Samurai Times

Samurai Times

Trudging up the steep hillside towards the shogun's castle was difficult for the young teacher. It had already been several hours since he got off the boat at the riverbank, and the sun was at its zenith. All he could think about was getting there before dark. His orders have been very explicit in the letter; he was due before nightfall a fortnight from the dating on the letter. It took the entire fourteen days to get packed and hire the boat to bring the young scholar to this part of Japan.

It wasn't often that students just out of school were offered such prestigious jobs as teaching the children of a shogun; and this particular shogun was said to be the most powerful man in Japan, except the emperor himself. He also had a reputation for being one of the cruelest men in all of Japan when he his orders were not followed to the exact letter. No one ever disobeyed an order from Seguchi Tohma and kept his head attached to his shoulders. At the rate he was traversing the rocky terrain, he would be lucky to meet his deadline. But the young man was bound and determined to do so. Huffing and puffing for air in the mountainous region, he continued steadfastly on the path.

By mid-afternoon, the young scholar could clearly see the castle at the summit of the incline, but he was still a couple hours away, and he was getting very tired. He needed to rest for a few minutes or he would collapse before reaching his destination. He put his single bag containing his meager amount of clothes on the ground next to the stack of books he carried strapped together by two leather belts. He sat near a rather large rock and tried to catch his breath, took out a small cask of water from the bag and drank about half the contents, not realizing that he was that thirsty up to now. He leaned his small frame against the rock and closed his eyes for just a moment.

Two hours later, he was suddenly awakened by the sounds of horses quickly approaching from above. Someone was yelling, “Spread out and find him, he has to be here somewhere! We will all lose our heads if he isn’t brought to the shogun before sunset.” The sounds of horses came considerably closer, and the young teacher rose to his feet, gathered his belongings and headed towards the approaching men.

He caught sight of the lead horseman and froze. There, sitting majestically on a cream-colored stallion was the most handsome man he had ever seen. The samurai, from the looks of his armor, had light colored hair and the most magnificent golden eyes that caught the sun and sparkled. The only thing that kept him from being perfect was the scowl on his face as he perused the terrain looking for … for whom? He ran towards the approaching horseman. “Sir, are you looking for me?”

The samurai stopped his horse just short of trampling the shorter man. He looked at the new teacher and cringed. How could someone look so young and be a scholar? And what kind of appearance did he have? Was that dark pink hair and purple eyes? He looked more like an actor in a kabuki play than a man of learning. Still, there was something familiar about him that caught the samurai’s attention. Being unsure of exactly what that something was, he shook his head to erase that sense of déjà vu. “Are you the sensei from Kyoto?”

“Hai.” He bowed before the samurai warrior. “I am Shindou Shuichi. I have been retained by Seguchi-sama to teach his children.”

“Shindou-san, you are very late. The Daimyo does not like to be kept waiting, and you are putting a great many lives in danger by your tardiness.” The angry samurai turned and called for another warrior to come forward. When he approached, he was ordered to get off his horse and put the new sensei on it. Once the young man was properly seated on the large beast, the samurai took the reins. “I will take you to our master. It will be faster this way.” He directed the other to collect the sensei’s belongings and bring them to the palace. Once the order was given, he turned his own horse around and quickly rode up the hillside, guiding the one carrying Shindou behind him.

The mounted men arrived at the gates of the castle about thirty minutes later, just as the sun was starting to set. The samurai got down from his steed and came around to the other’s horse. Holding up his arms, he told the other to climb down, intending to catch him if he fell. No harm could come to the new sensei or the consequences would be dire. The samurai had no intention of losing his head, or any of his other men’s heads because of this person. Shindou slid down the left side of the beast, grabbing onto the offered arms of the samurai. As he got down, his eyes met those magnificent golden ones of the samurai and there was a hitch in his breath. Those eyes were so mesmerizing, and he just couldn’t get enough of seeing them. He was able to get a closer look at the samurai’s face, and without that scowl formed by his mouth, he was truly the most gorgeous man he had ever laid eyes on. Shuichi let out a sigh and gripped the samurai’s arms a bit tighter, the muscles were strong but not bulging. He imagined himself being held tight in them and sighed again. A curt, “Are you injured, can you not get off the horse?” brought him out of his reverie. Shuichi blinked when the question was asked and stuttered. “I’m f…fine.” He looked down and pretended that his foot was caught in a stirrup, pulling at his foot and almost kicking the warrior in the process. He was eased off the horse the rest of the way and finally was standing on the ground. At this point, the day’s light was waning and it was necessary to go in. The samurai directed the new teacher to follow him into the gates, the horses walking behind the men.

Inside the gates, a young man who looked considerably similar to the samurai, only with dark hair, came up and bowed before the master samurai. “Tatsuha take care of the horses,” was ordered and he took the reins of the horses and led the steeds to a nearby water trough. When the samurai saw that his horses were being properly cared for, he turned towards the great castle and started walking. “Follow me.” Shindou kept pace with the samurai’s stride, but maintained a respectful three paces behind the warrior.

The new arrival looked at the castle that spread out before him; it was the largest in this part of Japan. It was made of several smaller buildings surrounding a much larger one that was seven stories high. They were made of wood, stone, plaster and gold. In many ways they looked just like several small and then one giant pagoda, but more elaborately decorated. The roofs were stained a dark red, and the accents around the upturned rims were gold. The walls were basically white, with more of the red and gold trim on the windows. Carved lotus flowers adorned framework of the dark wood doors and windows. Windows of multicolored glass were on the upper levels of the main castle, while clear panes were on the lowest level. The front door to the building was solid cherry wood and opened inward on hinges unlike the other doors he could see, which appeared to be closed with elaborate shoji screens.

Standing in the open doorway to the castle was the warlord himself, Seguchi Tohma. He was elegantly attired in a gold and black silk kimono and black hakama. The sash around his kimono was black leather, and slid into the sash was a gold-handled katana. The new teacher was most impressed with the warlord’s dress, but a bit surprised at his stature. He expected to see a very tall, heavyset man with the traditional top-notch adorning his shaved-bald head. He never expected to see a modestly tall (about 5’6”) man with golden hair, similar to that which the samurai had, maybe a touch lighter. His eyes shone like liquid turquoise above a smile that was warm and welcoming. “Eiri-san, you have brought the sensei for my children; very good.”

So, the samurai had a name, Eiri. The young teacher planned on remembering the man and the name.

Eiri bowed low before the warlord and as he did, glanced behind him to see the new sensei gawking at their master. He threw a look to Shindou and in a low growl ordered, “Bow!” The young man came out of his daze and bowed.

“Shindou-san, please, come into my home. I wish for you to meet my family.” The warlord turned and walked away, expecting the new teacher to proceed directly inside.

When he hesitated, the samurai stood and faced him. In a quiet voice he advised, “If you expect to keep that pink head on your shoulders, you will listen to Seguchi-sama and do as you are told. Now go inside before he realizes you are still out here with me.” The young man needed no further incentive, and all but ran from the courtyard, up the few steps to the front door. He removed his traveling shoes and placed them to the right of the door and entered.

The young man’s violet eyes grew wide at the spectacle before him. Impressive walls were painted a golden color that shimmered in the lantern lighting. The woodwork was the same deep cherry wood that made up the front door and created a border along the floorboards and the ceiling. Lush red and gold fabrics covered the seats and inner panels to the numerous shoji screens in the room. Various coats of armor and swords were mounted on the walls to the left and right, most with the same basic design with minor variations. The new sensei concluded that these were the predecessors’ to the current warlord, his father and fathers before him.

Directly in front of the young man were six children, two girls and four boys. All were kneeling on their plush red and gold floor cushions, which were placed in a perfect line before their warlord father. Kneeling on a dark red velvet mat was the warlord himself, his hands and forearms set at a perfect right angle to his regally-poised body and placed elegantly along his thighs. His katana was mounted in its gold sheath atop a three-tiered stand to the right of him; two more impressive-looking swords in silver encrusted sheathes rested on the second and third tiers.

Sitting just behind and to the left of the warlord was the lady of the castle. Lady Mika was as beautiful as the reports from the courier had indicated. She wore her long black hair down, tied at the nape of her neck in a red and white silk ribbon. Her kimono was a simple white one with red cherries adorning the sleeves and obi which wrapped around her slender waist. Dark eyes looked inquisitively at the approaching man, but no other expression was on her delicately featured face.

“Come in, Shindou-san.” A low-key command was given that caused the children to turn their heads and look at the approaching young teacher.

Six pair of ebony eyes stared in wonder at the pink-haired man who was to be their new sensei. The youngest child, no more than four years of age, let out an unexpected giggle at the sight. “Pinku? Sensei’s patsu rashii pinku?” (Teacher’s hair appears to be pink)

More giggles were heard and then a curt, “Jisou! Mendou!” (Children! Attention!) And the six turned back, heads bowed to their father in silence. “You will have to forgive them, Shindou-san. It is inexcusable for their rudeness.”

Shuichi was amazed at the obedience the young people had towards their father. He was more amazed that they spoke no English, since that is what he was told that was how their lessons were to be taught. “Gomennasai, Seguchi-sama. Do the children not speak English, also?”

A stern look appeared on Seguchi’s face. “I thought you understood that you are to teach them English, Shindou-san.” Puzzled faces stared at the warlord, his children’s and the new teacher’s. Seguchi turned to face his wife, the look almost accusatory in nature.

Shuichi bowed. “Of course, sire. I was informed that I was to teach in English, but was not told that the children knew no English at all.”

A soft-spoken voice, almost a whisper, came from behind the warlord. “Sensei, forgive, please. I have taught children few words in English, but I am not enough well learned to do more than that.”

Speaking to the lady, and not the warlord, Shuichi bowed and said, “The fault is all mine, my lady. I misunderstood the wording of the letter.”

The warlord relaxed a bit at the exchange and even smiled inwardly. For taking the blame for the lack of appropriate communication, he was pleased with the new sensei. He had indeed found a suitable person to teach his children; intelligent, sensitive to other’s feelings and diplomatic. He didn’t dwell on the subject any longer. “Jisou, nemonogatari (bedtime).” The six young people rose, bowed to their parents and then to the new teacher and, without speaking another word, filed out through a shoji screen that slid open to let them through. He caught a glimpse of the children and someone walking behind them, obviously a warrior by the outline of his silhouette.

Shuichi watched the display, realizing that they had been watched the entire time through the translucent gold-colored screen. Was this supposed to be some kind of test? Did Seguchi not trust his new employee? And who was the tall male figure that followed the children down the hall? These were questions that would have to keep, for just as the screen closed, Seguchi rose to his feet, his wife following suit.

The warlord watched the questions on the new sensei’s face. “You will find, Shindou-san that I trust no one at face value. You will have to earn that trust.” His eyes followed the tall shadowy figure that walked down the hallway and smiled. “I suggest you go to your quarters and get some rest, tomorrow you start teaching my children.” That said, he walked to the same sliding door as the children had exited which again mysteriously opened for him and his wife; then shut just as mysteriously after they left the room.

Behind Shuichi, the main door to the castle opened and the young man from the courtyard walked in. “Shindou-san, this way please.” He swept his arm to the side to indicate Shuichi should follow. The two left the main room and exited through the open doors. “I will show you to your room now. If you should need anything, just ask.”

Shuichi couldn’t get over the resemblance to the samurai that had brought him to the castle. Although he had dark hair and eyes, he still could pass for a younger version of the samurai. His clothes were the other difference. He wore no armor, but still the hitoe and hakama of a samurai, an apprentice perhaps. “Tatsuha is your name, correct?”

The young man stopped and turned a little surprised that the new sensei remembered his from that all so brief encounter earlier. “Hai.”

“I am most curious. Are you related to the samurai that I was with today?” Shuichi’s curiosity was getting the better of him. He was fascinated with the samurai and thought perhaps if related, he could get some information about him. “It’s just that you look so much like him, only your hair and eyes are darker.”

Tatsuha smiled. He was pleased that the new sensei saw the resemblance and even more surprised that Shuichi had taken notice of Eiri. “Hai, he is my older brother, Eiri. We are brothers to the Lady Mika.” Knowing he had given more information than was necessary, he blushed as he mentally kicked himself. His older siblings would not be pleased that he was volunteering family information to a complete stranger. “It is getting late, and Seguchi-sama’s orders were clear about getting you to your quarters. Please follow me.”

Shuichi could see the embarrassment on Tatsuha’s face. Propriety was everything in feudal society, and he had crossed the line asking personal questions, even though he was happy his questions were answered. He would try and get to know this young man better, and in time, learn more about the person he really wanted to get to know, Eiri. He smiled and quickly followed behind. This was going to be a very interesting assignment.

TBC