Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [36]
‘But I lost,’ he sighed. ‘That’s what they’ll remember. There’s no glory in coming second.’
‘It’s not what I’ll remember,’ replied Jack. ‘I’ll remember a friend fighting for me and for honour.’
Yamato attempted a smile, but he was inconsolable. His chance to prove his worth had slipped through his fingers. And now, as Masamoto approached, Jack saw the weight of failure hang heavy on Yamato’s shoulders. Yamato dropped into a bow and awaited his father’s verdict.
Masamoto studied his son, an austere expression on his face.
‘Yamato-kun, you lasted far longer than I predicted. But you let Kazuki outwit you. By telling you where he was, he also knew where you would attack. That was your mistake.’
‘Yes, Father,’ mumbled Yamato.
Jack knew his friend was needing more than a lesson in combat. He needed to know his father accepted him whatever the outcome.
Masamoto turned to go. ‘Once your talent for the bō translates to the katana, you’ll be as fine a swordsman as Tenno was.’
14
YABUSAME
‘IN-YO, IN-YO, IN-YO!’ cried Sensei Yosa.
Jack saw a flash of colour as her horse thundered by, the steed snorting under the exertion. An arrow howled through the air, whizzing past Jack and shattering the square wooden target beside his head with a loud crack!
The students rattled their quivers to signal their delight at Sensei Yosa’s extraordinary display of horsemanship and archery. Having let go of the reigns to nock, draw and shoot her arrows, she continued down the track, standing high in her saddle and guiding the horse with only her toes.
Approaching the next target at breakneck speed, she raised her bow and released her second arrow. This too hit the mark and the cedar wood exploded into several pieces.
She had only moments in which to prepare herself to draw a third and final time, her stallion galloping past the target just as she launched her final arrow. With a hard bang, it struck the very centre of the mark, snapping it in two.
Her students shook their quivers and applauded even louder.
Sensei Yosa turned her steed on the spot and cantered back up the archery course. Situated in the picturesque wooded grounds of the ancient Kamigamo Shinto shrine, it was a purpose-made track with ropes down either side and three head height wooden targets in a line.
Jack and the others had been back at school just over a month when Sensei Yosa had announced that her kyujutsu class was competent enough to begin training in kisha, the art of shooting arrows from horseback. That morning they had gathered at the school’s stables, bows and arrows in hand, to select five horses for the lesson. From there, they’d made their way to the northern district of Kyoto where the Kamigamo shrine was located.
Sensei Yosa drew up her horse beside the group of trainee warriors lined along the edge of the track. Taking a moment to tie back her long dark hair, she revealed a face of quite startling beauty, graced with chestnut-coloured eyes. She could have been mistaken for a royal geisha rather than a warrior, if it had not been for the cruel red battle scar that cut across her right cheek.
‘The form of kisha you will be studying is called Yabusame,’ declared Sensei Yosa, dismounting. ‘It will not only sharpen your skills as an archer, but it’s a ritual that pleases the gods and will encourage their blessings upon our school.’
She pointed down the track.
‘Note the height of the targets. They’re at the same level as the space between the peak of an enemy’s helmet and their facemask. A direct hit here represents a fatal blow on the battlefield.’
Removing an arrow from the quiver attached to her right hip, she showed the class its blunt, wooden ball tip.
‘When training, you’ll use jindou, instead of the usual steel-tipped arrows. Since Yabusame is a ceremony dedicated to the gods, any weapon which draws blood cannot be used.’
As Sensei Yosa replaced the jindou, Jack leant