Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [39]
Once again, Sensei Kano had led his students at dawn up Mount Hiei for their lesson in the Art of the Bō. He considered the long walk good conditioning for them and the mountain air beneficial to training.
‘I heard three attacks avoided. And you, Yamato-kun, were highly aware of your surroundings. Two strikes on target are praiseworthy for a first attempt at blind kumite, but please control your strength next time. It sounds like Jack-kun took quite a tumble. Let’s have the next two students.’
Relieved the free-fighting session was over, Jack handed over his blindfold to another student and knelt back in line between Yori and Akiko. He massaged his aching shoulder, groaning as his fingers found the bruise.
‘Are you hurt badly?’ asked Akiko, noting Jack’s pained expression.
‘No, I’m fine… but I’m still not sure why we’re learning to fight blindfolded,’ replied Jack under his breath, ‘when all of us can see.’
‘As I explained before, Jack-kun,’ interrupted Sensei Kano, whose acute sense of hearing had picked up the comment from the opposite side of the courtyard, ‘to see with eyes alone is not to see at all. In my lessons, you’re learning not to rely upon your eyes to defend yourself. As soon as you open your eyes, you begin to make mistakes.’
‘But wouldn’t I make fewer mistakes if I could see what my enemy was doing?’ asked Jack.
‘No, young samurai. You must remember the eyes are the windows to your mind,’ explained Sensei Kano. ‘Come stand on this step before me and I will show what I mean.’
Sensei Kano beckoned him over. Jack got to his feet and joined him on the steps.
‘Look at my feet,’ instructed the sensei.
Jack studied his teacher’s open-toed sandals and was instantly struck on top of the head by the sensei’s bō staff.
‘My apologies, I’m blind and sometimes clumsy,’ said Sensei Kano. ‘Please keep an eye on my staff for me.’
Jack followed the tip of the white staff, ensuring he was not caught out again.
Sensei Kano kicked him sharply in the shin.
‘Oww!’ Jack exclaimed, hobbling backwards.
The students all sniggered behind their hands.
‘Lesson over,’ stated Sensei Kano. ‘Now do you understand?’
‘Not really, Sensei…’ said Jack, rubbing his sore shin.
‘Think about it! If you look at an opponent’s feet your attention will be directed to his feet, and if you look to his weapon your attention will be drawn to his weapon. So it follows, when you look to the left you forget the right, and when you look to the right you forget the left.’
Sensei Kano let the message sink in. He pointed to his own sightless eyes.
‘Whatever is being contemplated within never fails to be revealed through the eyes. Your enemy will take advantage of this. In order to fight without giving yourself away, you must learn to fight without relying on your eyes.’
Jack put down his writing brush. After his humiliation in front of Sensei Kyuzo over not being able to write kanji, Akiko had offered to teach him the basics of calligraphy. Whenever they had free time before dinner, they would meet in her room and she would show him a new kanji character and the correct order of brushstrokes needed to form it.
Akiko looked up at Jack, wondering why he had stopped halfway through her explanation of the character for ‘temple’.
Jack took a breath. Since his discovery of the Scorpion Gang and losing his sword, this was the first opportunity he’d had to speak with Akiko alone and he was uncertain how to tackle the mystery of her absence the previous evening.
‘Where were you last night?’ Jack eventually asked. ‘You weren’t in your room.’
She blinked once, her mouth visibly tightening at Jack’s inappropriate directness.
‘I don’t know what it’s like in England, but that’s not the sort of question you ask a lady in Japan,’ she replied coolly and started to pack away her writing tools. ‘Perhaps the question that should be asked is, where were you?’
‘Me? I was at the Butokuden…’
‘That will explain why I found this,’ she snapped, sliding open the door of her wall closet and taking out Jack’s katana.