Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa [41]
“The Book of Changes? You aren’t carrying a book.”
“Not the written one, silly, the one inside me. My very own original Book of Changes. It’s in my heart or belly or somewhere. While I was standing there, I was considering the lay of the land, the look of the water and the condition of the sky. Then I shut my eyes, and when I opened them, something said, ‘Go to that mountain over there.”’ He pointed to a nearby peak.
“Are you talking about Takateru Mountain?”
“I have no idea what it’s called. It’s that one, with the level clearing about halfway up.”
“People call that Itadori Pasture.”
“Oh, it has a name, does it?”
When they reached it, the pasture proved to be a small plain, sloping to the southeast and affording a splendid view of the surroundings. Farmers usually turned horses and cows loose here to graze, but that night not an animal could be seen or heard. The stillness was broken only by the warm spring breeze caressing the grass.
“We’ll camp here,” announced Takuan. “The enemy, Takezō, will fall into my hands just as General Ts’ao Ts’ao of Wei fell into the hands of Ch’u-ko K’ung-ming.”
As they laid down their load, Otsū inquired, “What are we going to do here?”
“We are going to sit,” replied Takuan firmly.
“How can we catch Takezō by just sitting here?”
“If you set up nets, you can catch birds on the wing without having to fly around yourself.”
“We haven’t set up any nets. Are you sure you haven’t become possessed by a fox or something?”
“Let’s build a fire, then. Foxes are afraid of fire, so if I am I’ll soon be exorcised.”
They gathered some dry wood, and Takuan built a fire. It seemed to lift Otsū’s spirits.
“A good fire cheers a person up, doesn’t it?”
“It warms a person up, that’s for sure. Anyway, were you unhappy?”
“Oh, Takuan, you can see the mood I’ve been in! And I don’t think anyone really likes to spend a night in the mountains like this. What would we do if it rained right now?”
“On the way up I saw a cave near the road. We could take shelter there till it stopped.”
“That’s what Takezō probably does at night and in bad weather, don’t you think? There must be places like that all over the mountain. That’s probably where he hides most of the time, too.”
“Probably. He doesn’t really have much sense, but he must have enough to get in out of the rain.”
She grew pensive. “Takuan, why do the people in the village hate him so much?”
“The authorities make them hate him. Otsū, these people are simple. They’re afraid of the government, so afraid that if it so decrees, they’ll drive away their fellow villagers, even their own kin.”
“You mean they only worry about protecting their own skins.”
“Well, it’s not really their fault. They’re completely powerless. You have to forgive them for putting their own interests first, since it’s a case of self-defense. What they really want is just to be left alone.”
“But what about the samurai? Why are they making such a fuss about an insignificant person like Takezō?”
“Because he’s a symbol of chaos, an outlaw. They have to preserve the peace. After Sekigahara, Takezō was obsessed with the idea that the enemy was chasing him. He made his first big mistake by breaking through the barrier at the border. He should’ve used his wits somehow, snuck through at night or gone through in disguise. Anything. But not Takezō! He had to go and kill a guard and then kill other people later on. After that it just snowballed. He thinks he has to keep on killing to protect his own life. But he’s the one who started it. The whole unfortunate situation was brought about by one thing: Takezō’s complete lack of common sense.”
“Do you hate him too?”
“I loathe him! I abhor his stupidity! If I were lord of the province, I’d have him suffer the worst punishment I could devise. In fact, as an object lesson to the people, I’d have him torn limb from limb. After all, he’s no better than a wild beast, is he? A provincial lord cannot afford to be generous with the likes of Takezō,