Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [1]
ISBN: 978-0-14-195742-5
For Sarah, my wife
CONTENTS
Map: The Japans – 17th Century
Prologue – The Assassin
1 The Crutch
2 Blow Dart
3 The Third Ninja
4 The Demon Blade
5 Mother Love
6 Uekiya’s Garden
7 The Pearl
8 Bushido
9 The Hall of the Hawk
10 The Match
11 Haiku
12 Two Heavens
13 Knockdown
14 Yabusame
15 Bō Race
16 Snatch and Grab
17 Punishment
18 A Call To Arms
19 The Announcement
20 Kiaijutsu
21 Weapons Wall
22 Love Poetry
23 Autumn Leaf Strike
24 The Spy
25 Last Samurai Standing
26 Zanshin
27 Kukai
28 The Gracious Loser
29 The Friar
30 Kyosha
31 Fallen Rider
32 Fire of the Hawk
33 Moriko
34 Hanging
35 Yoshioka Ryū
36 Aftermath
37 Osaka Castle
38 Father Bobadillo
39 The Enemy
40 Siege
41 Moon-Viewing Party
42 Night Attack
43 Assassination
44 Never Hesitate
45 Double Life
46 The Blessing
47 Battle of Tenno-ji
48 The Red Devils
49 Sacrifice
50 Paper Crane
51 The Keep
52 Divine Justice
53 Shadow Warrior
54 Revenge
55 An Impossible Choice
56 Life of a Samurai
57 Sensei Kyuzo
58 The Last Stand
59 The Well
60 Mountain to Sea
61 Shogun
62 The Way of the Warrior
Notes on the Sources
Japanese Glossary
Acknowledgements
PROLOGUE
THE ASSASSIN
Japan, June 1613
Silent as a shadow, the assassin flitted from roof to roof.
Hidden by the darkness of night, the ninja crossed the moat, scaled the inner bailey wall and infiltrated deep into the castle grounds. His objective, the main tower, was a formidable keep of eight floors that sat at the heart of the supposedly impregnable castle.
Evading the samurai guards on the outer walls had been a simple matter. Lethargic due to the hot, airless night, they were more concerned about their own discomfort than the safety of their daimyo lord within the tower. Besides, their very belief that the castle was impenetrable meant the guards were lax in their duty – who would even attempt to break into such a fortress?
For the assassin, the hardest part would be getting inside the keep. The daimyo’s personal bodyguard wouldn’t be so negligent and the ninja had come as close as he could by traversing the roofs of the outer buildings. He now had to cross open ground to the solid stone base of the tower.
The ninja dropped from the roof and skirted the edge of a courtyard, using the plum and sakura cherry trees for cover. Passing silently through a tea garden with an oval pond, he made his way to the central well house. The assassin ducked inside as he heard a samurai patrol approach.
When the way was clear, the ninja darted across to the keep and like a black-skinned gecko effortlessly scaled the steep slope of its immense base. Swiftly reaching the fourth floor, he slipped in through an open window.
Once inside, the assassin knew exactly where he was going. Padding down the darkened corridor, he passed several shoji doors then bore right, making for a wooden staircase. He was about to ascend when a guard suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.
Like smoke, the ninja sank back into the shadows, his all-black shinobi shozoku clothing rendering him virtually invisible. Quietly, he drew a tantō knife in readiness to slit the man’s throat.
Oblivious to his proximity to death, the guard came down the stairs and walked straight past. The assassin allowed the man to live, having no wish to draw attention to his presence within the keep. As soon as the guard rounded the corner, the ninja resheathed his blade and climbed the stairs to the upper corridor.
Through the thin paper shoji before him, he could see the halos of two candles glowing in the gloom. Sliding open the door a notch, he put a single eye to the crack. A man knelt before an altar deep in prayer. There were no samurai present.
The assassin crept inside.
When he was within striking distance, the ninja reached