SAMURAI

CHAPTER 6; Bushido

    “Clank! "

    Two hard metals clashed together, followed by screams and murmurs from the crowd. Without realizing it, my lips turned into a smile; the best pose when my head will be in the middle. My mouth is rambling. Thank God, my way of dying is special. No pain, and accompanied by the clink of two metals. Cheers and grunts accompany my spirit apart from the body.

    "Stop it!"

    A deep and hoarse voice made the life that had flown back into my body. I'm still alive, I sighed. Strange feeling ambushed.

    The executioner screamed groaning. He was angry that his job was interrupted. I opened my eyes, trying to lift the neck that was still attached to my body. On my stomach, it's unclear who came to save my life. 

    A foot jump from under the stage moved lightly, like a low-flying bird. Both his feet landed right next to my body. Shabby straw sandals wrapped around his feet. Broken mountain rocks scattered all around. He hit the ax's eye with just a stone's throw! Before realizing what was happening, a tremendous force tugged at my body.

    In front of me, a Zen priest stood with a wide-brimmed straw hat covering his head. The dress was a black cloth dress, typical of a Zen priest, fluttering when the wind was blowing hard. His right hand grasped a small stick that was thirty inches long tipped with tufts of fur. The left hand is placed in front of his chest. 

That zen priest’s body was thin, short. Half of his face is covered with a hat. He lowered his head to hide the face. I was dumbfounded without knowing what to do. Surprise and excitement still surround my heart. I'm still not sure it was this priest who turned the ax blade with the stone. I'm also not sure he can lift my body with one hand. But, there was no one else on the stage except for the three of us who were still breathing and the four bodies without heads. 

    The cry of the audience and the rebuke of dozens of samurai made them aware.

    The uprooted pride made the executioner furious. Blindly, that huge body exerted all of its strength. The arm as big as a coconut tree moved to hit with full force towards the head of the priest.

    "Hold on!" shouted a voice.

    The punch couldn't be pulled. The air near me rippled from the blow. Not just a human head, a sturdy wall must have been crushed by that blow. Just as the executioner's fist approached, the priest simply lowered his head. Punch passed over him. 

    Like a father who was angry with his son, the priest moved the stick he was carrying, hitting the executioner's body with the tip of a hairy stick. The collection of fur resembling a cat's tail hit the executioner's back.

    The zen master flicked a feather-tip wand without any real force, like dusting a table. However, the body of the executioner seemed to be boosted by elephant power. A blow hitting empty air accompanied by a flick of a stick made his body fall. He could not control his balance, fell heavily from the stage. 

    The audience laughed funny. The executioner cried out crazy. Before he got up and continued his attack, a shadow flashed onto the stage. Goro flew lightly, floated in the air, then landed firmly on the stage.

    My mouth wide opened. The distance between the stage of honor and the stage of execution was twelve meters apart. There was no way an ordinary human could jump that far. Without running backward, without stopping. My mouth fell open even more as he threw himself down in front of the zen priest. The samurai special envoy of the ruler of the island of Hakata frowned, bent his arms, rested his palms on the floor.

    "What kind of wind brought Master to this place?"

    A soft laugh answered the greeting of the young samurai. The zen priest took off his hat. His head was bald without a strand of hair. Wrinkles filled his face. His face was clean without sideburns, leaving only two thick silver eyebrow hairs. The nose is small. Mouth always keeps a smile.

                                                        Shimo mayou

                                                      Sora ni shioreshi

                                                          Karigane no

                                                    Kaeru tsubasa ni

                                                    Mustame zo furu

    (The tired wild goose had come

      through the cold sky frozen with dew

    now back north

    on their wings flapped home

    the rain fell gently down the spring)

    Hearing the waka chanted with great beauty, all the samurai dropped their bodies. The honorary stage thumped, full of the sound of knee bones tapping the wooden floor. The samurai guards put down all their weapons, frozen. Onlookers crowded with farmers, traders and commoners laid their foreheads parallel to the ground. 

    The executioner hid his face. His shoulders shook violently as if he had committed a sin that took him to hell.

    Like being dragged by a strong magnet, I unconsciously fell too. Both of my knees are unable to support my body. A thousand questions wrestled, wrapped in the lattice of the emptiness of the heart. The silence only contains the breeze and the waving of cherry blossom branches. A pink flower fell to the ground.

    “Goro, you are too hasty. Fire cannot be resisted by fire. The storm you bring will only make the rain stop.”

    "Forgive your useless student." Goro increasingly dropped his body.

    "You should be proud of your enemy. His courage to defend his vows with his life is your success too. We do not fight in cowardly ways. We fight with the sword of courage. "

    Goro looked down listlessly.

    The Zen master sandwiched his cane against his armpit. With both hands, he shrugged my shoulders, asked me to stand.

    "Rise knight"

     My body floated slowly, standing straight in front of Goro who was still sitting prostrate. Again, a show of strength was put on. As if he had cut a rotten thread, he pulled the chain that was shackling to my two hands until it broke. Both my hands are free.

    "Forgive us"

    The Zen Priest lowered his body. All the samurai's eyes widened when he saw the person he worshiped saluting the human who had almost lost his head. Zen Priest returned his gaze to Goro who was still looking down.

    He said softly, but it was clear that the entire audience nearby was heard. "Goro. You almost killed the granddaughter of Tomoe Gozen's savior."

    Mumbling and groans were heard clearly. All whispered under their breath.

    "Ha? Tomoe Gozen?”

    "The legend.…"

    "Female samurai. ..."

    As if the troops had command, all bodies moved to face me, knocking over their bodies, begging forgiveness for mistakes. My mouth is still locked tight. I don't know what to do. Everything happened suddenly. Apart from death, a show of strength, now respect. 

    The arrival of this Zen priest made me feel in a daze. Four times, every year I travel to all corners of Japan, now I find myself like a blind man who doesn't know his way.

    Who is Goro who is respected among the samurai of the island of Iki? Who is the Zen priest who suddenly appears and is worshiped like a god? The questions have not been answered yet, again a foreign name that is very legendary became a byword. "Tomoe Gozen", the warrior woman, who is she? Goddess Afro-Thena is her granddaughter? Did I save the granddaughter of the legend?

    Goto inched closer. His face was pale. The faint smile that always blossomed on his lips disappeared completely. The thin mustache moved up and down as the upper lip is pulled up. He took off the katana with the sheath, shoving it toward me. With a violently shaking sound, both of his hands trembled as he handed them out. Not because he was afraid to die, he just couldn't help being embarrassed.

    “I'm sorry Knight. Please cut off my head as a reward for my stupidity."

    I shrugged his shoulders, invited him to stand in line. Goro lowered his head. I shook his shoulders. He looked at me. I smiled broadly looking back. At that moment, the barrier of hostility and reluctance collapsed. There were no boundaries between nations and cultures. No more resentment and hurt feelings. Having a great samurai bowed shyly in front of me was as if he had found a friend on a desert island.

    "No way. Do you want to die as Bushido before you tell me about your life? " I joked.

    Goto looked at me closely. He shook my shoulders back.

    "Are we friends?" he asked kindly.

    “Hahaha… Of course. I would love to be a great samurai companion, Takezaki Suenaga!”

    When we realized, the Zen priest was already gone. Somehow, he could move to disappear without us realizing it.

    "Who was that Zen priest?" I asked

    Goro guided my hand down the stage. The audience dispersed. The guard samurai was busy taking care of the headless body. The stage was dismantled. The blood was cleaned. The stage on which to watch the execution was bare.

    "My teacher, Bokku Shigen, the Zen priest and teacher of the late Hojo Tokiyori-dono, the father of Shikken Hojo Tokimune."

    "No wonder everyone respects him."

    I continued my question, "How can I find him?"

    "You can't find it, my friend. He will find you. That is if he wishes you."

    I paused, walked gently following Goro's steps to the main building on the first floor. As if nothing heartbreaking happened, all the samurai welcomed me kindly. Even the fat samurai who had hit me with wooden punches. So Sukekuni praised me many times. Trying to lick me so that I don't tell Goro what he had done in the prison room. 

    The trusted samurai ruler of the island of Hakata asked Taira no Kagetaka to entertain me. Of course, the old samurai ruler of the island of Iki gladly accepted his orders.

    There was no longer any compulsion to spill the beans. They treated me like a great guest. Sumptuous and delicious food, hot shower accompanied by two cute girls rubbing my back, the best hakama pants, and haori kimono. 

    The rest of the day I spent lazily enjoying freedom. Goro apologized for not being able to accompany me. Early tomorrow morning, he and Saburo excused themselves, continuing their journey in their assigned task.

    He asked about my next plan. I said I wanted to go to Hakata as a free man. My position as a Mongol amid the Japanese who was preparing for an attack was too risky. He suggested temporarily avoiding the crowd. Goro gave me the Travel Letter as a pass if I encountered an obstacle. Not applicable throughout the country, only limited to the city of Hakata and the southern Kyushu region. 

    We promised to meet next spring in Hakata. Before leaving, I asked about Tomoe Gozen. Goro briefly told about the legend of the female samurai.

    Tomoe Gozen was the wife of the concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, the cousin of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Bakufu Shogunate. The defeat of the Taira Clan led Yoshinaka to become the leader of the Kyoto region. The aspirations of becoming the leader of the Minamoto clan collided with his cousin, Yoritomo. 

    Battle was inevitable. Yoritomo, assisted by his brothers, Yoshitsune and Noriyori, crushed Yoshinaka's resistance. Tomoe Gozen and her two brothers fought side by side with Yoshinaka, putting up a valiant resistance.

    “Tomoe's beauty was like a goddess. Her white skin, long jet-black hair matched her tall, slender body. Not only was her beauty amazing, her archery skills, horse riding, martial arts, and sword skills were also very good. Her ability alone was worth a hundred-foot soldiers. She was the general in Yoshinaka's army. In each battle, the female samurai appeared as the first commander to enter the palace. On the saddle of the warhorse, Tomoe Gozen equipped the weapon with fine armor, a long-drawn sword, bow, and dozens of arrows. She showed unparalleled courage in front of the soldiers she led, and hit many of the heads of opponents," explained Goro.

    A shadow of a beautiful girl valiantly loomed over. Without the slightest fear, the goddess Afro-Thena challenged the four captains to choose a match. The girl resembled Goro's narrative about the legend of Tomoe Gozen.

    "What next?" I asked interested.

    Goro's face turned concerned. For a moment he took a deep breath, continuing his story. 

    “Out of numbers and weapons, Yoshinaka was overwhelmed. At the battle of Awazu, Yoshinaka's army was crushed. Two Tomoe brothers died horribly. Yoshinaka was injured. Befriending his loyal followers, he fought it out. In a state of urgency, he told his lover to run away. However, Tomoe Gozen refused. Yoshinaka explained that he wanted to die with his brothers. He didn't want the woman he loved to see him suffer. Enduring pain and sobs, Tomoe Gozen fled with a broken heart. She vowed to take revenge on the murderer of her lover."

    "Did she get the revenge?" I cut.

    "Yes. In the ensuing battle, thirty soldiers led by Onda no Hachiro Moroshige who killed her lover were slashed in the head. Tomoe then pursues Moroshige, who runs away on a horse. She aligned the horse saddle with Moroshige's horse saddle, pulled that enemy's body down. She jumped up, strangled enemy's neck with tremendous force, twisted Moroshige's neck until it broke."

    My mouth shook its head in horror. For love and revenge, a woman can act beyond a man's courage.

    "What happened next with Tomoe Gozen?"

    Goro shook his head. "No one knows. Some say he was caught and killed by Yoritomo. Some say he went south. It was rumored that he became a Buddhist, and died peacefully at a temple. I don't know, which one is right. "

    He continued quickly before I interrupted his story. "However, the appearance of Tomoe Gozen's successor, the appearance of my teacher, indicates that the situation in this country is already precarious."

      "Your teacher knows a lot about Tomoe Gozen and his successors?"

    "I don't know for sure. The Tomoe Gozen family is a living legend in this country. No one knows for sure the rest of the story. "

    "Do you know her granddaughter?" I asked.

    He shook his head. "Aren't you the one helping her?" He asked back.

    I laugh wryly. "Haven't had a chance to ask name, she has disappeared in the middle of the sea."

    Goro laughed. "I know now. You left your ship covered in wounds for saving the granddaughter of the legend?”

    "Yes ... That's it," I replied lightly, ashamed to reveal the secret.

    I told him briefly about my story when I helped the goddess Afro-Thena against the Ilkhanat army.

    Goro shook his head many times. I shrugged.

    "How will I find her?" I asked seriously.

    "Honestly, I don't know who she is, and where to find her. If you are curious and want to pursue the woman you desire, you have to travel through the entire territory of the Japanese archipelago."

    "I'll do it," I answered firmly.

    “But, it will take years. Maybe decades. "

    "No problem. I will find her."

    "If a few years later, how about when you found out she was married?"

    I gasped. A biting question. I firmly answered, "I wait until she will be a widow!"

    Goro chuckled, hitting my shoulder lightly. "You are a crazy knight!"