A speck of white, no bigger than an eye, flared brightly in the midday sun.
A temple gong chimed, its sound shimmering over the school's rooftops.
A streak of feathers, with the speed of a hawk swooping down on its
prey, shot through the air accompanied by a high shrill whistling; then a
resounding thump, like the single beat of a heart, as the arrow penetrated
the very centre of the white target.
A second arrow struck a moment later, parallel to the first, its feathered
flights quivering.
The students applauded. Sensei Yosa maintained her stance a moment
longer, the intensity of her concentration palpable. She then lowered her
bow and approached her students.
'Kyujutsu demands a unique combination of talents in a samurai,' she
began. 'The determination of a warrior, the grace of a dancer and the
spiritual peace of a monk.'
The students listened intently, all gathered at one end of the Nanzenniwa, the 'Southern Zen garden' behind the Butsuden. It was a garden of
beautiful simplicity, designed around a long rectangular stretch of raked
white sand and decorated with monolithic stones and carefully cultivated
plants. An ancient pine tree, twisted and bent by the elements, stood in the
opposite corner. Like a frail old man, its trunk was propped up by a wooden
crutch. The target was under this tree and, being at the other end of the
garden, it appeared no larger than Jack's own head, its central white
bullseye almost undetectable within the two concentric rings of black.
'The bow is the weapon of choice for long-range fighting. It can be fired
by both man and woman, girl and boy, with equally devastating results.'
Jack knelt between Yamato and Akiko, in awe both at the lithe beauty
and the supreme skill of Sensei Yosa. He was being taught by a lethal angel,
he thought.
'All the daimyo have been trained in kyujutsu, from Takatomi Hideaki to
Kamakura Katsuro, to Masamoto Takeshi himself. And, of course, it was
the weapon that made Tomoe Gozen a legend.'
Akiko was transfixed by Sensei Yosa's words. The mention of Tomoe
Gozen had delighted Akiko so much that Jack thought she might burst into
open applause at any second.
'Unlike the sword, the fist or the foot, the bow resists you. At full draw
the bow is nine-tenths towards actually snapping in half!'
The students gasped in astonishment. Kazuki, though, gazed around,
appearing a little bored with it all. Perhaps there wasn't enough violence for
him, mused Jack.
'Mastering the Way of the Bow is akin to a pyramid, where the finer
skills sit atop a very broad and firm base. You must take the requisite
amount of time to build up a strong foundation. We will develop each stage
in turn over the coming months,' she said, tenderly caressing the feathered
flight of an arrow between thumb and forefinger. 'Today, though, I simply
want everyone to get a feel for the bow. If you're able, maybe even shoot an
arrow.'
There was a murmur of excitement at the possibility of actually shooting
at a target. Akiko knelt even more erect, a wound-up spring ready to jump
to her feet at the first opportunity.
'To begin with, please watch closely, so that you can copy my
movements,' said Sensei Yosa, stepping up to the mark. 'The first principle
in kyujutsu is that the spirit, bow and body are as one.'
Sensei Yosa lined herself up, side on to the target, and settled herself into
a wide stance, so that she formed an A-shape with her body.
'The second principle is balance. Balance is the foundation stone to
kyujutsu. Picture yourself as a tree. Your lower half is the trunk and roots,
stable and solid. Your upper body forms the branches, flexible yet retaining
their form and function. This balance is what will make you a great
kyudoka!'
Sensei Yosa held her bowstring with her right hand, then positioned her
left carefully on the bow's grip. She raised the bow, which was taller than
she was, above her head and prepared to draw.
'There is a constant struggle between the mind and body to control the
flow of the draw. To strike a target with any degree of precision, absolute
focus is required. This is the third principle. The slightest imbalance, a
wrong breath, any loss of concentration will result in a miss.'
Sensei Yosa brought the bow down, drawing the string past her
cheekbone and the arrow in line with her eye, so that her ruby-red scar was
framed between them.
'When your spirit and balance are correct, the arrow will strike its target.
To give yourself completely to the Way of the Bow is your spiritual goal.'
Sensei Yosa completed the draw in a single fluid movement, the arrow
soared through the air and once again struck the centre of the target.
'Who would like to have a go first?' asked Sensei Yosa.
Akiko's hand shot straight up. Emi, seeing an opportunity to outshine
Akiko again, raised her hand too.
'Well, let us begin with you two. Please use these two bows. They should
be of a suitable size and draw strength,' said Sensei Yosa, indicating the
lower part of a rack behind her.
'Good luck,' said Kiku genially to Emi as the girl rose to take up her
position.
'Luck is for the inept,' she said, dismissing Kiku as if she were some
minion, and strode up to the mark.
'Ladies, I would like you to draw the bow as I demonstrated, but do not
release until I say so.'
They both raised their weapons and drew back, framing themselves
within the curve of their bows. Standing beside Akiko, Emi was noticeably
taller, her slender figure accentuated by unusually long, arrow-straight hair.
Her face had a sharp beauty, highlighted by a pinprick of a mouth. In all,
Jack thought, she mirrored her family kamon, the crane – tall, slim and
elegant.
'Good. You both show acceptable form. You may shoot in your own
time; aim at the nearest target,' she said, pointing to one only ten or so
paces away.
Emi released, but the bowstring caught on her arm and her arrow
fluttered weakly through the air before landing short of the target.
Akiko's shot was more impressive, flying straight but wide of the target.
'That was a fair first attempt,' said Sensei Yosa. 'You have both done this
before?'
'Hai, Sensei,' admitted Emi with a sour look on her face.
'Not me, Sensei,' said Akiko, much to Emi's displeasure.
'I am most impressed, Akiko-chan,' said Sensei Yosa. 'You demonstrate
natural aptitude for the bow.'
'I want to try again with my second arrow,' demanded Emi petulantly.
Sensei Yosa, slightly taken aback at the girl's haughty tone, appraised
both the girls before replying. 'I'm not against a bit of a competition. It
encourages talent. Please, both of you step up to the mark. Let's see if you
can hit the target this time.'
Emi lined up again, drew her bow and shot cleanly. The arrow struck the
outer black ring of the target. She looked down her nose at Akiko, assured
of her victory.
'Very good, Emi-chan. Let's see if Akiko-chan can improve on that,' said
Sensei Yosa, setting the challenge.
Akiko stepped up to the mark.
Jack held his breath as she positioned herself and took hold of the
bowstring. He could see her hands shaking slightly as she reached for the
bow grip and tried to calm her breathing. Her face then became fixed with a
steely determination. She steadied herself, raised the bow above her head
and, lowering it slowly, drew back on the string. Jack could see Emi willing
Akiko to miss. And with the bullseye appearing so small, how was Akiko
ever going to hit it?
Pulling the bowstring past her cheek, she released the arrow. It cut
through the air, and struck the target a thumb's width closer to the centre
than Emi's shot. Jack let out a celebratory yell and immediately the other
students joined in. Akiko beamed with a mixture of delight and
astonishment.
'Excellent, Akiko-chan. You may both sit down,' said Sensei Yosa. 'Who
would like to be next?'
Several other students immediately threw up their hands, while a
disgruntled Emi and a jubilant Akiko knelt back in line.
Jack watched as each student took their turn.
When Kazuki and Nobu stepped up, they both selected the biggest bows
they could find from the rack, despite Sensei Yosa's warning that they
would be too powerful for them. Nobu immediately proved her right. He
lost his grip on the bow, the string snapped back into place and caught him
hard across the cheek. Nobu howled in pain, much to everyone's delight.
Even Kazuki laughed at his friend's misfortune.
Then it was Jack's turn.
He stepped up to the mark, nocked an arrow and drew back his bow. Out
of nowhere, something struck him on the cheek. Distracted, he lost his grip
and the arrow flew off out of control. It hit a large standing stone and
ricocheted towards Sensei Yosa, who was standing to one side. The arrow
landed at Sensei Yosa's feet, snagging the edge of her tabi.
'STOP!' she shouted.
No one moved. A deathly silence fell upon the garden. Jack could clearly
hear the scrape of the arrow tip as Sensei Yosa tugged it out of the ground,
then the crunch of the gravel as she approached.
'Jack-kun,' she breathed into his ear, 'did I say you could release your
arrow?'
'So sorry, Sensei, but it wasn't my fault.'
'Take responsibility for yourself! You are the bow. You had control. See
me after class, when I will prescribe you your punishment.'
'Excuse me, Sensei Yosa,' said Yori timorously.
'What is it, Yori-kun?'
'It was not Jack, Sensei Yosa. Someone threw a stone at him.'
'Is this true?' she demanded of Jack. 'Who did it then?'
'I don't know,' he replied, although he was certain he could guess.
'Yori? Who was responsible?'
The little boy bowed and nervously whispered Kazuki's name.
'What was that, Yori-kun?' asked Sensei Yosa, not hearing his first
attempt.
'Kazuki, Sensei…' And Yori's voice trailed off.
Kazuki's eyes flared with anger at this open betrayal and he made to
move on Yori, but shrank back as Sensei Yosa thundered, 'KAZUKI-KUN!
You will see me after class when we will discuss your punishment. Now
fetch my arrows from the target!'
Kazuki swiftly bowed and dashed to the target. He was so terrified of her
wrath that he struggled to pull the arrows out. He had just managed to
retrieve the first one, when an arrow shot by his ear and impaled the sleeve
of his kimono to the target. He spun round, eyes bulging, mouth open in
silent horror.
'Arouse a bee, Kazuki-kun, and it will come at you with the force of a
dragon!' she called down the garden as she nocked another arrow.
'Kyujutsu is highly dangerous for a student. Do not fool around. Do you
understand, Kazuki-kun?'
She let fly the second arrow. Kazuki didn't even have time to blink. The
arrow clipped him just above the head, parting his hair before striking the
target. Kazuki, writhing to escape like a worm impaled on a hook, was
desperate to end his humiliation.
'Hai, Sensei Yosa! Moushiwake arimasen deshita!' he blurted,
expressing the highest form of apology possible.
Jack relished his enemy's comeuppance. Perhaps, next time, Kazuki
would not be so eager to harass him.
Jack turned to Yori to bow his appreciation, but the little boy didn't
acknowledge him. He merely knelt there, with blank eyes, biting his lower
lip anxiously.