A Time Traveller's Guide To Feudal Japan
Chapter 10 - The Philosophy of the Sword
Receiving the sword, Gengyo tested its weight.
'My kendo lessons were few, but they should be enough to get the point across.'
He then spoke to Aritada who was standing across from him, holding his sword ready.
"Okay. Just fight me as you had been with Yoritomo."
Aritada looked a little sceptical, but nodded anyway.
"Alright. Shall we start?"
"Yup. Begin!"
Having learned from Yoritomo's technique, he rushed in with a sense of urgency, swinging wildly in an attempt to seize the initiative and limit his opponent's movements.
Gengyo gripped his bokken firmly and pointed it outwards so that it was almost horizontal.
Aritada slashed forward, sending a wild strike to Gengyo's right side and then a second to left the left side before he had even finished the first.
When Aritada's wild charge reached him, Gengyo simply jabbed, extending his arms as far as he could, whilst taking a step back.
Maximising his reach, and as such defending his own body from strikes, he was able to beat Aritada in a single strike.
Aritada stared at the spot in which the sword had hit dumbfounded.
'He has not yet seen through the technique it seems.'
"Again."
Gengyo assented.
"Alright. Put the intent to kill into each strike, and think about defending your own body."
Aritada gripped his bokken tightly, raising it upwards above his head.
They remained like that for a while – Gengyo in his kendo stance, and Aritada glaring down at him with his sword poised to split his head open
This time, Gengyo moved forward first. Two short steps to close the distance just enough so that he was still outside of Aritada's range.
His opponent did nothing but watch warily, his muscles tensed and ready to act.
Gengyo returned his gaze as he positioned his sword, ready to lunge.
Aritada did not seem to see his own state of defencelessness, as he simply stood sword overhead and waited.
Figuring it would be rude to leave him waiting too long, Gengyo lunged forward, aiming for his belly once more.
Aritada swiftly countered, bring his sword downwards in an attempt to throw the approaching weapon off course.
Gengyo moved with even greater speed, and a much greater level of precision. He parried the downwards moving blade, and a split second later his blade had found its way into Aritada's side.
"Ahh! F.u.c.k that hurts!"
Aritada collapsed upon receiving the strike, holding his bruised side.
"Mm. Have you figured out how I beat you yet?
Yoritomo spoke on his behalf.
"You were faster."
Gengyo appraised the answer fairly.
"That's part of it, but it's not that simple."
Upon receiving Gengyo's expectant gaze, Aritada could only shake his head. He did not know the answer either.
"It's not that I am any more skilled than you, it's simply that I have greater caution for my own body."
Aritada frowned at such an answer, clearly unhappy.
"Greater caution for your own body? It's not like I want to get hit."
"No, that's not what I mean. If these were real blades, you would be fighting very differently. You would be more afraid of being hit by your opponent's blade than you would be concerned with hitting him."
"Well, that's true, but-"
"And the best way to do that, whilst also maintaining chances at victory? Fight at range. Only go close enough to your opponent so that the tip of your sword can hit. Nothing more is needed."
Aritada was quick to voice his complaints.
"…? Range? But how are you meant to parry attacks when you're standing so far away?"
"Haha, but why would you need to parry when you're standing far away? If they swing towards you, it's simpler to just step back. The only time you would need to parry is if your opponent closed the gap faster than you could react."
Yoritomo was nodding.
"Hm… that makes a good amount of sense. So only ever move into your opponent in order to land the killing strike. And only do that when you're certain of victory.
"That's the gist of it. But when you grow more skilled, you'll be able to take advantage of more of the mistakes your opponent makes. Then, you might choose to close the gap as he attacks, parry his strike, and then land a strike of your own."
"…I see. So we have to become the tiger. Stalk our prey till we are sure of a kill, and then move in only when we are sure of our own safety."
Gengyo nodded, impressed by Aritada's analogy.
"Exactly! I would say never close the gap unless you're sure you can win in at most three strikes – but that's only when you grow more experienced. For now just stick to killing with one strike."
Aritada gripped his blade tightly as he mimicked Gengyo's earlier stance, with his sword pointed outwards. He took light steps back and forth, and practised lunging forward.
He then turned to Yoritomo with a certain look of ferocity in his eyes.
"I feel it. I definitely feel it. This is a powerful combat style – we can become great warriors with this, Yoritomo."
Yoritomo – not wanting to be left behind – tried a few strikes of his own.
After completing his experimentation, he could naught but stare at his sword.
It was not simply a sword technique – it was a philosophy that Gengyo had taught them.
'Prioritise your own life, so that you may live and grow stronger.' Growing up as peasants, such an idea had been foreign to them. Peasants were treated by the samurai as the lowest of the low – worse than filth.
Now, Gengyo had – albeit through his sword – taught them that their life had value, and it was through that understanding, and that feeling, that they were overcome with a sense of profundity.
After experiencing this, Yoritomo could do nought but bow.
Aritada noticed this, and a flash of pride washed over his face. It was a certainty that there was a battle raging in his mind as to whether he should lower himself to displaying such respect.
In the end, his humble side won, and his head bowed deeply.
"Thank you for this lesson, Miura-san. Please come to watch us again."
Gengyo was a little fl.u.s.tered by their sudden passion, for he had not taught them with the intent of evoking such emotions, to him, this was merely a sword technique.
But still, he accepted their sincerity with as much grace as he could muster.
"You are both most welcome. I will certainly come to see you again. Good luck with your training!"
He then took his leave, with a rather bewildered Rin in tow.
"Nii-san… What just happened?"
Gengyo paused for a moment, stroking his chin.
"I'm not really sure either… but I guess they're good kids?"
Rin shook her head at his benign response.
"That's such an old man thing to say."
Gengyo shrugged, for there was nothing else he could have said. Rin had been present herself, and watched his interactions with the two, and from it she will have formed a far better conclusion of what his relationship with the two boys was like than if he were to explain it himself.
'I wonder if she'll tell Masaatsu what happened… I bet that will lead to some drama.'
…
…
Later that evening, Gengyo made his way to the recently discovered lake in order to get in some more practice.
A swan was already there, relaxing with its feet in the water as Gengyo strolled along the shore towards it.
"Yo."
Of course, this swan was no longer as swan-like as the day previous, for it was much too impractical to walk around in a yukata all the time.
Instead, she had her hair tidily tied behind her head, and a fresh, light grey kimono adorned her body. It was tied in the middle with a gold patterned obi.
She stiffened at Gengyo's greeting, and turned around with a slight smile on her face.
"You're later than yesterday."
"Mmm, I didn't know you'd be waiting for me."
At this, she blushed lightly and pouted.
"I wasn't waiting for you… I've been here all day."
She pointed toward a basket that contained the remnants of a meal and a pair of chopsticks.
"Hoo, is that sashimi?"
"Yes, Shibata – one my handmaids - made it for me when I mentioned I'd be spending the day outside."
"Maids eh? That must be convenient."
"It is, but sometimes it's a little suffocating having so many people around you."
"I can imagine."
Gengyo placed his bow and arrows down beside a rock before turning back to Akiko.
"Niwa-san, how much longer will you be staying?"
Her response to the question was rather indignant, as she perceived it to be his attempt at getting rid of her.
"It's my lake, you know. I can stay as long as I want."
Gengyo nodded in agreement.
"Yup. In that case, do you fancy helping me with something?"
Akiko gazed at him warily, for he had toyed with her endlessly yesterday.
"What is it…?"
"I want to make a raft."
"A raft?"
"Correct. A raft."
"Why would you want to make a raft?"
"Well, I've never made one before, so it'd be pretty cool to try something new. Also, I was thinking that practising shooting from unstable – or moving – ground will help improve my archery skills."
Akiko rested her head on her finger awhile as she thought about it.
"Hmm, I guess I could. I've always wanted to get to the middle island over there."
She pointed towards a small 3x3 metre piece of land that was nestled in the middle of the lake, with a few thin birch trees growing on it. There appeared to be quite a few birds nesting there.
"Okay, when we do the raft, I'll take you there. Do we have a deal?"
Gengyo held out his hand in anticipation of sealing the agreement.
"Deal."
She stared at Gengyo's outstretched hand curiously.
After a few seconds passed, Gengyo awkwardly withdrew it, before extending the other hand as though he had simply been stretching.
'I suppose the handshake is not well known in Japan yet…'
"Right, so, I'm going to do a few shots to make sure I've kept yesterday's progress, and then we'll get started."
Akiko was dissatisfied with the idea of waiting.
"Is there nothing I can do in the meantime? I'm sort of excited now."
Gengyo was quick to agree. He had been thinking of sending her earlier, but had not known how to get her to listen – or whether it would be appropriate to do so.
"Sure. Get 10 poles of bamboo, about as thick as your foot, and bring them back here. The length doesn't matter that much, but try to make sure they're roughly similar. It'll make things easier later on."
Akiko listened attentively, and confirmed her understanding before departing at a jog.
"Okay!"
Gengyo watched her go as a twinge of doubt began to form in his mind.
'Perhaps it was a bad idea to let her go herself… She seems a bit airheaded.'
But then he shrugged.
'Well, it can't be that bad. Even someone as pampered as her will be able to do something that simple.'
He then collected his tools, and lined up some shots at ten paces.
He shot three times, and consistently hit the bullseye having remembered the angles from the previous day.
Nodding with satisfaction, he moved further back.
THWACK
THWACK
THWACK
He secured a bullseye within the first shot at twenty paces at every different angle.
'Not bad… But I wonder how transferrable this will be? It doesn't seem like it demonstrates much skill to merely hit the same shots again and again. Any idiot can memorise the positioning of the bow and the like.'
Gengyo failed to recognise the brilliance of his progress. If anything, he was even harsher on himself than he had been before. But that was what had made him so successful in his previous life – that and his intelligence.
Even after Gengyo had run through all the motions, and spent a little time thinking in between, Akiko had still not returned.
Almost half an hour had passed, and Gengyo was actually starting to become worried.
'My kendo lessons were few, but they should be enough to get the point across.'
He then spoke to Aritada who was standing across from him, holding his sword ready.
"Okay. Just fight me as you had been with Yoritomo."
Aritada looked a little sceptical, but nodded anyway.
"Alright. Shall we start?"
"Yup. Begin!"
Having learned from Yoritomo's technique, he rushed in with a sense of urgency, swinging wildly in an attempt to seize the initiative and limit his opponent's movements.
Gengyo gripped his bokken firmly and pointed it outwards so that it was almost horizontal.
Aritada slashed forward, sending a wild strike to Gengyo's right side and then a second to left the left side before he had even finished the first.
When Aritada's wild charge reached him, Gengyo simply jabbed, extending his arms as far as he could, whilst taking a step back.
Maximising his reach, and as such defending his own body from strikes, he was able to beat Aritada in a single strike.
Aritada stared at the spot in which the sword had hit dumbfounded.
'He has not yet seen through the technique it seems.'
"Again."
Gengyo assented.
"Alright. Put the intent to kill into each strike, and think about defending your own body."
Aritada gripped his bokken tightly, raising it upwards above his head.
They remained like that for a while – Gengyo in his kendo stance, and Aritada glaring down at him with his sword poised to split his head open
This time, Gengyo moved forward first. Two short steps to close the distance just enough so that he was still outside of Aritada's range.
His opponent did nothing but watch warily, his muscles tensed and ready to act.
Gengyo returned his gaze as he positioned his sword, ready to lunge.
Aritada did not seem to see his own state of defencelessness, as he simply stood sword overhead and waited.
Figuring it would be rude to leave him waiting too long, Gengyo lunged forward, aiming for his belly once more.
Aritada swiftly countered, bring his sword downwards in an attempt to throw the approaching weapon off course.
Gengyo moved with even greater speed, and a much greater level of precision. He parried the downwards moving blade, and a split second later his blade had found its way into Aritada's side.
"Ahh! F.u.c.k that hurts!"
Aritada collapsed upon receiving the strike, holding his bruised side.
"Mm. Have you figured out how I beat you yet?
Yoritomo spoke on his behalf.
"You were faster."
Gengyo appraised the answer fairly.
"That's part of it, but it's not that simple."
Upon receiving Gengyo's expectant gaze, Aritada could only shake his head. He did not know the answer either.
"It's not that I am any more skilled than you, it's simply that I have greater caution for my own body."
Aritada frowned at such an answer, clearly unhappy.
"Greater caution for your own body? It's not like I want to get hit."
"No, that's not what I mean. If these were real blades, you would be fighting very differently. You would be more afraid of being hit by your opponent's blade than you would be concerned with hitting him."
"Well, that's true, but-"
"And the best way to do that, whilst also maintaining chances at victory? Fight at range. Only go close enough to your opponent so that the tip of your sword can hit. Nothing more is needed."
Aritada was quick to voice his complaints.
"…? Range? But how are you meant to parry attacks when you're standing so far away?"
"Haha, but why would you need to parry when you're standing far away? If they swing towards you, it's simpler to just step back. The only time you would need to parry is if your opponent closed the gap faster than you could react."
Yoritomo was nodding.
"Hm… that makes a good amount of sense. So only ever move into your opponent in order to land the killing strike. And only do that when you're certain of victory.
"That's the gist of it. But when you grow more skilled, you'll be able to take advantage of more of the mistakes your opponent makes. Then, you might choose to close the gap as he attacks, parry his strike, and then land a strike of your own."
"…I see. So we have to become the tiger. Stalk our prey till we are sure of a kill, and then move in only when we are sure of our own safety."
Gengyo nodded, impressed by Aritada's analogy.
"Exactly! I would say never close the gap unless you're sure you can win in at most three strikes – but that's only when you grow more experienced. For now just stick to killing with one strike."
Aritada gripped his blade tightly as he mimicked Gengyo's earlier stance, with his sword pointed outwards. He took light steps back and forth, and practised lunging forward.
He then turned to Yoritomo with a certain look of ferocity in his eyes.
"I feel it. I definitely feel it. This is a powerful combat style – we can become great warriors with this, Yoritomo."
Yoritomo – not wanting to be left behind – tried a few strikes of his own.
After completing his experimentation, he could naught but stare at his sword.
It was not simply a sword technique – it was a philosophy that Gengyo had taught them.
'Prioritise your own life, so that you may live and grow stronger.' Growing up as peasants, such an idea had been foreign to them. Peasants were treated by the samurai as the lowest of the low – worse than filth.
Now, Gengyo had – albeit through his sword – taught them that their life had value, and it was through that understanding, and that feeling, that they were overcome with a sense of profundity.
After experiencing this, Yoritomo could do nought but bow.
Aritada noticed this, and a flash of pride washed over his face. It was a certainty that there was a battle raging in his mind as to whether he should lower himself to displaying such respect.
In the end, his humble side won, and his head bowed deeply.
"Thank you for this lesson, Miura-san. Please come to watch us again."
Gengyo was a little fl.u.s.tered by their sudden passion, for he had not taught them with the intent of evoking such emotions, to him, this was merely a sword technique.
But still, he accepted their sincerity with as much grace as he could muster.
"You are both most welcome. I will certainly come to see you again. Good luck with your training!"
He then took his leave, with a rather bewildered Rin in tow.
"Nii-san… What just happened?"
Gengyo paused for a moment, stroking his chin.
"I'm not really sure either… but I guess they're good kids?"
Rin shook her head at his benign response.
"That's such an old man thing to say."
Gengyo shrugged, for there was nothing else he could have said. Rin had been present herself, and watched his interactions with the two, and from it she will have formed a far better conclusion of what his relationship with the two boys was like than if he were to explain it himself.
'I wonder if she'll tell Masaatsu what happened… I bet that will lead to some drama.'
…
…
Later that evening, Gengyo made his way to the recently discovered lake in order to get in some more practice.
A swan was already there, relaxing with its feet in the water as Gengyo strolled along the shore towards it.
"Yo."
Of course, this swan was no longer as swan-like as the day previous, for it was much too impractical to walk around in a yukata all the time.
Instead, she had her hair tidily tied behind her head, and a fresh, light grey kimono adorned her body. It was tied in the middle with a gold patterned obi.
She stiffened at Gengyo's greeting, and turned around with a slight smile on her face.
"You're later than yesterday."
"Mmm, I didn't know you'd be waiting for me."
At this, she blushed lightly and pouted.
"I wasn't waiting for you… I've been here all day."
She pointed toward a basket that contained the remnants of a meal and a pair of chopsticks.
"Hoo, is that sashimi?"
"Yes, Shibata – one my handmaids - made it for me when I mentioned I'd be spending the day outside."
"Maids eh? That must be convenient."
"It is, but sometimes it's a little suffocating having so many people around you."
"I can imagine."
Gengyo placed his bow and arrows down beside a rock before turning back to Akiko.
"Niwa-san, how much longer will you be staying?"
Her response to the question was rather indignant, as she perceived it to be his attempt at getting rid of her.
"It's my lake, you know. I can stay as long as I want."
Gengyo nodded in agreement.
"Yup. In that case, do you fancy helping me with something?"
Akiko gazed at him warily, for he had toyed with her endlessly yesterday.
"What is it…?"
"I want to make a raft."
"A raft?"
"Correct. A raft."
"Why would you want to make a raft?"
"Well, I've never made one before, so it'd be pretty cool to try something new. Also, I was thinking that practising shooting from unstable – or moving – ground will help improve my archery skills."
Akiko rested her head on her finger awhile as she thought about it.
"Hmm, I guess I could. I've always wanted to get to the middle island over there."
She pointed towards a small 3x3 metre piece of land that was nestled in the middle of the lake, with a few thin birch trees growing on it. There appeared to be quite a few birds nesting there.
"Okay, when we do the raft, I'll take you there. Do we have a deal?"
Gengyo held out his hand in anticipation of sealing the agreement.
"Deal."
She stared at Gengyo's outstretched hand curiously.
After a few seconds passed, Gengyo awkwardly withdrew it, before extending the other hand as though he had simply been stretching.
'I suppose the handshake is not well known in Japan yet…'
"Right, so, I'm going to do a few shots to make sure I've kept yesterday's progress, and then we'll get started."
Akiko was dissatisfied with the idea of waiting.
"Is there nothing I can do in the meantime? I'm sort of excited now."
Gengyo was quick to agree. He had been thinking of sending her earlier, but had not known how to get her to listen – or whether it would be appropriate to do so.
"Sure. Get 10 poles of bamboo, about as thick as your foot, and bring them back here. The length doesn't matter that much, but try to make sure they're roughly similar. It'll make things easier later on."
Akiko listened attentively, and confirmed her understanding before departing at a jog.
"Okay!"
Gengyo watched her go as a twinge of doubt began to form in his mind.
'Perhaps it was a bad idea to let her go herself… She seems a bit airheaded.'
But then he shrugged.
'Well, it can't be that bad. Even someone as pampered as her will be able to do something that simple.'
He then collected his tools, and lined up some shots at ten paces.
He shot three times, and consistently hit the bullseye having remembered the angles from the previous day.
Nodding with satisfaction, he moved further back.
THWACK
THWACK
THWACK
He secured a bullseye within the first shot at twenty paces at every different angle.
'Not bad… But I wonder how transferrable this will be? It doesn't seem like it demonstrates much skill to merely hit the same shots again and again. Any idiot can memorise the positioning of the bow and the like.'
Gengyo failed to recognise the brilliance of his progress. If anything, he was even harsher on himself than he had been before. But that was what had made him so successful in his previous life – that and his intelligence.
Even after Gengyo had run through all the motions, and spent a little time thinking in between, Akiko had still not returned.
Almost half an hour had passed, and Gengyo was actually starting to become worried.