Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [58]
‘If that had been a steel blade, Taro’s katana would’ve cut straight through you,’ said Masamoto, a grim expression on his scarred face. ‘Jack-kun, you must execute this strike with great certainty. Put more strength into your feet, body and hands, and strike quickly with all three at once.’
‘Hai, Masamoto-sama,’ replied Jack, glumly kneeling back in line with the rest of the students. He’d been the only one in the class not to manage the Flint-and-Spark attack.
‘We’ll move on to the Autumn Leaf strike,’ Masamoto announced. ‘An appropriate Two Heavens technique for the season, I think. The heart of this attack is to strike down upon your opponent’s lead sword, disarming him and picking it up yourself. Watch carefully.’
Masamoto and Sensei Hosokawa withdrew their swords. As Sensei Hosokawa moved to attack, Masamoto surged forward, hitting Sensei Hosokawa’s katana twice in quick succession with his kissaki. The sword clattered to the floor.
‘This technique will only work if you don’t let up for a second during the attack,’ he explained, ushering the class to take up fighting positions in the dojo.
‘Practise until you’ve mastered it.’
Glad to escape the training pressure of Masamoto’s dojo, Jack stood alone on the veranda of the Southern Zen Garden. He gazed thoughtfully at a long rectangle of white sand raked to look like miniature waves. This formed the central feature of a garden decorated with large granite standing stones and meticulously pruned shrubs. In the far corner, like a frail old man, grew an ancient pine tree, its branches so twisted and bent by the elements that its trunk had to be propped up by a wooden crutch.
Jack took a deep breath, hoping the tranquil setting would lift his spirits.
By the end of a morning’s training, he’d still been struggling with the Autumn Leaf strike. Why couldn’t he do it? He was skilful enough with a single sword. But when he held two, he lost his control and accuracy. It frustrated him that after three months of Two Heavens training, he seemed to be getting worse rather than better.
Jack was certain the simplicity of the forms was hiding a deeper secret within. One Masamoto had yet to reveal. Or one he’d entirely missed. Whatever, he wouldn’t give up. With the possibility of war and Dragon Eye still out there, the Two Heavens was the key to his survival.
Taro emerged from the Hall of the Phoenix and, spotting Jack on the veranda, joined him in the Southern Zen Garden.
‘Don’t be disheartened by your lack of progress,’ said Taro. ‘The Two Heavens is known to be the hardest sword style in Japan. Learning it is like climbing a mountain with your feet tied together and your hands bound.’
‘But you can do it,’ said Jack. ‘What’s the secret?’
‘I once asked Masamoto-sama that,’ said Taro, laughing. ‘He said, “The secret is there is no secret.” ’
‘I don’t understand. There has to be.’
‘Exactly what I said. He just replied, “The teacher is the needle, the student the thread. As a student, you should practise without end.” I suppose that’s the secret. Continuous hard training.’
He gestured to the Zen garden with a sweep of his hand.
‘The Two Heavens is like this garden. I’ve no idea how the gardener created this. It looks beautiful, perfect and, at the same time, so simple. But I’m certain a great deal of time, thought and skill were put in to achieve this.’
‘So how long did it take you to master the technique?’ asked Jack.
Taro chuckled at the idea. ‘I’m barely a beginner. The Two Heavens takes a lifetime to master.’
Jack’s face dropped. ‘But I don’t have a lifetime. There’s a war coming.’
Taro nodded gravely. Studying Jack out of the corner of his eye, he said, ‘I can see you’re determined like me. If you want more practice, I’d be willing to train with you outside class.’
‘When?’ said Jack, bowing his appreciation.
‘You are keen. This evening?’
Jack nodded eagerly.
‘See you after dinner,’ said Taro, bowing and heading off in the direction of the Shishi-no-ma.
Jack remained behind in the garden. With Taro as a training