Newsletter 1156
(Part One)
Ten year old Sokaku Takeda crawled into the branches of a tall tree and prepared himself to watch and learn. Mid-morning the Imperial troops sallied forth, and were met with wave upon wave of arrows. The men of the Aizu clan were remarkable bowmen, and the Imperials had good armor, still, the downslope of the vale was covered with screaming men by the time the Imperials reached the bottom and began their charge.
Still shooting arrows, the Aizu drew back to the tree line. The cavalry, blunted, pulled around and let the infantry through, and now the battle began in earnest. Lines of marching men were separated by the trees, and the Aizu, who had picked their strategy well, engaged with spear and sword.
Screams, shrieks, orders shouted into the bloody wind. More Imperials arrived, and the Aizu were driven back. Underneath Sokaku’s tree several Aizu made a stand.
Arrows thunked, and were slashed out of the air by arcing swords. The swords, polished to a high degree over the past days, were now shiny with blood, slick with the fluid of dying men. Raptly, and with no trace of fear, the ten year old boy watched as an Imperial Samurai reached the small conflict taking place at the base of his tree.
The samurai deflected and moved past a spear thrust, and then his own sword was deflected, and a dagger placed just so between the joint of arm and chest. It slipped through the armor and the warrior gave a groan and sank to his knees. For a moment, the battle raged, then the small group of Aizu moved back, and the lone Samurai was left, alone, on his knees, to bleed out his final few moments of life.
The muted roar of the battle wafting through the trees, the ferocious action moved elsewhere, the Samurai looked up. Whether to glimpse a final glimpse of sky, or to see the heavens open to receive him, the result was the same–he went eyeball to eyeball with a ten year old boy. Avidly, Sokaku had studied the techniques used in the battle, and now he was beyond technique, he was in the depths of a departing spirit.
For long moments the two stared at one another, eyes wide, sharing an eternal moment, then the Samurai’s pupils seemed to dilate, and he sighed, and he died. He died in place, on his knees, but upright, too proud to lay down even in death. And the boy felt the spirit leave, and he marveled at its easy passing.
And though the Samurai was an Imperial–had been an Imperial–he was still a Samurai, and the boy felt pride, for he was a Samurai, too. Then he felt a double dose of pride, for not only was he Samurai, like the brave warrior who knelt beneath him, but he was Aizu, the fiercest of the Samurai. And through the day the battle swelled and receded like storm tossed waters, and again and again warriors fought and the boy held his perch and watched and learned.
TO BE CONTINUED…
About the Author: Al Case began martial arts in 1967. He became a writer/columnist for martial arts magazines, and has produced 100s of books and 100s of hours of martial arts videos. If you want to learn how to use the sword as well as Sokaku Takeda, check out Al’s course on…
Have a great work out!
Al Case
MonsterMartialArts.com
