching him.
In these moments he was always infatuated with a beautiful woman. He
gave himself body and soul to the woman and burned with passion for her.
The mirage of the woman floated in the midst of the cloud that appeared

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before the tip of his sword, cutting him off, and no matter how hard he
tried to tear it or stab it, he could not get rid of it.
Women had always succumbed to diabolical beauty of his face, and as
soon as he managed to satisfy the passions that had been repressed until
then, the woman's illusion vanished and the dark cloud disappeared
completely. Immediately a wide path opened up before him, through which
he managed to master a new secret fencing technique.
The desire he had felt for the woman immediately cooled down as if by
magic, and he began to show a total lack of interest in the woman he had
worked so hard to obtain.
Many young girls and married women received priceless but deep wounds
in this way for the benefit of his blade, and some of them ended up taking
their own lives. Kayo, the daughter of Kasama Jinzaemon, being one of
them.
"My love is cursed."
There were times when Shimanosuke pondered and whispered such things
to himself, but he allowed himself to be convinced by an inner voice that
he could do nothing about it, so he fell in love again with another woman,
whom he used as a springboard to polish his increasingly robust and
terrible sword technique.

III

Shimanosuke had to give up his service as a samurai in several fiefdoms

(according to him, because of his cursed sword; but from the others' point
of view, because of the women he hopped around) and wandered around
until he reached Edo in the spring of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era
(1629).
As soon as he set foot in Edo, he heard an alarming rumor: since the
previous year, a samurai had been roaming the city at will every night,
killing anyone who crossed his path.
Originally, since the Genna era (1615-1624), the ronin, who had been
virtually deprived of the opportunity to get a new lord to serve, had trouble
providing for their basic needs, so they began to commit indiscriminate
robberies on passersby. This came to the attention of a group of impetuous
men, who set themselves up among themselves:
—Well, let's get rid of those criminals who go around killing people.
But they went for wool and came out shorn, for as they wandered about
the city at night they were hooked on the fun of attacking defenceless
passers-by.
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This practice of indiscriminately attacking passers-by, known as tsujigiri,

with time, became popular.
As it was written in the Register of Chronology of Edo Region:
"Starting this year, samurai and guard posts are to be set up everywhere
due to the constant occurrence of tsujigiri."
As this chronicle explains, the guard posts, which would henceforth
become an indispensable part of Edo city's appearance, were established to
mitigate this fearsome trend of indiscriminate killings.
When Shimanosuke arrived in Edo, these checkpoints had not yet been set
up. It was the golden age of tsujigiri, so to speak.
Needless to say, as soon as he heard the rumors, Shimanosuke immediately
went for a nightly walk around the city with the goal of teaching that
insolent attacker of innocent people a lesson.
Due to the scandal of the continuous random killings, there were hardly
any people on the streets. The person who very occasionally walked down
the street could be a murderer willing to kill any other passer-by, or
someone who had dared to go out and make an example of that criminal,
or even someone who depending on the circumstances could become one
or the other.
In any case, when two of these individuals met, before releasing a voice,
they drew their swords. After experiencing that episode on several
occasions, Shimanosuke began to forget why he had actually gone out to
roam the city at such a time, and it was impossible for him to distinguish
between the samurai who murdered passersby and the one who wanted to
punish him.
However, since every time they crossed swords he always ended up with a
perfect victory after delivering a bracing blow to his opponent, these
nocturnal walks gradually became a habit he could not relinquish.
It was precisely at one of these moments that his fateful meeting with
Naruse Daishiro took place.
That night, Shimanosuke prowled quietly in search of an opponent in the
vicinity of the place where the daimyo mansions lined up, near the main
entrance to the castle. The moonlight scattered and reflected faintly above
the blossomless cherry trees that roiled over the mud walls of the corner
mansions. Shimanosuke suddenly felt in the corner of his heart the faint
nostalgia of a man who has left his homeland behind.
"Utter nonsense", he said to himself and forced a smile.
Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of the footsteps on the other side of the
corner. It was a quiet sound of a sandal, but at the same time it was
stepping firmly on the ground. All of Shimanosuke's senses were
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heightened in an instant.
As he stood on guard after turning around the corner of the wall, his
opponent stood before him just as he was about to do the same. He was a
samurai of about thirty-five or thirty-six years of age, broad-shouldered
and robustly built. His right hand rested on the hilt of the katana that hung
from his hip.
If the two had crossed paths like mere passers-by, each would have
continued on his way without further delay. Instead, they had grabbed the
blade at the same time and stopped short, for both had sensed the ominous
aura of a rival they could not let their guard down for a moment.
—Are you the murderer? — asked the rival samurai in a muffled voice.
Shimanosuke realized that his opponent's intention was to attack him, so
he immediately jumped a few feet away and drew his weapon. Though it
was obvious that he had guessed Shimanosuke's movements at the time,
his opponent stood firm, not drawing, and glaring at him.
—You will not get away with this, — he calmly announced in a low voice,
and then he drew his katana.
The two remained for some time, casting fierce glances and pointing
swords at one another.
Shimanosuke's katana attempted to initiate three of his techniques —
Isonami ("Waves on the Cliff"), Uekasumi ("The High Mist") and Tenmaki
("The Celestial Swirl") — but before he could perform them, his opponent
read his intentions and there was nothing he could do.
"He's from the same school as me, the Shinto style. But who can this
skilled swordsman be?"
Neither on his previous pilgrimage of nearly ten years to improve his
sword technique, nor, of course, since he had arrived in Edo, had he ever
encountered such an opponent.
Shimanosuke's impatience was gradually intensifying. He did not
necessarily believe himself inferior in skill to his opponent. However,
there was something about his opponent that prevented him from rushing
him in a last desperate attack. As long as they stood facing one another
with their blades unsheathed, he could still resist as an equal. But he felt
that if their blades collide, although he might obviously be able to strike
his opponent, the attack he would receive would undoubtedly be even
more severe.
Guided by his honor and his spirit as a swordsman, Shimanosuke set out to
break down that last obstacle. His blade and body merged into one as he
prepared to leap over his opponent
—Wait! — shouted the rival samurai, who took a step back and lowered
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the tip of his sword, — Wait... It is not worth facing such an expert of my
own Shinto style and having both of us get hurt. Let's sheathe our blades.
—I'm fine with that.
Relieved, Shimanosuke sheathed his katana. Sweat streamed down his
back. Apparently his opponent was experiencing the same thing. He
returned the sword to its sheath, pulled out a handkerchief he had kept in
his chest and wiped the sweat from his forehead with it.
—It has been a long time since I have encountered such experienced and
formidable foe, — he said, with a pleased smile on his lips.
—So did I. No one could resist being attacked indiscriminately by
someone so skilled.
—Ah, no, I am not the passer-by killer. I'm the one who went out for a
walk to teach that criminal a lesson.
—Well, so have I!
—Come on, what a coincidence! — they both laughed at the same time.
—Which master did you learn the teachings of the Shinto school from?
—I am a disciple of lord Noguchi Oribe of the Kaga fief.
Of all the masters he have had so far, Shimanosuke gave him the name of
the one who was farthest away and could cause him the least discomfort.
—Lord Oribe? I have heard of him. I have been initiated by Mamiya
Shozaemon. My name is Naruse Daishiro, of the fief of Suruga. I'm
pleased to meet you.
—Ah! Mr. Daishiro... the one who cuts the stones? — Shimanosuke
replied.
—It is a name that displeases me, but yes, that is what people call me, —
explained Naruse.
Shimanosuke had heard many times about "Daishiro the stone cutter". He
was a man about whom there were many rumors, recognized as an
unparalleled expert in the Shino style.
"Indeed, for a rival of this caliber, Daishiro the Stone Cutter, I can be
proud that I was able to stand up to him to the end."
—I'm Sasajima Shimanosuke, a ronin from Sendai.
—Don't you have a lord to serve? Well, what a waste, for someone of your
skills.
It is not known if this turned his fate around, but shortly after this meeting,
thanks to Daishiro's enthusiastic recommendation, Shimanosuke entered
the service of the Suruga fief.
Daishiro finished his time in Edo and had to return to serve in Suruga
province, so Shimanosuke left with him for Sunpu, where he was posted to
the second group of mounted guards at the daimyo's castle.
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He was deeply grateful for Daishiro's generosity and was in awe of his
prodigious sword. At the same time, however, an irrepressible ambition
began to burn like a glowing flame in the depths of his soul: he wished to
defeat Daishiro.
Shimanosuke understood that to overcome this rival Shimanosuke had to
outdo him in the top-secret technique of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto
school which Daishiro have mastered. The technique was known as the
Ichi no Tachi ("Single Sword Strike") technique and was transmitted by
the master to a single disciple. After reaching this conclusion, he
suppressed all his own techniques and put his soul to training of the "one-
stroke sword" technique.
The silhouette of Shimanosuke appeared among the lush trees of Sengen
Shrine during the night, wielding his sword and looking into the darkness.
He could be also seen during the dawn on the banks of the Abe River,
where the piercing screams, coming from his mouth, reverberated.
However, that intense practice had lasted three months and exhausted him
extremely, did not bear fruit.
Shimanosuke felt clearly again that constant cloud of black eerie obstacles
was cutting him off again. And as on every other occasion, in the midst of
that black cloud hung the vision of a beautiful woman. This time the
woman in question was Kinue, the wife of his benefactor Naruse Daishiro.

IV

Daishiro had a honest and kind character, but because he was too frugal
with his words and gave impression of being too modest, he was not very
successful among women during his young age. It could be said, therefore,
that the fact that he managed to marry the uniquely beautiful Kinue was a
totally unexpected stroke of luck.
At the time when Tadanaga, the lord of Suruga castle, was still the daimyo
of Kai, Daishiro was in his service as a head of cavalry. The first time
Tadanaga set foot in Kai, someone gave him a horse named Murakumo
("concentration of clouds") as an offering. It had been an old man named
Shinozuka Juzaburo, who had been a vassal of the previous lord of Kai,
Takeda Shingen, and lived just outside the castle.
At first glance it seemed to be a good horse, but it certainly gave the
impression of being indomitable, so there was no one who volunteered to
ride it. The impulsive Tadanaga, faced with this situation, immediately
proclaimed that he was going to test the horse. Juzaburo looked up at
Tadanaga's face and smiled a strange smile of joy, so slight that no one
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noticed.
Once Tadanaga got onto the horse and went halfway across the courtyard,
Juzaburo turned to him with a broad smile:
—Go ahead, young sir, try to ride faster, just once more.
After saying this, Juzaburo suddenly drew his short sword and stuck it into
the horse's hindquarters.
The horse instantly reared up, stood on its hind legs and ran wildly. It
galloped at full speed, as if possessed by a demon, towards the wall ahead.
Tadanaga become pale. His desperate attempts to control the animal had
no effect. If the horse had got any further, it would crash into the wall and
Tadanaga would crack his skull.
—Look, everyone! Watch the last moments of Tadanaga! Look! — cried
Juzaburo as he pointed at the horse and the man on it.
Tadanaga's vassals understood that this was clearly a retaliation planned by
Takeda's former vassal against Tokugawa's descendants, but they had been
petrified and did not know what to do.
When it seemed that the young feudal lord's life was about to be
extinguished like a candle flame in the wind, Daishiro appeared riding,
like a hurricane, on the back of a horse.
As he galloped past Juzaburo, who was shouting as he jumped for joy,
from the top of the horse he unleashed a swift blow on his skull and
knocked him down on the spot, then he began to chase Tadanaga's horse.
The distance was shrinking (fifty meters... twenty meters... ten meters) and
it seemed that they were already advancing side by side, but the wall was
only five meters away.
Daishiro jumped off his horse and threw himself between the wall and
Tadanaga's horse with his sword drawn in his right hand, cutting off the
animal's front legs with a clean cut that drew a horizontal line. The horse
instantly snorted and collapsed forward.
It looked as if Tadanaga was going to shoot over the horse's head and hit
the ground, but instead he sat heavily on the back of the animal lying on
the ground.
After cutting off both of the horse's front legs, without wasting a minute,
Daishiro leapt to the rear and severed the other two as well.
All the vassals watched the events unfold with their breath bated, but at
this point they could not suppress a cry of surprise. Daishiro knelt before
Tadanaga, his lips trembling and cold sweat pouring off, hiding the bloody
blade behind his back.
—My lord, forgive me for my violent behavior in this emergency situation,
— he excused himself respectfully with a bow.
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On the same day Daishiro received an increase of one hundred koku in his
stipend and was promoted to head of the guard. He had a magnificent
reputation throughout the fief. The young girls who until then had ignored
him completely now stretched out their necks to see him pass, followed
him with their eyes and whispered to one another.
Such sudden popularity did not seem to have affected Daishiro much, but
when the guard captain Watanabe Kenmotsu proposed that he accept his
daughter Kinue in marriage, he blushed and was so ridiculously astonished
that he could not speak. It was understandable, for Kinue was one of the
most beautiful women in the fief.
However, one might doubt whether marrying such a beautiful woman was
really a blessing for Daishiro. To safeguard his beautiful wife from the
clutches of other men, Daishiro was forced on many occasions to stain his
blade with blood. The incident that resulted in his being nicknamed
Daishiro "the stone cutter" was one such incident.
Seven years ago, when she had only recently become Daishiro's wife,
Kinue's innocent beauty had stolen the heart of a swordsman named Oe
Jubee, an expert in the Itto style, and he was persistently harassing her.
Oe was related to Kinue on her mother's side. She had been in the Kansai
region for a long time, but she turned to Kinue's father, Watanabe
Kenmotsu, for employment.
However, once he saw Kinue he was captivated and forgot about the job.
He courted Kinue by all means, but the woman was still attached to her
husband, who still had a great reputation as a swordsman, so she paid him
no attention, rejected him outright and treated him with contempt. But the
more she hated him, the more the man's obsession increased.
One night when Daishiro had gone out, Oe conspired with several thugs
and abducted Kinue.
Daishiro learned of his wife's plight through an urgent warning from an
infantryman, and returned with a vengeance, tracking Oe's band until he
caught up with them in the compound of the famous Daisen temple on
Mount Hane, east of the Fuji River.
When he saw his wife Kinue lying on the ground in the moonlight in a
corner of the cemetery, her hands tied behind her back, her kimono skirts
untidy and resisting with all her might, Daishiro became the fury
personified.
—Bastards!
Like the swell of a raging sea, he threw himself at them with his precious
sword forged by Higo no Kami Teruhiro. With a flash of it he caused a
death and with another flash — another death. In the blink of an eye the
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grass between the tombstones became bloodstained after every one of five
people screamed in agony. But the leader of the evildoers, Oe Jubee, was
already on the run.
—Shit! You're not getting away from me!
Daishiro ran after him, but he had no control over where he stepped.
The blood that had spurted from the wounds of his victims got into his
eyelid and he was unable to open his right eye.
Skillfully using the play of light and shadow woven into the tombstones,
the undergrowth, and the moonlight, Daishiro followed Oe in his persistent
attempt to escape, guided more by his will than his legs.
When it seemed that with one last effort the tip of the blade forged by
Teruhiro would hit Oe's shoulder, he vanished. Though Daishiro saw
everything as a blur, the only place anyone could hide was behind the
three-foot stone that stood before his eyes. He pointed his katana at the
stone and as two simultaneous roars echoed — the sound of Daishiro's
voice and the metallic sound of his sword — he struck the stone. A groan
was heard, and both the stone and Oe, who was hiding behind it, were
pierced by the sword. Oe was cut from the shoulder to the abdomen and
succumbed on the spot.
From then on he began to be nicknamed Daishiro "the stone cutter"
because of his dazzling sword technique. But it was precisely the fact that
he had such a reputation as a swordsman and was married to such a
beautiful woman that was a constant source of concern to Daishiro in
secret.
The first of his concerns was the uncertainty about the fidelity of his
attractive wife. For about the first year of their marriage, she admired her
husband's glowing reputation and loved him (or perhaps thought she loved
him). After this first year, knowing her own beauty, she began to despise
her scant husband. Accustomed as she was to the life of self-indulgence
she led in her parents' wealthy house, she disliked more and more the
scrupulously humble life she now led.
Surely the expert predators of women who swarmed everywhere did not
overlook the change in Kinue's feelings. They would whisper pleasant
flattery in her ear that hid poison and would excite her captivating body,
which was becoming more and more exuberant.
If he truly saw with his own eyes the infidelity of his wife, however much
he loved her, Daishiro would not hesitate to kill her. Yet he had no
conclusive proof of her infidelity. There were only countless circumstances
that made him doubt her.
No matter how many doubts there were, however, they were nothing more
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than suspicions. If Kinue denied everything outright, there was nothing

else to do. Sometimes Kinue ran out of excuses and justified herself by
saying that she had firmly rejected him, but that the suitor was still
persistently harassing her. As soon as she learned the names of such
harassers, Daishiro sent them an official letter of challenge, and they all
fled the same day they received it. On the other hand, there were others he
killed in one fell swoop after planning his assassination.

The second of his concerns had to do with his reputation as a swordsman.

Daishiro hated the nickname "the stone cutter" that he had been given. He
himself was the first to be surprised when he saw that the stone on the
tombstone had been split in two. It never crossed his mind that he could
cut a stone in half, let alone actually carry it out.
After he had cut both the stone and the disgusting man, he was astonished
at the greatness of his own blade. He found it difficult to believe that he
had actually done it.
To convince himself, he secretly tried to cut the stones at the edge of the
small pond in his garden after that incident at night. On the first occasion
he failed: the blade of the sword broke in two and flew away. The second
attempt also failed: the blade ended up bending. For the third test he
wielded his precious Teruhiro sword, cop the one that had broken the
stone, and struck the stone with all his might. But the blade was
completely shattered and caused the stone nothing more than a white
scratch.
"That time I was able to cut the stone by pure chance, my ability is not
strong enough to split a stone", he was forced to admit.
But it was evident that when people pointed at him and shouted "Daishiro
the stone cutter!", they thought of him as an expert swordsman capable of
cutting a stone at any time.
"People are imposing something on me that I am not capable of doing",
Daishiro thought, and that is why he disliked hearing about the incident
with the stone or his nickname of "the stone cutter."
But people interpreted this as another sign of his modesty, so they looked
up to him with even greater respect and admiration. In that case, Daishiro
had only one path left to follow.
"On one occasion, even by chance, I managed to cut a stone tablet. If I
train hard enough, there is nothing to stop me from being able to do it
again at any time."
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Daishiro again engaged in developing and practicing the technique of

cutting the stones in the garden next to the pond. He even smashed ten
swords: some cracked, some bent, and even some broke. However, the
stones in the garden received hardly any scratches, and it seemed as if they
were laughing at Daishiro, mocking his skill, lying ignorantly near the
pond.
After spending several days in anguish and despair, Daishiro summoned
up his courage and went to visit his former master Mamiya Shozaemon,
who led a life of seclusion at the Suwa shrine in Shinano Province.
Daishiro swallowed his pride and confessed everything that had happened
to him.
—If I was only able to cut a stone on that occasion, it was because the rage
that came over me when I saw that my wife Kinue was about to be defiled
gave me an inexplicable vigor that flowed through my sword of Teruhiro.
Does that mean, then, that until I find myself in such a situation, my blade
will not be able to show any real strength?
"Since I was a child I received the teachings of the master for twelve years,
and then I was training on my own for another ten years, and seeing that
this is all the technique I have managed to arrive at, thinking that I am not
capable of cutting a stone satisfactorily, I feel a deep uneasiness and am
sincerely displeased", Daishiro concluded and bowed his head.
As the tip of his white beard moved in the gentle breeze, Shozaemon
listened and watched Daishiro intently with a serene gaze, but then said:
—Cut... a stone? Well, that's too complicated. I do not know if I would be
able to do it myself. I think I could, but if I don't try I'll never know.
Anyway, Daishiro...
—Yes?
—Isn't it the same whether you can cut it or not?
—Huh?
—The sword isn't meant to cut the stone. The sword is meant to kill
someone to protect oneself.
—Yes...
—Instead of trying uselessly to cut a stone, try to clear the doubts in your
heart.
—Yes.
—Once you have cleared those doubts, you may even be able to break a
stone in two unexpectedly. Ha ha ha! It's been a while since we've seen
each other... Don't look so serious and have some sake.
His master's warm words touched him deeply.

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"Instead of cutting a stone, put an end to the doubts in your heart. The
sword is not meant to cut the stone."
Daishiro returned to Kofu, in the province of Kai, holding these teachings
in his chest. He abandoned his obsession with cutting the stone and
concentrated on continuing his learning of the way of the sword, while
also immersing himself in the way of Zen at the hands of Mokuzen, the
priest of the Buddhist temple Chozen.
However, the stones in the garden at the edge of the pond appeared to him
in a dream at dawn with a kind of human face, and they smiled from ear to
ear as if they were still mocking Daishiro's training.
"How are you doing? You can't cut me, can you?" the stones said.
When he woke up and went down to the garden, whether he wanted to or
not, those stones caught his eye, and he also had the impression that they
stood out from his field of vision ten times larger than the real one. No
matter how hard Daishiro tried to ignore them and drive them out of his
mind, he realized that his gaze always ended up on the stones, and he
frowned in exasperation.
In the third year, Daishiro woke up one morning and stood for a while with
his eyes wide and clear like those of a child, as if something was missing.
This was because just before he woke up, in the last throes of sleep, those
unbearable stones in the garden had made a sad face and disappeared
completely. He rose to his feet, and as he went out into the garden the
stones had shrunk in size and seemed quite insignificant.
"I can cut them down at any time", cried a voice clearly in the depths of
Daishiro's heart, full of confidence. But Daishiro did not cut the stone. He
was so convinced of his abilities that he felt no need to.
The following month Tadanaga was granted the fiefdom of Suruga, so
most of the vassals who served at Kofu had to move to Suruga. Before
moving, Daishiro went back to Suwa after so long to visit his old master.
—How are things going? Are you still cutting stones? — Shozaemon
asked with a laugh.
—No, I stopped trying to do it. But I have the impression that I could do it
right now, — Daishiro answered, and proceeded to tell him about his
training over the past three years.
After listening, Shozaemon said something unexpected:
—You did it, Daishiro! Now I am going to teach you the secret technique
of the Shinto style, the "one sword stroke" technique, which was always
passed on to a single disciple.
Daishiro was initiated into the mysteries of the greatest secret of the Shinto
style and then moved to his new destination in Sunpu.
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His anguish about the sword had already disappeared completely. He could
now turn a blind eye to the name people called him, Daishiro the Stone
Cutter.
However, he still could not shake off his other concern from the bottom of
his heart: the suspicions about his wife Kinue, which still lingered on in
this swordsman even though he tried to dispel them with the blows of his
sword.
Even when he returned, accompanied by Sasajima Shimanosuke, after
concluding his year-long tour of duty in Edo, he learned of two or three
reprehensible rumors about his wife's behavior during his absence.
Obviously, when his wife was asked about it, he denied everything and
since he had no definitive proof Daishiro was forced, as usual, to drown
out all such doubts within his chest.
As he held Kinue in his arms again after a year without being able to do
so, her soft, voluptuous skin, in her prime, was so fragrant that it confused
him and made him lose his senses. Daishiro was neither willing nor able to
say a single word that might incur the slightest displeasure from his
beautiful wife.
Of course, Daishiro did not expect Sasajima Shimanosuke, whom he had
recommended to serve in the fief and had accompanied him from Edo, to
be attracted to Kinue. But that is what actually happened. Shimanosuke
fell madly in love with Kinue as he always did: with a mad, burning,
reckless passion.

VI

—Lord Naruse, please, could I face you?

—No.
Shimanosuke asked Daishiro for the umpteenth time.
—Didn't we already draw our steel swords to face each other in Edo?
There is no need to do so at this point, — Daishiro always replied.
—But on that occasion I could see clearly from your position that you had
mastered the technique of "a single sword strike", the secret technique of
the Shinto style. The ultimate desire of anyone who has wielded a sword
and learned the Shinto style is to master that secret technique. Please, I
would like to receive your teachings.
—The "single sword stroke" technique is a secret technique that is only
passed on to the best of the disciples. I am not allowed to teach you that
technique on my own.

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—Are you suggesting that I don't have the skill yet? — Shimanosuke
gritted his teeth to control himself.
Seeing his expression, Daishiro corrected himself:
—I am not saying that your skills are insufficient, it is more correct to say
that it is a matter of the heart.
—Then you suggest that my heart is unprepared?
—No, it is not that it lacks preparation either. What seems to me is that
there is an intense turmoil in your heart that at all times manifests itself in
your eyes and in your whole body. If I am wrong, I ask your forgiveness.
If Shimanosuke had to give his opinion, he would agree with Daishiro.
However, naturally he could not say, "It is because I am in love with your
wife Kinue".
—Once I've got rid of that confusion in my heart, will you instruct me in
your "one sword strike" technique?
—As I have told you before, because of the strict rules of transmission of
that knowledge, I cannot instruct you on my own in a secret technique
without the authorization of my old master. However, if you train yourself
to master the secrets of the "single sword stroke" technique, I offer my
help to you in any way I can. That is to say, even if I could not formally
instruct you, if only you would remove that indecision from your heart, I
would provide you with some practical training.
—I could not ask for more than that.
But was it possible for him to get rid of the indecision and confusion in his
heart?
"Yes, it would be possible, if I could only get Kinue for myself, if I could
only get the body of the beautiful Kinue for myself once."
His illicit love for Kinue burned with high, red flames, as if a fire had been
further fanned, and raised a blazing whirlwind.
Although Shimanosuke had full confidence in his power of attraction to
women, Kinue was still, so to speak, the wife of his benefactor. And
besides, of all the women he had fallen in love with thus far, she was by
far the most beautiful. The unpleasant rumors about Kinue had not yet
reached his ears, so Shimanosuke thought of this woman as a fortress who
would not be easily conquered.
Squeezing the picaresque nature of those in love to the max, he devised a
secret plan. One night when he knew that Daishiro would not be home
because he had to take care of the night watch, he took advantage of
Daishiro's absence to visit his mansion.
—Oh, Mr. Sasajima! Tonight my husband is on duty... — Kinue began to
say after stepping out into the hall, but Shimanosuke interrupted her:
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—Yes, I know. But, Kinue, there is something I want to talk to you about.
Kinue stared at the man's face. She had no trouble getting a general idea of
what he was up to. Many men were taking advantage of Daishiro's absence
to come and see her, and they were all saying and doing the same thing.
Kinue's attitude in such cases changed radically depending on whether or
not the man in question was to her liking.
Obviously, Kinue liked Shimanosuke. Her husband talked about the
swordsman incessantly, skyrocketing his sword technique. In addition, that
spectacularly beautiful face that was her main feature had long since made
Kinue's loving heart tingle pleasantly.
Shimanosuke, as usual, stared at the woman with his eyes slanting, with
thick eyelashes, looking half-asleep; and as he felt Kinue being watched
by those pupils, both his heart and his body began to go numb. A force that
was difficult to resist, which impelled her to throw herself impetuously
towards the man's chest, oppressed her heart. Shimanosuke sat across from
Kinue and said in a feverish voice:
—Lady Kinue, I am going to open my belly before your eyes.
—What? — Kinue was stunned by his unexpected words and could not
believe what she had just heard.
—I am a scoundrel, a despicable man, a bastard. I want to die... To
apologize to lord Daishiro.
—Mr. Shimanosuke, what happened? I'm sorry. I don't understand what
this is all about.
—Lady Kinue, it's something impossible for your pure and virtuous heart
to understand. I... Even if I risk my life, I'm in love with you. Even though
I know that you are the beloved wife of my benefactor, I was driven by an
irrepressible force and ended up obsessing over you. Even I think I'm a
pathetic man. I'm very sorry, both for you and for lord Daishiro. I will put
an end to this illicit love myself. I simply thought that, as a final reminder
of this life, I wanted to inform you of this in a few words, and then die
before your eyes, and so I came here tonight.
Just by looking at his face, Kinue's heart had already succumbed
completely to Shimanosuke, but after these honest words it was already
absolutely impossible for her to resist.
—But what are you saying? Mr. Shimanosuke, please do not take your life.
I've been thinking about you for a long time, too.
The exquisite and gratifying moment of holding the beloved woman in his
arms was granted him with even greater ease than he had expected.
Shimanosuke plunged into the soft body of Kinue in ecstasy, leaving his

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mind blank and letting his passion and desire flow to satisfaction, with
emotions both rampant and cursed.
Before dawn, when it was still dark, Shimanosuke quietly stepped away
from the woman who was still lying soundly asleep and exhausted, left the
mansion, took a path to the south, and, passing by the side of the treasure
chamber, began to climb up Mount Atago.
He purified her body with the water from the shrine well and when he
reached a clearing of just over thirty-three square meters that opened up
among the leafy trees on the side of the mountain, he quietly drew the
sword from its sheath. That was the place where he used to go secretly to
practice with his sword.
In the midst of an atmosphere so silent that there was not even a whisper
of the breeze, breathing the mountain air, both the body and the spirit of
Shimanosuke were completely serene and there was not the slightest trace
of the sudden impatience he had experienced until the day before.
He concentrated mentally and then the glimmerings of his unsheathed
blade shook the air and Shimanosuke's eyes shone like the morning star. A
new, infinite world had just opened up before the tip of his blade.
An hour later, Shimanosuke put the sword away, wiped off his sweat,
returned to the shrine, and when he reached the facade he bowed
respectfully and took a deep breath.
"Shimanosuke has mastered, by himself, the most secret of the techniques
of the Shinto style, the technique of 'a single sword strike'."
He had not even needed Daishiro's teachings.
He had managed to unravel the secrets of that technique by his own.
"Daishiro is no longer a fearsome adversary to me", Shimanosuke told
himself as he strode down the mountain path. In his head there was no
longer a hint of the mirage of Kinue's precious body, which he had coveted
with such vehemence until just a few hours ago.

VII

There was someone who saw Shimanosuke leave Daishiro's mansion

before dawn: the neighbor next door, a man named Yasumura Shingo. He,
too, had made proposals to Kinue and had been turned down forcefully. He
was a withered man whose eyes reminded of a mouse.
Those mouse eyes glowed with envy when he whispered to Daishiro:
—I assure you I'm not making this up.
After confirming it in a voice of sorrow, Daishiro headed immediately for
Shimanosuke's residence.
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—A certain person saw you leave my mansion this morning before dawn.
Shimanosuke was surprised that he had been discovered so soon. Since
someone had seen him, there was no point in denying it.
—Yes, I have visited your mansion.
—What for?
—I woke up in the middle of the night and came up with a sword
technique. I could not help myself and went to your home to receive your
teachings. But when I had reached the inner garden of your mansion, I
remembered that you were on night duty that night, so I returned to my
home.
While this seemed an unnatural justification, it was not altogether
unthinkable coming from a sword enthusiast.
—And Kinue... — Daishiro began to say in a pained voice, as if something
were choking him, — You wouldn't have gone to see Kinue, would you?
—Why would I have to go to see lady Kinue? — Shimanosuke countered.
—According to the person who saw you, you supposedly... Did something
wicked to Kinue.
—Who is this insolent person who is slandering me in such a way?
—You don't have to know that. So you really didn't see Kinue?
—Let us both go see lady Kinue.
Shimanosuke took the lead and headed for Daishiro's residence.
When she saw her beloved, the man with whom she had entwined her
naked body tightly from midnight the day before until before dawn, appear
in the company of her husband, the woman was disconcerted and her
cheeks blushed due first to embarrassment, and then to joy.
Yet both the expression on Shimanosuke's face and his voice when he
addressed her were so empty and cold that he did not seem like the same
person.
—Lady Kinue, it seems there is someone who says that I came to visit you
last night and left this mansion at dawn. I have come to see you to defend
my innocence. Please say clearly in front of your husband Daishiro that I
have not seen you even once without the presence of your lord husband.
—It is just as he says.
—I only see lady Kinue as the wife of my respected benefactor. I have
never harboured any other feeling than that, nor could I. Lord Daishiro, if I
have not yet dispelled your fears, I swear that I will not set foot in this
residence again, even when you are present.
The tone of Shimanosuke's voice was calm and determined, like that of
someone with a clear conscience.

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—I am sorry I have doubted you, — Daishiro apologized and bowed his

head.

The next day, Shimanosuke had just left the castle when, halfway through,
Kinue called out to him from a hiding place and made him stop.
—Shimanosuke, what you said yesterday, that you wouldn't set foot in my
house again, you surely wouldn't mean it...
She hinted at it with a flirtatious tone and a smile that said, "You're such a
good actor!".
—Lady Kinue, it's just as I said yesterday.
—Huh?
—To begin with, I won't be coming to your house again, and we must also
refrain from talking like this in secret.
—Shimanosuke, but if you...
—You should think that last night was just a dream.
Kinue stared blankly at the face of the man who spoke so casually.
—Shimanosuke, when you told me you wanted me so badly, was it all a
lie?
—It wasn't a lie. It was true at the time, but now all the love I had for you
is gone. I know it seems strange, but there's nothing you can do about it.
—You bastard!
Kinue went mad with rage and humiliation. This was the first time she had
experienced something like this. Until now, all the men were mad about
the love they offered her or the embers of their sexual desires, they
worshipped her and held onto her stubbornly until the last moment. Even
those who feared Daishiro's sword and fled to distant lands later, in one
way or another, brought their heartfelt love to her. It was always she who,
at the right moment, declared the break-up of the relationship, yet this was
the first time that it was a man, and moreover immediately after the first
meeting, who dismissed her so coldly.
Kinue was a woman with an unbreakable spirit and a strong character, so
her anger was also vehement and irrepressible: "I'm not going to let that
Shimanosuke stay alive... I want to kill him... I want to strangle him and
spit in his face".
Kinue decided to take drastic measures. That night she went to Daishiro
and asked him:
—Please kill Sasajima Shimanosuke.
—What's that about at this point? — Daishiro was surprised by his wife's
sudden burst of anger.
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—I'll be honest with you. Shimanosuke abused me.

—What?! — Daishiro instantly stood up.
—Everything Shimanosuke said was a lie. That man had been proposing to
me for a long time. He waited until the night you were on duty and snuck
into the house. He forced me and did with me what he wanted. I resisted
him as long as I could, but I could do nothing in the face of this man's
strength.
—Kinue! Is that true?
—It's the truth. Please kill that disgusting brute. After that I'm ready to
receive my due punishment. But I can't die peacefully without seeing that
man die with my own eyes.
—Kinue, why didn't you tell the truth last time?
—That man was lying so brazenly and so imperturbably that I was stunned
and could not get the words out. That man is a demon. I find it so
humiliating to be raped by a guy like him...
As he watched his wife squirm in agony and her night clothes unravel,
Daishiro's expression took on a chilling tone.
—Kinue, bring me the bar of Indian ink and the stone to rub on.
When he had finished writing the letter of challenge in characters that
throbbed with rage, he placed the seal on the left (as was customary in this
type of letter) and commissioned a servant to deliver it to Shimanosuke.
—Tomorrow I'll kill him. And then I'll think about what I'm going to do
with you.
But the answer to his challenge, which he assumed would be
instantaneous, did not come.
"Has the bastard ran away?"
When Daishiro approached Shimanosuke's residence the next morning, he
was informed that he had already left. He managed to hunt him down
inside the castle.
—Sasajima, it's not worth arguing about. You saw my letter of challenge.
Why have you not sent me a reply?
—I can't fight a duel over something I'm innocent of.
—You still have the nerve to insist on your innocence? Coward! And now?
You still say you can't duel me?
Daishiro slapped Shimanosuke.
—Oh!
Shimanosuke put his hand to his cheek, took a step back and gave Daishiro
a murderous look; prominent blue lines were marked on his pale forehead.
Any self-respecting samurai, if called a coward and beaten in the face,
cannot refuse a duel.
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—Naruse, this time it is I who challenge you to a duel.

—Tonight, at eight o'clock, come to the shrine of Hachiman.
—No, I've received a public insult inside the castle, so we'll duel in a
public place.
—What?
—You should come with me to see the Honourable Adviser to the great
lord.
After cleverly transforming the reality of a duel caused by the rape of a
married woman into a duel for an arbitrary insult, Shimanosuke appeared
accompanied by Daishiro before advisor Saegusa Izunokami.
—Honorable advisor, there is something I would like to ask of you.
Because of my inescapable devotion to the martial arts, I would like to
duel Naruse Daishiro.
—You... Against Naruse? — Saegusa found such a proposal
incomprehensible, as he knew it was Daishiro who had enthusiastically
recommended Shimanosuke.
—That is correct, and in that respect I believe that the best option would
be to face Daishiro with real swords in the next duel-to-the-death
tournament in the presence of our lord, which will take place on
September twenty-fourth. Since both Daishiro and I have mastered the
secrets of the Shinto style I think it will be an interesting duel, whomever
wins, — Shimanosuke explained calmly and quietly, as if he were
speaking on a matter that did not concern him.
—Naruse, do you agree? — Daishiro answered affirmatively, — I see... I
do not quite understand, but if you both agree and wish to do so, there is
nothing to be done. At any rate, I will discuss it with my lord.
To Tadanaga, the lives of his vassals were no more valuable than that of a
worm. As soon as he was told it would be an interesting duel, he agreed
immediately:
—Let them kill each other.
After obtaining the permission of the feudal lord, this match was included
in the program of the duel-to-the-death tournament.
When this was announced to Shimanosuke, he went back to Saegusa:
—Honorable advisor, I have one more favor to ask of you.
—What is it?
—Naruse is known as Daishiro the Stone Cutter, but I have yet to see his
secret stone-cutting technique. If I'm lucky, I intend to win the fight, but
there's also a chance that I'll be defeated and lose my life, in which case I'd
like to see him cut a stone before I die. There was much talk about
Daishiro's ability to cut the stone, but no one had actually seen him do it.
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—Daishiro, what do you think? Will you try cutting a stone in half with
your sword?
—I will, — Daishiro said sharply.

VIII

The day before the duel, a remarkable incident occurred. An eighteen year
old girl named Yoshizawa Matsu visited the official mansion of Sakaki
Hanbei, inspector of Suruga fief, carrying an official license of revenge
from Yonezawa fief.
—I want to avenge my older sister's death, and to do so I would like to
duel with Sasajima Shimanosuke, — Matsu requested.
The woman had been accompanied by a muscular samurai in his thirties
named Muraki Ihei, who would play her assistant in the duel. Sakaki
Hanbei summoned Shimanosuke.
—Matsu, the daughter of Yoshizawa Ryutaro, vassal of the fief of
Yonezawa, has requested to duel with you to avenge the death of her older
sister. Do you know her?
—Yes.
Matsu's older sister... Was a black-eyed girl with a crease in her eyelids,
resembling a white evening primrose that would have bloomed alone in
the shade of the trees.
Some time ago Shimanosuke fell madly in love with her and, after
achieving his wishes, abandoned her. It was then that he managed to
master the secrets of the Isonami technique ("waves on the cliff"). He later
learned that she had died and left a suicide note. Her father was an old man
in his seventies, and his successor was his grandson Mitsuyoshi, a helpless
boy, so the turn have came to Matsu, his younger sister, to avenge her
sister's death.
—Although I am completely surprised that they would want to take
revenge on me for circumstances beyond my control, if they so wish, I am
willing to confront them at any time.
—She is accompanied by an assistant named Muraki Ihei.
—He is an expert in the Chujo style. I have heard that he is her cousin. For
my part, I don't mind confronting the two of them.
Upon being informed by Sakaki, Advisor Saegusa Izunokami was
perplexed. Since the girl had presented herself carrying an official revenge
license issued by the Yonezawa fief, they could not refuse her request.

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However, in the event that Shimanosuke died in the duel, then the feudal
lord would no longer be able to enjoy the decisive match between
Shimanosuke and Daishiro that he had already told her about.
—I won't be killed by someone like Muraki. I will duel today and finish
off Matsu too, thus preventing her from getting her revenge, —
Shimanosuke declared casually.
However, while Matsu would not be a problem, the Chujo style
swordsman, Muraki, could not be defeated so easily since the man
certainly knew Shimanosuke's skill and would still have agreed to assist in
the duel.
After lengthy deliberations between Saegusa and Sakaki, Matsu was told:
—Although your request for revenge has been accepted, as tomorrow's
duel was already decided, your revenge will have to wait until the end of
that match.
—I heard that the duel will be fought with real swords. If Sasajima were to
die in that fight, our suffering of all these years would come to nothing.
Please allow me to exact my revenge before the duel.
Matsu and Muraki begged desperately but Saegusa, whose greatest fear
was to anger Tadanaga, did not give in.
That same night, Matsu and Muraki Ihei raided Shimanosuke's dormitory.
In preparation for their duel the next day, Shimanosuke had gone to bed
early. Although his intention was to sleep soundly and peacefully, the
conversation he had had during the day with Saegusa and Sakaki about
Matsu suddenly came to mind. And this brought back a whole series of
memories. Then, one after another, the faces of all the women he had
sacrificed in the name of his own apprenticeship as a swordsman appeared
to him.
Until now he had never once remembered those women he had abandoned.
"This cannot be. It will disturb my mental serenity and prevent me from
sleeping."
He tried to make the images of those women disappear, but their faces kept
turning inside their eyelids, like a pinwheel, with a disturbing insistence.
Irritated, he decided to get up to calm down, but when he opened one of
the sliding doors, he found Matsu and Muraki waiting for him in the
garden.
The door opened unexpectedly just as they were about to sneak into the
house, so at first the two had been a bit disconcerted, but then they
identified themselves, pulled out swords and approached him.
Shimanosuke quickly retreated and returned to his chambers.

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His two opponents followed, but by the time they had broken through,
Shimanosuke was already waiting for them in the center of the room with
his short sword drawn in his hand.Shimanosuke turned to Muraki, who
was in the corridor overlooking the garden, and shouted at him in a shrill
voice:
—Muraki, the lintels will be a hindrance to your long sword.
The instant Muraki, puzzled, turned his gaze upward momentarily,
Shimanosuke threw his body forward and plunged his short sword into his
chest.
He snatched the dagger from Matsu before Muraki's body collapsed back
onto the floor of the corridor.
He twisted her arm and forced her to the ground.
"She looks like her... She'd be the spitting image of her sister... If that
unshakable expression in her eyes disappeared."
Shimanosuke laid Matsu down on the bed without a word and she took on
the appearance of a wild beast, as she groaned in outrage and continued to
resist.
A half hour later, Shimanosuke removed his body from her, lifted Matsu's
torso in his arms, and made her wield her dagger.
—Matsu, get up. Let us fight.
Matsu stood up with an expression of indescribable pathos on his face and
tucked the skirts of her brutally dislodged kimono into place as he
staggered.
—You are a brute! — she moaned with dry lips and lunged at him. But
Shimanosuke knocked her down with a single diagonal cut from the
shoulder. After which, he fell into a deep sleep until shortly before dawn in
that bedroom steeped in the stench of fresh blood.
The next morning he woke up and purified his body with the cold water
from the well in the garden. Then he woke up the young servant, who was
sleeping like a log and had not heard anything, and made him dispose of
the bodies. Finally, he made his way quietly to the castle, feeling as good
as new.

IX

It was four o'clock in the afternoon on the twenty-fourth of September of

the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629). In the bloody and brutal tournament
of duels to the death before the feudal lord that took place inside the Sunpu
Castle, which overwhelmed an entire generation, nine clashes had already

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ended, and eleven of the fighters and three women among the spectators
had already lost their lives.
At that hour the opponents of the tenth duel were announced: on the east
side, Naruse Daishiro, and on the west side, Sasajima Shimanosuke.
However, the two swordsmen who had been summoned did not begin to
fight immediately. As previously agreed, Naruse Daishiro was to
demonstrate his secret stone-cutting technique before the duel.
A stone tablet a little over three feet high and about three inches thick had
been installed in the center of the fighting enclosure, in front of which
Daishiro was wielding his sword drawn.
Was he really going to split the stone in two? The hundreds of looks from
around the room were filled with unusual interest and focused on the blade
of the sword held by Daishiro.
Everyone knew about the incident with the stone cut by Daishiro.
Since he had been nicknamed Daishiro "the stone cutter", it was assumed
that he was capable of cutting stones. But there were many people who
reserved their doubts until they saw it with their own eyes, and they had
long hoped that Daishiro would be willing to show them how he cut a
stone.
Since he had cut that stone, Daishiro had not managed to cut any more
stones. All his attempts had ended in failure and, on the advice of his
master, he had discontinued the practice of cutting stones. However, since
the sight of the stones had disappeared from his mind and he had been
initiated into the secrets of the technique of "a single sword stroke", he was
convinced that he could cut them.
And now that he was facing the stone in the presence of many people,
including the feudal lord, he had not lost
not one iota of that conviction. Daishiro first raised his sword above his
head with both hands and stared at the stone, but gradually brought it
down until he changed to a position with his sword lowered. In this
manner, aiming at the base of the stone, he stood as if frozen.
—Oh, what's wrong with him?
—Is it that he has realized that he cannot cut it?
As the Daishiro's supporters instinctively began to clench their fists,
suddenly his sword rose quickly and vertically to the right shoulder, and
then, fleetingly as a flash, he flew diagonally down from that position to
the left side and stood still.
After a few moments, Daishiro silently held his blade close to his eyes and
after examining the blade he smiled.
He then lightly struck the top of the stone with the hilt of his blade.
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The upper left side of the stone fell off in an equilateral triangle and fell to
the ground.
Amidst the shouts of admiration that came in unison, the only one who
scrutinized Daishiro's movements with indifference was Shimanosuke.
"I can cut it off as well", a voice in his heart assured him.
The split stone was removed and at last the two swordsmen stood face to
face to fight to the death.
Before crossing the swords, all the swordsmen make careful estimates,
such as what is most advantageous for oneself, or what is the weak point
of one's opponent.
Shimanosuke confirmed that, after killing Muraki and raping and
murdering Matsu the night before, both his spirit and his body were in a
very distant and high place. The wife of his rival Daishiro had been raped,
so he surmised that he would be distressed, hurt, and outraged, and would
naturally be outraged mentally and physically.
Furthermore, he presumed that his rival, after his stone-cutting blow, had
already exhausted the energy needed to finish off several human beings.
He could therefore conclude that in all respects the circumstances were
favourable to him.
On the other hand, Daishiro had decided that, after defeating
Shimanosuke, he would kill his wife Kinue. Since their marriage, he had
devoted himself with all his soul to love his wife, and for that very reason
he had suffered a hell of a jealousy, but he felt that after knowing for
certain that Kinue had been sullied by Shimanosuke, he had no choice but
to execute the assailant and then kill her. It was more painful for him to
take the life of his wife than to take it himself.
The thought of his wife's death was enough to make him lose all hope or
desire to live.
The one thought that spurred his fighting spirit limitlessly, above life and
death, was the desire to end the detestable Shimanosuke by using the
"single sword strike" technique he had mastered to the fullest. Having
succeeded in cutting the stone had given him even more confidence. After
he had cut the stone, he involuntarily smiled at himself because he was
thinking that he would cut Shimanosuke in the same way that he had split
the stone in two.
Also, he did not know if it was true that Shimanosuke could have mastered
the "single sword strike" technique on his own. He was firmly convinced
that, in terms of technical skill with the blade, he was superior to his
opponent, and so each of these two swordsmen, whose lives had been
equally — though for entirely different reasons — dominated by way of
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the sword and women, judged his to be the more advantageous position as
he faced his opponent with the determination to kill him.
The two swords moved almost imperceptibly, and as soon as the tips of
both touched lightly, they instantly stopped. The evening was approaching,
and the fighting arena was so quiet that it was hard to believe there were so
many spectators in it. The atmosphere seemed to condense only over the
tips of those two blades.
Within the technique of "a single sword strike" there are no movements to
defend against an attack, repel the opponent's sword or counterattack. As
the name suggests, if you tear the air with a single sword strike, the life of
your opponent must be torn apart in the midst of that air.
That sword-strike must take the life of the opponent as rigorously and
accurately as possible, and right now both opponents were about to make
that sword-strike collide from the east and west.
The tension reached its peak, and a groan escaped someone in a corner of
the hall. Just then a cry emanated from the mouths of both swordsmen in
unison, similar to the sound produced when one rubs metal when polishing
it, and tore the atmosphere.
Both had simultaneously directed their sword strike toward the opponent.
On the spot, a gush of blood erupted from Daishiro's frowned face and
flew out about two feet horizontally; and as it flew, an enigmatic
triumphant smile spread across his face. Even once he hit the ground, the
smile remained on his lips covered with fresh blood.
As he looked at that eccentric expression, a smirk of contentment appeared
on Shimanosuke's beautiful face. Suddenly, however, that smile was
violently deformed and the blade fell from his hand, as he felt intense,
unbearable pain from his right shoulder to his chest.
When Shimanosuke raised his left hand to his shoulder, his upper body fell
heavily to the ground, just as the stone split in two.
For a few moments the blood continued to spurt from the amputated lower
part of the body, which had remained standing.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

MUZAN BOKUDENRYU
(«The horrible style of Bokuden»)
EVENTS OF KASHIMA

The Kashima shrine was located on mount Kashima, in the Kashima

district of province Hitachi, and was dedicated to the god of martial arts,
Takemikazuchi.
Both the Kashima shrine and the Katori shrine in Shimosa province, which
was dedicated to the god Futsunushi (another martial deity), were widely
known as a Shinto shrine complex that was unparalleled in all of Japan.
In the spring of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629), curtains with red
and white stripes were stretched out in one corner of the Kashima shrine
compound, and in the vicinity of the dojo one could see a ceaseless
coming and going of stout swordsmen with flashing eyes. These were the
preparations for the first day of the monkey in the second month,
according to the old lunar calendar; that is, the day of the Kasuga festival,
which was to be held the following day.
It may seem somewhat inappropriate to establish a fencing dojo within the
enclosure of a shrine and have it become a meeting place for swordsmen,
but in the case of this particular shrine, it was the most appropriate. The
reason for this is that the cradle of the seven ancient fencing schools in the
Kanto region, as well as the eight Kyoto schools on mount Kurama is none
other than the Kashima shrine, and the founders of modern Japanese
fencing were, so to speak, the monks of that temple devoted to the god of
martial arts. Especially Bokuden Tsukahara Shin'emon Takamoto, the
famous swordsman who overwhelmed an entire generation from the Eisho
era (1504-1521) to the Taiei era (1521-1528), second son of the shrine
priest (Urabe Akikata), who was a student of Iizasa Chuisai and later
revived the Shinto style and is acclaimed as a sword saint.
More than fifty years had already passed since Bokuden's death, but the
dojo founded in the shrine grounds still underwent intensive training and
every year, at the Kasuga festival in February, Shinto-style swordsmen
arrived from all over the Kanto region and a great open-air dueling
tournament was held.
One samurai came out of the dojo, sweating profusely, apparently from the

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effort of training. He sat down on a stone in the garden and asked two
other men who had been sitting there before, looking at the curtains
surrounding the outdoor dueling arena:
—What do you think? Who will take the final victory this year?
—The logical thing would be that, like last year, in the end there would
only be Kouda Shido and Iizasa Shurinosuke left. But if we are talking
about a surprise, then perhaps Urabe Haruhide or Mizutani Yatsuya will
win. It has to be one of those four, if anything.
—No way. The main favorites for victory are Kashiwabara Morishige or
Hinatsu Shigeyoshi.
—Umm... Indeed, everyone seems to think so. Last year, in the final duel
between Kouda and Iizasa, the latter barely won, but this year those two
rookies are very popular, huh?
—Lord Urabe's son, Shintaro Haruhide, is traveling around the country to
improve his technique and it appears he has already defeated Arima
Yasunobu of Kii Province, Fukasu Satsumanokami of Kozuke,
Matsubayashi Chuzaemon of Sendai, and Sekiguchi Yosuke of Edo.
—I heard he's still young...
—That's right, he must be about twenty-six or twenty-seven...
—And isn't this Mizutani guy even younger?
—Some people say it's not that bad. Besides, this year's tournament is
different from previous ones. The two veterans, Kouda and Iizasa, will be
doing their best. They will not easily let these youngsters make a name for
themselves.
While the men were commenting on these things, several people appeared
from the other side of the curtains, talking in a very loud voice.
—Come on! Isn't that Hijiko Doronosuke?
He was an old swordsman in his sixties, and he had an air of solemnity
about him, even though he did not show the refinement of a city dweller.
When Morooka Ippa — the founder of the Ippa school, derived from the
Shinto style — retired in his final years because he was suffering from
leprosy, his disciples Iwama Oguma and the aforementioned Hijiko
Doronosuke accompanied him and stayed by his side until the end.
However, a third disciple, Nejiki Tokaku, ran away and left his sick master.
It was a widely discussed story that the other two disciples drew lots to see
who would take revenge on Tokaku. It was Oguma's turn, who went to
Edo, fought Tokaku on the bridge in front of the main entrance to Edo
Castle and defeated his opponent by dropping him into the river. However,
Oguma was later killed by a disciple of Tokaku, and it fell to Hijiko
Doronosuke to spread the Ippa style.
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Doronosuke had been invited as one of the referees to this great

tournament for several years, but this time the expectation created around
his attendance was due to the fact that it had been announced in advance
that he would be accompanied by his precious disciple, Mizutani Yatsuya,
who had been selected to participate in the tournament.
—And the one behind him will be this Mizutani, right?
—Mmm... Certainly, although he seems to be a gentle and delicate looking
man, he never lets his guard down, either with his eyes or his body
posture.
Doronosuke and Yatsuya, who have attracted the curiosity of all present,
passed by the dojo and headed for Urabe Haruie's abode in the shrine.
Haruie had heard that Hijiko had already arrived and had gone out to meet
him at the door of the hall. It was an old man in his eighties with silver
hair and beard who addressed newcomers with a smile on his lips:
—Well, Mr. Hijiko! Thank you for taking the trouble.
However, his pupils were fixed on Mizutani Yatsuya.
Haruie was Bokuden's nephew. Bokuden's successor was his adopted son
Tsukahara Hikoshiro Motohide, but he died in combat in the nineteenth
year of the Tensho era (1591), and Bokuden's adopted son (Akichika) had
also died years ago, so it fell to the latter's daughter, Ayume, to carry on the
family legacy. As his last task, the old man Urabe was asked to find a
suitor for Ayume to become the successor to the Bokuden family and to
inherit the secrets of the Bokuden style sword technique.
After taking a seat on the floor, Doronosuke introduced him to his disciple
Yatsuya.
—It seems that many more people have gathered this time than in previous
years.
—This year, also counting the usual proposal of the great advisor of
Suruga, enthusiasm of the swordsmen will also be considerably different
from other years.
—In these times, when the post of shogunate instructor is monopolized by
the Yagyu and Ono families, if we miss this opportunity, it will not be easy
to bring the Shinto style back to the times of prosperity it enjoyed with
master Bokuden. It is necessary to choose someone, whoever it is, who can
be a good representative of the true Shinto style.
—You are absolutely right. It has been a little over fifty years since the
passing of lord Bokuden, and the Shinto style is not even a shadow of what
it was in the past. There was that Matsuoka Hyogonosuke who was
initiated into the secrets of the "one stroke" technique, but the guy can't
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think of anything else but being a hatamoto with a tiny stipend of one
hundred and twenty koku, and bowing down to the Shinkage style of
Yagyu and the Itto style of Ono. It is unfortunate. Even Sadayu, the son of
Matsuoka, is a pushover who does nothing but fall short.
Mysteriously, many of Bokuden's disciples met a tragic end. The five most
prominent disciples who had been initiated into the techniques of the
secret scroll were Kitabatake Tomonori, Makabe An'yaken Domu, Saito
Denki, Morooka Ippa, and Matsuoka Hyogonosuke. Kitabatake Tomonori
was betrayed by a subordinate and died on the battlefield. Morooka Ippa
died after suffering the agony of an incurable disease. Saito Denki was
attacked by surprise by his own companion Makabe Domu, who brutally
murdered him, the latter died later in battle. The only one who managed to
make a better and more peaceful living was Matsuoka Hyogonosuke, who
ingratiated himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu and managed to get him to name
him his hatamoto.
But obviously that is not the only reason why, of the three competing
schools that divided the swordsmen of the entire country into three camps
— the Shinto style, the Shinkage style and the Itto style — the Shinto
school became outdated.
Both the Shinkage and the Itto schools modernized the methods used by
their instructors, systematized the technique of the spectacular offensive
sword, divided learning into several levels, and devised ingenious methods
to stimulate beginners. While the Shinto school continued to insist on its
traditional shrine fencing, in which the way to self-learning was prioritized
only through the discipline of one's own willpower and intense training,
this meant that as times became peaceful, young people turned their backs
on this style.
—Styles like Shinkage are unfeasible. In real combat they are useless, —
the purists of the Shinto style used to say. Instead of using the bamboo
swords with sheathes, characteristic of the Shinkage style, they stubbornly
defended training with wooden swords. In the Itto style, learning (from
wielding a short sword until you get your instructor's license) has been
divided into up to eight levels, so it was like a child's play: you just have to
learn one essential point at a time.
This way, by staying true to the old style, beginners felt that their progress
was not recognized and they began to feel unsatisfied, so they ended up
going to other schools.
The opportunity that now presented itself to a declining Shinto style was
the following: Tadanaga, the younger brother of the shogun Iemitsu and a
great chancellor of Suruga, had publicly announced that he would gather
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swordsmen from all schools and from them choose the one who would be
the official instructor. If the representative of the Shinto style was selected,
it would become the official style of the Suruga fiefdom.
Furthermore, if it were to happen that, as a part of the society secretly
hoped, Tadanaga would replace Iemitsu and become the shogun, then the
Shinkage and Itto styles could indeed be brought down from their throne.
The swordsmen who followed the teachings of the Shinto school had
higher hopes than usual for this great tournament, for whoever was
victorious would be recommended to the house of the great counselor of
Suruga as an official candidate.
The information is often generalized this way when speaking of the Shinto
style, but in reality at that time the school was divided into several
factions. Iizasa Shurinosuke Morinaga, a direct descendant of the founder
of this Iizasa Choisai's style, propagated it under his old name: Tenshin
Shoden Shinto. The style of Arima Yamatonokami — who followed the
teachings of Choisai's disciple, Matsumoto Hizennokami Masanobu —
was known as Arima style, and that style of another disciple of Masanobu
was called Katori Shinto style.
The style that was passed on from generation to generation from father to
son, from Choisai to Tsukahara Tosanokami until it reached the adopted
son of the latter, Bokuden, after the death of the latter it was called
Bokuden style, and the disciples of the latter founded their own schools:
Morooka Ippa — Ippa style, and Saito Denki — Ten style.

In the great tournament of Kashima of that year, representatives of all

factions of the Shinto school counted as follows:

Tenshin Shoden Shinto style: lizasa Shurinosuke Morinaga (37 years old)
Arima style: Kashiwabara Shinobee Morishige (32 years old)
Katori Shinto style: Kouda Rokuzaemon Shido (33 years old)
Ippa style: Mizutani Yatsuya Mitsunobu (25 years old)
Bokuden style: Urabe Shintaro Haruhide (26 years old)
Ten style: Hinatsu Kizaemon Shigeyoshi (28 years old)

Would any of these six be able to claim victory?

Speculation was growing intensely in anticipation of the big tournament
happening the next day.

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II

—Ayume, Ayume! — who called her that in an innocent and cheerful

voice was Kayo, Urabe Haruie's granddaughter.
—Kayo, what happened? You've got a happy face...
Hearing her call, Ayume stopped at the edge of the spring and turned to
look at Kayo's face, who was running towards her.
Ayume's elegant and refined figure suggested that of a lone daffodil that
had blossomed on that shore. Her earlobes received the rays of the early
spring sun, and in them, more captivating than the petals of a flower, the
blood was slightly transparent, the black hair that fell on them as if to hide
them gave a slight impression of heaviness.
In her beautiful features, which had the freshness of a flower that had just
opened, there was the hint of something like a shadow, due to the fact that,
being very young, she had to be separated from her parents and was left in
charge of her relatives.
—Ayume, I have just seen Mizutani Yatsuya.
—Mizutani? Ah! I suppose you mean Hijiko's precious disciple.
—That's right. He's a splendid gentleman. You'd think he'd come out of a
painting: he's young, handsome, dashing...
—Oh, really? But Kayo, didn't you say the same thing to me yesterday,
after seeing Hinatsu Shigeyoshi?
—Wow! Did I tell you the same thing? Heh-heh-heh! But, seriously,
Mizutani is really cute. He's talking to my grandfather in the living room
right now. Ayume, why don't you go take a look at him?
—Oh, no! That would be very rude of me. Changing the subject, I wonder
if Shintaro hasn't returned by now.
He had said that he intended to visit the tomb of Bokuden, the founder of
the school in Tsukaharamura before the tournament, and had left early in
the morning.
—Miss Ayume, you really like my uncle Shintaro, don't you?
—Oh... You know everything! — Suddenly her cheeks blushed.
—It must be hard for you...
—What exactly?
—Well, my uncles Shintaro, Kouda and Shurinosuke are all crazy about
you.
—That's not true! But Kouda and the other one will soon be forty.
—Kouda probably still hopes to marry you, that's why he's single. Last
year, when he was the winner of the tournament, he made my grandfather
a proposal to marry you, and when he got refused because of the age
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difference, they said he was so depressed that he lost about seven and a
half kilos. Presumably he hasn't given up yet. The day before yesterday,
when he came and saw your face, the expression on his face was quite
poetic...
—Kayo, stop that.
—Well, if you don't like me talking about old people, I'll talk about young
people. Hinatsu saw you for the first time yesterday, but it seems he's
already... Heh-heh-heh! This morning he kept asking me enthusiastically
about Ayume.
—Please don't tell him anything.
—I won't tell him anything, I know, I won't say a word about Shintaro.
You can relax.
This somewhat precocious and talkative girl was beyond Ayume's control.
She forced a smile and squatted at the water's edge.
—Look at the tents! — she exclaimed in an attempt to deflect the
conversation, but apparently Kayo was much more interested in the love
affair than the tents.
—Hey, Ayume... Later on, I'm sure Grandpa will introduce you to
Mizutani. And then I'm sure Mizutani will fall in love with you too.
—What a thing to say! How can he fall in love with a person he's just
met...
—But it's true! All the men who know you end up becoming a little
strange... That's even a little annoying.
This was totally true. It wasn't just because she was beautiful. There was
something in Ayume's eyes that enigmatically fascinated men. Besides, it
seemed as if it was something that the daughters of the Tsukahara family
had traditionally inherited from generation to generation.
The Tsukahara were an ancient family that had been daimyo of
Tsukaharamura (Kashima district) for generations under the name
Tosanokami, but curiously in that family not a single male child grew up.
Even if a child were born, they all died at a very young age. Instead,
extraordinarily beautiful girls were given to them.
The family line was preserved through the selection and adoption of one of
the many young men who fell in love with those beautiful daughters.
Bokuden was actually born into the Urabe family, but he fell in love with
Tae, the daughter of Tsukahara Tosanokami Yasumoto, competed fiercely
against his older brother Yasutaka for her, eventually winning and entering
the family by becoming Tae's husband. Bokuden did not have any children
either. He had only one beautiful child, Chiyo. Bokuden's adopted son,
Hikoshiro Motohide, was a disciple who defeated two other courters and
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finally got Chiyo. Likewise, Sae, Motohide's only daughter, chose

Akichika from all the young men who were in love with her and made him
her husband. Ayume was the only daughter of Akichika and Sae. It had not
yet been decided who Ayume's husband would be.
Ultimately, whoever succeeded in marrying Ayume would simultaneously
become the heir to the Tsukahara family and the direct descendant of
Bokuden. Becoming the rightful successor to the Bokuden style — the
most widespread and glorious of all Shinto style factions — was the goal
desired by all swordsmen of the Shinto school. If this was accompanied by
the joy of being able to marry the extraordinarily beautiful Ayume, it was
natural that everyone was engrossed in it.
Many swordsmen presented themselves as suitors to Ayume, but Urabe
Haruie rejected them all. Needless to say, the reason was that he was
betting on his second son, Shintaro Haruhide, who had left to travel the
country to train as a samurai and had already returned.
Right now it was enough for him to prove himself in this great tournament
with the proper expertise to become a worthy successor to the Bokuden
style. He did not necessarily expect him to win. He was still young, after
all. He did not find it easy to defeat the veterans Kouda, Iizasa, and
Kashiwabara. He was satisfied that he showed enough merit to be
considered a young man with a promising future.
If, by any chance, he had the good fortune to win the tournament, and also
managed to win the duel arranged by Suruga's great advisor and become
the instructor of his house, it would be a totally unexpected and lucky
event.
How the spirit of his uncle and master Bokuden would also rejoice if that
were to happen!
This was the opinion of Haruie, who, despite remaining vigorous in spite
of his more than eighty years, was already in his final years and had all his
hopes put into that great tournament.

—Ayume... — after giving her tongue a brief rest, Kayo began to move it
quickly again, — Rumor has it that this year's tournament looks like it will
somehow turn into a fight for Ayume.
—I've had enough of this talk, — Ayume frowned.
—Wow! Are you angry? — said Kayo, and approached her to examine his
face, but suddenly, as if frightened, she clutched her chest with both
sleeves.
—What's the matter with you?
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—Look there... Mizutani...

They could see that Yatsuya was walking towards them through an
artificial mound in the garden, looking in the typical "gazing around the
garden" pose.
—He's coming this way.
—I am going back inside, — said Ayume, but when he began to get up
Kayo pulled her arm tightly.
—No, stay here, — Kayo said and, as if absent, pretended to look inside
the pond.
—Oh, well... — a voice above their heads began to say, and a young man's
face reflected on the surface of the water.
—Go away! — naturally it was Kayo who looked up and exclaimed as if
she had just seen him for the first time.
—I am sorry to have disturbed you. That's... — Yatsuya apologized, but
made no move to leave. He stared at the girls — or rather, he stared at
Ayume.
—You must be Mizutani, — suggested Kayo, smiling.
—Eh... yes, I am Mizutani Yatsuya.
—I'm Kayo.
—Ah, lord Urabe's granddaughter.
—Yes, and this is Ayume.
—I already know her.
—What do you mean?
—I know her very well. Ayume, the daughter of the late lord Tsukahara, —
he added, emphasizing every word.
—Well, this is the first time I've seen you... — said Ayume and looked
away.
—Yes, you are right, but I know you very well.

III

—Heh-heh-heh! Ayume, if you'll excuse me, I have to go, — it seems that

precocious Kayo enjoyed putting Ayume in a tight spot. After saying this
she left in a hurry.
—Hey, Kayo! Me too... — Ayume said and hurried to follow her, but
Yatsuya stopped her.
—Ayume...
—Yes?
—I finally got to meet you, — He kept staring at her face without looking
away for a moment. If he could adopt such an attitude in front of such a
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beautiful woman, it was no doubt because this man had great confidence in
his own beauty.
Ayume kept a silence that came to mean, "What do you want to tell me?".
She looked up and for the first time saw the man clearly.
—Ayume, this is probably the first time you have seen me. However, I've
seen you many times.
—What?
—The first time I saw you was last year, during the great autumn festival
at the shrine of Katori. You were accompanied by lord Urabe. Right?
—Yes.
—The next time was after the New Year's greeting ceremony, you were
talking to lord Shintaro Haruhide in front of the oratory of this shrine.
Ayume got an uneasy feeling in her stomach, which prevented her from
uttering any reply, thinking that perhaps he might have heard what she and
Shintaro, who had just returned from their trip across the country to
improve their technique, were talking about on that occasion.
—I was envious of Shintaro as I watched him talk so familiarly with a
woman as beautiful as you.
"I am sick of your rudeness", Ayume thought, and looked away.
—The third time was only about ten days ago. You were alone, standing in
front of the entrance to the sanctuary. I was glad to see you alone, but you
seemed to be very sad. At that moment, I wanted to hurry up and talk to
you. If Kayo, who was here a moment ago, had not appeared, that is surely
what I would have done.
After a few moments of significant silence, he continued:
—That time I wasn't there because I had something to do. I just couldn't
forget about you, and I thought if I could only see you one more time — so
I hesitated to come here. And, fortunately, I got to see you, alone.
Ayume was considerably surprised by the impudence with which this
young man named Yatsuya, a stranger she was seeing for the first time,
was courting her. However, she had already had several experiences where
someone was unexpectedly sincere and confessed his love to her.
The first such experience was when Iizasa Shurinosuke, whom she
considered a father or uncle, suddenly revealed to her that he loved her. At
first she did not fully understand what he was saying. Then she came to the
conclusion that he was mocking her. Finally, she became afraid and began
to cry.
—Ayume, your father Akichika and I were very close friends. I've known
you since you were a baby. Now that you're older, I find it embarrassing to
tell you these things, because I saw you as a daughter. But it's all useless.
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As soon as I think of you, my body burns like a flame. I've tried to scold
myself with all my might: "It can't be, give up! Hey, that's not right, stupid,
forget about it!" But it's no use. These last years, not even in my dreams
have I been able to forget about you. Come on, Ayume, have mercy on my
heart, I beg you, Ayume.
She didn't know what to say in the face of such a confession from someone
older than her and whom she respected as a swordsman, guardian of the
tradition of the Tenshin Shoden Shinto school, and as a substitute for her
late father.
—Talk to grandpa Urabe... — that was all she could say to get out of the
way, but for three days she had nightmares of Shurinosuke's bearded face
showing its fangs and pouncing on her.
Fortunately, Urabe Haruie rejected his proposal. Still, Shurinosuke seemed
to be obsessed with her.
The next such experience was with Kouda Rokuzaemon. Kouda came
from the family of Shinto priests at the shrine. As one of the four families
that served as advisors to the Kashima clan of the great shrine priest, the
Urabe family had maintained a close relationship with his family for
generations, both in terms of professional duties and in the area of the
sword.
Although he had been casting insistent glances at Ayume's body for some
time, no one seemed to notice. Upon learning that Shurinosuke had
proposed and been rejected, he immediately began to court Ayume. He had
abstained until then, it seemed, because of his age, but since Shurinosuke,
who was older than he, had proposed, he thought he could dare to do so as
well without any qualms.
—Ayume, the days when shrine territories covered over one thousand
eight hundred hectares are gone, now the territory that the shogunate gives
to shrines and temples is barely two thousand koku. The family circle of
this great shrine is in great need. However, in my family we have thought
for generations about methods to increase our wealth, and now we have
money saved and also unregistered rice crops, for which we do not pay
tribute, in the Shimosa region. If you become part of my family, you will
never lack anything.
This extremely pragmatic speech was totally inappropriate to tempt the
heart of a young girl.
Furthermore, Ayume disliked this man from the beginning, and his manner
of speaking about the ruin that befell the Tsukahara family following the
death of her parents, as if to belittle rather than surprise her, outraged her.

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—Lord Kouda, as the current head of the Kashima family, you have an
obligation to preserve the Katori Shinto style. I, for one, am an only child
and successor to the Tsukahara family. What you have just asked of me
cannot happen.
—Why? The child born of our union would be a worthy successor to the
Tsukahara family. And I would do everything I could to make the
Tsukahara family's situation considerably better.
—No matter how incompetent I am, I'll take care of the Tsukahara family
myself. You have nothing to worry about, — Ayume declared drastically.
How many times she has experienced these unpleasant emotions! Each
time someone whispered their love to her, she was either surprised and
perplexed, or outraged and saddened and ran away. There was only one
man to whom, instead of fleeing in surprise, she gently pressed her
burning cheeks to her modest, heartbreaking, and happy chest: Shintaro.
With the memory of that occasion deep in her heart, Ayume looked up
firmly and responded to Yatsuya:
—Mizutani, tomorrow you have an important official tournament ahead of
you. Do not waste time talking about trivial things and concentrate
seriously on the tournament, — Ayume intended her words to be as sharp
and cold as possible. However, they had the opposite effect on Yatsuya,
who was stunned and even more fascinated by the unusually solemn
beauty of her elegant and deeply chiseled features.
"This one is different from any of the other women I have courted so far.
This is a real gem", thought Yatsuya, and for the first time his whole body
shook.
—Ayume, is that tournament so important?
—Isn't it obvious? Everyone says so: "an event of the utmost importance
that will decide the fate of the Shinto style".
—Ha-ha-ha! That's right, you're absolutely right. But as far as I'm
concerned, getting your heart seems more important than the fate of Shinto
Style.
—Mizutani, what are you saying?
—Well, Ayume, since I've told you all this, I'll fight with all my might in
tomorrow's tournament. And in return, if I win the tournament, will you
accept my proposal?
—But I... As heir to the Tsukahara family...
—I understand. But if I were the winner of the tournament and became
your husband, no one would have to object to me restoring the Tsukahara
family. I am a disciple of master Hijiko, but I have no attachment to the
Ippa style. I would be happy to preserve the Bokuden style with you.
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"What an uncompromising man! Who would accept someone like that...?"

As if he had interpreted Ayume's prolonged silence as consent, Yatsuya
suddenly tried to take her hand.
—None of that! How dare you? — Ayume brusquely pushed him aside and
ran away.
Yatsuya began to chase her insistently, but just then there were shouts in
the distance from the dojo:
—Ooh!
—This is very serious!
—Hinatsu!
—Quick, someone come here!
Confused shouts were heard and people were running up from all
directions.
—Ayume, excuse me. Don't forget about tomorrow.
Yatsuya, too, ran to where the attention of all the people was directed. On
the west side of the dojo a crowd had swarmed, cursing and making a fuss.
—What happened?
Yatsuya pushed his way through the crowd and moved forward.
Hinatsu Kizaemon Shigeyoshi, the overwhelming favorite for victory in
the tournament the next day, was dead with his head pressed against the
wooden panels of the dojo. He had apparently been cut on the back by a
sword. His clothing was torn from his shoulder to his back, and was
soaked with blood that dripped to the floor.
Under the rays of the spring sun just before sunset, the acrid, raw stench
that came to his nostrils was laden with bloodlust and a venomous
mystery.

IV

Urabe Shintaro Haruhide was kneeling in front of the tombstone of

Bokuden, Urabe's great-uncle and founder of the school, and his wife. The
gravestone was engraved with the posthumous names of both of them,
according to Buddhist custom. It was a very happy marriage and even after
death they lay huddled under the same tombstone, side by side. The young
Shintaro longed for the life they had led as something sacred: besides
being an unparalleled saint of the sword, Bokuden was also a loving
husband and Tae, besides being an incomparable beauty, was a faithful
wife. For many years, the dream of this young man was to be able to have
a relationship as harmonious as that with Ayume, and to become such a
distinguished swordsman.
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In addition to praying respectfully for their happiness in the other world,

he also prayed for victory in the tournament the next day. When Shintaro
rose after a short time, his eyes were refreshingly clear. All that remained
for him to do before the tournament was to rid himself of all worldly
thoughts and crystallize all his energy into the blade.
If he had deliberately avoided meeting his beloved Ayume since this
morning and had come to this secluded spot to visit the tomb of Bokuden,
it was only because he feared that his heart might be troubled by seeing his
beloved become the center of attention for so many swordsmen.
"I will win, I am sure", Shintaro said to himself as he waved his arms
vigorously and felt his whole body brimming with youth and vitality.
He went down the hill and mounted his horse, which he had left tied to a
tree. Silently, he directed the horse's head toward the shrine at Kashima.
He rode along the path surrounded by an increasingly cold air as the sun
began to set.
Though his intention was to rid himself of all worldly thoughts, as
expected there was one recurring thought that he could not get out of his
head: the tournament the next day.
"All the swordsmen have arrived by now. Uncle Iizasa, too, and Kouda
Rokuzaemon Shido."
"There'll also be that Mizutani Yatsuya whom master Hijiko is constantly
praising. What kind of man will he be? And how much is he skilled?"
"I heard that this Kashiwabara is a veteran of the same school as Arima
Yasunobu, with whom I fought in Kii Province. And Yasunobu was hard to
beat."
"And then there's Hinatsu, of the Ten Style, another rather difficult
opponent."
"Who will I have to fight? It would be bad luck if I had to fight either
Uncle Iizasa or Kouda, both of whom seem to be obsessed with Ayume...
But well, once I'm at the place of the duel, I'll forget all about Ayume, I'll
concentrate entirely on my sword against the opponent's, and use all my
strength and skill."
Shintaro was riding and meditating on these matters when he suddenly
plunged his head into the horse's mane. A sharp arrow grazed the back of
his neck and plunged into the ground. It was not that Shintaro knew it was
an arrow and consciously dodged it, but rather that it was an instinctive
movement characteristic of a swordsman when he sensed something
cutting through the air and flying towards him.
He then flashed his katana to repel the second arrow that flew at him.
Then Shintaro laid his body on the horse as low as he could and kicked the
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animal in the abdomen in an attempt to gallop away. He had no time to

determine where the arrows were being launched from and prepare a
counterattack in that direction. Even if he did, however, Shintaro would
have done no such thing. The founder of the school, Bokuden, used to
repeat the following doctrine: the best way to avoid danger is not by
standing up to it, but by moving away from it. Bokuden was a very
cautious and humble swordsman who, if he met a wild horse tied up in his
path, was able to make a detour expressly in order to avoid danger.
The sword is not made to attack, but to defend oneself, it avoids danger as
much as possible and, only when absolutely necessary, inflicts a final blow
in self-defense: this was the true essence of the technique of a Bokuden-
style sword.
Shintaro galloped on the back of his horse at full speed.
A man was watching him as he rode away and snapped his tongue in
irritation:
—Tch... It just slipped out.
It was a samurai of about thirty-three or thirty-four years of age, armed
with bow and arrows, who had left his horse tied up among the trees on the
slightly raised hill on the east side of the road. Seeing that the third arrow
he had prepared was no longer going to reach its target, he released it from
the bow string and clicked his tongue again in hatred. Just then, an
intensely angry voice roared behind him:
—Rokuzaemon!
—Oh! Shurinosuke!
Kouda Rokuzaemon turned around and the expression on his face changed
radically: the anguish, rage and humiliation caused his eyes, mouth and
nose to twist in an extremely atrocious manner.
"I have been discovered in an unexpected way, and on top of that —
precisely by Iizasa Shurinosuke..."
Sweat began to pour from Rokuzaemon's forehead. Yet his body remained
motionless, as if petrified.
He held an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left, while Shurinosuke
had his right hand on the hilt of the katana that hung from his hip.
"If I make a single false move, he will kill me."
It was this fear that hindered Rokuzaemon's mobility.
—You're a coward, Rokuzaemon! — Shurinosuke rebuked him with a
voice that mixed disgust and contempt, — What you have done is not fit of
a swordsman. How could you stoop so low?
Rokuzaemon did not respond. Or rather, he found it impossible to answer.

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He had no room to justify himself, as he had caught him in the very scene
of his despicable surprise attack.
—I have known you for some time, but I never thought you were capable
of such a thing. From noon your behaviour seemed a little strange to me,
so I followed you here in secret, but what I have seen is a most deplorable
act, — without relaxing his hand on the katana, Shurinosuke continued, —
I know you are in love with Ayume. It is also clear that Ayume is attracted
to Shintaro. I have also once thought that if he did not exist, perhaps
Ayume would be mine. But Rokuzaemon, no matter how much I think
about it, Akichika, his father, was our own partner, and Shintaro is just a
kid who has thought of me as an uncle and you as an older brother ever
since he was a boy. Trying to kill him by shooting an arrow at him from a
distance! — His voice grew louder and his tone was bitter, —
Rokuzaemon, if you intend to compete with Shintaro for Ayume, why not
do so by playing fair, fighting face to face with the sword?
—I am sorry! — Rokuzaemon groaned, bowed his head and dropped the
bow in his left hand, — Forgive me, Shurinosuke. A demon had crept into
my heart. I am ashamed of what I have done. Please forgive me.
As he saw Rokuzaemon's sorry face as he spoke these words as he wiped
the sweat from his brow, the onslaught of Shurinosuke's fury weakened.
—It is not for me to say if you are forgiven or not. The only thing you can
do is be ashamed of yourself and never do such a thing again. I for one
will pretend that I have seen nothing. Rokuzaemon, face Shintaro
honorably, like a good swordsman.
—But it's just that... I am no longer qualified to face Shintaro, nor to
participate in a duel. I will not be attending the tournament tomorrow.
—You do not need to go that far. Expunge your repentant heart and fight
with dignity.
—No, it's no use. Even I dislike my corrupt nature. I will never again
wield a sword. Shurinosuke, that's the least I can do to apologize to
Shintaro,
—All right, Rokuzaemon, I'm glad to see you're feeling genuinely
embarrassed.
As his childhood friend lowered his head, dejected to admit his guilt,
Shurinosuke was overcome from the depths of his chest by a heavy, dark,
and desolate feeling.
Shurinosuke took his hand off the hilt of his katana, blinked in grief, and
made an attempt to walk. But just seconds after his guard was down,
Rokuzaemon lunged at him and, like the fangs of a leopard, pierced his
side with the arrow he still held in his right hand.
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—Rokuza... You wretch!

Shurinosuke had barely had time to draw an inch of his blade when he
collapsed into the dry grass. Without missing a beat, Rokuzaemon pulled
the arrow from his side and struck Shurinosuke a lethal blow to the neck.
It was uchinejutsu, also known as tetsukiya — the art of shooting or
drawing the arrow without using the bow. Also part of the Katori Shinto
style was the use of arrows, shurikens and yoroidoshi short swords. Unlike
the new fencing practiced since Yagyu, from the beginning the Shinto style
sought to preserve the traditional fencing style of the Sengoku era
(1467-1568) by mastering not only the sword, but also the spear, bow,
jujutsu29 and uchine arrow.
Rokuzaemon stood upright and could not suppress a smirk at his own
prowess with uchinejutsu.
He looked down at the body of his childhood friend lying on the ground,
and on his face there was no longer any trace of the repentance and
anguish he had shown until just a moment ago.

By the time Shintaro returned to the shrine, the sun had already set and the
lamps in the main building were already lit.
Every building in the compound was brimming with swordsmen from
every corner. There were some who, in preparation for the next day's
tournament, had soon retired to their assigned bedrooms. There was also a
group who had been left discussing intensely in the great hall, and others
who were so excited that they did not know quite what to do and had gone
out into the garden to show how hard they were to endure the slight cold in
front of a fire.
Shintaro told no one what had just happened to him.
"I don't even know who my attacker was, I can't cause a commotion."
This was something he had been thinking about on the way, but besides,
the first thing Shintaro learned upon his return was the strange incident of
the violent death of Hinatsu Kizaemon.
To Shintaro's questions, his father Haruie only responded by raising his
white eyebrows and shaking his head.
It was evident that his old heart was very much in pain because such an
unprecedentedly unfortunate incident had occurred on the eve of the

29 Martial art of hand-to-hand combat, precursor of judo.

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festival.
Shintaro left his father and went to see his older brother Harutsugi.
—Do you have any idea who Hinatsu's killer might be?
—No, I haven't the slightest idea.
—But there should not be many people skilled enough to bring down
someone like Hinatsu with a single sword strike. Well, that is what you
would expect in the case of a formal sword-sword match, but it seems
Hinatsu was attacked from behind without warning.
—Even so, even if he did not come face to face with it, he should not be an
easy opponent...
—Perhaps the assassin and Hinatsu knew each other very well. Hinatsu
would have dropped his guard in his presence, and the assassin would wait
until Hinatsu turned his back on him to attack. The cut he gave him was
spectacular, worthy of someone with an uncommon ability.
Even if all of this were clear, they still had not a single suspect.
"Does this have anything to do with the arrows that were shot at me?"
As he walked down the long corridor to retire to his chambers, Shintaro
was overcome by a stifling unease: he had the impression that a sinister
presence was spreading throughout the shrine compound.
—Uncle Shintaro, — a voice called to him. It was Kayo, the daughter of
his elder brother Harutsugi. He was so young to be an uncle that when she
called him that, it was a little embarrassing.
—Oh! Is that you, Kayo? Haven't you gone to bed yet?
—Whoa! What do you mean "yet"? It's still early! Changing the subject...
Uncle, did you hear what happened?
—I guess you mean about Hinatsu. I'm sorry.
—That's right, people don't talk about anything else. Besides, Ayume is
very worried...
—And what's Ayume so worried about?
—I'll tell you, Uncle... If I tell you that Ayume is worried, it'll be because
of you, of course.
—What nonsense... She has no reason to worry.
—Even if she has no reason, it's fine to worry. You don't understand the
heart of a young woman.
—Maybe... I'm sorry.
—You don't have to apologize, but it would be good if you went to see
Ayume, even if it was only for a little while. She's in my room now.
—No... Not today.
—Why not?
—Because I don't...
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—Poor little Ayume! Go see her, just for a moment...

—But it's not right that I'm going to see her now, at night...
While the young uncle and his niece were having this trivial conversation,
in a room less than thirty-five meters away, a horrible event was taking
place without anyone knowing it.
In that room there were two young men. One of them was the handsome
swordsman who has already appeared in this story, Mizutani Yatsuya. The
other was the representative of the Arima style, Kashiwabara Shinobee.
The latter was a burly man in his thirties, with dark skin and prominent
cheekbones, apparently with a great desire for fame.
—I have already done what I promised, — said a grumpy Shinobee.
—Shintaro went out in the morning and was absent all day, so there was
nothing to do. But there's still more than enough time left until the
tournament tomorrow. Don't worry, leave everything to me.
—That guy's great. In Kii Province he defeated Arima Yasunobu.
—Heh.
—You're that confident? You'd better not get too confident.
—I guess we're evenly matched on skill. But I'm smarter than he is. If I
use my head to devise a ploy, you have nothing to worry about; even if I
don't kill him, it will be enough if he doesn't show up for tomorrow's
tournament.
—And you'll be able to accomplish such a thing?
—Yes, that's my intention.
The two men had met and an agreement had been made between them to
collaborate in a conspiracy. The goals of their machinations were the social
status of the successor to the school of Bokuden and taking Ayume as a
wife, and between the two of them these two originally indivisible desires
were shared. Obviously, the one who wanted Ayume was Mizutani
Yatsuya, while Shinobee, who had no interest in women, would be left
with the prestige of being the successor of the Bokuden style.
Of the top six favorites to win the tournament of the six representatives
from each faction of the Shinto style, Iizasa Shurinosuke and Kouda
Rokuzaemon had already been eliminated from the list of possible
competitors. For several years now, these two had been virtually
alternating as winners of the tournament, but still neither had succeeded
Ayume and thus neither would become the official successor to the
Bokuden style. Presumably, even if one of them won again this year, the
result would be the same.
The remaining competitors were Urabe Shintaro and Hinatsu Kizaemon. If
they managed to kill them before the tournament, or at least injure them so
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that they could not participate in it, then only the two would be left:
Shinobee and Yatsuya. Between the two they had agreed that in the final
duel of the tournament they would draw and one of them would get the
beautiful woman and the other the prestige of the school.
Shinobee took it upon himself to assassinate Hinatsu Kizaemon, an
acquaintance of his. He lured him to the back of the dojo and they stood
side by side, with Shinobee to the left of Kizaemon.
It is most comfortable to attack a target on your right from the left, while
attacking from the right is not so easy.
They were exchanging trivial comments in that position for a while, until
suddenly Shinobee said to Kizaemon:
—Look there! Shintaro and Ayume are hugging each other! — he pointed
to a thicket of trees about thirty-five yards away on the right.
—Huh? Where?
—Under the shade of that big shii tree.
Kizaemon leaned halfway down and as soon as he turned his attention in
that direction, Shinobee's katana emitted a silvery flash. Without even
being able to raise his voice, Kizaemon collapsed and crawled about six or
seven inches, clinging to the ground. Seeing that Kizaemon had stopped
breathing, Shinobee cleaned his katana and left the place as if he had.
Due to the hustle and bustle of dinner time, no one noticed anything for a
while. After that he retreated to his chambers and never set foot outside
again. Now he was urging Yatsuya to hurry up and do something about
Shintaro.
—Anyway, your deed was spectacular, — Yatsuya flattered him to win his
favor.
—With your back turned, it is not something to be proud of either, —
Shinobee replied somewhat flushed.
—No way! A man like Hinatsu cannot be taken down by just anyone, —
Yatsuya took out the bundle he had brought and added, — Well, leave
Shintaro to me. I thought we could celebrate in advance by having a drink,
so I brought some of the master's sake.
—I heard that Hijiko is very fond of sake, — Shinobee didn't exactly give
him the creeps either.
—That's right, and that's precisely why you can be sure it's good quality.
—Tomorrow's the big day, so we'd better not drink too much.
—Why? It's already been decided that you and I are going to end up in a
draw!
—Heh! Well, now that you mention it, it's true.

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The two of them continued their conversation in a whisper, with a small

glass of sake in their hands. They told each other it was time to quit, but in
the meantime they drank their own.
Shinobee was the first to go to bed. Soon after, Yatsuya picked up the
bundle and snuck out of the room.
The next morning, a person who had thought it suspicious that Shinobee
would not leave his room opened the paper sliding door and gave a shriek
of horror.
—It's horrible! Kashiwabara has vomited blood and died!
Immediately after it was officially announced that this third victim had
suffered a sudden death due to food poisoning coupled with excess
alcohol, word also came that the body of Iizasa Shurinosuke had been
discovered on the small hill of Nanaomura, and all the people gathered in
the shrine compound shuddered in terror.
An unusually dark and sinister atmosphere enveloped the entire shrine in a
heavy, shadowy veil.

VI

The sky was overcast and plunged into a murky leaden color. Shintaro
walked thoughtfully through the lush grove that connected with the
western entrance to the shrine.
The tournament had already begun inside the grounds. Throughout the
morning, duels would take place between, so to speak, the lower level
participants. Starting in the afternoon, duels would be held between
intermediate and advanced level opponents, and finally the final battle
between the representatives of each faction. By then it would probably be
more or less monkey time — four o'clock in the afternoon.
However, of the six representatives of the six factions of the Shinto style,
three of them had suffered a violent and totally unexpected death just
before the tournament.
Understandably, as a swordsman representing one of the factions, Shintaro
would have been greatly impacted by this. Both Hinatsu Kizaemon and
Kashiwabara Shinobee were rivals that he was eager to face at some point.
He thought it a pity and felt sorry for them. But he felt most sorry for
Iizasa Shurinosuke. Shintaro had always felt sympathy for that middle-
aged swordsman, a friend of his father's. He had also taught him basic
lessons about the sword when Shintaro was a child. He had a close
relationship with Shintaro, as if he was Shintaro's own uncle.

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Interestingly, even when he learned that Shurinosuke was competing with

him for Ayume's love, no feelings of antagonism were stirring in Shintaro.
He was a trustworthy man, always acting cleanly, even when competing
for the love of a woman.
Shurinosuke had died after an arrow pierced his neck. And it seems he had
an arrow wound in his side as well. It was clear that the arrows had not
been fired from a distance.
"Who could have been the murderer? As soon as I know, I will avenge his
death", Shintaro swore to himself in his heart.
He knew full well that it was not in his best interest to become so tense
and nervous about other people's business just before the evening bouts of
the tournament, but precisely because he did not know who the opponent
was that he could vent his anger on, it became even more exasperating and
intense.
Cries of admiration could be heard from the arena where the duels were
taking place, causing Shintaro to pause and turn his head.
—Oh, — he exclaimed in surprise as he turned around, looking up, for he
recognized the silhouette of Mizutani Yatsuya coming out of the western
entrance and looking around for someone.
Hijiko Doronosuke had introduced him to Yatsuya earlier that morning.
Even then, he had the impression that Yatsuya had something in particular
he wanted to discuss with him.
"Maybe he's looking for me..."
Shintaro stepped on the bushes and went out to meet Yatsuya.
—Ah, Urabe! I thought you might be here somewhere.
—Can I help you? — Shintaro stood in front of Yatsuya.
Yatsuya looked around and invited him back to the grove where Shintaro
had been wandering until just a moment ago.
"We can't stand here and talk any longer. We'd better go that way", he said,
pointing to a tree stump.
After the recent events, Shintaro was cautious and did not neglect for a
moment, but he did not sense any hostility or murderous intent, judging by
Yatsuya's appearance.
—Urabe, I will speak to you plainly. I saw Kashiwabara's body this
morning. Apart from the person who discovered it, there were only a
couple of other people then, and I was able to pick this up off the ground.
He pulled an inro30 from his chest and offered it to Shintaro. Shintaro took

30A small box that used to be hung from the obi to hold the seal, medicines or other small objects, since
kimonos did not have pockets. The strings that held it to the obi had a carved piece, called a netsuke, that
served as a safety feature.
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it in his hands, wondering what it meant, but as he scrutinized it, the

expression on his face changed dramatically.
Yatsuya adopted a penetrating look and as he looked intently at Shintaro's
face and he continued:
—Urabe, there is more. Yesterday afternoon, when it was discovered that
Hinatsu had been murdered, I was one of the first to hurry to the scene of
the crime — and there I picked this up, — he handed Shintaro a small
netsuke.
The moment he saw it, the look of bewilderment grew on Shintaro's face.
—What difference does it make if these objects were found lying around?
— Shintaro replied after a while, but his voice was unusually shaky and
unsure.
—In both cases, while I was present in those places, your honorable father,
lord Urabe Haruie, had not yet made an appearance.
Yatsuya was silent for a moment and waited for his words to take effect.
—The inro and the netsuke of lord Haruie appeared in those places, but
lord Haruie had not yet appeared there — that is all I am saying.
—Are you suggesting that my father is the murderer? — Shintaro shouted
at him in anger.
—I said no such thing. All I have said is that two murders have been
committed, and at the scenes of the crime of both,
lord Haruie's belongings have been found, just that. I was unable to
determine whether or not I should tell people about this, so I wanted to see
you for advice.
—Well, let's ask my father directly. Please come with me.
—Yes, that's not a bad idea. Hijiko and the others could also be present...
But, Urabe, as a result... — Yatsuya suddenly stopped and adopted an
enigmatic expression, as if reflecting on something, — Obviously, lord
Haruie will reply that he knows nothing about the matter. Of course, your
honourable father cannot be involved in two cases of murder. I am firmly
convinced of that. But the problem is what others will think.
"It is understandable to think that your father wishes you to win the
tournament, for everyone knows that. On the other hand, there's the violent
death of three of the main favourites to win the tournament. I do not know
all the details of Shurinosuke's death, but it is known that personal items of
your honorable father have been found in the places where Hinatsu and
Kashiwabara died violently... So what? What kind of rumors will the
people of this society, who do not keep quiet and do not know right from
wrong, spread? And whatever the rumors are, can the rumors be stopped?"

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Yatsuya expressed himself with a maturity that did not correspond to his
youth, showing compassion and perplexity to try to convince him.
A fiery flame swirled through Shintaro's head in a whirlwind. The two
objects he had shown him were undoubtedly those his father Haruie
always carried on his person.
He knew only too well that his elderly father showed favoritism for him,
and that what he wished above all else was to elevate his prestige as a
swordsman.
Although he firmly believed that his father was utterly incapable of
committing such a vile act as the murder of two of his competitors, the fact
was that, in the face of the material evidence that Yatsuya had shown him,
he had not a single shred of proof to refute such suspicions.
—Urabe, calm down and listen to me. In reality, there are already people
who suspect lord Haruie.
—Huh?
—Of course, they have no proofs. They're simply circulating a vague
rumour. I suppose it all comes from the thought that a man like Hinatsu
cannot be killed by anyone with a single sword, even from behind. Or
perhaps because in order to offer the ever cautious Kashiwabara poisoned
sake, it could only have been someone he trusted enough... Or someone in
authority. These are wild and extremely inconsiderate speculations. But as
absurd as it may seem, such talk must be stopped.
—You're right. I've been such a fool!
—We can't get excited. We have to think calmly about the best way to
solve this matter. I give you these two objects. Do with them as you see fit.
This way you don't have to worry about the evidence. The evidence is only
what people see. The evidence disappears.
—Yes, but...
—But the vague rumors will remain. There's only one way to get rid of
them.
—What's the right thing to do? — Shintaro asked impatiently, not realizing
that he had unwittingly allowed himself to be cornered into a position of
admitting the suspicion that his father Haruie might be the murderer.
—You have to give up the tournament.
—How? Me, leave the tournament? — Shintaro shouted, stunned.
—Lower your tone. Say that you have suffered from a tepentine illness, or
make some other excuse, and give up the tournament. If you do, all these
absurd rumours will disappear at once, society this puerile, — Yatsuya
smiled tenderly at Shintaro, who was completely bewildered by such an
unimaginable proposition, and to disarm him further, Yatsuya said, —
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Urabe, let me tell you something so that you do not misunderstand me. It
is not my intention to prevent you from participating in the tournament so I
can take the win. If you are not participating, I suppose the final duel
would be between Kouda Rokuzaemon and myself, but I assure you that I
will not be the winner. It is not that I necessarily believe that Kouda will
defeat me, but if you are excluded, he would let me win to avoid becoming
the representative of the Shinto style. The real final duel I would like to
see is between you and me, any day now. The true representative of the
Shinto style should be decided then.

No one knows where Shintaro hid from that moment until nightfall, or
with what intention he did so.
At monkey time, just as the last duel of the tournament was about to begin,
a startling piece of news arrived that made the swordsmen who attended in
the combat chamber not believe what they were hearing.
The warning was as follows:
"Urabe Shintaro suddenly began to feel unwell since last night and his
condition has worsened, making it impossible for him to participate in the
duel."
Thus, the only contenders left for the final duel were:
Katori Shinto style: Kouda Rokuzaemon Shido.
Ippa style: Mizutani Yatsuya Mitsunobu.
The two opponents entered the dueling arena with, for various reasons, an
enigmatic smile on their faces: Rokuzaemon, thirty-three years old and
fearless, in his virile prime; Yatsuya, twenty-five, with her beautiful,
glowing face.
Despite the fact that interest in the final match of the tournament had been
halved by the failure of four of the six candidates to participate — due to
the death of one and the withdrawal of the other — as soon as the two
opponents advanced to the centre of the stage of the fight with their
wooden sabres, the hall went into a frenzy and then there was silence.
The two, with wooden swords about two meters apart, were slowly
approaching each other through the leaden atmosphere under the cloudy
sky, charged with the same sinister murderous desire as if they were steel
swords.
Finally, Rokuzaemon uttered a majestic cry of attack and lowered his
wooden sword, which he held in both hands high on the right, over
Yatsuya's shoulder.
It was unclear whether Yatsuya would take the blow or dodge it... but just
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then he hurled his body toward Rokuzaemon like a bird in flight, brushing
past the left side of his torso and, as Rokuzaemon turned, came face to face
with the positions changed: the one on the east side was now in the west,
and vice versa.
In the eyes of the onlookers, the only thing that seemed to have changed
was the positions of the two contestants. Yet another unusual change had
occurred as well: Rokuzaemon's face, which had been oozing with vitality
and self-confidence until now, was suddenly filled with a look of
remarkable consternation, while Yatsuya was staring at him with a look
that was already boasting of victory.
At the moment the two had crossed paths and rotated their bodies, Yatsuya
had whispered a few brief words in Rokuzaemon's ear in a piercing voice:
—It's a pity you don't have your uchine arrow now.
Not that Yatsuya had any proof of that. He had simply remembered the
connection between the Katori Shinto style and the use of uchine arrows,
and set his rival up to confirm that conjecture. This ruse, however, stuck in
Rokuzaemon's chest as if it were really a sharp arrow.
Yatsuya was not so foolish as to let Rokuzaemon's momentary confusion
pass. Yatsuya shouted and lunged at his rival.
—End of the fight! — echoed powerfully the voice of the referee Hijiko
Doronosuke.
Yatsuya's wooden sword had dealt a severe blow to Rokuzaemon's
forearm.

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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

EVENTS OF EDO

Edo, spring of the sixth year of the Kan'ei era (1629).

The cherry blossoms had already fallen, and under the sun that was already
too hot, a ceaseless queue of ox carts loaded with stones and wood was
heading towards the castle. The reason for this was the great construction
work on Edo Castle, a project that lasted a decade, from that year to the
sixteenth year of the Kan'ei era.
The main tower of the castle had already been built. With its five roof
levels and six floors, and a lookout point that dominated the landscape
from a height of about 50 meters, you could even see the white glow of the
ships that entered Edo Bay from the sea in the distance. At the time, it
retained all the majesty of the early Edo shogunate, but later the keep was
destroyed by the fire known as "the great Meireki fire"31 and was never
rebuilt.
Edo had already become the most important large city in the country,
surpassing Osaka and Kyoto with an area of almost three hundred hectares
and a population of five hundred thousand people, although without a
point of comparison with the figures it would reach at its peak: one
thousand seven hundred hectares and a population of one million three
hundred thousand.
The daimyo's mansions, which were lined up around the castle, preserved
the Momoyama style and competed with each other in splendour and
magnificence: the roofs were covered with gold, the eaves featured
sculptures of lions and the gates were carved with images of tigers. It was
only later that the daimyo's mansions became insular, uniform and sober,
due to the restrictions imposed on their construction as a result of the
recurring and devastating fires.
At that time, Edo was a boiling city with a vigorous idiosyncrasy that
extended to all its corners, and at first glance one could see that the entire
walled area gave off the feeling of being the center of the hegemony of the
warrior class. The overwhelming majority of the people seen walking its
streets were samurai, and they were also brave warriors who had survived
the horrors of war fifteen years earlier in both the summer and winter siege
campaigns of Osaka. And those who had reached fifty were experienced

31The great Meireki fire occurred in 1657 and destroyed much of the city of Edo. The Meireki era
lasted from 1655 to 1658.
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samurai who had also participated in the battle of Sekigahara thirty years
earlier, and even in previous military campaigns.
Through those streets of Edo where such impressive and somewhat brutal
vestiges still lingered, the delicate and refreshing figure of a traveler, so
refined that she looked like a little flower that had been plucked from the
field in which she flourished, rushed. It was Ayume, who had come here
alone from the shrine of Kashima in the province of Hitachi.
Urabe Shintaro Haruhide, the person she had prayed for to win the day of
the tournament held on the occasion of the Kasuga festival and whom she
trusted, had unexpectedly pretended to be ill just before the duel began and
failed to show up. She had also given a brief message to Kayo that night
("I'm going to Edo") and left Kashima.
Soon a spiral of gossip broke out. There were those who said that he had
chickened out, and also those who suggested that he had made proposals to
Ayume but had been rejected and so had left. And then there were those
who argued with trepidation that he might be related to the three murder
cases.
More than the anguish over what might have happened to Shintaro,
perhaps what weighed most heavily on Ayume's heart was resentment:
"Why did he leave without giving me any explanation?"

—As the winner of the tournament, it is up to me to be the representative

of the Shinto style. Do me the favor of granting me Ayume's hand and
declare me successor of the glorious Bokuden style, — Mizutani Yatsuya
proposed to Urabe Haruie, with an arrogant smile on his refined face.
Haruie rejected the proposal without even asking Ayume's opinion, still
distressed by the absence of his beloved son.
At Yatsuya's request, his teacher Hijiko Doronosuke visited him to repeat
the same request insistently, and it was then that Haruie first called Ayume
and asked him what her will was.
—In my heart I have already firmly decided that my wish is to become the
wife of Shintaro, — Ayume declared instantly, with a forcefulness that
contrasted with her usual demure character.
—I am pleased with your intentions, but that fool Shintaro has withdrawn
from such an important tournament and is concealing his whereabouts
from us, for whatever purpose. I am very sorry, for you as well. This old
man can't think of any good ideas about which way to go from here.
As he finished speaking, Haruie lowered his graying head and rested it on
his chest. But Ayume made a surprising statement again.
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—Grandfather Urabe, Shintaro is not the sort of man to do such a thing for
no reason. I will go out and find him myself.
—What? Find him, you say? But he only said he was going to Edo.
—Well, I'll go to Edo. I'm sure I can find Shintaro and ask him for his
reasons.
In the round, black pupils of the girl was reflected her tormented soul,
which burned like a flame. Haruie tried to dissuade her from such a
vehement purpose, and suggested that she let herself be accompanied by
someone, but Ayume refused.
—No, it will be more comfortable for me if you allow me to go and catch
him myself, — said Ayume bravely, and the next day she left for Edo
alone.
She went first to Matsuoka Sadayu Noritsugu's mansion, also of the Shinto
school. Sadayu was the son and successor of Matsuoka Hyogonosuke, who
was Bokuden's most accomplished disciple, and was now a hatamoto with
a stipend of one hundred and twenty koku.
Despite the fact that Hyogonosuke held the position of fencing instructor
in the house of the shogun along with Yagyu Munenori, the provincial
governor of Tajima, and Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki, he received a low stipend
that could not be compared to that of the Ono family, let alone the Yagyu,
and ended his life with no shame or glory. His son Sadayu had already
been stripped of the position of fencing instructor in the house of the
shogun and, as a kind of successor to the Shinto style, he was allowed to
instruct only a few hatamoto and daimyo vassals in the art.
His dojo was located near the entrance to Kojimachi and was as modest as
any other dojo in the city. Moreover, Sadayu himself was already of an
advanced age and had left the dojo solely in the hands of Kabuto
Gyobushosuke Yasunori and Tada Umanosuke Masakatsu. Tada was also a
hatamoto but Kabuto, on the other hand, was a provincial samurai from the
village of Otsuki — in the Kashima district of province Hitachi — who
had previously been a student of Urabe Haruie.
For one thing or another, it can be said that it was only natural that Ayume
should first go to the Matsuoka residence to try to find out Shintaro's
whereabouts.
It was near sunset as Ayume approached Matsuoka's mansion and, as she
went around the corner of the road, someone bumped violently into her.
—Hey, you! Be more careful!
It was obvious that the one who rebuked her so sharply and with a sinister

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smile on his face was a hatamoto yakko32.

This one was different, however, from the young samurai of the post-
Meireki era who wore a voluminous ponytail tied to the top of their heads,
fastened with oil, and dressed subtly. This one had a false moustache
shaped from molten wax mixed with turpentine, was dressed in a short
kimono that barely reached the knee, and wore sandals without socks.
As he met the extraordinarily beautiful woman on the deserted street, and
no doubt because he was a bit tipsy, he tried to pester her for a while.
—I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and I didn't mean to... — although she was
fully aware of the cruelty of her interlocutor, Ayume apologized meekly
and tried to continue on her way.
—Huh? Suddenly you are in a hurry? I'm sure you're going to see your
lover. Why don't you stay with me?
He extended both arms and tried to hug her by the shoulders, but Ayume
grabbed the wrist of his right hand slightly and twisted it.
—Ay, ay, ay! That hurts! — exclaimed the ruffian, jumped up and
grimaced as if he had been burned, — What does this woman think she is
doing?
He clenched his fists, got serious, and made a gesture to hit her, but Ayume
moved away nimbly and stuck the top of the stick in her hand into his side.
This does not mean that she was initiated into the martial arts. Both Haruie
and Iizasa Shurinosuke had simply taught her a few basic self-defense
moves, but the blood of ancestors who were excellent swordsmen ran
through Ayume's veins.
A vandal fellow who used only brute force was no match for her.
—Disgraceful! Shit! — he called out in indignation and stood up again,
but as he prepared to attack her a voice was heard behind Ayume's back.
—Ha! What a skill this girl has. She gave the punk a beating.
—What do you say, punk? Nobody asked you for an opinion.
As if to hide the shame of having been discovered in an embarrassing
situation, the hooligan confronted the owner of that voice and tried to
pounce on him recklessly, but this time his opponent threw him to the
ground very ostentatiously and then he began to show his anger by
repeatedly kicking ruffian's buttocks.
—You will remember this one! — were the only words he spat out in a
stereotypical farewell before running away.

32 Young low-ranking hatamoto or ronin who in those times of peace were experiencing economic difficulties
and felt alienated because they could not play their role as warriors; they formed gangs and roamed around
the city committing all kinds of misdeeds. They were characterized by their extravagant clothing and
hairstyles and by their smug attitude.
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—I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble, — Ayume smiled and
then looked up at the man.
—Oh! Are you not Kabuto?
—Huh? Strange, — he just stared at her face. — And you are... Ayume?
—That's right, Kabuto. It's been a long time since we've seen each other.
—Oh! Miss Ayume... Ayume in the flesh, — he kept repeating over and
over again with his eyes wide open because of the great surprise he had
received.
Understandably, in the five years since Kabuto had gone without seeing
her, he had acquired somewhat of an urban air and the years had given him
an appearance of pomposity, but he was still the same, while Ayume had
gone from being a young girl of twelve or thirteen to a woman of stunning
beauty.
—What a surprise! Are you really Ayume? You have become so beautiful
that you leave me speechless, — Kabuto wondered again amidst
exclamations of surprise.
—Oh, what a thing to say! If you keep looking at me like that, you'll make
me feel uncomfortable.
—Still, what a surprise. So, Ayume, what brings you to Edo?
—For certain reasons, I'm going to see Matsuoka.

II

Listening to the circumstances Ayume recounted, Matsuoka Sadayu

nodded several times.
—I imagine that the old master Urabe must be distressed as well. I too will
do everything in my power to help you find Shintaro. Now, it seems to me
that if Shintaro were really in Edo, he would have come to visit me
already. You'd better settle in to this mansion for a while, for a start.
Anyway, that had been her intention from the beginning. So, for a brief
period of time, Ayume was residing at Matsuoka's house. And from that
day on, the Matsuoka dojo underwent a mysterious transformation.
Obviously the dojo was in keeping with the modest stipend of one hundred
and twenty koku that its owner received from the beginning, and likewise
the dojo built within the residence was quite run down and did not seem to
be doing very well. However, as if it had been renovated from top to
bottom and even replaced the tatami, it now radiated freshness and, upon
entering it, one was struck by a blinding luminosity. Such was the sudden
change in appearance that it experienced, as if by magic, when a beautiful
girl joined that home full of men.
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Even the number of students who came to the dojo suddenly multiplied,
and their voices also brought a refreshing liveliness to the place.
—Hey! Have you seen her?
—Yes, she's a beauty.
—You can tell she's related to master Bokuden of Kashima.
—She's the only legitimate descendant of master Bokuden. It is rumoured
that she has come in search of a husband.
—Wow, that's a big word.
—Don't get your hopes up that you have nothing to do. For now, here I
am.
—What nonsense are you talking about?
—Do you want to borrow a mirror?
—To me it's as if this world has become more interesting.
—Well, now I've got a death wish. To think that there's such a beautiful
woman in this world makes me sad.
As soon as they saw Ayume, even in passing, the atmosphere around her
became as bright as if a multitude of flowers were beginning to bloom, and
if those black eyes smiled and waved casually, the young disciples' chests
began to beat as when the drums of war were heard from the watchtowers.
However, it seems that soon the sighs of admiration from these young
people were transformed into whispers of resignation.
—Hey, it's impossible.
—Yes, we have nothing to do with those two.
—They're evenly matched in skill, but Umanosuke is better looking.
—Yes, but Umanosuke's the heir to the Tada family. He can't marry her
and pass her on to his family. In that sense, being the third son of his
family, Gyobu is one step ahead.
As much as the two companions in question, Kabuto Gyobu and Tada
Umanosuke, tried hard not to show that passion on their faces, it was clear
to anyone that they had both ended up falling in love with Ayume.
Umanosuke had already been completely charmed by Ayume from the first
glance during their first meeting.
Since the day she turned twenty-one he had given herself completely to the
blade, with no time to even look over his shoulder at the female universe.
So, in a manner of speaking, this very formal man had had his soul turned
upside down by Ayume. At all times the image of his sword appeared
before his eyes, emitting a white glow, and above this image overlapped
that of Ayume's pupils, which resembled a deep chasm brimming with a
faint melancholy, and no matter how hard he tried to chase it away it did

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not leave, no matter how hard he tried to placate it it did not disappear, and
thus he was surprised at how it clouded his mind.
Even if he scolded himself and said that it was impossible, he could not
prevent those black eyes from absorbing his heart and subjugating him
completely. Even his virile spirit, forged in the belief of an immovable
heart and the indivisibility of life and death, as soon as he cast a glance at
the graceful figure of Ayume, instantly melted like fluffy snow bathed in
the rays of the sun.
"What if I were to give up the Tada family?"
Umanosuke was astonished to realize that he had become so obsessed with
the thought. But the amazement only strengthened his love for her.
For his part, Kabuto Gyobu at first tried in vain to adopt the attitude of an
older brother to the girl with whom he had been familiar before.
Although this was his sincere intention, it soon proved to be unfeasible. It
was impossible for him to speak to her as naturally as he had spoken to her
five years earlier, when she was a twelve-year-old girl. If Gyobu forced
himself to speak to her as he did then, his lips would begin to tremble
strangely.
"She has become a beautiful woman", Gyobu repeated to himself with
amazement.
"The fact that I was the first person Ayume, whom I have known for some
time, met by chance here in Edo must be a matter of fate. She is the
woman for whom I was predestined."
Such were the selfish thoughts that came into his head, typical of people
who are in love.
Unlike Umanosuke, however, Gyobu had had turbulent relationships with
several women up to now, but when compared to Ayume, they all didn't
matter.
Indeed, Ayume possessed unparalleled beauty. But why did all the
prominent swordsmen associated with the Shinto style, without exception,
feel a fervent and irresistible love for her? It is something that cannot be
rationally explained. Perhaps all that can be said is that it was a matter of
mysterious divine will.
Captivated by the same thought, Gyobu and Umanosuke walked side by
side across the Suruga plateau. Excavations were taking place at the
southern end, and there were hundreds of laborers working at it in a hectic
pace. Soil was being pulled from the plateau and transported to the far bay
south of castle Edo to gain ground on the sea. It was in this manner that the
territory from the Nihonbashi Hama-chuo area to Shinbashi and Tsukiji
was later created, with land gained from the sea.
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The two stopped their steps for no apparent reason and watched the pawns
at work. Suddenly, Umanosuke broke the ice:
—Kabuto, I cannot keep quiet and hide it any longer. I will tell you
clearly: I cannot get Ayume out of my mind.
Gyobu answered without turning, looking straight ahead:
—Tada, that's what I was going to tell you.
—I expected that, — Umanosuke sounded despondent, — I was already
more or less suspicious of your feelings. It is tragic that the two of us, who
are not only partners but also brothers, are in love with the same woman.
—Yes... But at this point, there's nothing we can do. Let's compete for
Ayume to the end.
—Of course. I won't give up.
—Same here.
—The problem is what Ayume thinks...
—It's true. She's deeply in love with Urabe Shintaro.
They both knew Shintaro since, during his educational trip around the
country, he had visited the Matsuoka dojo twice. Moreover, Gyobu had
met Shintaro in Hitachi when he was a child.
—He is an imposing young man.
—I think the same, but before us...
—You're right. Wielding a sword, I don't think we're inferior to Shintaro.
While they were having this conversation, both felt something in their
inner selves that was troubling their conscience. Master Matsuoka Sadayu
had charged the two of them with going out to look for Shintaro, but they
were not diligently giving themselves up to his search. Rather, they were
deliberately neglecting the task entrusted to them.
If they found Shintaro, they would have to accompany him to Matsuoka
house... and then they would have to bring him to Ayume. The thought of
it made them both shudder.
"Ayume would immediately throw himself at Shintaro's chest."
At the thought, their heads would warm as if on fire, and their chests
would turn cold as ice.
—We have to go find Shintaro, eh? — Gyobu forced himself to say the
exact opposite of what he desired in his heart.
—Yes. And on top of that...
They didn't know how to proceed. Their faces became dark and serious, as
if they had swallowed lead, and for a long time they were silent.
In the distance, below the plateau, the workers were diligently carrying on
with their work. Though their minds were actually elsewhere, their eyes

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were focused on those workers, until simultaneously they were both

surprised by something and looked at each other.
—That's it...
—What's going on?
Right in the middle of the worker crowd there was a violent uproar of
booing and movement of people.

III

In the center of the whirlpool formed by the tumult was the silhouette of a
samurai. He was wearing a large straw hat that did not show his face well,
so one could not tell for certain, but judging by his bearing he gave the
impression that he was young. In cold blood, he stood amidst the pawns,
who circled around him, shouting in anger, raising their arms threateningly
and raising their clubs.
One of the pawns tried to pounce on him, but before his stout, half-naked
body could even touch the samurai's chest, he fell spectacularly on his
head and ended up rolling and crawling on the ground. He was followed
by another companion... And two others... And three others. The young
samurai's graceful figure hurled them left and right through the air with
maneuvers so fast that they were impossible to follow with your eyes.
The pawns brandished their cudgels and charged at him.
But the samurai ducked his body, nimbly snatched a club from one of
them, and began to beat the pawns relentlessly and strip them of their
weapons.
From a secluded place a group of three or four men came running,
wielding unsheathed swords, and surrounded the samurai. He shouted
something at them. He took a step back, discarded the club, and
expeditiously drew his katana.
The bare edge of his blade flashed a few times in the languid rays of the
spring sun and sent the men's blades flying, and they knelt on the ground
one after the other.
—That is the Shinto style!
—Who is this guy? He has incredible skill!
Umanosuke and Gyobu looked at one another.
Considering the consequences it might bring, the young samurai had used
the back of his katana.
They both accurately captured the momentary flash of that blade and
judged that his technique had reached a considerable level.
A samurai approached on horseback.
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He should be the one supervising the work.

—Hey, we can't let this guy get away.
—Yes. Let's try to calm down.
Umanosuke and Gyobu ran down the plateau.
The young samurai was being interrogated by the samurai who had gotten
off his horse and by other subordinate officials of his. The pawns were
unanimously insulting and voicing their complaints to the officials. In an
instant, Umanosuke made his way through the crowd and introduced
himself.
—I know this man. I do not know what manner of misunderstanding has
taken place, but I would like to settle it.
Simply by saying that he was a hatamoto who served the shogunate
directly, the officials had already shown him their respect. Furthermore,
they were familiar with the name Tada Umanosuke, from the Matsuoka
dojo.
The altercation had originated from a trivial exchange of words between
the grumpy pawns and the provincial samurai, unaware of the situation in
Edo and the customs at a construction site. The officials reproved the
pawns and entrusted the young samurai to Umanosuke.
—I am deeply grateful for your consideration, — the samurai apologized
to Umanosuke after he left that place.
Both Umanosuke and Gyobu were amazed at the youth and the exalted
physical attractiveness of that samurai.
—Observing that you were a Shinto practitioner like us, I decided to
mediate between the two parties.
—I decided to mediate between the two sides. A quarrel with officials
always leads to trouble, so you got me out of a tight spot. As you've
guessed, I'm a Shinto, but I studied in the Ippa faction. My name is
Mizutani Yatsuya Mitsunobu.
—Mizutani Yatsuya? Aren't you Hijiko's disciple? — Gyobu remembered
the name.
—Precisely, — Mizutani Yatsuya.
—I have heard of you, who, despite your youth, are already a swordsman
like no other. Indeed, your blows with the back of your sword a short
while ago were masterful.
—I thought that it would be childish to take on simple workers in earnest,
— laughed Yatsuya placidly with a composure that was surprising for
someone of his age, — Forgive the impertinence, but earlier you
introduced yourselves as Tada, a disciple of master Matsuoka...
—Exactly, and this here is my partner Kabuto Gyobu.
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—In that case, I've known the reputation of both of you for a long time,
and I'm immensely happy to have been able to meet you both at the same
time in such an unexpected way.
Their treatment was always impeccable and friendly.
—I have just arrived in Edo today, and being a provincial person I have
made a shameful blunder.
—Well, then you still won't have anywhere to stay...
—No.
—Then you should come to the Matsuoka dojo, — Gyobu invited him.
In those days, if one met an exceptional swordsman, the custom was to
invite him to stay at his dojo to exchange teachings of the sword styles.
Even more understandable was Gyobu's invitation after he learned that it
was Mizutani, a swordsman of the same school as himself and whom he
had already heard of. Yatsuya accepted his hospitality.
At the Matsuoka mansion, when Ayume and Yatsuya met, the two of them
let out shouts of astonishment, sharp and piercing, though provoked in
each case by completely opposite motives.
—So you were here? Miss Kayo told me only that you had gone to Edo, so
I thought about where you might be — and, indeed, on second thought it
was only natural that if you had come to Edo you should be here.
Because of that unexpected encounter, Yatsuya's cheeks had blushed and
taken on a beautiful colour.
He had learned of Ayume's sudden departure several days after it occurred.
He had coerced Kayo into telling him where she had gone and, after
learning that her destination was Edo, he began to burn with a flare of
envy as he surmised that she had likely run off to Edo because she had
agreed in advance to meet Shintaro there, and now the two of them would
be enjoying life.
He convinced his master Hijiko Doronosuke that, before he left for Sunpu
as a representative of the Shinto style, he had some business to attend to in
Edo, but in reality his primary goal upon arrival in Edo was to find Ayume
no matter what. And he was fortunate enough to be able to meet the person
in question face to face on the very day he had set foot in Edo.
"This is a good omen", said Yatsuya to himself, and a smile spontaneously
spread across his cheeks.
—Did you already know Ayume? — asked Gyobu in surprise. At that
moment he felt for the first time a vague sense of unease at having brought
that handsome swordsman into the dojo.
—Yes, I know her very well, from Kashima.

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At the boldness with which Yatsuya spoke, Ayume corrected him

immediately, frowning slightly:
—No, we only met a couple of times on the day of that tournament. From
our first meeting, I felt rejection towards him. And after the insistent
courtship that followed, he got it even more repellent.
—I suppose Ayume has come in search of Shintaro. Have you achieved
your purpose? — Yatsuya asked, apparently somewhat uncomfortably.
—I have not yet been able to see him. Do you have any idea of his
whereabouts? — Ayume asked, now in a slightly kinder voice, as if
clutching at a burning nail.
—I have no particular clue about that, but if he is in Edo, I suppose he is
easier to find than you imagine.
—What? Do you really think so?
—That's right. Apart from this house, Shintaro doesn't have any special
contacts here in Edo, does he?
—No, I don't think so...
—In that case, shouldn't you look into the travelers' hostels in Bakurocho
or Kodenmacho? I don't know the city of Edo very well, but from what
I've heard, people who come to Edo from the provinces usually first look
for accommodation in such hostels. That was also my intention, but I
abused Kabuto's kindness by coming here...
Gyobu and Umanosuke listened to him with long faces. Of course, being
both residents of Edo, they knew about those hostels but they felt that if
they went through Bakurocho or Kodenmacho they could find Shintaro
right away, so they didn't even try to go there.
Without any sign of realizing the feelings of those two, Ayume focused all
her attention on the hopeful words of Yatsuya.
—Tomorrow I will go and search him there. Kabuto, please come with me.
—Do not bother, I will go and find him, — Yatsuya announced sharply
with a purpose in mind, — I too must see Shintaro to discuss a matter with
him. I assure you that I will find him tomorrow and bring him here.

IV

All the guests were in their rooms, each trying to make their intentions go
unnoticed: the ronin who had come to the capital in search of a lord to
serve; the merchant who was plotting to make a profit; a large peasant
family from a nearby village prepared to stay there for a long time because
of some judicial process; a wanderer of unknown lineage; the ascetic who
was on a pilgrimage; the tax collector; a fraudulent doctor who had run
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away in the middle of the night; a Shinto priest expelled for womanizing,
and so on.
Unfortunately it had been raining since morning, the street was muddy and
unusually cold for the season, so the vast majority of the guests had lost
their desire to go outside.
A young samurai with a beautiful face walked through the row of
Kodenmacho's hostels and conscientiously entered each one to ask
questions. Obviously, it was Mizutani Yatsuya.
—Is there a man here called Urabe Shintaro from Hitachi?
This was already the tenth inn where he had asked the same question, but
this time Yatsuya's voice reached a nearby room where Shintaro lay, and
he rose abruptly to his feet. As he had registered under a false name, he
heard the innkeeper's sharp denial:
—That person is not staying here.
Mizutani Yatsuya. It was not someone he wanted to meet. First of all he
hated it because it seemed that he had in his hands the dark secret of his
father. Moreover, Yatsuya had broken his promise: he had defeated
Rokuzaemon and had qualified as a representative of the Shinto style.
Depending on how one looked at it, it might seem that he had abandoned
the tournament himself after falling into its trap. After thinking about this,
Shintaro hoped that Yatsuya would leave.
Suddenly, however, a question arose: why had Yatsuya gone to find him in
the rain? Did Yatsuya not have a reason for not wanting to meet Shintaro
again? Perhaps something out of the ordinary had happened to Ayume?
He had resigned himself to giving up Ayume, but as soon as he thought
something might have happened to him, the blood of his entire body
boiled. As if by reflex, he jumped to his feet and ran in the rain. Yatsuya
was leaving the adjoining inn.
—Mizutani...
—Oh, Urabe! How lucky I am to have found you! — Yatsuya smiled
openly, — I thought I might find you here, so I came looking for you...
—Is this some urgent matter?
—No... — to protect himself from the rain, Yatsuya took shelter under the
eaves of the inn, — It's not a matter of a hurry, but... A few days ago in
Kashima I made you a promise: that on another occasion we would face
each other to obtain the qualification of Shinto Style representative. I want
to keep that promise.
Shintaro's eyes got slightly red at the edge. He was embarrassed that he
had misunderstood Yatsuya's intentions.

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—My intention was to draw with Kouda Rokuzaemon in the duel, but I
ended up winning by accident. I do not consider myself the representative
of the Shinto style for that, however, as I have yet to face you.
—My deepest thanks for your consideration. By now I was indifferent that
you would address Sunpu as a representative of the Shinto style, but I
would be pleased to face you in a duel.
—I am of the same opinion. I was planning to ask master Matsuoka to
referee. What do you think?
—Do you know master Matsuoka?
—Since yesterday... — Yatsuya replied, and fixed his attentive gaze on
Shintaro's face, — Master Matsuoka's home has received an unexpected
visit.
—Huh? Who is it?
—Ayume.
—Oh!
—Why didn't you go to visit master Matsuoka earlier? Ayume is there
waiting anxiously for you. I also had the matter of my promise, but when
Ayume asked me, I came here to look for you.
—Mizutani, I ask you to please forgive me.
Shintar bowed his head submissively. The determination to never see
Ayume again, made when she left Kashima out of the scruples of young
hearts, was almost gone.
—Urabe, prepare yourself and we will go to master Matsuoka's house
together.
As Yatsuya and Shintaro hurried from Kodenmacho to the entrance to
Kojimachi, in the Matsuoka dojo, Kabuto Gyobu and Tada Umanosuke
were gathered in a room with a gloomy look. Gyobu had not been able to
sleep a wink all night in his own room near the dojo.
At the thought that Shintaro would appear the next day and Ayume would
throw herself into his arms, a pain ran through his chest as if it were being
burned by a few coals. Imagining the sleeping silhouette of Ayume, who
was sleeping soundly less than four meters from his room, he felt an
insane, one might say diabolical, urge to go there immediately, pounce on
it and hold it so tightly that it would break her bones.
"Ayume, Ayume... why did you have to become so beautiful", groaned
Gyobu in torment, suffering and clenching his teeth.
At dawn, he finally made a resolution: he would dare to express his
feelings to Ayume. However, he had made a promise to Umanosuke: that if
they competed for Ayume, they would do so fairly.

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When he found himself pondering whether he should wait to tell

Umanosuke of his decision before carrying it out, Umanosuke himself
entered the room.
Umanosuke had not been able to sleep a wink the night before too, in his
home in Banshu-cho. The expression on his face showed the same dismay
as Gyobu's, or perhaps even greater consternation, for unlike Gyobu,
Umanosuke's feelings for Ayume could be said to be a kind of "extremely
late first love". After an agonizing night, he too had decided to confess his
feelings to Ayume before Yatsuya returned with Shintaro.
When he came face to face with Gyobu, Umanosuke broke off
the ice:
—Is Mizutani out looking for you yet?
—Yes.
—So today Shintaro will show up here...
—I think so.
—I... I've made a decision.
—Me too...
—I'm going to be honest with Ayume.
—I'm going to be honest with Ayume.
They both said the same thing, looked at each other and smiled.
—And what do we do if Ayume chooses Shintaro? — Gyobu asked.
Umanosuke twisted his face bitterly and remained silent.
—Will we give up then? — insisted Gyobu.
—Giving up... Is impossible for me, — Umanosuke replied.
—Same for me.
—So what do we do?
—Whoever gets Ayume must also become the successor to master
Bokuden and the representative of the Shinto. Therefore, there is no choice
but to face Shintaro to show who's better with the sword and persuade
Ayume.
—You're right. Let's compete between Shintaro, you and I, and add
Mizutani Yatsuya too, to determine who is a true representative of Shinto
style.
Finally, Kabuto Gyobu and Tada Umanosuke — known as the two dragons
of the Matsuoka dojo — came to such a conclusion not for the honor of the
school, but for a matter of love.
—But it will be difficult to convince Ayume to accept these conditions.
—That's right. That's the problem.
That's why they crossed their arms with gloomy faces and remained silent.

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They remained like that for a long time, until they heard Yatsuya's voice in
the hall on his return.
Both of them uttered an exclamation and by the time they started to get up,
Ayume had already run out of her room as soon as they heard:
—Shintaro!
—Ayume!
The voices of both resounded in unison with such intensity as to tear each
other apart. The tone of those near-shrieking exclamations indicated, more
eloquently than anything else, that these two people were bound together
by a bond so strong that nothing and no one could separate them.
As if they had been speared through the chest, Umanosuke and Gyobu
knelt again in surrender and bowed their heads to the chest as if to observe
the wound that had opened.
Yatsuya stood indifferently by the side near Shintaro and Ayume as the two
of them embraced and caught up on what had happened since their parting.
If someone had been watching the depths of those dark, shadowy pupils
carefully and silently, however, they would have seen the flames of envy
and fury glow lividly in them, like the tongue of a snake.

It had already been decided at the tournament held at the Kashima shrine
that it would be Mizutani Yatsuya who would have to come to Suruga as a
swordsman representing the Shinto style.
—We don't intend to make any objections to that, but being responsible for
the Matsuoka dojo and the Shinto style in Edo, we would like to be able to
take on Mizutani. We would also like Urabe to join us, as he refrained
from participating in the Kashima tournament on that occasion.
Yatsuya accepted the proposal of Kabuto Gyobu and Tada Umanosuke
with extreme indifference. Shintaro did not object either.
Matsuoka Sadayu Noritsugu, despite his delicate health, agreed to act as
the referee to determine which of the four was the winner.
It was established that on the first day the pairings would be:
Kabuto Gyobu against Mizutani Yatsuya, and Tada Umanosuke against
Urabe Shintaro.
And on the second day the winners of each pair would compete against
each other.
On the first day, there were only five people in the dojo: the four
swordsmen and master Matsuoka Sadayu. In another room, Ayume prayed
for Shintaro's victory while her heart was pounding.
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In the duel between Gyobu and Yatsuya there were constant unexpected
twists and turns that forced the spectators to hold their breath until the end.
One of the two opponents was an imposing, majestic man in his thirties;
the other was a handsome, inexperienced young man. The impression they
conveyed was just as if an intrepid, fierce tiger and a nimble panther,
showing their fangs and with their eyes wide open, were preparing to
pounce on each other.
Knowing the technique that Yatsuya used against the pawns of the public
works on the Suruga Plateau, Gyobu thought that prolonging the fight too
long would be a disadvantage to him.
The result would be that he would end up being completely at the mercy of
Yatsuya until all his energy was consumed. The duel had to be decided in
one fell swoop.
With a cry so sharp that it seemed even brutal, Gyobu deployed his
impressive offensive tactics. Despite wielding wooden swords, in the
hands of these two experts, these weapons had the same power as if they
were made of steel. Should they strike the body of the opponent with them,
the opponent would not only be injured, but could even lose his life.
Observing the excessive violence of Gyobu's attack, Sadayu frowned. In
duels with wooden swords, it is normal not to actually strike the
opponent's body with the sword, but to stop it just before it touches the
target: victory will be recognized and the duel declared over. However, it
was obvious that Gyobu's handling of the sword did not respect that
convention, and that his purpose was to hit Yatsuya all over his body.
Through skillful footwork and the movements of his sword, Yatsuya
dodged and repelled the attacks of Gyobu's wooden sword, which
descended and fiercely attacked all parts of his body: head, neck,
shoulders, chest, forearm...
As Gyobu feared, it seemed that Yatsuya's intention was to extend the
fight. Jumping, jumping, and running through the dojo in all directions to
get out of Gyobu's pursuit, moving his body at a frenetic pace, it was
unusual for a duel between two such outstanding fellow swordsmen to take
this form. However, when Gyobu began to show impatience and anger at
Yatsuya's passive attitude, he began to adopt a fierce counterattacking
attitude.
"On the last attack, hit him with the sword guard", his master Hijiko
Doronosuke had instructed him.
Yatsuya lunged at his opponent's chest as if to strike him with his own
body, and the blow that killed him decided the match. The wooden sword

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with which Gyobu stopped the blow broke in two and flew away. The next
moment Yatsuya's wooden sword was striking Gyobu in the neck.
—End of the fight! — proclaimed Sadayu, visibly downcast.
Compared with the first duel, the second duel between Shintaro and
Umanosuke was resolved too easily.
Shintaro faced Umanosuke with the wooden sword in his right hand, the
tip pointing diagonally downward to the left, and as soon as he took this
position he began to easily shorten the distance between him and his
opponent, which was about seven meters.
Umanosuke was taken aback by the overly careless appearance of this
attack. He impetuously raised the blade that was originally aimed at his
opponent's eyes and then lowered it straight down.
The blade of Shintaro rose like a spring with tremendous vigor in an
upward movement to the left and stopped Umanosuke's blade. Shintaro
then brought the blade down from Umanosuke's head to below his obi and
struck him in the lower abdomen. If Umanosuke moved at all, it would be
enough to give him a single blow to end the fight.
—I lost! — Umanosuke announced before Sadayu gave his verdict, and
bowed his head.
Sadayu's face showed a sorrowful expression. His two disciples known as
the two dragons had been completely defeated by two young swordsmen
from the provinces who had just arrived in the capital.
"No, it is not only the two of them. Even if I were in good health myself, I
would be no match for them either. After all, the Edo Shinto style is no
match for the original Kashima", Sadayu considered, and again felt
embarrassed. However, within the same Shinto style there were experts as
impressive as these. And yet their names are not known in Edo. If these
young men were to make their way gracefully, the Shinto style could cease
to be subjugated to the Yagyu and Ono factions and live out their days of
glory again.
Thinking about it, he felt that it was better to rejoice for the sake of the
school and put aside trivial emotions.
Shelving these mixed feelings, Sadayu proclaimed the conclusion of the
duel and announced the schedule for the next day.
But the one who suffered the greatest shock in the duel that day was
precisely Yatsuya. The fight against Gyobu had been narrowly won.
However, he had been shocked to witness the duel between Shintaro and
Umanosuke.
"If I were to face Shintaro, I would lose everything", he had to admit to
himself.
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He felt that it would be necessary to completely change the plan he had

been devising in his mind up to that point. Already he found it difficult to
understand what the initial plan had been and how its modification had
taken place within his cunning and ingenious head, but in the evening of
that same day he tempted Kabuto Gyobu.
He led him through the muddy streets after the rain to the nearby Josen
temple compound and sat on the steps of the main building.
—Mizutani, I admit my defeat to your excellent technique. It's an
impressive thing for someone so young... — Gyobu honestly praised the
skill of his companion, as if he had forgotten the hostility that poured out
during the duel.
—No, I was simply lucky, — for a moment Yatsuya was humble, but
suddenly he made a strange comment, — I must apologize to you.
—What?
—For bringing Urabe into the Matsuoka dojo.
—And why should you apologize for that?
—When Ayume asked me, I innocently went out looking for him, but now
I regret that I didn't think about it a little bit.
—Why?
—Please forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I think that you also have feelings
for Ayume.
—Yes, — Gyobu muttered somewhat flushed and with an apparently
irritated tone.
—Then I did something totally out of line.
—If tomorrow Urabe will be defeated, then Ayume would be yours for
sure.
—I don't feel anything special about Ayume. Even in in case I won, I'm
don't know what to do with the lady Ayume.
—Mizutani, is this true? — Gyobu now thought it was incredible that even
if his companion had the unique opportunity to get a woman of Ayume's
stature, he didn't feel any desire for her.
—I'm telling you the truth. I am already engaged to another woman. If I
wasn't, I'd probably have fallen in love with Ayume too, since it's clear that
she's a woman of impressive beauty.
"Exactly... Ayume is impressive, an absolutely impressive beauty. To think
of Ayume becoming someone else's wife...", moaned a voice bitterly in
Gyobu's chest.
Yatsuya looked sideways at Gyobu, who turned his dejected gaze to the
ground with a deeply frowned face, and proceeded to pour poison into his
ears little by little.
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—Even in Edo there is no woman as beautiful as Ayume. If I didn't already

have a fiance, I would surely have fallen in love with her and made her
mine.
—But Ayume is in love with Shintaro.
—That's not an obstacle. When I want something, I do whatever it takes to
get it.
Since Yatsuya had pronounced with special emphasis "I do whatever it
takes", Gyobu looked up in surprise. And then Yatsuya said something
unexpected to him:
—Especially about Urabe... A despicable man who is not worthy of
Ayume.
—What?! Shintaro, a despicable man? What do you mean by that? —
Gyobu retorted, obviously surprised, for those were words that a samurai
should not use lightly.
—To win the tournament in Kashima, that man colluded with his father
Urabe Haruie and murdered the three leading candidates for victory:
Hinatsu Kizaemon, Iizasa Shurinosuke and Kashiwabara Shinobee.
—Mizutani, there are things one can say, and others that should never
come out of one's mouth. I too know Urabe Haruie, and he is an admirable
man. It is impossible that he has committed such nonsense.
—No matter how admirable a person is, sometimes he is blinded by his
love for his son.
—Do you have proof of what you are claiming?
—I do. Of course I do. Shintaro himself abandoned the tournament and
fled because I showed him the inro I had obtained as evidence. I promised
him that I would not tell anyone else. But I have thought that I cannot
allow a man like you, who has such an honest heart, to lose his beautiful
beloved to that wretched man.

VI

Because of his feverish love, in Gyobu's mind everything irrational was

rationalized, and everything impossible became possible.
That is why he gave his approval to a fearsome and perverse thought that,
had it occurred to him just a day earlier, he would surely have been
horrified and despised himself at the very thought.
"I'm going to kill Shintaro."
He justified this plan to himself by arguing that he was doing it in the
name of justice. It was said:

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"I cannot allow the innocent Ayume to fall into the hands of a man so base
that he premeditatedly kills his competitors with the help of his father. In
the name of the gods, I will execute Shintaro myself."
This was not only the result of Yatsuya's poisonous words running through
his body all night.
The primary cause that forced such a decision was the fact that Shintaro
was staying at the Matsuoka dojo. As the dojo was quite small, Yatsuya
had to move to Tada's residence for Shintaro to spend the night.
Naturally, they slept in separate bedrooms, but Gyobu could hear
Shintaro's voice talking to Ayume in her room until late at night, which
made him intensely jealous. He interpreted that vengeful feeling born of
envy as the indignation of justice.
The next morning, when Shintaro was quietly preparing for the duel
against Yatsuya that afternoon, Gyobu approached him and said that there
was something confidential he wanted to talk to him about and invited him
out.
He took him to the Josen temple compound, where he had been talking to
Yatsuya the day before. Gyobu was going to the left of Shintaro. As soon
as he saw that Shintaro's shoulder was half a step ahead, Gyobu drew his
weapon and tried to attack him in one move. It was the ideal position for
Gyobu's skill: it was clearly a blow that would cause the certain death of
his opponent.
If he missed at the last moment, however, it was not so much because
Shintaro turned away instantly, but rather because Gyobu's feet slipped
across the still-wet ground. The next moment Shintaro drew his blade as
well.
—Kabuto, what is the meaning of this? — Shintaro questioned him, more
surprised than outraged at such unexpected behavior.
—Shintaro, you are a disgrace to the Shinto style. You must die!
Having missed his first attack, which he intended to be his last as well,
Gyobu was impatient and unbridled.
—What do you mean by those words?
—You should take your hand to your chest and think about it, you coward!
—What?!
—What did you do at the tournament in Kashima? By now it is well
known that you planned with your father Haruie to murder the other
competitors.
—Do you have any proof? — Shintaro called out, but his expression
broke.

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In fact, the inro of his father that had appeared at the scene of one of the
murders was in Shintaro's possession.
Either Yatsuya had revealed it to him, or some vague rumor had reached
him. Either way, Shintaro was not in a position to reply that it was entirely
unfounded. However, Gyobu perceived this hesitation on the part of
Shintaro as an acknowledgement of the facts.
—For the honor of Shinto style, die! — he proclaimed, and set out to
attack him.
Almost by reflex, Shintaro stopped the sword strike and took a step back.
—Wait, Kabuto. My father... My father would never do something like
that. It's all a mistake.
—Huh? Bastard, at this point there are no excuses anymore!
—It's all a lie. I'll show you proof of innocence from my father. Please
wait, Kabuto.
But Gyobu no longer paid any attention to Shintaro's words. At that point,
the question for him was no longer whether Shintaro and Haruie had
actually committed those crimes. His only feeling at the time was that the
young man before his eyes was an enemy he must hate as he was about to
take Ayume from him.
—Die! Die! — he grunted, and then a second and third attack followed.
What saved Shintaro was that he was still quite calm. He was retreating as
he deftly slipped away from Gyobu's sword, which rushed at him like the
waves of a raging sea, but he was cornered against the temple steps and his
opponent was preparing to launch a final and definitive attack on him.
Then Shintaro's sword flew to the left and, with a horizontal cut that turned
the tide and allowed him to flee from the clutches of death, gave Gyobu a
clean cut on the left side of his torso.
—Ah... Ah... — Gyobu collapsed forward.
—Damn it! — whispered Shintaro as he watched him fall. He bit his lower
lip so hard that he even bled and stood there petrified and stunned.
At the exact same time, Tada Umanosuke had been summoned to
Councilor Doi Toshikatsu's mansion. It was unprecedented for a low-
ranking hatamoto to be summoned personally by Doi Toshikatsu.
Umanosuke waited uneasily and wondering why, in a room at Doi's
mansion, for the lord of the house to appear.
At last Doi appeared, who was then approaching sixty years of age. His
sideburns were completely white, and his face was deeply furrowed with a
tremendously thoughtful expression. For a time he stared at Umanosuke's
back, prostrate before him, until finally he said:
—Umanosuke, you may raise your head.
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—Yes?
—Actually, I had thought about bringing Matsuoka here, but he's been sick
and bedridden lately.
—That's right. Because of his advanced age, he's not showing much
improvement...
—Mmm... Mmm... — Doi shook his head several times, as older people
usually do when they're convinced of something, — Since this is a matter
of Shinto style, even if I cannot talk to Sadayu, it is good enough for me to
talk to you.
—About the Shinto style, you say?
—In the time of his predecessor Matsuoka Hyogonosuke, Shinto was one
of the styles in which the shogun was instructed. But since Sadayu, things
have not been going well.
—You are absolutely right.
—So we want to give the Shinto style a chance to make its mark.
—That's something that would fill us with joy and gratitude.
—Wait, wait. You won't know if you have to be grateful or not until you
hear what I have to say. Ha, ha, ha. This is a very important mission.
—I understand.
—You've heard about the matter of Suruga's great advisor, I suppose...
Umanosuke had also heard rumors of the great advisor Tadanaga that he
held a grudge against the shogun Iemitsu, and that the goal of assassinating
him was hiring ronin, stockpiling weapons, and maintaining fluid relations
with the disgruntled daimyo. Doi continued:
—What I want is for you to go to Suruga to infiltrate as a spy.
—As a spy!
—That's right. The great advisor sends emissaries everywhere in search of
skilled ronin. In response to that request, you will go to Suruga and keep
us informed of the situation inside the castle. What do you think? An
important mission, eh? In return, if you are successful, we will make
Shinto style flourish again.
A succession of images began spinning in Umanosuke's head as if a
spinning lamp were projecting them: Suruga... The representative of the
Shinto style, Mizutani Yatsuya... His challenger, Urabe Shintaro...
Ayume... And finally, himself.
Due to the totally unforeseen nature of this new mission that was entrusted
to him, he was unable to judge at that time what the relationship between
that mission and his current circumstances was.
—So what? Will you do it? — urged Doi, tapping on the little tobacco tray.

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It was not a matter that could be dismissed simply by saying that one did
not feel like it, for it was the command of a superior.
—I accept your assignment, — it was the only thing Umanosuke could
answer at the time.

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EVENTS OF SUNPU

Excluding the departure (Edo) and arrival (Kyoto) stations, of the fifty-
three stations along the Tokaido route the most prominent was, of course,
Fuchu (Sunpu) in Suruga province.
But the importance of this Fuchu station was not because the daimyo who
went up or down the Tokaido route held it in special esteem. The reason
was the presence of the great advisor and lord of Sunpu castle himself,
Tokugawa Tadanaga.
As the younger brother of the current shogun Iemitsu and as the favorite
son of the former shogun Hidetada, and above all as a subversive rebel
with insurrectionary ambitions, the very presence of Tadanaga was in some
ways unsettling but at the same time, there was something about him that
made him trustworthy.
Both on their way to and from Edo, all of the daimyo without exception
visited Sunpu Castle to present their respect to Tadanaga. Surely some of
them lucidly encouraged Tadanaga's ambitions, or else followed his lead.
And in the city at the foot of the castle, numerous ronin from all over the
provinces would gather. For that multitudinous mass of samurai who had
been left without a lord to serve, which had increased dramatically since
the armistice of the Genna33 era, Tadanaga was seen as a savior who
provided them with a second chance to prosper. They nicknamed Tadanaga
"the ferocious tiger on the loose in the Tokai region", or "the dragon
crouching at the foot of Mount Fuji".
As for the Edo shogunate, he was seen as the only person with enough
courage and ability to carry out their plans for rebellion.
Especially when Tadanaga himself declared:
—The samurai who excels in a certain skill, what he aspires to — is to
spread that skill throughout the country.
The retired shogun Hidetada was ill and confined to his bed in the west
wing of Edo Castle. When the inevitable happened to Hidetada, would he
let that opportunity slip away?
The crouching dragon would summon the clouds, the fierce tiger would
roar in the wind and cause a spectacular commotion. Such expectation
filled the ronin with hope, so they continued to arrive at the castle city of
Sunpu day in and day out.

33 A period of peace and stability for the Tokugawa shogunate after the fall of Osaka Castle in 1615.
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It was against this backdrop that they appeared, one after another, in the
city of Sunpu — Urabe Shintaro, Tada Umanosuke, and Mizutani Yatsuya.
The first to arrive was Shintaro.
Having killed Kabuto Gyobu as a result of an unexpected challenge, he
decided that he must leave Edo.
The thought that his father's secret had already spread among the disciples
of Matsuoka made him unwilling to show his face in the dojo again.
Moreover, he could no longer remain in Edo after he had murdered Kabuto
Gyobu, the precious disciple of Matsuoka Sadayu, with his own hands.
From there he returned to the Kodenmacho inn, wrote a letter to Mizutani
Yatsuya and had it delivered to him at the Matsuoka dojo. The contents of
the letter were as follows:
"Due to unexpected circumstances, I ended up killing Kabuto Gyobu, and
for that reason I will not return to the dojo. I guess you'll be heading to
Sunpu sooner or later.
In the hope that I will be able to perform the duel I promised you, I will go
ahead of you to that place and await the day we meet there again."
Yatsuya showed the letter to Ayume and Umanosuke, feigning surprise.
—But what could have led Shintaro to kill Kabuto? I can't believe it, —
Ayume insisted, stunned by an unusual and inconceivable event, but when
they brought Gyobu's body back, her doubts were mercilessly dispelled.
Ayume retreated to a room and began to cry. The tears she shed were due
not so much to sadness over Gyobu's death as to the misery of being
separated from Shintaro again now that she had finally found him.
Meanwhile, Umanosuke stood before the remains of Gyobu along with
Yatsuya, seeming to be meditating on something deep. At last he opened
his mouth and said solemnly:
—I cannot stand by and watch my dear friend die. I will go to Sunpu and
kill Shintaro.
In this way, Umanosuke took the opportunity to address Sunpu, cleverly
using the death of Gyobu as a pretext. Ever since Doi Toshikatsu had
ordered him to move to Sunpu as a spy, he had been pondering what
motives he could cite before others. So Gyobu's death had provided him
with the perfect excuse.
Of his two competitors in the love arena, Gyobu had died and Shintaro had
left for Sunpu, so he could leave without worrying about leaving Ayume
alone in Edo. Moreover, according to his own projections, if he returned
after properly performing his spy duties, his conditions for marrying
Ayume would have improved as well.
Yatsuya nodded.
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—It is a most understandable wish. Obviously, that is what you should do.
But it would not be wise to inform Ayume of this. I think it would be best
if you left secretly.
—Of course, that's my intention. It was clear that if I told Ayume that I
was going to kill Shintaro, she would hold a grudge and stop me. The best
thing was to do it all in secret.
—I'm going to Sunpu in a couple of days, too. The two of us will go to
Sunpu in search of Urabe: me to fight a duel with him, and you to take
revenge on him. Ha, ha. What a strange situation we've come to! —
Yatsuya commented casually, hiding his true intentions behind his
beautiful white smile.
The next day, Yatsuya turned to Ayume and said shamelessly:
—Have you heard, Ayume? To avenge Kabuto's death, Tada has left for
Sunpu to search for Urabe.
—What?
Seeing Ayume's surprise, Yatsuya went on without wasting a minute:
—I tried hard to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. Only you could make
him abandon his plans.
—Me? What could I do?
—You have to go to Sunpu. There's no other choice.
—In that case I'll go, I'll come right away.
—I too will leave for Sunpu tomorrow. If you don't mind, we could travel
together.
He was not the most desirable companion, but being a distant place where
he knew no one, it was better to travel with someone like him. So Ayume
agreed to travel with Yatsuya.
She had all reasons to regret it from the first day they left Edo, however. At
a hostel in Kanagawa, Yatsuya tried to force him on Ayume.
—No, Mizutani! — Ayume shrank and turned away from him, but Yatsuya
came back to her.
—Why not? As the winner of the tournament held in Kashima, I have
every right to become your husband and to be the successor to the
Bokuden style.
—In that regard, Urabe has already received a strong approval.
—You don't really know Shintaro. He's not the admirable man you
imagine. Why did he quit the tournament and disappear from Kashima?
Do you know the reasons?
—It was due to certain circumstances, things about men that a woman
cannot understand. I trust Shintaro.
—Well, since we've come to this point, I'll tell you. The reason is that
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Shintaro colluded with his father, lord Haruie, to murder Hinatsu, lizasa
and Kashiwabara.
—Mizutani, please don't say any more nonsense. Both his father and Lord
Shintaro are incapable of the infamies you suggest.
—I have irrefutable evidence to prove it. Shintaro also murdered Kabuto
because he held it against him.
—It's a lie! It's all a lie! That's impossible!
His arguments were useless. Even if they showed her obvious evidence,
the heart of the young woman, who trusted the man she loved blindly,
would not waver in the slightest.
From the beginning she refused to accept the words of Yatsuya, of whom
she had long held an unfavourable opinion.
Thinking that if words were not enough to bring her to her senses then he
would try by force, Yatsuya tried to pounce on her again, but then Ayume
reached for a dagger.
—As long as I live, I belong to no one but Shintaro.
In those eyes that glared at him there was a vivid expression of resignation
in the face of death.
"If I continue to force her, this woman will do a suicide", Yatsuya
reflected, and from then on he renounced the use of violence again.
—Why do you hold Shintaro in such high regard? — Yatsuya muttered
irritably, twisting his beautiful face with an expression that mixed
resentment and envy.
—I think of Shintaro as if he was the only gentleman in the world.
Yatsuya had his teeth ground at Ayume's beauty in making such a
passionate statement.
"I'm going to kill that damned Shintaro."
At the inns of Hiratsuka and Odawara he had the woman he burned for
before his eyes, but he could not even touch her. So Yatsuya entered the
city of Sunpu castle, relishing the taste of humiliation for the first time in
his life.

II

Yatsuya ended his journey at the home of Iimura Sakuzaemon, a provincial

samurai from Josei who had been introduced to him earlier by his master
Hijiko Doronosuke.
The residence in Iimura was quite far from the Denmacho area, where
many travelers' hostels were concentrated. Also, because she had been on

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constant alert during the trip and had barely slept, Ayume had begun to feel
unwell and was in bed as soon as she arrived.
"Perfect, this way she will not be able to go out on her own in search of
Shintaro", Yatsuya thought, but just in case he asked Sakuzaemon to not
allow Ayume to leave the house under any circumstances during his
absence, and left for the castle to pay a visit to the advisor Saegusa
Izunokami.
When he handed him the letter from Yoshikawa Koremasa, the high priest
of the Kashima shrine, recommending him as the official representative of
the Shinto style and the most outstanding swordsman of the entire school,
Saegusa told him:
—Ah, you also bring a notice from Kashima. I really figured you'd be
quite a big man, but it turns out you're an unusual and extremely beautiful
youngling. Ha, ha, ha! If it were just a matter of being hired to serve in this
fiefdom, with a letter of recommendation as impressive as this one there
should be no problem. I will immediately go and tell my lord. However...
— Saegusa rolled up his eyes and looked at Yatsuya.
—Huh?
—Urabe Shintaro, I think he said... Bokuden style, from... Shinto style. Do
you know it?
—Yes, we know each other.
—Well, that Urabe guy came and asked us if we were going to give that
Shinto representative a new position, so I decided to let him face such
representative first.
—The Urabe in question is a man who ran away from the tournament in
Kashima because he was afraid of me.
—Well, a person who ran away because he was afraid of you, and now
here he comes... It's a little strange, don't you think?
—You're right. However, if he wants to, I don't refuse.
—Ah, really? In that case, the best thing would be for you to face that man
in a duel with katanas. What do you think?
—I think it's perfect, — Yatsuya replied, hiding his anxiety.
—On the twenty-fourth of September a duel-to-the-death tournament will
be held inside this very castle in the presence of the feudal lord. I will add
to the program the confrontation between you and Urabe as the last duel.
We will leave the official recruitment for after that fight.
—All right.
—As a recommended representative of the Shinto style, I'm sure you won't
screw up, but this Urabe guy is pretty good.
—Has he ever faced anyone from this fiefdom?
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—No, he hasn't fought anyone, but he still showed us his great skills.

As Saegusa recounted, when Shintaro came to ask him for a duel with
Yatsuya, Saegusa interrogated him with a slightly sarcastic smile on his
lips:
—Do you think that you can beat Mizutani in a duel?
Saegusa's smile was due to the fact that Shintaro seemed too young for
him, and he also imagined that his opponent Mizutani Yatsuya, the
swordsman chosen to represent him, would be an intrepid big man. Then
Shintaro looked up at Saegusa and said:
—First of all...
With those words he bowed his head and quickly retreated just a couple of
yards and smiled.
Confused, Saegusa looked at him and then Shintaro pointed:
—Your armrest...
—What?
When he unconsciously pressed on the armrest on which his right elbow
was slightly resting, the armrest shook and collapsed, causing Saegusa's
upper body to fall forward as well. The front leg of the armrest had been
cleanly cut diagonally and split from the rest of the tool.
—I beg your pardon for my rudeness, — Shintaro said as he returned back.

—Shusa, bring me the armrest from the other day, — ordered Saegusa.
Yatsuya examined the cut on the front leg of the armrest Saegusa had
brought in. It was a smooth cut, as if the inner surface had been polished,
caused by a sharp ray of silvery light, and was breathtaking.
"A clean cut", Yatsuya grunted from the bottom of his stomach, but at the
same time a feeling of haughty refutation also came over him, "I am able
to do it too".
—What do you think? Faced with a man who can complete such a quick
manoeuvre before you even realise he has drawn his weapon, one cannot
afford to be careless.
—I understand, — Yatsuya replied coldly and bowed, backing away
without turning his back.
He stepped out of the room, but he had not walked four yards when a
voice shouted from inside:
—He... He... He did it!

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When the surprised attendants poked their heads out to see what was going
on, they saw Saegusa with his eyes like plates and raising the new armrest
in her hands, it's front leg being cut off.
The piece of severed leg showed nearly the same angle of cut as the one
Shintaro had cut off earlier, and it was rolling on the ground as if it were a
twin of that one.
At the sound of Saegusa's screams behind his back, Yatsuya smiled but
paid no attention to them, left Saegusa's residence and headed for the inn
where the latter told him Shintaro was staying.
Fortunately, Shintaro was in his room.
— Urabe, I have been informed by Saegusa of your request. As he
indicated, we will be facing each other on the twenty-fourth of September
in a duel with real swords, in the presence of the feudal lord.
—A duel with real swords! — Shintaro was unexpectedly surprised.
—That's right. Isn't it more convenient that way? I have just given my
consent. Do you have any objections?
Shintaro thought it sufficient only to determine which of us was superior,
there was no reason to risk lives in a duel with real swords. However, if his
opponent challenged him to a duel to the death, he could not refuse.
—Of course I have no objection.
—By the way, Urabe.
—Yes?
—Tada said he will avenge Kabuto's death and he's in Sunpu, too.
—Oh... What a setback. I don't feel like fighting Tada.
—Neither do I wish you to face another man before the day of our duel. I
don't want you to suffer a single scratch until then.
—Please try to dissuade him.
—Well, that's going to be difficult, since he has a legitimate reason: to
avenge his friend's death. I'm not going to do that. So, until the day of the
duel, please keep away from the castle town so you don't run into him.
—I will, for there is no other choice.
—You can backtrack a little along the Tokaido Road to the village of
Koyoshida, where there is a hostel called Inaba. I'll introduce you to the
owner, so you can hide there.
After deciding on the plan to follow, Yatsuya said goodbye to Shintaro and
from there immediately headed for Denmacho, where he visited the
travelers' hostels until he located Umanosuke. Umanosuke had taken on
the appearance of a ronin. It would likely be for the purpose of infiltrating
the castle in search of useful contacts.
—Tada! — Yatsuya called.
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NORIO NANJO SHIGURUI

—Oh! Well, I call myself Ishimura Saza here, if you don't mind...
—Ah, well, excuse me... Ishimura, have you discovered Urabe's
whereabouts?
—No, it seems he's not in any of the hostels around here.
—Yes, that's right. He's staying at Ogicho.
—I see. So he's at Ogicho...
—But it's not advisable to go there right now. Tonight, at dog time (8
o'clock), he will move to Koyoshida. It would be best if you went ahead of
him on that road and took revenge. It's a remote part of the castle town,
where you will find no obstacles.
—I am deeply grateful for all the information you have given me.
—However, Tada... Well, I mean, Ishimura...
—Yes?
—Forgive my impertinence, but you know Urabe's skill. Unfortunately,
neither Kabuto, nor I, nor you, can easily beat him by facing him fair and
square.
Umanosuke had already been able to ensure that during the duel at the
Matsuoka dojo. But he simply thought that the only thing to do was to face
him by giving up everything, even at the risk of his life, for his honor as a
swordsman.
—Winning or losing is a matter of luck.
—You are right. Maybe you'll win, maybe you'll lose. However, is it worth
being defeated and losing your life for it?
—It's inevitable.
—That applies to you as an individual, but you must also have a mission.
It would be all right if you only lost your life, but wouldn't the mission be
unfinished?
—A mission? — Umanosuke was startled.
—Ha, ha, ha. You thought I did not know? Were you not once summoned
to lord Doi Toshikatsu's mansion? Just after that you suddenly announced
that you were leaving for Sunpu. Surely aside from revenge you must have
a more important mission.
—What? — Umanosuke reached for the hilt of his katana. His expression
altered, as he understood that he had no choice but to kill the one who had
discovered his true identity as a spy.
—Please stop, — Yatsuya asked, holding his composure, — I have been
given the same mission as you.
—Huh?
—It was not lord Doi who gave it to me, but Sakai, that's the only
difference: we are on the same side.
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—Really? — Umanosuke muttered as he unconsciously wiped the sweat

from his forehead.
—I have already managed to get myself hired to serve the Suruga fief.
When I start I will see what I can do to try to get you in as well. Let's
cooperate with each other. I'll leave it in your hands. So you cannot give
your life for Urabe's. You must take whatever measures are necessary to
kill him, — whispered Yatsuya, emphasizing the part about "whatever
measures are necessary".
A wicked joy glowed like mica in the depths of his black pupils.

III

That night, outside the city of Sunpu, blood was spilled to the east and
west.
Shintaro headed toward the place in Koyoshida that Yatsuya had indicated,
walking in the moonlight. The long road stretched before him into a pale
stream of light.
The pines that grew on either side pierced the stream of moonlight and cast
distinct black shadows.
His young soul was downcast. The issue of his father Haruie, which has
become a great concern; Kabuto Gyobu, whom he had killed against
unwillingly; his beloved Ayume, whom he had left behind in Edo when he
came to Suruga; and Tada Umanosuke, who sought revenge upon him. All
of these images swirled around his head and tormented him.
"After I finish the duel with real swords against Mizutani, I will have to do
whatever I can to clear up the misunderstanding with Umanosuke, and
then I will return to Edo to see Ayume. No, before that I have to go see my
father to clear up these abominable suspicions. Actually, that's the first
thing I should have done in the first place. There's no way my father could
have done something so crazy."
He was ruminating on these things when, without realizing it, he had
already reached the mound with the mile-long pole of Naganuma.
Suddenly a dark figure emerged from the space between the two houses
and collided with Shintaro from behind as he passed by.
—Hey, what are you doing?
Dodging it by moving the body to the right, another man appeared in front,
and then a third and a fourth man came and joined the fray.
—Stop, you idiots!
Shintaro kicked the man in front of him, grabbed those on his left and right

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at the wrist, but when he knocked them together he felt the extraordinarily
sharp presence of a sword in the back of his neck.
"What a mistake", he thought, and immediately turned his body over, but
he had already received a cut on the right shoulder.
He grabbed his sword and stood up to the fearsome swordsman. Naturally,
Shintaro had no way of knowing that the man hiding his face in a black
mask was in fact Tada Umanosuke.
Despite that he had waited until the moment he was facing the other three
men to attack him from behind, he sensed from the sharp edge of that
blade that he would not be an easy opponent, so he focused all his senses
on the edge of the blade.
Leaving aside the fact that there was a considerable disparity between the
skill of one and the other, even in the case of two equal opponents, in such
a situation, when attacked from behind without warning, there was no way
to defend oneself.
If Umanosuke's blade was unable to inflict a deadly wound, however, it
was not because he was inferior. What saved Shintaro's life were the pangs
of conscience that remained in one corner of Umanosuke's heart. He could
not eradicate the shame he himself felt for hiring those louts and
perpetrating that vile attack by surprise.
"You have an important mission as a spy. You cannot throw away your life.
To kill Shintaro, you must take whatever measures are necessary."
That was what Yatsuya had made him understand, and though he had
decided to attack him cowardly in the dark, he finally, at the decisive
moment, felt remorse of conscience. That was what unwittingly weakened
his attack.
The goons he had hired ran as soon as they saw the glint of the two blades.
Moonlight bathed their bodies as they faced each other in the middle of the
road.
—Who are you? Identify yourself, coward! — Shintaro called out to him.
He certainly was a coward. Now that he had committed this vile act and
failed, he could in no way show his true identity. Umanosuke was
stubbornly silent and waited for the chance to make a second attack that
would cause a mortal wound to Shintaro.
Sensing that the skill of his anonymous assailant was even greater than he
had imagined, Shintaro was also overcome by great despair. The bleeding
due to the cut on his right shoulder from the first attack had spread and
flowed down his back, and the intense pain in his right arm was spreading
throughout his body.

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"If I faced him without being hurt, maybe we'd end up even, but with this
injury..."
He was aware that as he was retreating step by step, he was falling into the
clutches of death. However, the teachings of the founder of his school,
Bokuden, flashed in his mind: "A simultaneous sword strike; don't even
reflect about it".
"That's it! I have to die at the same time as this guy."
His field of vision, which was beginning to be covered by a kind of black
cloud, suddenly shone and from the tip of the sword a rainbow sprang up
through the mist.
—Aaah!
This technique of a Bokuden style consisted of a life-threatening situation
in which the sword was plunged into the opponent's bones, while wielder's
bones collided with the opponent's blade.
He cut Umanosuke... And simultaneously the opponent cut him.
He received a blow to his left arm, but when he managed to regain his
composure, his opponent had also suffered a serious cut to his left
shoulder. In addition, the black cloth that hid his opponent's face had come
off and fallen to the ground.
—Oh, Tada! — Shintaro hurriedly backed away as he staggered, — Stop
it, Mr. Tada. I don't want to face you. I beg you to stop.
Umanosuke took his right, sword-holding hand to the wound on his left
shoulder and twisted his face in an unpleasant manner. His lips shook with
the physical pain and torment of his conscience.
—No, I refuse, I don't want to fight you! — Shintaro yelled like a maniac,
turned and ran.
"I have to catch him and kill him", Umanosuke said to himself impatiently,
but for some reason his legs were not moving, "I am a despicable man; I
have committed an infamous act unbecoming a samurai".
Umanosuke stood motionless, as if petrified, watching Shintaro run away,
on the verge of fainting from the two severe wounds he had sustained,
blending in between the scenery woven by the pale moonlight and the dark
shadows of the pines, until his silhouette was completely gone.
At the same time, to the west, on the outskirts of the castle city, in the
house of Iimura where Yatsuya and Ayume were staying, a horrible event
took place.
Yatsuya, quite drunk, showed up at nightfall in the room where Ayume was
staying and told her off the cuff:
—Ayume, I have bad news.

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Ayume had already gone to bed, but when she heard this she got up
immediately and threw some clothes over herself.
—What is it?
—Tada has murdered Urabe.
—What?
—It was an instant death.
Ayume opened her already large eyes so wide that it seemed as if they
were going to fall out of her orbit.
—That's a lie! It's impossible! There's no way that...
—It's the truth. I just saw it with my own eyes.
—Where? Tell me and I'll go there myself.
—It's not worth your while to go. As it happened in front of the main
entrance to the castle, officers came at once and took care of Urabe's
remains, and Tada was arrested on suspicion of being a spy. If you show
up unwisely there, you will be implicated in the matter.
—I don't care, I'm going anyway.
Seeing that, if it was Shintaro, Ayume lost sight of the world and was
capable of the most daring actions, Yatsuya's jealousy was set on fire.
—Ayume, you think so highly of Shintaro, and instead of me. Huh! I won't
stand for it any longer. Ayume, you're going to be mine.
A mad look appeared in his eyes, like that of a badly wounded beast. He
pounced on Ayume and in the blink of an eye, he laid her on the bed. He
took off the garment she had put on her shoulders, and then slipped on the
fine, immaculate night clothes... Her soft skin and delicate youthful scent
made Yatsuya completely lose his mind.
As he squeezed Ayume's fine neck with his left hand, he brought his right
hand to the end of her nightgown.
—I... You're hurting me, — cried Ayume.
—Listen to me, Ayume.
—You're hurting me, let me go...
—Will you be mine, Ayume?
Ayume nodded slightly.
—Really? Do you understand my feelings? Will you give yourself to me?
When Yatsuya, exultant with joy at the woman's sudden submission,
relaxed the pressure of his hands and raised his upper body, Ayume
suddenly extended her right hand.
—Ah! What are you doing?
Ayume had plunged the dagger she held in her right hand into her own
chest. In an instant the fresh blood stained her immaculate skin and night

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clothes a deep red.

IV

Shintaro was racing down the road, blood dripping from open wounds on
his right shoulder and left elbow, when the figure of a person appeared in
front of him.
The traveler walking along this road at this time of night must have had
some very important and urgent business to attend to. He walked with a
steady step, but as the moonlight shone upon his face surprisingly he
turned out to be an old man with a white beard. As he saw the figure of
Shintaro approaching him, running and still carrying the unsheathed blade
in his hand, he stopped short and simply pulled to the side of the road, not
looking particularly surprised. His eyes tightened, however, and his aged
body assumed a stance that would allow him to deal with any situation that
might arise immediately.
As if he had not caught the presence of that old man standing in the
shadows of the pines at the edge of the road, or as if he feared that Tada
Umanosuke was still pursuing him, Shintaro ran past him without so much
as a glance.
But then the old man caught a glimpse of his downcast face, and he let out
a surprised cry:
—Shintaro!
—Eh?
—You're not Shintaro?
—Oh, father!
—But what happened to you?
—Father, please stop Tada.
—Don't lose your temper. Calm down. No one is chasing you.
Relieved, Shintaro relaxed and took a deep breath. Haruie told him
in a calm manner:
—You're hurt. I'm going to apply first aid to you, — while his father was
treating his wounds, Shintaro spoke to him briefly about Umanosuke's
attack, — Don't worry, I'll talk to Tada.
Accompanied by Shintaro, who had already re-sheathed his sword, he
went to take a look at the site of the skirmish, but there was no sign of
Umanosuke. It was not until after returning to the castle city of Sunpu and
staying at a hostel that the elderly father and his badly wounded son were
able to converse without reservation, for the first time in a long time.
—But father, what are you doing here?
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In response to Shintaro's doubts, Haruie explained that according to the

latest news he had received from Ayume after he left Kashima for Edo, she
had left for Sunpu to go and find Shintaro. Upon hearing this, Haruie could
not contain the anguish he felt, so he decided to come himself, despite his
advanced age.
—Anyway, Shintaro, I still do not understand your behavior since the day
of the spring tournament. I suppose you must have good reasons. Don't
hide it any longer and tell me everything.
By speaking with his father, Shintaro lost all will to continue to keep the
abominable suspicions he had been harboring until now a secret.
—Father, take a look at this.
Shintaro showed Haruie the inro and netsuke he had received from
Yatsuya.
—Oh! How is it that these items are in your possession?
—When Hinatsu Kizaemon was killed, the netsuke appeared lying beside
him. The inro was found in the room where Kashiwabara Shinobee died.
Despite that Shintaro pronounced these words as he examined his father's
face intently, with a hopeless boldness, as if he were plunging into a deep
abyss, Haruie immediately responded with a tone of voice that contained
no shadow:
—This is very strange. When Hijiko came to see me, I left that inro on the
table, including the netsuke, and someone must have stolen it.
—Stolen... Is that true, Father?
—Why would I lie to you? I'm not so senile that I would lose something I
hang around my waist in every possible place.
Suddenly, Shintaro felt the blindfold that had been covering his eyes
dropping and everything came before him with meridian clarity.
—The wretch Mizutani has concocted all this.
Haruie was frightened by the terrible expression on Shintaro's face.
—What has Mizutani done?
—Father, forgive me for having doubted you. I am very sorry.
Shintaro explained everything to Haruie. As he listened to his son's story,
Haruie's surprise and outrage grew.
—Despicable scoundrel. Recommending a bastard like that to lord
Tadanaga as a representative of the Shinto style was a serious mistake that
will be difficult for all the swordsmen of Kashima to make up for.
—Father, I will kill him, — Shintaro was enraged.
—Wait. First you must recover from these wounds. As you told me, you
must face him in a duel with royal swords in the presence of lord
Tadanaga. That would be a good opportunity to finish him off admirably in
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the splendid setting of that tournament.

Shintaro replied, gritting his teeth, that he could not wait that long, but
finally Haruie managed to calm him down.
—Father, what has become of Ayume?
—She must surely be here in Sunpu.
—What if that wretch Mizutani is tricking her with his sweet talk?
—No, Ayume is a girl of firm character. I'll go out and get her tomorrow.
From the next day on, Haruie looked for Ayume in every corner of the
castle town, but he could not find out her whereabouts. And to make
matters worse, the wound Shintaro had suffered on his shoulder was more
severe than expected and began to fester.
—Whatever it is, you must heal yourself completely before the duel.
Haruie began to worry so, for the time being, he took Shintaro to the
Shimobe spa, which had been one of the secret spas and exclusive use of
the Takeda Shingen daimyo, and which was said to be very effective in
healing cuts, so that he could recover. But the recovery was not
progressing well, and was not only due to purely physical conditions, but
also influenced by psychological causes, such as the uneasiness Shintaro
felt at the thought of Ayume.
Ten days passed and, although the wound on his left elbow was practically
healed, he still couldn't move his right arm freely.
"Will it really be healed by the day of the duel?"
"What have become of Ayume?"
Holding these dark thoughts in his heart, Shintaro walked alone along a
mountain road that ran along the bank of the Tokiwa River. As he
innocently took a bend in the road, a man suddenly appeared before his
eyes.
—Ah! — Shintaro stood stiff in place.
The other man, too, exclaimed in surprise.
—Urabe, what are you doing here? What brings you to this place?
The one who spoke to him so shamelessly was none other than Mizutani
Yatsuya himself, who had come with Ayume to the same inn in Shimobe.
That night, when Ayume plunged the dagger into her chest, Yatsuya was
scared to death, called for a physician and went out of his way to care for
her. When Ayume regained consciousness, she kept tormenting herself by
repeating the name of Shintaro and saying she wanted to make sure he was
dead or alive. To satisfy Ayume's wish, a servant from the house of Iimura,
named Yokichi, was sent to the city.
—Apparently two Shinto style swordsmen, one named Ishimura and the
other Urabe, were surrounded by castle security forces on suspicion of
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being spies: Ishimura was arrested and Urabe was killed, — Yokichi
reported on his return.
—Ishimura was the alias of Tada, and the other is Urabe, just as I told you.
Paying no attention to Yatsuya's words, Ayume let out a desperate sob and
gave in to the sadness.
Ayume was growing weaker from the wounds she had received in both
soul and body, so Yatsuya brought her to this spa to calm and heal her.
Hearing Ayume say that she wished to die to join Shintaro, Yatsuya
reminded her of Haruie and persuaded her to return to Kashima for the
time being to inform Haruie of what had happened and offer prayers for
Shintaro's soul. He also swore to her that, having understood her feelings,
he would never try to force her again.
"I am convinced that this woman's feelings will change... One day she will
be mine", Yatsuya thought and changed his strategy to prepare for a long
war.
What he didn't expect, however, was to meet Shintaro at that hot spring
resort.
One day he had met Umanosuke and upon learning that he had struck
Shintaro in the right shoulder, Yatsuya gloated as she imagined that after
being slashed in the shoulder by someone as skilled as Umanosuke, it
would be impossible for Shintaro to fully recover before the duel. He was
convinced that victory would be his, and felt that above all Ayume should
not learn of Shintaro's survival until after the duel.
As he met Shintaro unexpectedly on that mountain path and found that the
wound on his right shoulder was more severe than he had expected, and
that his right arm was hanging from a piece of cloth and seemed
completely useless, Yatsuya made up his mind at once:
"This is my chance. Right now I'm going to kill him once and for all."
And it was Shintaro himself who gave him the perfect alibi for that
purpose.
—Mizutani, how could you deceive me like that and sully my father's
honour?
—What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind, Urabe?
—Hey, you bastard! It was you who murdered Hinatsu and Kashiwabara,
stole my father's inro, and poured false accusations on it. Did you intend to
excuse yourself to the end by saying that you knew nothing?
The beautiful face of Yatsuya suddenly underwent a radical transformation
and began to ooze a fierce, demonic expression.
—Huh! Have you finally realized, fool?
—I will not forgive you for this!
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—You're trying to confront me in your condition? Are you so unattached

to your life?
—Bastard!
Shintaro managed to draw the sword with his left hand, but...
"Shit! In this state I'm no match for him."
Shintaro bitterly regretted his immaturity by losing his temper like that.
—If that's what you want, I'll kill you.
Yatsuya drew his sword with confidence.
Though unaccustomed to wielding his blade in his left hand, Shintaro
attempted an amazing left-handed death match.
Had it been any other rival, he would surely have been brought down by
the almost reckless attack of the injured Shintaro, inflamed with rage. His
opponent, however, was Yatsuya, with whom he was tied on skill, and who
was in perfect physical condition.
Ultimately the outcome of the match was what one might have expected
from the beginning. Yatsuya cunningly dodged Shintaro's attacks, hoping
that Shintaro would eventually give up, waiting to take advantage of his
fatigue.
—Drop dead now! — he shouted in a thunderous voice and lunged. By
then Shintaro had no more strength left to defend from this blow.
Shintaro's blood gushed out and he collapsed in the middle of the road.
Yatsuya was about to finish him off but he heard the voices of several
people coming around the bend. Yatsuya fled the scene like a frightened
rabbit.

The information Yokichi gave Ayume after he was sent to the city to
confirm the death of Shintaro — that, of the two spies named Ishimura and
Urabe, one had died and the other was in custody — was not false. The
only thing she could discern from what Yatsuya had told her was the date
of the events, but Ayume did not even notice because of how upset she was
by Shintaro's death.
While he was in bed with the wound Shintaro had inflicted on his left
shoulder, Ishimura Saza — that is, Tada Umanosuke — was secretly
visited by a man named Kiyokawa Genta Hyoei, a hatamoto like himself
who had come from Edo after being given a secret mission by Doi
Toshikatsu.
When the two were having a confidential conversation, a great commotion

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and multiple footsteps was heard and the paper sliding door was kicked
down.
—The spy Tada Umanosuke is under arrest, — about fifteen officers broke
in.
—What are you talking about? I am Ishimura Saza, a Hitachi ronin, and
this is my friend... Urabe Gentaro.
—Silence! Your identity as a spy has already been discovered. Do not
resist being bound.
But as soon as that agent's voice was finished speaking and he was about
to do his duty, he started to whimper and fell backwards. Umanosuke was
standing on his bed, wielding a bloodstained blade.
—You, flee! — he urged Kiyokawa before charging into the crowd of
agents.
Despite a badly wounded left shoulder, Umanosuke had his right hand in
perfect condition, so his powerful blade was so overwhelming that one
was amazed. For some reason in the Matsuoka dojo he and Kabuto Gyobu
were considered a pair of jewels without equal.
In an instant he killed three agents, wounded two others, and the remaining
group of agents had to retreat to the garden.
—Kiyokawa, run away!
—Don't be an idiot, I'll fight too!
Kiyokawa had knocked down two other officers as well.
—You don't have to do this. The important thing is the mission. Make way
while I'm still fighting.
—All right, Tada, I'll leave it to you.
After seeing Kiyokawa's figure make its way through the side and run,
Umanosuke continued to fight even harder. When virtually all the officers
in that group were already dead or badly injured, a second group of twenty
officers rode in after receiving an urgent notification.
Umanosuke had already consumed most of his energy and could be said to
be shattered after receiving a dozen wounds all over his body. Though he
managed to injure half of the second group of agents, he was finally
captured.
Kiyokawa managed to escape, but his pursuers surrounded him on the
outskirts of the city and shot him dead with their rifles.
Obviously, it had been Mizutani Yatsuya who had exposed Ishimura Saza
by revealing that his name was in fact Tada Umanosuke and he was a spy
for the shogunate. Having managed to suppress all of his competitors in
this manner, Yatsuya was brimming with confidence and, having

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persuaded Ayume, took her to Shimobe. Once there, on the Minobu

mountain, he had also managed to finish off his chief competitor, Shintaro.

While all these events were taking place, with the imminent tournament of
duels with real swords to be held in the presence of the feudal lord, people
were gathering incessantly in the city of Sunpu Castle and gossip about the
tournament was growing.
The pairings for the eleven matches had already been officially announced.
First duel: Irako Seigen versus Fujiki Gennosuke.
The first was completely blind and lame on his right foot, but thanks to his
bizarre sword technique that he called Mumyo Sakanagare there were
already many mysterious rumors about him around the castle town.
The other was another of Seigen's fellow disciples, and it seems that in the
confrontation between the two, rivalry for the sword skills was mixed with
love for Mie, the daughter of his master, Iwamoto Kogan, and Iku, his
concubine.
Second duel: Zanami Kanzaemon, Suruga's vassal, against Isoda Kinu.
Kinu, despite being a woman, was an expert in the use of naginata. She
had courageously requested this duel to avenge the death of her late
husband Hisanoshin, killed by Kanzaemon.
Third duel: Tsukioka Yukinosuke versus Kurokawa Kojiro.
Tsukioka was a ronin originally from the Owari fief, but now called
himself Hoshikawa Ikunosuke and had opened a dojo in the city of Sunpu.
Kurokawa had proposed this duel through the Owari fiefdom to officially
take revenge on Tsukioka, who had murdered his uncle Yabe Rokudayu.
Fourth duel: Sasahara Shuzaburo against Kutsuki Gannosuke.
The first was the respected spear handler of the Suruga fiefdom, an expert
praised for his exquisite stroke. Kutsuki, on the other hand, was a
quarrelsome wanderer of unknown lineage who lived secluded in a cave
on Mount Fuji, and who had so far killed three people with his sword: the
warriors of the fief Saida Sonosuke and Sasahara Gonpachiro, and the
ronin Kurakawa Kizaemon. The trigger had been Gannosuke's illicit love
for Chika, the daughter of master Ichidensai.
No one could have predicted whether Kutsuki would accept the challenge
of Shuzaburo, the cousin of Gonpachiro, and come out of his cave to
perform at the dueling arena on the appointed day; but it was precisely this
that aroused even greater interest among the spectators.
Fifth duel: Tsuruoka Junnosuke versus Fukada Gonoshin

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Both were vassals of the fief, and despite being childhood friends, a
mutual hatred between them began to emerge, not clear how long ago,
caused by the swords and the women, who decided to settle the duel.
When the advisor Saegusa forbade them to do so, they threatened to leave
the fiefdom to become masterless samurai so that they could fight a duel.
Reluctantly, they were allowed to participate in the duel-to-the-death
tournament.
Sixth duel: Kojima Sozo against Tsugami Kuninosuke.
Both were vassals who had been recruited between half a year and a year
ago, and only the most senior officers of the fief knew the circumstances
under which these two were forced to participate in a duel to the death.
Among the rumors circulating in the castle city, there were those who
claimed that they had requested to duel over the enmity that had arisen out
of their love for the daughter of one of Kashima of the same fief, and there
were also those who claimed that this was a move to punish Tsugami, who
had been suspected of the recent murder of Ai, Tadanaga's servant, and
Kojima as well.
Seventh duel: Kuroe Gotaro against Kataoka Kyonosuke.
Kuroe was a swordsman who had opened a dojo in the town of Kofu
Castle and was known to have devised his own style of fencing with two
swords: the Mirai-chishin.
Kataoka was a member of the Suruga fiefdom guard and an expert in the
Nikaido style. It was said that the two would fight for the honor of their
respective schools, but there was great interest, especially among
professional swordsmen, to see what kind of duel could be witnessed
between the Hiryuken ("flying dragon sword") technique of the former and
the Tareito ("hanging thread") stance of the latter.
Eighth duel: Komura Gennosuke vs. Shindo Buzaemon.
Komura was a master of the Hangan style, and among the ten secret
techniques of that school, he had made the "hurricane sword" his greatest
specialty. Shindo was an expert in the handling of the Shinto-style spear,
and in particular he boasted of the invincibility of his exquisite technique
for piercing the curtains of military camps.
A curtain like that of the military camps was extended in the enclosure
especially for this duel, and Shindo was allowed to attack Komura through
it.
Ninth duel: Shibayama Hanbee versus Kurita Hikotaro.
Shibayama Hanbee was a brave warrior who survived the battlefields, was
now over sixty years old, and still served in the fief of Suruga as a horse
trainer.
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Kurita Hikotaro, on the other hand, was a twenty-five year old archery
magistrate from the same fief.
Furthermore, it had been officially announced that these two opponents
would face each other as if it were a real combat: wearing armor and a
helmet, and riding horses.
The origin of this duel was the mockery of Shibayama, who scoffed at
Kurita's technique saying that the fencing he was taught in the dojo was
useless on the battlefield.
Tenth duel: Naruse Daishiro against Sasajima Shimanosuke.
Because Naruse had cut a certain foe of the Itto style and a stone at the
same time, he was called Daishiro "the stone cutter", but in reality he was
a renowned swordsman of a faction of the Shinto style. Sasajima was a
ronin from Sendai who, on Naruse's recommendation, was hired to serve
in the Suruga fiefdom. However, because he had seduced Kinue, the wife
of his benefactor Naruse, the latter sent him a letter of challenge; then
Sasajima stirred this further and suggested fighting him in a duel before
the feudal lord, with real swords.
Eleventh duel: Mizutani Yatsuya against Urabe Shintaro.
Both Naruse and Sasajima followed the schools of Mamiya and Oribe,
factions descended from the Shinto style, but Mizutani Yatsuya
participated as the representative of the Shinto style, accepting the
challenge of Urabe Shintaro. The winner of the duel was considered to be
officially hired as the kendo instructor of the Suruga fiefdom.
After killing Shintaro, Yatsuya immediately moved to the foot of Mount
Minobu to avoid the Shimobe resort. He tried to keep Ayume away from
all the rumors coming from the city of Sunpu, but in the face of the
impending duel he realized that even if Shintaro had managed to escape
the clutches of death, he would not be able to participate in the duel. So he
returned with Ayume to the house of Iimura, outside Sunpu, and
immediately went to visit Saegusa Izunokami.
—I have heard that Urabe Shintaro is missing... — Yatsuya said to
Saegusa with a look of ignorance, but Saegusa answered with a wry smile:
—Apparently Shintaro is injured and cannot participate in the tournament.
Instead, his father Urabe Haruie has asked us to face you in the duel.
—Huh? Lord Urabe Haruie?
—That's right. As he is an old man in his eighties, I thought it was absurd
and tried to stop him, but there was no way to make him come to his
senses. How about you? Do you want to try to face Haruie, the nephew of
the famous Tsukahara Bokuden and a veteran of the Shinto style?

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—I will certainly not back down, — Yatsuya assured him but then Saegusa
poured out some caustic words.
—Mizutani, the rumors circulating about you are not good at all. Haruie
has told me all the details about the Kashima affair: no, no, no, do not try
to excuse yourself. It is better that you withdraw.

VI

Yatsuya told Ayume that since Shintaro had passed away, Haruie had come
to challenge him in his place.
—Uncle Urabe? — shouted Ayume, finally recovered from her wound,
and blood streamed down her pale face, — My uncle is an old
octogenarian, and yet you plan to duel him?
—In the way of the sword there is no age to consider. Lord Haruie is a
skilled and fearsome opponent... But he certainly won't defeat me.
—Please don't do it. Please!
—You don't have to worry. Even if I'm not defeated, I'm not going to kill
Haruie or anything. I intend to end up in a draw, because it would be hard
enough for you to hate me even more.
—I have to go see my uncle. Where is he?
—Shintaro was killed because there were suspicions that he was a spy.
Naturally, lord Haruie has also been arrested by the authorities of the fief,
so you won't be able to see him.
While Yatsuya and Ayume were having this conversation, just at the same
time, Shintaro have pierced his own stomach with a short sword. Having
been seriously injured twice, he was aware that he would not be able to
participate in the duel in any way, so he had courageously chosen the path
of suicide.
—Shintaro, but what are you doing? Stupid! — Haruie professed with a
piercing cry as he burst into the room, but Shintaro was already struggling
to breathe when he answered:
—Father, please give up tomorrow's duel. Locate Ayume, return with her
to Kashima and quietly... — he said before collapsing and falling to the
ground.
A thirst for revenge burned like a flame through the old Haruie's body, and
his wrinkled face boiled red.
—It's all right, Mizutani. Despite being an old man, this Urabe will risk his
life to finish you, — Haruie swore, clasping his hands before the mortal
remains of his beloved son, whose life had been cut short at such a young
age.
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And so it was on the day of the duel, when the sun was already beginning
to descend towards the west, that the old swordsman Urabe Haruie and the
young swordsman Mizutani Yatsuya finally came face to face, each
wielding a drawn sword and silencing all the fateful events that had
occurred since the spring.
After each duel, the white sand of the southern courtyard inside Sunpu
Castle was swept and purified. Yet despite that the blood spilled in the ten
fights to the death that had already taken place since morning, seemed to
boil underneath the newly spread sand.
Above all an indescribable, eerie stench of decay hung in the air
throughout the courtyard and virtually all onlookers began to feel mildly
nauseous or dizzy.
The ten duels that had been fought so far had ended with the results as
follows.
In the first duel, Fujiki Gennosuke defeated the demonic mumyo
sakanagare of Irako Seigen and diagonally cut off his torso. At the same
time, the two women Iku and Mie, who were behind the curtains, each
stabbed themselves in the chest and both died.
In the second duel, Isoda Kinu's naginata delivered a kabuto-wari
("helmet-breaking") blow to Zanami Kanzaemon's forehead against all
odds.
In the third duel, Kurokawa was unable to exact his revenge as he was
struck down by ukifune, the best technique of Tsukioka Yukinosuke of the
Toda School.
In the fourth duel, despite suffering a cut to his left knee, Sasahara
Shuzaburo speared Kutsuki Gannosuke from his right shoulder to his
spine, but even so, the dying Gannosuke threw a knife into Chika's chest,
the object of his forbidden love.
Before the official start of the fifth duel, the opponents Tsuruoka
Junnosuke and Fukada Gonoshin had already drawn their katana and
begun to fight, but in the end both unwittingly adopted the same stance,
shishi hanteki ("the lion's counter"), collided with each other, thrust their
short sword into each other's side and died simultaneously.
In the sixth duel, Kojima Sozo was wounded by the shuriken from "the
crosscutting windmill" attack, but he took advantage of an oversight by
Tsugami Kuninosuke to run his blade through. However, he died
immediately afterwards from the shot fired by the chief of the riflemen,
Kenmochi Jisuke.
To be killed was the fate that naturally befitted Tsugami, for he was a spy.

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During the seventh duel, Kataoka Kyonosuke deliberately allowed his

opponent to destroy his specialty, the "hanging thread" stance, and despite
Kuroe Gotaro's "flying dragon sword" that Kataoka felt on his left
shoulder, he killed his opponent.
In the eighth duel Shindo pierced with the tip of his spear, but Komura
skillfully dodged it, cut the ropes that held the curtains and, grabbing one
end of the cloth, began to spin around Shindo until he rolled him into the
curtain. Finally he slit Shindo's throat.
In the ninth duel, Kurita Hikotaro cut through the groin of his opponent,
the brave warrior Shibayama Hanbee, with a long military record behind
him, and after knocking him off his horse he punctured his throat.
The reality, however, is that instead of Hikotaro his father Jirodayu fought,
and instead of Hanbee his son Shinzo fought. Both hid their faces with
their helmets and face shields and faced one another without either
knowing the other was a substitute.
Before the tenth duel, Naruse Daishiro demonstrated his secret stone-
cutting technique. The fierce duel then ended in a draw with Shimanosuke,
and both fell dead.
Of the twenty competitors who had participated in the ten duels that had
taken place since the beginning of the morning, counting also those who
had ended in a draw or gunfire, twelve swordsmen had already lost their
lives, three had been seriously injured, and three women had died in the
crowd: two had committed suicide and one had been stabbed with a
dagger.
Whose blood would be shed in the eleventh and final match of the
tournament?
The evening was already looming over the pine trees inside the castle and
there was a dead silence, but in that gloomy atmosphere one could clearly
sense the aversion felt by the people who were no longer interested in the
outcome of the duel, and whose only wish was that it should end as soon
as possible.
With his sword on guard, Haruie's whole body was full of a strength of a
man in his prime, and his rigorous, firm spirit filled the tip of his
unsheathed sword.
—Mizutani, I'm going to teach you a lesson.
Haruie spat out these vehement words to Yatsuya with boundless fury
shining in his piercing eyes, but for his part Yatsuya was, as usual, the
calm personified, with his white brow shining brighter and brighter and his
incredible beauty intact.

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—You are too old for such things. You should follow Shintaro's example,
— Yatsuya spat in derision.
—I, Haruie, on behalf of the founding master Bokuden, will punish this
affront in the Shinto style.
—I am the representative of the Shinto style here. I will kill the senile old
man and take over Bokuden-style and Ayume... Heh, heh, heh! Ayume has
already been disgraced! — Turbing the opponent by hitting him where it
hurts most emotionally was Yatsuya's usual tactic. And it had the right
effect, — Yes, even Ayume...
With his whole body filled with indignation and an absolutely incredible
agility for an old man in his eighties, Haruie brought his sword down on
Yatsuya's head. Yatsuya had been anticipating this move from the
beginning. His light, supple limbs, as agile as a panther or a hawk, leapt
from side to side. He had been able to sense from the first attack that
Haruie's blade was even more dangerous and fearsome, so he made the
decision to prolong the duel and wait until the old man's body began to
suffer from fatigue.
He dodged the attacks of Haruie's sword; he fled to the right, to the left, to
the back; he jumped... to the point that cries of reproach began to arise
among the spectators, who considered this attitude to be that of a coward.
Without paying any attention to them, however, Yatsuya continued to run
and wander around the wide space of the arena to get away from Haruie's
attacks, as if he were playing around.
But finally the moment Yatsuya had been waiting for arrived. Haruie found
it difficult to breathe and the movement of his legs became more clumsy.
Realizing this, Yatsuya moved wildly to attack.
Unwittingly, Haruie was cornered on the defensive, but his intuition as a
seasoned swordsman over many years quickly helped him to make up his
mind:
"There is no alternative other than the simultaneous attack; my bones will
be pierced by his sword, and I will pierce his bones with mine."
—Eeeee! Ooou! — shouted Haruie and headed for Yatsuya's sword to
strike with his own body.
That violent, indescribable attack drove Yatsuya's body backwards, forcing
him to take a step back, when a stream of blood gushed from his left
shoulder.
At the same moment, however, Yatsuya split Haruie's forehead in two, and
Haruie's white beard turned a deep red. He staggered sideways and finally
collapsed heavily on the sand.

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With a wound so deep that his left arm was almost severed and his pale
forehead covered with sweat, Yatsuya was declared the victor and headed
for the curtain area, dripping with blood. As he approached, however, a
voice echoed sharply amidst the commotion at the end of the tournament.
—Prepare yourself!
The short sword held by Ayume sank deep into Yatsuya.
—Uuuuh! — as he grunted, Yatsuya almost unconsciously made a
horizontal cut with his sword.
—Aaah!
Hearing Ayume's agonizing cries, Yatsuya collapsed instantly.
From the end of the Sengoku era to the beginning of the Tokugawa era, the
Shinto style had been one of the three great styles of fencing, along with
the Shinkage style of Koizumi Musashinokami and Yagyu Tajimanokami,
and the Itto style of Ito Ittosai; but then it gradually declined. In particular,
all succession of the Bokuden style, descendant of the Shinto style, was cut
off because through the fateful massacre previously reported all the
outstanding swordsmen of that school met a horrible death.

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ALL SAMURAI HAVE FALLEN

I

Secret Record of the Great Chancellor of Suruga, in the possession of the

family of Tejima Takeichiro, resident in the city of Shizuoka, is the only
reliable document regarding the dueling tournament with real swords that
was held at Suruga Castle on September 24th in the sixth year of the
Kan'ei era (1629), in the presence of the lord of the castle and Great
Chancellor, Tadanaga.
According to this codex, out of the twenty-two competitors who took part
in the eleven duels that were held that day, fourteen of them died instantly
as a result of defeat or a draw; two others were killed just after the duel
was over; only six survivors remained, but two of them had also suffered
serious injuries. This was undoubtedly a Dantean spectacle, brutally
bloody, never before seen except perhaps on the battlefield.
The only four winners who were unharmed were the following:
Fujiki Gennosuke of the Kogan school, who managed to defeat the
mysterious mumyo sakanagare technique of the blind swordsman Irako
Seigen.
Isoda Kinu, who despite being a woman managed to avenge her husband's
death by killing his murderer Zanami Kanzaemon, Suruga's vassal and
expert of the lmagawa style, with her naginata.
Tsukioka Yukinosuke, who against his will ended up killing Kurokawa
Kojiro despite using the Mineuchi Fusetsu technique "hitting with the non-
lethal back of the sword".
Komura Gennosuke, an expert in the Hangan style who managed to defeat
the spear thrust through the curtain of Shindo Buzaemon.
The swordsmen who were seriously injured but that finally saved the life
were:
Sasahara Shuzaburo, the sojutsu instructor of Suruga fief, who despite
receiving a slash in the knee was able to bring down the vagabond
swordsman Kutsuki Gannosuke.
Kataoka Kyonosuke, of the Nikaido style, who, despite receiving a deep
stab in the left shoulder, managed to defeat Hiryuken ("the sword of the
flying dragon") of the Mirai-chishin style of Kuroe Gotaro and kill him.
However, just when it seemed that the tournament had come to an end, the
unexpected appearance of a fearless swordsman who called himself
Kuruma Daizen triggered the brutal murder of Tsukioka Yukinosuke and
then caused Komura Gennosuke a deep wound in his side.
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Therefore, the only one who was completely unharmed other than Isoda
Kinu was Fujiki Gennosuke, although he was missing his left arm from the
beginning. Even so, since it had been previously announced that the
winner of the tournament would be hired to serve in the fiefdom, Fujiki
was immediately notified of his hiring, but surprisingly he firmly rejected
it right away.
—Why do you not accept the lenient orders of our lord? Does the three
hundred koku seem insufficient to you? — the visibly grumpy advisor
Saegusa questioned him. Fujiki, however, answered him without any trace
of conceit, only thanking him somewhat disconcertedly:
—I humbly consider that someone like me does not deserve the honor of
being hired for such an exorbitant stipend, and furthermore I have no
desire to serve as a samurai.
Saegusa himself was puzzled and did not know what to do. Tadanaga had
ordered him to hire him without taking no for an answer, and it was quite
unthinkable to oppose the wishes of that man who looked like an
incarnation of fury.
—After what you have said, I will not instigate you any further. But
couldn't you at least stay in the castle for a while and give the young
people some lessons? I'm only asking you this favor.
After Saegusa's explanations and the fact that he had relented to such an
extent, Fujiki could not refuse outright, so he replied that he would honor
Saegusa's wishes.
Saegusa was very cunning. His real intention was to get him to stay in the
castle for the time being, and while he was there, find the best opportunity
to try and persuade him by any means. Fujiki, however, had his reasons for
so stubbornly rejecting a profitable position as a samurai in the service of a
lord that many would gladly accept.
The burning desire to avenge the deaths of his master Iwamoto Kogan and
his veteran companion Ushimata Gonzaemon was not the only thing that
had led him to kill Irako Seigen.
Of course, his swordsmanship had been a great motivator, but at the same
time it must be acknowledged that he was driven even more by his great
desire to win the heart of Mie, the daughter of Kogan.
Mie had told him, "If you kill Seigen, I will become your wife that very
night". And for three years she had been by his side, spurring him on. It is
easy to imagine the agony that young Fujiki Gennosuke had to suffer as he
lived all those long months and years with the daughter of the master he so
longed for, without being able to lay a finger on her.
He dreamed of the night when he would finally escape that living hell and
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be able to hold Mie's naked body tightly to his chest with his one arm, and
he kept trying so hard.
And at last he managed to defeat the mumyo sakanagare technique of
Seigen. But immediately afterwards his dream was shattered in an
atrocious way. As soon as Seigen collapsed, Mie, who was watching from
behind the scenes, plunged a dagger into his chest and took her own life.
"Despite asking me so insistently to kill him, and despite being the
murderer of her own father, Mie loved Seigen, even at the cost of her own
life."
An apathy assailed him as if he had run out of blood in his veins.
"Why have I risked my life in the way of the sword?"
Everything seemed empty, irritating and sad to him. It was impossible for
him to get excited about serving as a samurai. In fact, it seemed to him
now that there was no point in continuing his daily existence. He had no
encouragement to keep going. His only plan for the moment, if only to
reward Saegusa's kindness, was to train the vassals of the castle.
When Kataoka Kyonosuke and Komura Gennosuke, also winners of the
dueling tournament, had recovered from the injuries they both suffered to
their bodies, they often had occasion to meet with Fujiki, as both were also
vassals of the Suruga fief. All three had witnessed each other's fighting
style on the day of the tournament, and knew them well. They all had
equal respect for each other's sword technique. It seemed that Fujiki's mind
was only relieved during the time he spent with them discussing issues
related to the sword training. One of the topics they often discussed in
their conversations was of the another people who had won their duel in
the tournament, like Isoda Kinu. Well, actually more than Kinu, they were
talking about their former opponent, Zanami Kanzaemon.
—It's totally incomprehensible to me. I know Zanami's Imagawa style
very well. Kinu also uses naginata with great skill, but in a normal fight
she's no match for Zanami. From the way she fought in that duel, it
seemed that Zanami was deliberately throwing himself into a collision
with Kinu's naginata, — said Komura, who knew Zanami well in life.
—You are right, it seemed as if he was enjoyed being wounded. Could it
be that Zanami, right from the beginning, wanted to be wounded by Kinu?
— Kataoka was of the same opinion. Kinu's husband, Hisanoshin, was a
close friend of Zanami's. Hisanoshin went crazy and attacked him, so
Zanami had no choice but to finish him off. Perhaps he felt remorse for
having murdered his own friend and set out to be killed willingly by Kinu's
vengeful naginata.

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This was also the most widespread opinion in the clan. Then Fujiki
intervened in the conversation, listening to them from the side.
—What kind of relationship was there between this Zanami and Kinu?
Was she only his friend's wife?
—No, if I remember correctly Kinu was Zanami's cousin.
—In that case, they'd have known each other since childhood, right?
—Well, I guess so.
Fujiki was silent. However, it was probably only Fujiki at that time who
was able to discern, if only partially, the true nature of the situation.
Obviously, even Fujiki had no way of guessing that Zanami was born with
a tendency towards masochism, but at least he sensed that Zanami must
have been very much in love with Kinu. Perhaps this was due to the bitter
personal experience he had himself.
It was because of this observation that Fujiki began to feel some curiosity
about Isoda Kinu. He kept in his memory a uniquely sharp image of Kinu's
silhouette on the day of the tournament. With her long black hair hidden
from the roots by a tight white ribbon, dressed from head to toe in pristine
white and carrying a naginata, totally resigned to her fate, she was so
beautiful that for a few moments it took the breath away from those who
looked upon her.
Not that she was merely beautiful, surely in one corner of Fujiki's mind
there had been an image of something in her features that made her look
very much like Mie.
Several days later, a young vassal pointed at her:
—That's Isoda's widow over there...
As Fujiki looked in the direction he was pointing, he felt as if something
inside him suddenly took a turn of one hundred and eighty degrees.
Perhaps it was the violent shock of the sudden dispersal of the obsession
with Mie that had consumed him to the core until that moment.

II

Komura Gennosuke decided that he wanted to thoroughly clarify his

doubts about the duel between Zanami Kanzaemon and Kinu. It was what
one would expect of him as a swordsman.
He did not know that, since childhood, Zanami had an aberrant
masochistic tendency and that when he was wounded by beautiful men or
women he felt an extreme pleasure, nor that it was precisely because of
this that he had lost the opportunity to obtain a good position on many
occasions. Zanami was in love with Kinu. And when this man loved
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someone, if he could not get the person he loved to give him deep wounds,
he did not feel alive. This, which for ordinary people is impossible to
understand, was instead a need that Kanzaemon could not escape from.
When his feelings for Kinu reached that point, Kanzaemon began to long
for Kinu's edge to cut off his flesh, and he became so obsessed that he was
willing to give his life in order to savor that moment of ecstasy. When he
murdered Hisanoshin, Kinu's husband, attributing to him an alleged
insanity, he knew in advance that Kinu would most certainly ask to avenge
his death. And, just as he wished, he was cut down by the blade of Kinu's
naginata to no more than a few inches and died in an ecstasy of supreme
happiness.
No matter how much Komura pondered the matter, he could never
discover these shocking circumstances. Still, he was determined to find out
the cause of Kanzaemon's strange defeat, and to that end he approached
Isoda Kinu. Beautiful eyes always lead to indiscretion, however.
Komura simply intended to approach Kinu guided by his devotion to the
blade, but when one considers Komura's youth and Kinu's beauty it is no
mystery that on numerous occasions while he was speaking with her,
Komura was deeply fascinated by her beautiful eyes without realizing it.
As much as Komura was an outstanding swordsman, he was apparently
quite clumsy when it came to the art of wooing women. The first words
with which he expressed his desire were:
—Kinu, I was deeply impressed by your technique with the naginata. May
I ask you to confront us sometime?
A few words of the least romantic kind. And yet for him this was a
compliment from the soul, so that as soon as the words left his lips his
cheeks blushed modestly.
In truth, he did not hold Kinu's naginata in such high regard either.
Obviously, as a woman she would be a remarkable expert, but in a normal
fight she did not seem to be a tough competitor to beat. However, he found
it difficult to address her and praise her beauty to her face, so he decided to
praise her technique with the naginata.
Kinu agreed to her request because she herself did not understand the
fighting style of Zanami Kanzaemon in that duel. She was aware that he
was fighting with all his heart, but even so she had no illusions that
Kanzaemon would be defeated by the tip of his naginata, so when the fight
was over and she saw her fallen opponent before him, she could not
believe his eyes.
"Was my handling of the naginata really that good?", she often asked
herself after the initial period of satisfaction and joy at having been able to
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take revenge for the death of her beloved husband Hisanoshin. When
Komura proposed a duel, Kinu accepted because it suddenly occurred to
her that, through Komura, she could test the real value of her skills with
naginata.
Komura and Kinu stood facing each other, he — wielding a wooden
sword, and she — wielding a training naginata. The confrontation took
place inside the mansion where Kinu had been left alone since the death of
her husband.
Seeing Kinu's initial stance, Komura missed an exclamation of admiration
in his heart, for he was surprised that it reached such a level.
—Excuse me... — Kinu shouted, lifted her naginata over her head and
lowered it with a diagonal motion.
Komura dodged the blow easily, but she continued to attack him with all
sorts of moves — upward cut, mowing cut, upward diagonal cut, right-
hand body cut, simultaneous cut, side cut — and with an intensity and skill
unusual for a woman. That series of attacks was as if her single naginata
had been divided into several and was spinning like a wheel, or like a
powerful waterfall falling over her; an ordinary person would not have
time to take so many blows.
As one might expect, however, the movements of Komura, an expert in the
Hangan style whose specialty is agility and speed, were masterful. If the
blow went to the right, he was already on the left; if the blow went to the
left, he was already behind his opponent; he circled like a whirlwind
around his opponent and did not let the edge of his weapon get near him.
When Kinu finally began to show signs of fatigue, Komura put into
practice one of the secret techniques of the Hangan style, the hurricane
blade, and lunged at her like a bird in flight. With his left hand he grabbed
the hilt of the naginata, and with the sword in his right hand he stabbed
Kinu in the chest.
—You have defeated me, — recognized Kinu as she wiped the sweat from
her brow.
—It was impressive, you fought very well, — Komura exclaimed with
sincere admiration as he unconsciously stared in fascination at Kinu's
flushed, seductive face.
As she laid down their weapons of choice and sat in the outer corridor,
Kinu began to speak again:
—Komura, please answer truthfully: In the duel before the feudal lord the
other day, do you think Zanami really fought with all his might?
—Well, it's just that... — uttered Komura.

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—As far as swords are concerned, I prefer not to lie in the least. It still
seems impossible to me that I was able to defeat Zanami with my skills.
—Well,it's just... — Komura hesitated again, but in the end he summoned
up his courage and spoke to her decisively.
—Is there anything that would make you suppose that?
—Well, no... It's nothing... — Kinu hurriedly answered, but in her mind
the following thought was confirmed: "Actually, Kanzaemon was secretly
in love with me".
This was a doubt that occupied a corner of her heart from the moment the
fight was over. As she thought about it, the vivid image of Kanzaemon's
expression still etched in her retina when he was still alive and came to
visit her husband Hisanoshin came to her mind: those eyes that stared at
her hid some strange obsession. A touch of compassion for Kanzaemon,
her husband's killer, clouded Kinu's deep pupils with sadness.
—Kinu, it's not just Zanami. Anyone who faced you would be weakened
by the blade, — Komura muttered, his face so tense that it seemed to tear
at the corners of his eyes, and he looked away.
—Huh? What do you mean by that, Komura?
—I mean that... If I were to face you with real swords, I would not be able
to hurt you with my sword, — this was clearly a declaration of love.
Seeing Kinu's cheeks blush immediately, Komura continued with a more
unequivocal expression:
—Kinu, you are exceptionally beautiful.
It was somewhat indecent to address these words to a woman who had not
been widowed for half a year and who was also clearly in love with her
late husband. Kinu should have stood up immediately or rebuked him for
those words. However, Kinu did neither of these things. No doubt this was
because, although it was still far from love, a special affection for Komura
had already taken root in Kinu's heart.
What followed was a somewhat embarrassing silence. Had it lasted any
longer, perhaps Komura would not have been able to bear the pressure any
longer and would have ended up expressing his feelings openly. Just then,
however, there was the voice of someone knocking at the front door.
Kinu came to her senses and headed for the door through the garden. At
once she returned accompanied by Fujiki Gennosuke.
—Had Komura come to see you as well? — Fujiki said somewhat
uncomfortably, but upon noticing the equipment of each, he exclaimed in
surprise, — Ah! You two have been practicing together, haven't you?
—Komura had asked me for a duel and I was able to face him today.
—Well, that is very curious, Kinu, but could I face you as well?
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—Of course.
Kinu was so excited that she wanted to hit anything that came her way.
Komura tried to dissuade her, telling her that she could be tired from the
previous fight, but she paid no attention to him, took her naginata again
and stood in front of Fujiki.
With his left sleeve empty and hanging languidly, Fujiki held the wooden
sword carelessly in his right hand, but the fight was resolved with unusual
speed. As soon as Kinu rushed at him with her naginata raised, Fujiki put
into practice the nagareboshi technique handed down to him by his master
Iwamoto Kogan and in an instant he stabbed Kinu right between the
eyebrows with the tip of his sword.
—You have defeated me, — Kinu's voice, as you might expect, was
somewhat disappointed.

III

Komura did not tell anyone about his fight with Kinu, but Fujiki did tell
some people.
—She has impressive skills, for a woman.
If Fujiki uttered those words it was in praise of her, for the serious and
rigid Fujiki made no concessions to anyone, even when confronted by a
woman, and even if he was in love with her. He therefore defeated Kinu in
one fell swoop, but still recognized that Kinu's skill was considerable,
considering that she was a woman, and so he expressed it.
But when this came to Kinu's attention, she took it as an insult instead. She
interpreted what ostensibly seemed like praise as nothing more than an
ironic comment. In the woman's complex heart, her antipathy to Fujiki
increased as did her sympathy for Komura.
On the other hand, Fujiki continued to impartially repeat the praise for
Kinu. When these reached the ears of advisor Saegusa Izunokami, he
could not suppress a smile and summoned Fujiki.
—How are you doing? You still haven't decided to accept the position of
vassal? — Saegusa asked, but when he saw that Fujiki was reluctant to
answer, he continued, — Fujiki, I suppose you know Isoda Kinu?
—Yes, I know her.
—She is a widow... Wouldn't you like to marry her and settle down here?
-Ah... — apart from that and the sword, everything else was indifferent to
this young man.
—What do you think? Will you accept my proposal?
—Yes, — Fujiki bent his head as sweat ran down his back.
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—Very good. I will speak to Kinu and tell her that it is the decree of our
lord.
If it was a decree, it was binding, so the matter was already decided. For
the first time since the loss of Mie, Fujiki Gennosuke felt a renewed and
refreshing sensation well up inside his head, and even his steps were
lighter.
Saegusa was a man who went straight to the point. He immediately sent
for Kinu. Seeing her prostrate before him, she thought:
"Indeed, since she became a widow, she is even more beautiful. If Fujiki
accepted perhaps it was because he was not tempted by the three hundred
koku, but this woman."
Saegusa's lips relaxed.
—Kinu, at the wish of our lord, you must accept Gennosuke as your
husband and pass on the name Isoda.
—What?
—I understand perfectly that you are still thinking of Hisanoshin.
However, you succeeded in avenging his death in a spectacular manner, so
you should have been rid of the grudge you harbored by now. Besides, the
very fact that you didn't ruin the Isoda family name would be the best
memorial you could offer to Hisanoshin.
These were arbitrary reasons, but generally speaking they made sense,
since at that time the continuity of the family name was considered more
important than anything else.
Kinu was silent for a moment.
—Kinu, are you not satisfied? Do you dislike Gennosuke? These are the
orders of the lord.
As soon as Saegusa emphasized the tone of his words, Kinu, which had
grown pale with tension, raised her head to answer:
—I accept the lord's order.
—It will be a joy for our lord. I will inform Gennosuke myself
immediately.
Returning home, Kinu could not calm down. She sat down in front of the
Buddhist altar dedicated to her husband's funeral tablets. Marrying another
man barely half a year after the death of her beloved and loving husband
made her feel guilty about her husband more than anything else.
But it was an order. Kinu clung to these words to try to convince herself.
All day long she suffered from an uncontrollable agitation in her chest that
she did not know how to control.
The next day, in the early afternoon, when she heard the voice of a man
who had come to visit her, Kinu's expression changed. The expression on
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the visitor's face, Komura, was altered as well. The change in Kinu was
due to embarrassment; Komura's was due to indignation. As soon as he
crossed his gaze with Kinu's, he roared at her as if to bite her:
—Kinu, is this true? — she confirmed it by bowing her head.
—Do you really want to marry Fujiki? — he scolded her and bowed his
head in shock.
—But, Komura, what are you saying?
—Fujiki himself told me. That by the lord's order, he will marry Kinu and
become the successor to the Isoda family...
—No, you're wrong, Komura, it's a mistake, — as she screamed like a
madman, Kinu felt that because of the great mistake she had made she was
running out of blood in her entire body.
—What is a mistake? Kinu, did you not unequivocally accept Saegusa's
proposal?
—No, Komura, I just thought he meant you. Saegusa said, "marry
Gennosuke". I just thought he meant you.
—Ah! — Komura realized for the first time that he and Fujiki shared the
same name.
—Saegusa only said "Gennosuke". If he had said "Fujiki Gennosuke", I
would have refused at once. I did not even think about Fujiki, since he is
not even a vassal of the fief. I accepted because I was convinced that it was
you.
—Kinu, seriously? — Komura was also totally baffled. The fact that Kinu
had given his consent thinking it was about him was like a dream come
true. Now, what could be done to correct this mistake?
—Kinu, I'm glad to know what your feelings are. But we can't leave this
confusion like this.
—Of course not. I'll go immediately to visit Saegusa's mansion and
explain everything to him.
—Kinu, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The two of you left the residence immediately. In front of Saegusa's
mansion, Kinu said goodbye to Komura and went in alone to have an
audience with the advisor. She told him about her mistake the other day
and made it clear that if it was Fujiki Gennosuke, she had no intention of
marrying him.
Saegusa was incredibly furious.
—What do you say at this point? Do you think you can take back
something you accepted so unequivocally? How irresponsible! I've already
explained it to the master, so it can't be changed.
It wasn't true that he had already told this to Tadanaga.
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For one thing, it was not Tadanaga's idea at all, but something that Saegusa
himself had thought of on his own, without consulting him, in order to
keep Fujiki. However, since he believed it was most effective to say that it
was the lord's wishes, that was the argument Saegusa intended to make to
the end.
—If the reason was that you do not wish to marry another man to keep
your late husband happy, I could've interceded for you with our lord. But
since it is so capricious that, being willing now to marry again, you say
you would accept Komura but not Fujiki, do you think I can go and tell
our lord such a thing? You fool! — Saegusa's voice quivered.

IV

Kinu pleaded persistently, until finally Saegusa opened his mouth and told
her that these pleas would be useless, and Kinu left the mansion dejected.
When Komura approached her impatiently, Kinu informed him of
Saegusa's position.
—The only option left is for me to go and talk to Fujiki and try to arrange
it. He is a samurai too, and if I explain the situation to him he will surely
understand, — Komura decided on the spot — I'm going to see Fujiki right
now. Go home and wait for me there.
Having said that, Komura left in a hurry. Kinu lowered her head, stepped
through Yokouchi's doorway and headed for her house in Egawacho
parallel to the outer moat.
—Get out of the way, you insolent man!
Kinu was so immersed in her thoughts that she did not even hear the sound
of the hooves of the approaching horses behind her, but that voice startled
her and caused her to turn around. She hastily stepped to the side of the
road and knelt.
On those horses were seven riders apparently returning from an
expedition. It was obvious that the one riding in the middle was the lord of
the castle, Tadanaga.
After riding past Kinu, Tadanaga turned to Nakai Shingoro, the attendant
who rode directly behind him, and asked:
—Do you know who this woman is?
—Yes, she is the widow of Isoda Hisanoshin, a member of the clan... Her
name is Kinu, if I remember correctly, — the face of the beautiful Kinu
was widely known to all the vassals.
With Tadanaga already back at the castle, Nakai Shingoro began to be very
busy. Starting with the personal assistant Segawa Sanzaemon, he had to
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inform several people in detail about the circumstances of that occasion

that the lord had asked him for the name of Isoda Kinu.
Generally, the lord of the castle did not care in the least what a woman's
name was. Whatever their names were, to him women were nothing more
than a tool to alleviate his own needs. When he asked for a woman's name,
however, it was because she caught his eye as a woman. Or to put it
another way, when he intended to have her serve him in his own bedroom.
Therefore, whenever Tadanaga was interested in a woman's name (whether
it was a wife or daughter of a vassal, a castle maid or the maid who
assisted him in the bathroom), he immediately had to start the proceedings
to have her serve him in his bedroom.
"How nice that she is a widow", thought Segawa Sanzaemon, the first to
be informed, since they had already had all sorts of problematic
experiences in the past because the requested woman was the wife of a
clan member.
However, when Saegusa heard this news from Segawa, he was perplexed.
"Tch... What a mess I'm in now."
Saegusa was racking his brains. For this man, his master's wishes were
completely unquestionable, since his only virtue was to have all
Tadanaga's whims satisfied.
An already complicated situation seemed to have gotten out of hand due to
the intrusion of Tadanaga's wishes.
"I have no choice but to force Fujiki to give up Kinu, and force her to
comply with our lord's wishes."
That was the only possible conclusion.
He immediately sent someone to summon Kinu. She arrived in the vain
hope that perhaps Saegusa had changed her mind, so upon receiving such
an unexpected order, she was stunned.
—You say you dislike Fujiki, but to allow you to marry Komura at this
point would be a disgrace to Fujiki. Therefore, at the express wish of our
honourable lord, you will become his personal maid. In this way, neither
Fujiki nor Komura will be able to object to anything, — Saegusa used a
forced explanation as an excuse.
—To serve the lord personally means...
—Obviously, it means receiving the affections of our honorable lord. You
should be grateful.
To receive the affections of the lord of the castle was something that any
woman who did not already have a husband would gladly accept. Or at
least in the case of an ordinary daimyo. In the case of Tadanaga, however,
receiving his affections was not necessarily a source of joy. Many already
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knew that Tadanaga was beginning to show symptoms of a mental illness

that was causing him to behave strangely. And there were also countless
women who received his affections. Moreover, they were all terrified by
Tadanaga's unstable character, and they never knew when he would
suddenly change.
Who would wish for such a risky position, where if you disagreed in the
slightest with his intentions you could end up losing your life instantly?
Saegusa was also aware of this. Every time he sent a woman into
Tadanaga's bedroom, he felt sorry for her inside. However, officially he
had to tell them: "It is a great honour, you must feel grateful".
And when Kinu answered:
—I refuse.
Saegusa had to roar at her:
—Stupid! Do you think you can oppose the lord's attention and still be
alive?
After receiving the authoritative order to be ready when a messenger was
sent to her to settle the matter, Kinu left Saegusa's residence. She felt that,
due to the sudden turnaround in her fate from the day before, she had lost
her ability to think. When she returned to her home in distress, Fujiki and
Komura were waiting for her there.

When Komura burst in with an altered face and explained the situation,
Fujiki's entire body shook with humiliation and outrage. Precisely because
his joy had been so great, that disappointment was so extreme.
—I had already told many people that I was going to marry Kinu. It would
be a disgrace to me if I had to say that now, — he said indignantly, but
after a long and heated discussion with Komura he concluded, — It is not
enough for me just to hear your explanations, I am going to see Kinu in
person and ask about her real intentions. Besides, depending on what
happens, I will kill you, Komura, or Kinu.
—No matter what happens, I won't let you lay a hand on Kinu. But if you
want to face me with a sword, I won't refuse.
—Don't forget those words.
—Of course not.
So the two of them went to Kinu's house and waited for her return.

They were both furious, but before they could open their mouths, the
words Kinu spoke felt to them like a jar of cold water.
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—Komura and Fujiki: I can no longer become the wife of either of you.
—Kinu, what on earth does that mean?
—Has something happened? Please speak up, Kinu.
At the insistence of both of them, Kinu explained to them resignedly:
—I have to go serve at the castle to attend to our lord. Saegusa has ordered
me to do so.
—What?! — Komura and Fujiki burst out with the same intensity and the
same word.
—That cannot be. Just yesterday Saegusa told us that it was our lord's wish
that you and I be married.
—The lord's wishes change more quickly than time.
—But what does all this mean? It's not a matter of time.
—However much the lord's wishes may be, this nonsense is unacceptable.
—Kinu, do you intend to go to the castle to serve?
—No way, I don't want to go.
As if they had forgotten the quarrel that confronted them until a short
while ago, the two young swordsmen insisted Kinu in unison.
—I am the daughter of a vassal of the fief of Suruga, and I also married a
vassal of the same fief. Now that I have become a widow, could I refuse
our lord's wishes? I do not have the strength to do so, — Kinu's face
reflected despair and sadness.
—Kinu, you do not wish to go and serve the castle, do you? — Fujiki
snapped in a trembling voice.
—With all due respect, but how could I wish to go and serve at the bed of
our half-disturbed lord? I have no choice, however.
—No. There is another way, — Fujiki assured with exceptional
determination, — Kinu, run away with me.
—What are you saying, Fujiki? — Komura exploded.

Komura and Fujiki accompanied Kinu as the three of them fled the city of
Sunpu together. During their heated discussion they agreed that the most
urgent matter was to protect Kinu from falling into the hands of the feudal
lord. They also swore an oath: once they had left the domain of the Suruga
fiefdom behind, they would once again draw their swords to decide who
was the best. Furthermore, Komura spontaneously made the decision to
renounce his position as a vassal.
As soon as his escape became known, Saegusa began to tremble at the
thought of Tadanaga's fury. He immediately dispatched a troop of soldiers
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led by Kataoka Kyonosuke to pursue them, but at that very moment he

saw Sasahara Shuzaburo, who was on his way to the castle after
recovering from his knee injury, and he also dispatched him to lead
another troop of pursuers, so he ended up sending two squads.
The troop led by Kataoka caught up with the three fugitives in the
afternoon of the next day at Mukadamura, near the Kanbara rest station.
As a connoisseur of the talents of Komura and Fujiki, Kataoka reflected on
the situation cautiously. If by chance those two were to find themselves in
a desperate situation and become violent, they would inevitably cause
many deaths and injuries. There was also the possibility that they might
not be captured. The first thing would be to try to persuade them
ingeniously to return with them to the castle. If that proved to be utterly
impossible, they would have to take their time and wait until the second
troop promised by Saegusa arrived.
Kataoka stepped off his horse. Komura and Fujiki pulled Kinu back about
twenty yards and stood side by side in the middle of the road, showing
their unequivocal opposition. Kataoka approached them and calmly tried
to convince them:
—This is not good for either of you. It would be best if you returned to the
castle city as soon as possible. The lord is a direct descendant of the
shogun's family. Wherever you go, in Japanese territory you cannot escape
the clutches of our lord Tadanaga.
At the mention of the feudal lord's name, Komura showed some hesitation,
but Fujiki suddenly replied:
—The doubts about the behavior of the great advisor of Suruga have also
reached the government of the shogunate. If he was to try to hunt us down
outside the domains of his fiefdom, it would not be in the best interests of
the great advisor. Our intention is to put up a strong resistance until we
leave the fiefdom.
—I think you're making a big mistake. If the honorable lord has ordered
Kinu to withdraw to the castle it is because he was concerned that a
dispute might arise between you two.
—You won't fool us. Saegusa made it clear to Kinu that she would have to
sleep with the lord.
—That is what Saegusa says, he imagines things that are not the true
feeling of our lord. First of all, relax and listen to me. What I am telling
you is the result of having been thinking deeply, in the name of our
fellowship, how to ensure that none of the three of you get hurt, —
Kataoka was apparently speaking without any malice, so they both trusted

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him and released their hand from the hilt of their katana, — Let us sit here,
I want to hear your intentions as well.
Led by Kataoka, the two sat on a rock at the side of the road. Kataoka
advised them persuasively to return to the castle city for the time being.
Just as Komura was beginning to change his mind, he saw how far the
second troop led by Sasahara was riding.
Fujiki brusquely rose to his feet.
—Kataoka, you had it well planned, eh? You were stalling for time until
the backup troops arrived, were you not?
—What are you talking about? I was simply speaking to you with the sole
intention of getting you out of this one safely, — Kataoka excused himself,
but gave up all negotiations.
Sasahara, who had arrived galloping on the back of his horse and wrapped
in the dust it raised, shouted at him:
—Kataoka! What are you doing? You are being too lenient. Take those two
who have disobeyed the lord's wishes now.
Sasahara was an uncompromising samurai who was completely devoted to
his spear. Saegusa had managed to convince him with her explanations
that Komura and Fujiki were insubordinates who had opposed the orders
of their lord.
Both Komura and Fujiki retreated about fifteen feet and each drew his
blade from its sheath.
"There is no other choice", concluded Kataoka.
At once, the soldiers of the castle who had arrived commanded by Kataoka
and Sasahara wielded their blades.
—Kataoka, you catch Komura, and if he gives you too much trouble, kill
him. I will capture Fujiki, — Sasahara shouted.
A frightening fight ensued. The skill with which Komura's blade faced the
twenty or so soldiers who charged him on Kataoka's instructions was
spectacular. Just as he was a strange bird that had turned his entire body
into a sword, he leapt to the right, ran to the left, attacked forward, and
retreated backward in one jump; and with each move he either wounded
his opponent or knocked him down, it was utterly impossible to capture
him.
As if three, five, eight people had emerged from a single Komura, when it
seemed you had it here, it was already on the other side. He jumped in all
directions and rotated skillfully.
Instead, the soldiers of the castle who were chasing him were bumping
into each other, getting in each other's way and cursing each other.

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Seeing that, despite having caused a dozen deaths or injuries already,

Komura still did not have a scratch on him, Kataoka whispered in the ear
of one of his subordinates:
—I will face him. Surround him from behind without leaving a single
space and close ranks, — then he exhorted Komura — Bravo, well done,
Komura! It is a waste to cause so many victims, now I will face you.
—Kataoka! I look forward to it.
For the first time Komura's body stood still, turned to Kataoka, and stood
on guard. For his part, Kataoka adopted the "hanging thread" stance, which
was her strength as an expert in the Nikaido-Gen style. This posture was
very appropriate for his personality as it was a technique, so to speak,
passive. Maintaining a flexible position like a spider's dangling thread, he
would dodge his opponent's attacks until his strength began to fail, then,
with a movement faster than even a blink of an eye, he would throw
himself at his opponent and knock him down with a single sword strike.
After standing still for a while, Komura suddenly began to put into
practice the unparalleled speed of offense that was his specialty. And his
target was the left side of Kataoka's body. In the duel held in the presence
of the feudal lord, Kuroe Gotaro's "flying dragon sword" had stuck into
Kataoka's left shoulder and inflicted a deep wound. Komura had quickly
realized that, although that wound was now virtually healed, there was a
subtle imbalance latent in the left side of Kataoka's body. Kataoka himself
was aware that his previously flawless "hanging thread" stance due to his
left shoulder wound was now visibly flawed. Komura's tactic of attacking
that weak spot proved successful.
When, after Komura's successive attacks on the left side of his body,
Kataoka shifted his center of gravity slightly to the left, Komura's blade
pointed at his right shoulder and descended upon it. Kataoka was cut from
his right shoulder to his ribs.
Almost simultaneously, Kataoka's blade was also aimed at Komura's right
shoulder and attempted an equally sharp attack. But simply, Komura's
movement was so extremely expeditious that Kataoka's blade could only
tear at the neck of Komura's clothing.
—Did you see that?! — Komura shouted euphorically, and jumped back.
But there was a trap waiting for him. His jump placed him right in the
middle of six swords that were approaching him from behind in a circle.
The six blades plunged into Komura's body from both sides and even his
back, so that he looked like a pinwheel, and he collapsed.
On the other hand, surrounded by Sasahara's troop, Fujiki Gennosuke was
also surprisingly fighting to the death. He applied his secret nagareboshi
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technique, accompanied by a shout. That magnificent face, which usually

looked somewhat sullen, blushed and overflowed with a menacing
expression. The single-armed blade became a myriad of sharp blades and
he began to dance wildly like a bloodthirsty demon. He wittily weighed his
footholds, maneuvered his movements to keep a single enemy always in
front of him, and showed no sign of fatigue.
Finally Sasahara, who watched everything on his horse, had no choice but
to acknowledge that it would be impossible to capture Fujiki alive.
"All right, I'll have to take that guy down with the tip of my lance."
Wielding his lance, called the "Silver Serpent", firmly in his hands, he
called out to his opponent:
—Fujiki, fight me!
—Sasahara, come here!
Fujiki cast a withering glance at Sasahara on his horse and cautiously put
his guard up. The opponent was riding on the back of a horse; he could not
approach him recklessly and end up at the mercy of the horse's hooves.
For a few moments it seemed that he was scrutinizing the horse and his
rider, but suddenly he threw himself to the right side of the animal's neck.
In the duel before the feudal lord, Kutsuki Gannosuke had inflicted a
wound on Sasahara's right knee. Though the wound had supposedly
healed, Fujiki no doubt sensed that Sasahara's weak spot was in that right
leg.
Sasahara's spear had been initiated into the secrets of the Nakamura
faction, which had propagated the teachings of the Hozoin school, and was
exalted by its exquisite thrust.
He aimed at Fujiki's chest and, from the top of the horse, pushed the
scintillating spear and, surprisingly, Fujiki lunged towards the tip of that
spear with his left shoulder forward, as if to strike it.
Under normal conditions, the tip of the lance should have stuck directly
into the base of the left arm.
In Fujiki's case, however, the arm that should have been there was already
gone. The spear just went through and tore Fujiki's sleeve.
Fujiki immediately cut the spear in two. Sasahara had lost the strength to
stay in the saddle because of his injured right leg, and when he was in
danger of being thrown forward, Fujiki's sword cut off his right leg.
Despite falling to the ground in a hurry, Sasahara drew his short sword and
launched into a struggle with Fujiki.
Fujiki's sword stuck in Sasahara's back, which curled up stubbornly, and
began to cut. It looked as if it would cut his back in two, but the blade
stopped in half: Sasahara's short sword had pierced into Fujiki's side.
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Thus, after both the two leaders of the troops and two of the fugitives had
been shot down, Kinu brandished a dagger and went on to kill three of the
soldiers, but unfortunately not being able to count on a naginata, which
was her specialty, she was finally arrested by the soldiers of the castle.
When the pursuing troops returned to the castle town of Suruga carrying a
score of bodies (including those of Kataoka, Sasahara, Komura, and
Fujiki), Saegusa muttered in horror:
"What a fate. Except for the woman, Kinu, all the swordsmen who took
part in the dueling tournament before the feudal lord have died."
Now all that was needed was to send Kinu, whether he liked it or not, to
the lord's bedroom. Tadanaga was furious that the woman who had caught
his eye had not appeared in his bedroom that night.
—Tonight that woman will accompany you, — they whispered to him.
Tadanaga entered his room at night, looking pleased.
Kinu laid prostrate at the foot of his bed, her hair down and wearing a
white silk garment.
—I am going to change my clothes, — said Tadanaga.
There was no answer.
—What has she done?
Tadanaga was standing before Kinu and noticed that the front of the white
silk was dyed with fresh blood. He was petrified with his eyes fixed on it.
Isoda Kinu, the last survivor of the dueling tournament in the presence of
the feudal lord, had taken her own life by stabbing herself in the chest.

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