'I wasn't the one who confronted him,' said Jack, sitting cross-legged in
between Akiko and Yamato.
'It doesn't matter,' stressed Akiko. 'It's all about face.'
'Face?' queried Jack, but before Akiko could reply they were interrupted
by several servants laden with trays of food.
The servants arranged the dishes precisely on the tables. Bowls of miso
soup, fried noodles, pickled vegetables, different varieties of raw fish, some
soft white cubes that were called tofu, little dishes filled with a dark salty
liquid – soy sauce for dipping, informed Akiko helpfully – and a number of
heaped servings of steaming boiled rice. Jack had never seen so many
different types of food to choose from. The sheer variety of dishes implied
that this was a highly prestigious event.
'Itadakimasu!' cried Masamoto, now that the banquet had been served.
'Itadakimasu!' responded all the students and they began to tuck in.
With so much on offer, it was difficult for Jack to know where to start.
He picked up the hashi and carefully adjusted his grip. Although he was
getting used to the little chopsticks, he still found small morsels tricky to
eat.
'You were saying it's all about face,' prompted Jack, selecting a goodsized piece of sushi.
'Yes. It's very important for a Japanese person never to "lose face",'
replied Akiko.
'How can you lose a face?' asked Jack incredulously.
'It's not a physical thing, Jack,' explained Yamato. 'Face is our
perception of another person's status. It's crucial to maintain face. Face
translates into power and influence. If you "lose face", you lose authority
and respect.'
'You made him "lose face" in front of his fellow students,' agreed Akiko.
'So, he "lost face",' said Jack, shrugging and pointing his hashi at the
boy with the red sun kamon. 'Who is he anyway?'
The boy stared directly at Jack, his eyes narrowing aggressively.
'Don't do that!' scolded Akiko.
'Do what?'
'Point your hashi at him. Don't you remember what I taught you? It is
considered very rude,' said Akiko, exasperated at Jack's continual
uncivilized behaviour. 'And don't leave them sticking up in your bowl of
rice either!'
'For heaven's sake, why not?' exclaimed Jack, immediately retrieving his
offending hashi from the rice bowl. He would never get this Japanese
etiquette right, he thought. There was just so much to think about for each
and every action and occasion, however insignificant or senseless.
Suddenly he realized everyone on his table was staring at him. He
dropped his eyes to the dish in front of him and started picking at its
contents.
'Because it means someone has died,' said Akiko, in a hushed tone,
bowing. 'Only at a funeral service are hashi stuck into the rice. The bowl is
then placed at the head of the deceased so that they won't starve in the next
world.'
'Why didn't you tell me that before?' fumed Jack under his breath.
'Everything I do is thought of as rude by you people. Come to England and
your habits would be thought of as very odd. I'm sure even you could
offend somebody!'
'I'm sorry, Jack,' said Akiko timorously, bowing her head. 'I apologize.
It's my fault for not teaching you properly.'
'And will you stop apologizing!' shouted Jack, holding his head in his
hands with sheer frustration.
Akiko went very quiet. Jack glanced up. The students on his table were
pretending hard to ignore them, but it was clear that his tone with Akiko
had been entirely inappropriate. Yamato glared at him but said nothing.
'I'm sorry, Akiko,' Jack mumbled. 'You're only trying to help me. It's
just so difficult speaking, thinking and living like a Japanese all the time.'
'I understand, Jack. Now please enjoy the meal,' she replied flatly.
Jack continued to work his way through the various bowls, in rotation,
but they had somewhat lost their flavour. He hated the fact he had upset
Akiko, and even worse he had shouted at her in front of other people. He
was sure she had 'lost face' by his actions. When Jack looked up again, the
boy with the sun kamon was still staring at him, a belligerent scowl on his
face.
'Akiko,' he said, bowing his head and speaking loud enough for those
around them to hear. 'Please accept my humblest apologies for my
behaviour. I'm still tired from our journey.'
'Thank you for your apology, Jack,' she said, and with the apology
formally accepted, the atmosphere round the table immediately lightened
and everyone resumed their polite conversations.
'Please, would you tell me who that boy is?' asked Jack, relieved that he
had managed to restore some degree of accord. Maybe he was beginning to
appreciate the intricacies of Japanese etiquette after all, he thought.
'I don't know,' she replied.
'I do,' offered an enthusiastic lad opposite Jack on the table. 'He's in the
same year as us. His name is Oda Kazuki, son of daimyo Oda Satoshi,
second cousin to the Imperial Line. That is why he bears the kamon of the
Imperial Sun. Some would consider the Oda family to be rather high and
mighty. Perhaps that's the reason his father named him, Kazuki. It means
"Shining One".'
They all stared at the boy with growing amazement as he continued to
talk unabated. He was a rather plain-looking lad with a chubby face whose
only outstanding feature were his eyebrows, thick black caterpillars fixed in
a permanent expression of surprise.
'I apologize,' he said, bowing. 'I didn't introduce myself. My name is
Saburo, I am the third son of Shimazu Hideo. Our kamon displays two
hawk's feathers – it symbolizes the swiftness, grace and dignity of the
hawk. My brother is Taro. You can see him near the top table. He is one of
the best students of kenjutsu in the school, this year he will be learning the
"Two Heavens" technique –'
'It's an honour to meet you,' interrupted Yamato politely. 'I am Yamato,
son of Masamoto Takeshi. This is my cousin, Akiko. And this is Jack. He is
from the other side of the world.'
They each bowed in turn as Yamato introduced them
'Ahh! The gaijin Masamoto saved,' said Saburo, warily acknowledging
Jack, then ignoring him in favour of Yamato. 'It is truly an honour to meet
you too, Yamato. I cannot wait to inform my mother that I dined opposite
Masamoto's surviving son. It was tragic what happened to Tenno. My
brother knew him. They sparred together many times –'
'And who is your friend?' asked Akiko quickly, seeing Yamato's mood
darken at the mention of his brother's death. A small girl with shoulderlength black hair and mousey-brown eyes sat to Saburo's left. But before
the girl could reply, Saburo answered for her.
'This here is Kiku, second daughter of Imagawa Hiromi, a famous Zen
priest.' They all bowed as Saburo continued. 'So who do you think will be
teaching us first? Do you think it will be Sensei Yosa? I hope so. Surely she
has to be reincarnated from a goddess. Our very own Tomoe Gozen, neh?'
Jack could see that Akiko was affronted by Saburo's offhand comments
of her idol and hurriedly thought of a question to move the conversation on.
'Saburo, what are the "Two Heavens"?' asked Jack, honestly intrigued to
find out.
'Ahh, the "Two Heavens" is Masamoto's secret –'
But before Saburo could elucidate any further, Masamoto brought a
formal end to the dinner with a cry of 'Go-chiso-samakohaita!'
There was a shout of 'REI, SENSEI!' and the whole room stood and
bowed as one. Masamoto and his sensei rose and made their way down the
centre of the Chō-no-ma and out into night. The students filed out silently
in order of seniority behind them.
Jack emerged into the cold clear night air, relieved to get away from the
constant eyeballing he had had to endure in the Hall of Butterflies. Any
time Jack had looked up from his bowl, Kazuki had shot him a
contemptuous look while the students around him laughed at something or
other he had said regarding the 'gaijin'.
Jack ambled behind Akiko, Yamato and Kiku, who were being closely
pursued by the talkative Saburo, as they made their way to the Hall of
Lions. He gazed up at the star-filled sky, trying to recognize the
constellations his father had taught him. Orion's Belt, the Plough,
Bellatrix…
Suddenly Kazuki materialized in front of him, blocking his path.
'Where do you think you're going, gaijin?'
'To bed, Kazuki. Like everyone else,' replied Jack, attempting to step
round him.
'Who gave you permission to use my name, gaijin?' said Kazuki,
forcibly pushing Jack backwards.
Jack stumbled and fell against another boy, who had sidled up behind
him. Jack rebounded off the boy's impressively large belly.
'Now you have insulted Nobu too. You owe us both an apology.'
'Apologize for what?' exclaimed Jack, trying again to get past, but
Nobu's sumo-like bulk refused to budge.
'How rude! Not willing to apologize. You should be punished,'
threatened Kazuki.
Jack heard Nobu cracking his fingers, as if limbering up to hit him, but
stood his ground.
'You wouldn't dare!' Jack shouted defiantly.
He glanced over Kazuki's shoulder. Akiko and Yamato, along with
everyone else, had already disappeared into the Hall of Lions. He felt his
bravado rapidly slipping.
'There's no one here, gaijin,' sneered Kazuki. 'See? You're not always
under Masamoto's protection. Who'd believe a gaijin anyway?'
Kazuki's hand shot out and grabbed Jack's left wrist, twisting it. The pain
was instant. His whole arm contorted and Jack dropped to his knees,
desperately trying to relieve the agony.
'First, you need to apologize for taking my seat. Second, you insulted me
in front of my friends. Third, you offended me greatly by pointing your
hashi at me. Apologize!' said Kazuki, rotating Jack's wrist further with
each demand and sending bolts of burning pain shooting through his arm.
'Apologize, gaijin!'
'Go to Hell!' spat Jack in English.
'What did you say?' said Kazuki, baffled by the strange-sounding words.
'You'd better be careful, gaijin. You wouldn't want to injure yourself before
starting your training now. Would you?'
Kazuki applied even more pressure. The pain seared white-hot through
Jack's arm and Kazuki drove him face first into the ground. Jack was
unable to move. Kazuki forced Jack's arm up and behind his back, and
purposefully rubbed Jack's face in the dirt.
'Enjoying the worms, gaijin? It's all your kind deserve to eat!' taunted
Kazuki. 'Gaijin aren't worthy to be taught our secrets. Our martial arts. You
don't belong. Go home, gaijin!'
He twisted Jack's arm one notch further and Jack could feel his arm
about to break again.
'Sensei!' warned Nobu.
Kazuki jumped to his feet, releasing his grip on Jack.
'Another time, gaijin!'
Then both Kazuki and Nobu were gone, fleeing round the corner of the
Chō-no-ma.
Jack lay there, clutching his arm to his chest. He trembled as he thought
of Kazuki's final words – 'Another time, gaijin!' – ominously echoing
Dragon Eye's own threat.
The pain subsided and he tested his arm cautiously. It wasn't broken, but
it still hurt a great deal when he moved it. As Jack lay there, nursing his
aching arm, Sensei Yamada shuffled up. The sensei leaned upon a bamboo
walking stick and looked down at Jack like he was inspecting an insect with
a broken wing.
'In order to be walked on, you have to be lying down,'5
he said matterof-factly, before resuming his unhurried journey across the courtyard
towards the sleeping quarters. 'What's that supposed to mean?' Jack called
after him, but the old sensei gave no reply. The only response was the
diminishing click of the walking stick as it echoed around the stone
courtyard.