Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa [485]
The atmosphere was rather like that of a harmonious family seated around its patriarch, not completely informal, to be sure, for the idea that his lordship was just one of the boys was not encouraged, but the usually rigorous etiquette was relaxed a bit. Tadatoshi, lounging in a lightweight hemp kimono, encouraged an exchange of views, which often included the latest gossip.
“Okatani,” said his lordship, singling out one of the more robust men.
“Yes, sir.”
“I hear you’re pretty good with the lance now.”
“That’s right. Very good, in fact.”
“Ha, ha. You certainly don’t suffer from false modesty.”
“Well, sir, with everybody else saying so, why should I deny it?”
“One of these days I’ll find out for myself how advanced your technique really is.”
“I’ve been looking forward to that day, but it never seems to come.” “You’re lucky it doesn’t.”
“Tell me, sir, have you heard the song everybody’s singing?”
“What’s that?”
“It goes like this:
There’re lancers and lancers,
All sorts of lancers,
But the greatest one of all is
Okatani Gorōji—”
Tadatoshi laughed. “You can’t take me in that easily. That song’s about Nagoya Sanzō.”
The others joined in the laughter.
“Oh, you knew?”
“You’d be surprised at what I know.” He was on the verge of giving further evidence of this but thought better of it. He enjoyed hearing what his men were thinking and talking about and considered it his duty to keep himself well informed, but it would hardly do to reveal just how much he actually knew. Instead he asked, “How many of you are specializing in the lance, how many in the sword?”
Out of seven, five were studying the lance, only two the sword. “Why do so many of you prefer the lance?” asked Tadatoshi.
The consensus among the lancers was that it was more effective in battle. “And what do the swordsmen think about that?”
One of the two replied, “The sword is better. Swordsmanship prepares you for peace as well as for war.”
This was a perennial subject for discussion and the debate was usually lively.
One of the lancers asserted, “The longer the lance is, the better, provided it’s not too long to handle efficiently. The lance can be used for striking, thrusting or slicing, and if you fail with it, you can always fall back on your sword. If you have only a sword and it gets broken, that’s it.”
“That may be true,” rejoined an exponent of sword fighting, “but a samurai’s work isn’t limited to the battlefield. The sword is his soul. To practice its art is to refine and discipline your spirit. In the broadest sense, the sword is the basis for all military training, whatever drawbacks it may have in battle. If you master the inner meaning of the Way of the Samurai, the discipline can be applied to the use of the lance, or even guns. If you know the sword, you don’t make silly mistakes or get taken unawares. Swordsmanship is an art with universal applications.”
The argument might have gone on indefinitely, had not Tadatoshi, who had been listening without taking sides, said, “Mainosuke, what you just said sounds to me like something you heard somebody else say.”
Matsushita Mainosuke grew defensive. “No, sir. That’s my own opinion.” “Come now, be honest.”
“Well, to tell the truth, I heard something similar when I was visiting Kakubei recently. Sasaki Kojirō said about the same thing. But it fitted in so well with my own idea … I wasn’t trying to deceive anyone. Sasaki just put it into words better than I could.”
“I thought as much,” said Tadatoshi with a knowing smile. The mention of Kojirō’s name reminded him that he had not yet made a decision as to whether to accept Kakubei’s recommendation.
Kakubei had suggested that since Kojirō was not very old, he might be offered a thousand bushels or so. But much more than the matter of the stipend was involved. Tadatoshi had been told by his father many times that it was of prime importance to first exercise good judgment in hiring samurai and then to treat them well. Before accepting a candidate, it was imperative to assess not