Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [52]
He beckoned Jack to begin. ‘Do not hold back.’
Jack charged at Sensei Yamada.
‘YAH!’
One moment Jack was striking with his bokken. The next he was flying backwards, all the power knocked out of his attack.
Jack landed on the temple floor, stunned. It was as if someone had punched him in the gut. His body felt tight and he found it hard to breathe. He flashed back to the time Dragon Eye had executed Dim Mak on him, blocking and destroying his ki. That Death Touch had almost killed him.
‘The feeling of constriction will pass,’ said Sensei Yamada, noting Jack’s distress. ‘I held back from using a full kiai.’
‘That was impressive,’ said Kazuki. ‘Can you do it again?’
‘No! The risk of internal injury is simply too great,’ explained Sensei Yamada. ‘A single demonstration is fine, but two attacks like that could kill.’
He helped Jack back to his feet.
‘Now I want everyone to attempt this kiai.’
A mixture of excitement and concern consumed the class.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Sensei Yamada, holding up his hand. ‘In these lessons, you’ll only practise on the singing bowl.’
Groans of disappointment emanated from Kazuki and his gang.
‘Remember, this is a skill to be used in battle, against your enemy. Now line up, so each of you can have a go.’
The students formed an orderly queue. The first in line was Saburo. Sensei Yamada positioned him a single pace from the bowl.
‘To perform this kiai, you must act like a bow and arrow. Inhale and draw your ki into the hara,’ he explained, indicating the area just below Saburo’s stomach. ‘This action is like an archer drawing back the bow. Then exhale, tightening the stomach and letting out a “YAH!”. This should have the feel of firing the arrow.’
Saburo screamed at the top of his lungs, his face turning bright red with the exertion. ‘YAAAAAAAAH!’
The bowl remained stubbornly silent.
‘Very good, Saburo-kun, full of intent,’ praised Sensei Yamada, ‘but you must ensure the sound isn’t forced out of the throat. The kiai should come from the hara and that way it will contain your ki.’
Saburo nodded keenly and hurried to the back of the line for another attempt.
‘As everyone’s skill grows, you’ll be able to make the bowl sing. With practice, you’ll move further away from the target until you can defeat your enemy at any distance.’
The rest of the afternoon was filled with a cacophony of shouts, yells and battle cries. When it came to Jack’s turn, he bellowed as loud as he could. But just as it had with everyone else’s attempts, the singing bowl remained unmoved.
Next, Yori meekly stepped up to the mark.
Jack watched as his friend took a breath and… squeaked.
The whole class erupted with laughter at the pathetic sound he’d produced. Even Sensei Yamada couldn’t help but smile.
Yori didn’t know where to look. Curling up with shame, he seemed to shrink into himself. Like a startled mouse, he scurried out the doors of the Buddha Hall.
21
WEAPONS WALL
‘Choose your weapon,’ ordered Sensei Kyuzo, picking Jack from the line of students in the Butokuden.
The taijutsu master stood in the centre of the dojo, his tiny rock-hard fists planted firmly on his hips. Not much bigger than a child, he was dwarfed by the huge pillars of cypress wood that supported the Butokuden’s immense vaulted ceiling. Yet, as every student in the Niten Ichi Ryū knew, this teacher of unarmed combat was not to be underestimated. He was as mean and dangerous as a pit viper.
Sensei Kyuzo’s beady black eyes followed Jack’s progress across the dojo to the Weapons Wall. Jack gazed in awe at the collection of armaments. There were the familiar bokken and katana swords, plus a good selection of deadly tantō knives. Jack also spotted a couple of nodaichi – their saya extra long to accommodate the huge blades. He recalled Masamoto facing one during a beach duel and how his guardian had been forced to use an oar to overcome the nodaichi’s deadly reach.
To his left hung several bows and arrows, alongside numerous wooden staffs of