Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [1]
Prologue – Dokujutsu
1 Knucklebones
2 The Rutter
3 The Daruma Wish
4 A Grain of Rice
5 Circle of Three
6 The Invitation
7 Randori
8 Submission
9 Fudoshin
10 The Nightingale Floor
11 The Golden Tea Room
12 Tamashiwari
13 Origami
14 Intruder
15 Sensei Kano
16 Mugan Ryū
17 Planting Seeds
18 Irezumi
19 Fighting Blind
20 The Scorpion Gang
21 Temple of the Peaceful Dragon
22 Maple Leaf Viewing
23 Breaking Boards
24 Trial by Wood and Fire
25 More than a Piece of Paper
26 The Gauntlet
27 The Selection
28 Break-in
29 The Decoy
30 Sticky Hands
31 Yuki Gassen
32 Scorpions vs Phoenix
33 Mushin
34 Ganjitsu
35 Hatsuhinode
36 The Net Widens
37 Body Challenge
38 Running On Empty
39 Yori
40 The Eyes of Buddha
41 Mind Over Matter
42 First Blood
43 Escape
44 Interrogation
45 Dim Mak
46 Mountain Monk
47 Spirit Combat
48 The Challenge
49 The Duelling Ground
50 No Sword
51 Kunoichi
52 Sasori
53 The Way of the Dragon
Notes on Sources
Acknowledgments
Japanese Glossary
Origami: How to Fold a Paper Crane
Sneak preview: The Way of the Dragon
PROLOGUE
DOKUJUTSU
Japan, August 1612
‘The Deathstalker is the most poisonous scorpion known to man,’ explained the ninja, taking a large black specimen from a wooden box and placing it into his student’s trembling hand. ‘Armed, silent and deadly, it’s the ultimate assassin.’
The student tried in vain to control her shaking as the eight-legged creature crawled over her skin, its stinger glistening in the half-light.
She knelt before the ninja in a small candlelit room crammed full of ceramic jars, wooden boxes and little cages. Inside these containers were an array of poisonous potions, powders, plants and creatures. The ninja had already shown her blood-red berries, bulbous blowfish, brightly coloured frogs, long-legged spiders and coils of black-hooded snakes – each specimen lethal to humans.
‘One sting from a Deathstalker and the victim suffers unbearable pain,’ the ninja went on, observing the fear flare in his student’s eyes. ‘Convulsions are followed by paralysis, loss of consciousness and finally death.’
At this, the student became still as stone, her eyes fixed on the scorpion crawling up her arm and towards her neck. Paying no attention to the imminent danger his student was in, the ninja continued with his instruction.
‘As part of your ninjutsu training, you must learn dokujutsu, the Art of Poison. When you’re sent on missions, you’ll discover that stabbing your victim with a knife is messy and there’s a high chance of failure. But poisoning is silent, hard to detect and, when administered properly, guaranteed to work.’
The scorpion had now reached her neck, having crept into the inviting dark of her long black hair. She turned her head away, trying to distance herself from the creature’s approach, her breathing shallow and rapid with panic. The ninja ignored her plight.
‘I will teach you how to extract the poison from different plants and animals, and which ones you should apply to your weapons, mix in food and lace your victim’s drink with,’ the ninja said, running his fingers over a cage and making the snake inside strike at the bars. ‘You must also build a tolerance to these poisons, since there’s nothing to be gained from dying by your own hand.’
He turned to see his student raising her arm to brush away the scorpion nestled in the crook of her neck. He gently shook his head.
‘Many toxins have an antidote. I will show you how to mix these. Others can be overcome by taking small amounts of the poison over time until your body has built a natural defence against it. There are others, though, for which no antidote exists.’
He pointed to a tiny blue-ringed octopus, no bigger than a baby’s fist, in a trough of water. ‘Beautiful as it is, this animal’s venom is so powerful it will kill a man in minutes. I recommend using this one in drinks like saké and sencha, since it is tasteless.’
The student could no longer bear the scorpion on her. She swiped at the creature, dislodging it from her hair, and screamed as it sank its