The Hand of Death Ch. 04

Chapter IV

"After crossing a river, you should get far away from it."

"The Art of War"

~by Sun Tzu~

I soon found myself with a full pack and holding the reins to a pack pony outside Shiro no Shotoku, a walled city to the northwest along the Wajima/Koga border. The Wajima were a small clan who occupied the Wajima peninsula between the Shotoku lands and the land of the Honshu. Shiro no Shotoku was the home of the Shotoku herb gardens and as I would eventually find out, the Koga Ninja school.

The city around Castle Shotoku was smaller than Goemon Toshi, but not by much. I saw many of the same types of people coming and going through the streets. I had more than enough to entertain me while we waited for our escort to the Shotoku Daimyo. Eventually, a man dressed as a courtier came for us with a servant.

"Sensei Nokizaru sama?" the courtier asked.

He was a young man with a slight build. He couldn't have weighed much more than me yet he looked to be about eighteen years of age. Grandfather answered him.

"Yes." He bowed to the man.

The courtier bowed back while saying, "I am Fujibayashi Nishi. Daimyo Yoshio sent me to escort you to the castle."

"Of course. We are ready, Nishi san."

With that, the servant took our things and the pony to the accommodations that had been set aside for Sensei and me in the samurai district of the city. We walked after Nishi towards his lord's court room.

The streets of the city were laid out in a nice orderly fashion that was easy to follow. It didn't take long for us to come to the gates of Castle Shotoku itself. Nishi walked us straight in past the guards and towards the entrance to the main hall. The castle was surrounded by stone walls two stories high with towers at the corners. The castle itself had a base of stone comprising the first two floors while the rest were of a lovely red lacquered wood resting atop the stone. Two more guards were posted at the entrance to the castle proper; they opened the doors as we approached. We all exchanged quick bows and continued on into the building.

We walked through a grand main entrance with murals and statues, and stopped at two large shoji screens of simple sea green. These marked the entrance to the Daimyo's main hall. Nishi went inside while we waited.

Our family's new Daimyo had held his throne for a little over a year. His father passed away abruptly, leaving it to his son as his only male heir. His father was 84 when he died, a very old age for a Giapanese. The man had been married three times and was the proud father of eight girls, until his last wife bore him Yoshio.

My knowledge of him, outside of this information, was slim. And the one lesson I learned from Tisada was this: Know everything about everyone. This, I promised myself I would do. Yoshio was not my enemy, but I was under his authority here, and I would not have ignorance as an excuse if I made a mistake.

Soon, a servant came to invite us in to see the Daimyo. We rose and entered. The hall was

beautiful. The ceiling soared three stories above the floor supported by marble columns of red. Daimyo Yoshio sat on his dais at the end of the hall. He was a young man, about sixteen, with short hair and a nervous manner. He wore a simple kimono of dull black with the Shotoku crest above his heart. I could have made him a nicer outfit. On his hip rested a dull daisho of worn brown lacquer. We approached and knelt before him.

Grandfather spoke. "Arigato gozaimasu for seeing us, my lord."

"Oh!? Hah! Of course Sensei Nokizaru. It is my pleasure I assure you." He sounded frightened.

"We are honored, my lord."

Yoshio nodded at this. "And who is this you have brought with you?"

"This is my pupil, Shotoku Hiro, my lord." I bowed my head in acknowledgment.

"Ahh, yes you mentioned that in your letter, did you not?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You must forgive me, Hiro san. I am still too new to all of this. It will take some time for me to become a real Daimyo."

I bowed again. "I can see nothing to forgive, my Daimyo. You are far greater than I."

He nodded. "Well, you must be tired from your long trip. Nishi? Be so kind as to take our new friends to their rooms please."

Nishi bowed to him and rose. "Of course, my Daimyo."

We rose and followed Nishi out of the room. He led us to the samurai district of the town. They had set aside a small house complete with a servant, for my master. Her name was Nokizaru Minoko. She was an older woman in her forties with good looks and an intelligent smile. She had made sure our things were placed in the appropriate rooms.

There were two sleeping rooms in the house, one for Sensei and one for me. There was a main room for daily meals and meetings, which was where Minoko slept. There was another small building adjacent to the house for preparing food. The entire house was surrounded by a one story wall for privacy, something Koga prefer to a view. The grounds around the house were a garden, with various trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers.

Once we had put away all of the weapons and other items we brought with us, Sensei handed me two silver pieces.

"Your kimono are starting to look a little old. Go buy yourself some material. You will need some new clothes in order to sit in court with Yoshio."

I just looked at him. Finally, when I realized he wasn't joking, I bowed and left with a huge smile. Every day is New Year's with Grandfather! I was so excited I did not think about where I was going until I reached the gates of the castle. Before leaving the grounds I asked one of Yoshio's mononofu how to find the merchant quarter of town. He was very forthcoming. It was easy to find.

The streets of Shiro no Shotoku were laid out even simpler than my hometown. When I arrived I found there were many tailors to choose from. This was a quandary. I spotted a tea-house, "The Loyal Koga," and I decided to ask there.

I got many looks from the patrons as I walked into the place. A nine year old boy wanting to buy tea was odd. The manager noticed me as I approached him in the corner.

"What have we here? A Koga child wanting tea?"

"No, Shotoku san. A Koga child wanting information."

He laughed very hard at that statement. "This is a first for me. Tell me boy, who do you want to frame?" He was a jolly man.

"I need to purchase a few bolts of silk. Who would you advise me to buy from?"

He pulled his head back. "Ah, so you are actually a merchant-ko then?"

I nodded. "If it means I get a better price on my silk? Yes."

He laughed again. "Very good. My friends tend to buy from Kailun. He owns "The Perfect Silk" store. It is three buildings down on the right. Yes?"

I pulled a handful of copper from my purse, money from my working in Goemon Toshi, and I dropped these in a jar he had at his table for gratuity. His eyes brightened at that. "Domo arigato, Shotoku sama." I bowed and left him laughing even harder.

Kailun's store was nice. The material was not the best, but I found out it was not the most

expensive either. He greeted me as soon as I entered.

"Come to purchase something for your mother?"

I bowed to him in greeting. "Yes, I need some silk." I saw no reason to dispute things with the man. He showed me several bolts of cloth. Some were good. Some not so good. I purchased two bolts of white because it is the color of the Koga House and the color of death. One of them plain and the other with the Koga crest on it. I purchased two bolts of red, one a rich crimson the second color of the Koga House; it is also the color of blood. The other red was almost rose in color. Last, I purchased a bolt of green, because I liked the color. I also had to purchase some sewing gear, as mine was at my mother's house, and a few pairs of shoes. I thanked Kailun and went back to my master.

"Well that was quick." He had been reading on the front porch.

"Yes. I knew what I was looking for." He laughed lightly. I showed him what I had purchased and gave him back what was left of his money, one silver and two copper. He took it and looked at me.

"Are you a banker now?"

I shook my head. "Just a tailor, Grandfather."

Grandfather ran me through the usual rigors each day. My sleeping hours were still during the day. I would work on my clothing when I could. I made an obi from each of the five colors I bought, and as many kimono, and under garments. I was in heaven, well, except for the training. When my clothes were done Sensei started taking me to court.

We arrived in the morning, during the hour of the Snake, 9 am to 11 am, and he would leave me there until it was time for sleep. He would take me back to the house, rest, wake up, get cleaned, and then drill me on what was scheduled for that day. In the evenings I could go to the Shotoku library, when there wasn't any training to do.

Court was... interesting. Daimyo Yoshio would cower and shake at almost anything. A general, or courtier, or messenger would approach him and bow. He would then politely ask them what it was they wanted and they would tell him. He would then begin with the nervous twitters. All who saw him thought little of the man. You could see it on their faces. I thought the same thing too until one day I witnessed an argument between Yoshio and one of his generals.

"My lord! The Wajima are not going to simply stop farming our land because we ask! They have been harvesting more and more of our land every day!" Yelled the Shogun.

The Wajima were a minor House to our west. They were infringing on the border because they could. They saw Yoshio as weak, and they wanted more rice to harvest. That's what the General was saying.

"You think we should fight them, Shogun Masashigi?"

"Yes, my lord!"

He began to twitter. "Oh, I don't know. The Wajima are a small family, but very elusive on the field of battle. Or so my advisers tell me."

"My lord, they are nothing! We can crush them easily!"

Yoshio gave a small laugh. "Easy for you to say, sitting in a court miles from the enemy."

The Shogun seemed to calm himself. This was his Daimyo he was speaking to after all.

"My lord, these people are taking advantage of you."

"These people are farming the land my father granted them." Yoshio whined.

"That was a temporary offer, meant to last a season. Not three years!" The Shogun rebutted.

"Either way, I do not see the advantage of going to war with a very dangerous house." The Shogun was going to speak but Yoshio held up his hand. "No. They are farming land we do not need and I will not go to war with anyone for that, Masashigi san." Yoshio shook his head nervously.

"My Daimyo, your honor demands you act!"

"My honor will not put food on my family's table, Shogun." Shogun Masashigi was going to speak again but Yoshio held up his hand again. "It is obvious I must do something to keep you silent so I will send someone to talk to them."

The Shogun rubbed his face with both hands before saying, "My lord, we have talked to these people many times. Even if you sent your best courtier I doubt they would listen to him."

"Oh I will not be sending my best courtier." Yoshio shook his head nervously. "There is no telling how angry you have made the Wajima and I do not wish to lose anyone important." His head continued to shake. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You will not trick me into that." The Shogun looked offended, confused, in despair maybe. He looked like he was going to go drown himself after this meeting. Yoshio continued, "Nishi? You have a friend named Shotoku... Fujiko? Do you not?"

Nishi spoke up, "Yes, my Daimyo. She is a very talented samurai."

"But people like her, yes?"

"Yes, my Daimyo."

Yoshio nodded. "Well, let's send her then. Tell her I will accept no failure. She MUST get the Wajima to stop using our land."

"Very good my lord." Nishi bowed and left.

The General was incensed. "My lord!? One woman, no matter how beautiful, will not help us!"

Yoshio became nervous again. There was something about this conversation that bothered me. I wasn't sure at the time what that was though.

"If she fails, then we may attack. But she will not fail! She must not!" The General left very angry. I left very confused. Sensei noticed when he came to get me.

"What is wrong Hiro?" He asked as we walked home.

"Grandfather, who is Shotoku Fujiko?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"The Daimyo is sending her to talk with the Wajima about their using our land."

He nodded. "Yes. She is a palace guard here."

I looked up at him. "That is all?"

"That is all I am going to give you."

I felt my shoulders slump forward. "Can't ya just tell me the rest?"

"Do not speak like a peasant when you are dressed as a lord."

"Gomen nasai Sensei. Can you not just tell me the rest?"

"Why Hiro san, who says there is any more to tell?"

"I do."

"Then perhaps you should find it out." All I could do was sigh. "Hiro san, you have the day off. Go play or... something."

I caught his hint. I turned around and headed back to the castle. I have found that the heimin and eta of a city are usually the best informed. Most people ignore them to the point of forgetting they are there. It's like being a spy in plain sight. I went to the servants' quarters and searched for someone who wasn't busy. I found one, an old woman working on a kimono for her lord.

"I would double stitch that Shotoku san."

I had to assume she was of the Shotoku family since she wore no crest on her shoulder. She stood and bowed to me. I returned her bow and sat next to her.

"Domo arigato, my lord. Yes, I was going to." She sat back down and continued sewing for a moment before speaking again. "You sew, my lord?"

"Yes, my mother taught me. I am Shotoku Hiro." I offered.

"My name is Shotoku Soko." she smiled.

"Whose kimono are you mending?"

"Ah, it is my Daimyo's. He likes me to be the one to make any repairs to his wardrobe."

She really wasn't bad; he was badly dressed because his kimonos were cheap material to begin with.

"Yes, I can see you have a good hand for it." I leaned and whispered. "Why such bad silk

though?"

She shrugged. "It is just my place to repair them. I don't buy them. Do you make clothing?"

"Yes, I made what I am wearing now." I beamed with pride.

I was wearing my green kimono over a thin white one with a green obi. The Shotoku crest rested over my heart. She nodded as she appraised my work.

"You will be a very good tailor one day, Hiro sama."

"Domo arigato, Soko san." I bowed my head to her and she returned it. "It is obvious I will not be much of a ladies' man though."

She looked at me strange. "You are young yet. There is plenty of time."

"Perhaps, but from my performance today I doubt it. I could not even get a simple samurai-ko to notice me." I shook my head.

A samurai-ko means little samurai or female samurai.

Soko looked to be intrigued. "Who? Perhaps I can help?"

"Well, I have seen much prettier women, but there was something about this one."

"Who?" She had stopped sewing.

"She is a palace guard here at Shiro no Shotoku." I said.

She looked mildly disappointed "Hiro sama, any guard is going to be too old for you."

I nodded. "Still, she is pretty."

She laughed. "What is her name?"

"I heard lord Nishi call her, Fujiko." She pulled her head back a little while her expression changed from interest to an almost fearful look.

"I would not chase that one, my lord."

I looked at her, taken back by the sudden change. "Why are you suddenly so concerned, Soko san?"

"She is a palace guard, yes. And she is beautiful." Then she leaned next to my ear. "But she is not just a mononofu. I would hate to find out that you had suddenly come down with some food illness after having met her." She leaned back.

I thought for a moment. "...My father has always said, 'Know when to cut your losses.'" He hasn't, but it was an easy lie.

"Very sound advice, Hiro sama."

I nodded and rose. "I am disappointed but only a fool would ignore true wisdom, Soko san. Thank you for your assistance."

I bowed to her. She stood and returned it with a smile. I turned and went home to my master. I found him on the porch reading, again. "She is a poisoner, let us sleep." He looked up with a surprised smile.

"Done so soon?"

"Yes. It was simple enough. I spoke to a heimin that knew her."

He nodded and laughed. After our three hours of sleep we trained. Then I went to the library with a nagging thought: Why would a weak and frightened man like Yoshio send a poisoner instead of an army? Especially since he acted as if he was scared of the Wajima House. A murder would anger them even more. These thoughts plagued me during my reading. When it was time I went home to change for court.

The time in court passed quickly but my thoughts kept nagging me about Yoshio. I watched him diligently, but nothing ever changed. There were many rumors. He had spies, he was brilliant, he was stupid, he liked to pillow with young men. This last I thought was true. Nishi and he were very close. But what bothered me was that the more I tried to believe him weak, the less I believed it. His cowardice had led him to the correct decision almost every time. Fujiko's endeavors must have paid off. The Wajima were moving their people off of the Shotoku lands. They had lost seven shogun to an illness in one night.

I found myself sitting at the house reading on the porch one evening. Sensei Nokizaru was at the palace talking with Yoshio. I was lost in thought when I noticed a shadow fall across my face. I looked up to see Minoko. She had always been very kind.

"Is something wrong, Hiro sama?"

I don't know why, but I answered her. "Our Daimyo troubles me."

She let a small frown run across her brow. "How so, my lord?" She waited while I hesitated. After a moment she sat down next to me with a concerned expression on her face. "It's alright, Hiro sama. You can tell me."

"He is acting."

"My Lord!" She stood and looked around obviously worried.

"What is wrong?"

She looked at me, surprised. "I did not expect you to say that!"

"Why not?"

"You are just a child! I expected you to say what was easy for anyone to see." She calmed

herself a moment. "How did you know?"

I shrugged. "...I looked."

"Most people do not. Let alone children."

I laughed. "I am a bit unusual I guess."

She nodded. For the rest of that day she looked at me with an odd expression of... respect?

Sensei and I had been here two months when I made my discovery about Yoshio's act and since then I found I truly enjoyed his court. I especially liked how everyone would cluster into groups and 'Chat' when the Daimyo was not present. I would wander around and listen in. They hardly ever paid attention to me, much like the heimin servants. I had been in court listening to everyone talking for most of the morning.

Eventually, Yoshio arrived to conduct business. There were courtiers to meet from other families and Houses, as well as other items of interest. One person had mentioned earlier that Fujiko had returned from her, "Talks", as they put it. When there was no one else to address, Yoshio rose to leave while all of us bowed to him. Nishi came over to me once Yoshio had gone.

"Hiro san? Yoshio has requested your presence."

"Yes, Nishi sama."

I followed him through the same wooden doors the Daimyo had left through. We walked up-stairs to the third floor and into a room with a wonderful balcony. The room was small, about fifteen by ten, with an average ceiling. But the balcony flared out to a thirty by thirty expanse. It was black marble with gorgeously carved pillars to support the railing. I bowed to Yoshio and he returned it.