The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [89]
What you fight is defeated … He’d duelled Araki, Botan, daimyo Sanada and overcome them all – though Kazuki was one unfinished fight.
What you want is sacrificed … What Jack really wanted was the companionship of his friends. He missed his loyal brother-in-arms Yamato, wise Yori, the ever-cheerful Saburo, the spirited Miyuki and, most importantly, his best friend, Akiko. But, once again, he found himself alone upon his journey, his friendships sacrificed through no fault of his own – condemned by the Shogun to a life on the run.
Jack stared at the rain falling upon a nearby paddy field. Rings of water rippled outwards from every raindrop and he heard his father’s voice in his head from that first day they’d set sail for the Japans …
Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean.
Jack realized that as long as he was fortunate enough to meet friends like Ronin and Hana along the way, he had a good chance of making it to Nagasaki alive.
Find your heart and you’ll find your home, the Riddling Monk had said.
Striding onward, Jack knew exactly where his heart was.
NOTES ON THE SOURCES
The following quotes are referenced within Young Samurai: The Ring of Water (with the page numbers in square brackets) and their sources are acknowledged here:
1. [Page 32] ‘What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.’ By Oliver Wendell Holmes (American poet and writer, 1809–94).
2. [Page 33] ‘Do not walk in front of me; I may not follow. Do not walk behind me; I may not lead.’ By Albert Camus (French novelist, 1913–60).
3. [Page 248] ‘There are many paths but only one journey.’ By Naomi Judd Holmes (American singer, b. 1946).
4. [Page 248] ‘The only journey is the one within.’ By Rainer Maria Rilke (poet, 1875–1926).
5. [Page 253] ‘A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.’ By Tim Cahill (Australian athlete, b. 1979).
6. [Page 262] ‘We … would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.’ By Franklin D. Roosevelt (US President, 1882–1945).
7. [Page 270] ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ The Bible, Romans 12:21.
8. [Page 280] ‘Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.’ By Ryunosuke Satoro (Japanese poet, dates of birth/death unknown).
RIDDLE ME THIS …
A Young Samurai challenge!
Can you solve the following brainteasers by the Riddling Monk? Or will you go mad trying to think of the answer?
Riddle 1
Which is heavier: a tonne of gold or a tonne of feathers?
Riddle 2
Where’s the bottom at the top?
Riddle 3
If a grasshopper halves the distance to a wall on every jump, how many jumps will he need to reach the wall if he starts from ten feet away?
Riddle 4
Jin is standing behind Kuzo, but Kuzo is standing behind Jin. How can that be?
Riddle 5
I have no voice yet I speak to you.
I tell of all things in the world that people do.
I have leaves, but I am not a tree.
I have pages, but I am not a bride.
I have a spine and hinges, but I am not a man or a door.
I have told you all, I cannot tell you more.
What am I?
Riddle 6
No legs have I to dance,
No lungs have I to breathe,
No life have I to live or die
And yet I do all three.
What am I?
Riddle 7
You are in a room with two doors – one leads further into the dungeon, one leads to freedom. There are two guards in the room, one at each door. One always tells the truth. One always lies. What one question can you ask one of the guards that will help you pick the door to freedom?
Answers can be found on the Young Samurai website
www.youngsamurai.com
THE GAME OF GO
History
Go is one of the oldest board games in the world. It is believed to have originated in China more than 3,000 years ago. Legend says the Chinese Emperor Yao had his counsellor Shu design the game for his unruly son, Danzhu, to teach him discipline, concentration and balance.
Go was introduced to Japan between the fifth and seventh centuries AD and soon gained popularity at the Imperial court. By the thirteenth century, the game