Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [51]
All of a sudden the students were abuzz. Jack looked around, wondering what was going on.
Saburo leaned over and excitedly whispered, ‘It’s the secret art of the sohei!’
The sohei, as Jack knew, were the legendary warrior monks of the Enryakuji Temple. It was rumoured that using ki, their spiritual energy, they could defeat their enemies without even drawing their swords. The sohei became the most powerful Buddhist sect in Japan, until forty years ago the samurai General Nobunaga gathered together a massive force and destroyed them. It had been thought that no warrior monks survived the attack. Jack, however, had discovered that Sensei Yamada himself had once been sohei. But only he, Akiko and Saburo had known this. Until now.
As the singing bowl’s ring faded to nothing, so too did the students’ chatter. Sensei Yamada seemed pleased to have their undivided attention.
‘What purpose has a kiai in a fight?’ he asked the class.
Several hands shot up, all eager to respond.
‘It’s a shout that scares your opponent,’ said Kazuki.
‘A battle cry to help focus and strengthen your attack,’ suggested Yamato.
‘The yell confuses your enemy,’ blurted Saburo.
Sensei Yamada pointed to Akiko, who was waiting patiently to give her answer.
‘It helps you to overcome your fear.’
Sensei Yamada nodded, waving the other students’ hands down.
‘Yes, it is all those. But what you’re describing is purely a shout – a kakegoe. A kiai is something deeper. It is the projection of the fighting spirit into the voice.’
The class all looked bemused.
‘How do you do it?’ asked Saburo eagerly. Jack smiled to himself. Never before had he seen his friend so animated during one of Sensei Yamada’s classes.
‘In essence, you channel your inner energy, ki, through a battle cry, and strike at your enemy’s own spiritual energy. When mastered, kiaijutsu can be a weapon as devastating as any katana.’
Though no one would dare question Sensei Yamada, there were many incredulous looks and a few snorts of disbelief.
‘You don’t believe me?’ he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Walking to the other side of the hall, the old monk turned to face the singing bowl and took a deep breath as if preparing for meditation. Without warning, a shout exploded from him. It was so forceful and unexpected, several students screamed.
On the other side of the hall, the bowl rang out as if struck by a mallet.
The class was stunned into silence.
‘The sohei developed secret mantras for the most dangerous kiai,’ explained Sensei Yamada. ‘I will teach you these words of power, but they should never be used except in battle. With a kiai, you directly attack your opponent’s spirit and their will to fight. The shout literally shocks him into defeat.’
From personal experience, Jack knew Sensei Yamada was capable of unbelievable feats of martial arts. After all, it had been the Zen master who’d taught him the devastating butterfly kick. But to Jack’s Western thinking, this was something else. A skill beyond belief.
‘Sensei,’ said Jack, raising his hand, ‘a person is completely different from a bell. How can a kiai possibly defend against a sword attack?’
‘Perhaps you need a little convincing?’ said Sensei Yamada, smiling playfully. ‘Attack me with your bokken.’
Jack hesitantly got to his feet and approached the Zen master. He now regretted expressing doubt at his teacher’s powers. Looking into the monk’s eyes, he could see the sohei spirit in him.
‘But didn’t you say a kiai should only be used in battle?’
‘Yes, I did, but don’t worry. I’ve done this many times before. I won’t kill you.’
‘Shame!’ muttered Kazuki under his breath.
Jack ignored the comment, too nervous about what Sensei Yamada might do to him.
‘The first kiai you’ll be taught is “YAH!”,’ Sensei Yamada lectured as Jack withdrew his sword and prepared to attack. ‘This power word represents the sound and force of an arrow being