KATANAGATARI 3

■　■

Shogi1 has its origins in India.

By the Heian period, the game had made it to Japan.

In the era of our story, where the Owari Bakufu has unified the land, ushering in an age of peace and order, during which no large-scale wars broke out besides the late rebellion, tacticians used the shogi board as a mock battlefield, competing over games to gauge each other’s fitness in the art of war─in other words, at this point in Japanese history, shogi was much more than a parlor game.

Although Togame the Schemer dealt exclusively in schemes, by definition she was certainly a tactician, and knew her way around the shogi board─which is why, thus far in her career, she had visited Shogi Village in Tendo on multiple occasions.

Which is why.

She had long known there was a dojo there for swordplay─and about the Heartland School.

■　■

The next day.

Taking refuge in a local inn, under a pseudonym as always, our two travelers had enjoyed a good night’s sleep, to soothe the aches of travel, and were breaking their fast.

Holy sites are also tourist destinations. They had their pick of all the inns (as luck would have it, they had evidently shown up in the off-season, when the village was not overrun with tourists), and the breakfast brought directly to their room was passable.2

“New generation, huh?”

Setting down his chopsticks after eating, Shichika thought back to the day before.

Thinking about that stately dojo, situated in the middle of the village─and the master of the dojo, Zanki Kiguchi.

Tall for a woman─though on closer examination, not as conspicuously tall as Meisai Tsuruga, from a few months back. It must have been her fabulous posture. That makes people look bigger than they really are.

Long tresses3 of black hair─probably as long as Togame’s was until quite recently.

As for her physique, she was quite thin.

She didn’t come across as someone who had honed her body.

Yet Shichika could not ignore the aura4 that pervaded her and almost filled the room.

It made him hesitant to approach her.

Gracious as she may be.

Kiguchi─had the poise of a drawn katana.

“She seems to be─about your age,” Togame said.

“So, like twenty-four or something? Hmm…I’m not saying she looks younger, but I have a hard time guessing how old women are.”

“Hah. You would, I guess.”

“I mean, it’s obvious you’re way younger than me, Togame.”

“Cheerio!”

Slugged him one.

It had been a long time since she slugged him good.

As you’ll recall, Togame was the older one─a fact of which Shichika was well aware, which made it clear to her this was some kind of joke.

They were just playing around.

“Who’re you calling a waif5 here, who?”

“Nah, I didn’t say anything like that…”

“Thanks to this haircut from your sister, I’ll admit that I look more childlike than before.”

“Nobody’s asking for you to admit anything…”

Shichika shook his head, at a loss.

“Funny, though.” He would just as soon move on to something else. “I mean, doesn’t it sort of feel like we’re back in the early days of the Sword Hunt? Until now, it’s been one off-kilter6 encounter after the other─”

“Yeah, for at least the last three months.”

Konayuki Itezora─Soto the Twin.

Nanami Yasuri─Akuto the Eel.

Skytron─Bito the Sundial.

Each of which had something about them that outshined the Sword Hunt as it were.

Of course, nothing had changed about their dedication to the Sword Hunt─it had simply been a long while since they confronted one of the owners of the Twelve Possessed on such proper terms.

“I guess we’re lucky that Oto the Cured was passed down by the Masters of Heartland Dojo like you predicted?”

“Hmm, hard to say. I don’t know.”

Wearing a face of consternation, Togame folded her arms.

“It’s hard to say?”

“Yeah. This is not the situation I foresaw. All I said was that by visiting the hallowed dojo of the Heartland School, we had a decent chance of gleaning some more information on the Twelve Possessed.”

Finishing her breakfast after Shichika, Togame rested her chopsticks on the table.

“We’re lucky to have come in contact with Oto the Cured comparatively easily, sure, but I wouldn’t call it good luck that the sword is being guarded7 by that woman, in that space.”

“Why?”

“Because we aren’t here simply on a journey to discover swords. We’ve come to bring them home. I’m thinking that we’re in for another bumpy ride. That woman─Zanki Kiguchi is the Twelfth Master of her school.”

“Hmph.”

Shichika had to agree.

From the little they had spoken, he could tell. Zanki Kiguchi was unlike any of the other owners they had met thus far─she was a different breed of human being entirely.

Unlike Komori Maniwa, or Ginkaku Uneri, or Meisai Tsuruga, or Hakuhei Sabi, or Kanara Azekura, or Konayuki Itezora, or Nanami Yasuri, or Skytron─

She was quite simply─an honest citizen.8

“Unlike all the other owners, she has no glaring character flaw─either that’s a product of a robust will, or it’s what makes Oto the Cured so special─”

“The Cured, huh.”

Kiguchi.

Making it clear she was not giving up the sword─she had encouraged Shichika and Togame to take a closer look at Oto the Cured, one of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki.

This sword─was made of wood.

Less than three feet long, including the handle.

Being wooden, it lacked both sheath and tsuba.

And nothing like a temper line across its blade.

Only the natural woodgrain─nothing more.

It had the feeling of a bygone era─but somehow made you feel like it had been carved only hours earlier, thus puzzling whosoever looked upon it.

This could only mean it had been properly maintained.

Just one look, and it was easy to imagine─the care with which the Zanki Kiguchis of yesteryear had passed Oto the Cured down through the generations.

Which is precisely why.

Interrupting the tradition would be challenging─

“At first, I almost missed this, but how can this thing be a katana if it’s made of wood? Who’s being cured here? Is it just gonna snap in two? After all those wacky swords not even shaped like swords, I barely stopped to wonder.”

“Shichika, don’t raise these questions. It’ll only get tiresome.”

Togame slowly shook her head.

Resigned.9

“I will say this. The fact that the Cured turned out to be a wooden sword just proves how little we knew going in─among the Twelve Possessed, this one was especially mysterious. As curious as I am to learn the premise under which the Cured was crafted, and what the sword is all about in general, our chief concern is with its owner, Zanki Kiguchi. If she’s already this uncooperative, not even entertaining our request, it seems there’s little room for practicing diplomacy.”

“Yeah, the fact that she actually is so open to conversation at the same time is what makes this so hard. Oh well… And, Togame, you knew the previous Zanki Kiguchi? Like her father or whatever?”

“Not her father, but her grandfather. They say her father died quite young. There was some question of who would carry on the family line, but it evidently went to the former master’s granddaughter─which means the Zanki Kiguchi that I knew is dead and gone.”

“Maybe he just stepped down10─although it seems as if she’s living in that dojo on her own. That would make sense…but Togame. What’s up with her being the only person in that enormous dojo? That time of day, aren’t dojos usually full of followers?”11

“Ah. Good question.”

Looking a little stumped, Togame stalled a moment before attempting an explanation.

“The answer has much to do with the history of the village─but I’m afraid if I dig too deep, you’ll just stop listening to me. Hm…I guess I’ll just give you the highlights, to make things as simple for you as possible. Alright, Shichika. Once upon a time, this area was famous for its swordplay.”

“Huh? Doesn’t look that way at all.”

The place seemed more concerned with culture than with war. Heartland Dojo may have been smack dab in the middle of the village, in what might well be called prime real estate,12 but it felt absurdly out of place. Today, this was the only school for swordplay, or anything like it, in the village.

“Like I said─once upon a time. I’m speaking historically. Listen, Shichika. After the Age of Warring States, the Old Shogun’s fall from power, and the rise of the Owari Bakufu, there were far less opportunities for swordplay─and as times changed, people had to change their way of life. As a result, most of the schools went out of fashion.”

“Out of fashion?”13

Her cut-and-dry wording unnerved Shichika─but Togame carried on, not wavering the slightest in the timbre of her speech.

“The schools went out of fashion. How else can I describe it? Unlike you with the Kyotoryu, or Ginkaku Uneri with the Uneriryu, or all the Maniwa Bosses and their ninpo─the swordsmen of this village were adaptive, not fixated upon adhering to a rigid code. Lucky for them, the village had a custom that easily took the place of swordplay.”

“You mean─shogi?”

This was─the holy land of shogi players.

Raised on a desert island, Shichika had no idea how to play shogi, but after their first night staying in the village, he understood how much this game pervaded village life.

Tellingly, a shogi board had even been left on the table of their room.

It wouldn’t have surprised him if a Shogi Buddha stood behind the dojo.

“So? You’re saying all the swordsmen in the area gave up swordplay?”

“Not all of them. Just one, the last of them, didn’t: Twelfth Master Zanki Kiguchi.”

Twelfth Master of the Heartland School.

Her school was a known quantity in the bakufu.

But in spite of having such a reputation, it had no followers and no heir to the tradition─oh, how the mighty fall.

All that remained was a handsome dojo.

And inside─Oto the Cured.

“Makes sense why she wouldn’t wanna hand over the sword. It’s like the pride of her school. It symbolizes14 the tradition.”

“Yeah. Which makes diplomacy even harder.”

“For the Kyotoryu it’d be like someone asking me to chop off one of my arms.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t go that far.”

No, thought Shichika. Not like giving up my arm─but giving up my heart.

“When was that─oh, right. Just before I fought Ginkaku Uneri. Remember what you said, Togame? What would you do if a good guy had one of these swords. Is that what we’re up against this time around?”

“Whether or not Zanki Kiguchi is honest remains to be seen─but that would appear to be the situation. Which wouldn’t be a problem, if like Konayuki she was willing to negotiate─but it seems that’s off the table.”

“Yeah,” Shichika nodded. “She doesn’t seem like someone who would risk losing her sword to get a leg up, either. It seems like Oto the Cured is real important to her, but I get the sense she doesn’t care about the other Shikizaki blades. That’s what sets her apart from Meisai Tsuruga─and unlike Kanara Azekura, she isn’t asking for something unrelated to katana.”

“Thanks for reminding me of that. Hmph. I must say, for a person such as myself, she is probably the most frustrating enemy imaginable─Kiguchi has no wants or vanity, but is nevertheless noble and proud. I still have no idea what to expect out of the Cured, but I’ll say this much. That woman walks the path of righteousness.”15

“Was the last Zanki Kiguchi like that too?”

“We never exactly made acquaintances.16 As the Schemer, I take great pains not to stray into the line of fire17─though I’ve heard he was a great man. So great that even I, clear of the line of fire, know how great he was. It’s possible the man himself18 knew of the Kyotoryu as well─but Kiguchi, meaning the current master, is apparently too young for that.”

“We’ve really become nobodies over the past twenty years.”

Not like Shichika desired celebrity.19

But as the current master of his own school, he felt a touch of sadness.

“Such is life. Well, what next?─with the way things are, it almost makes me wish the Cured was not in Tendo, and still a mystery…”

Togame sighed, demonstrating her exasperation.

But something she had said got Shichika thinking.

“Okay. But since we did find one of the Twelve Possessed in Tendo─that means that all the information Hohoh has ever given us, every bit of it, was absolutely true. Including the resurgence of the Princess, and when he told us about sis on Mt. Odori─not a single lie.”

The ninja─had been honest. And yet this only made his actions more suspicious.

Even Shichika was able to see that.

In other words.

He must be getting something out of this─why else would the Maniwa give up such priceless information?

“I’m pretty sure there’s no trap waiting for us here, but I still think this alliance has a flip side─or perhaps Hohoh simply had total confidence.”

“Total─confidence?”

“I’m saying he must have been confident that distracting us would give the Maniwa a chance to snag the three remaining swords─Seito the Garland, Dokuto the Basilisk, and Ento the Bead. Who knows what bizarre tricks the Maniwa have up their sleeves─or lack thereof.20 Their ninpo is beyond me.”

“Yeah, but that’s a good thing, right? You said yourself that it’d be way easier to let the Maniwa track down the other swords, so that we could have a showdown over everything that each side has, winner take all─”

“Well, that’s one way of looking at it, but there’s no guarantee that things would work out nicely─and I see little reason to be optimistic. Besides, even if we took that route,” Togame the Schemer steered them back on topic, “if Hohoh’s information is all true, we won’t be getting anywhere unless we take Oto the Cured. We may need to dig our heels in. But what we really need to do is…”

As she spoke─Togame reached for the shogi board left for them on the table. Well, not for the board itself, but for the box of pieces that sat on top of it.

Opening the lid, she took out a random piece.

“Play the game─that might be our only way21 in.”

“You mean…play shogi?” Shichika was having a hard time understanding. “How would shogi give us a way in?”

“Because as luck would have it, in this town, all disputes are settled over shogi, as a matter of course.”

The circumstances under which they had discovered Oto the Cured were far from good, even with the rosiest of glasses22─but Togame smiled anyway, bold as ever.

■　■

Hence the name Zanki.

The next day, Shichika and Togame paid another visit to Heartland Dojo, home of Twelfth Master Zanki Kiguchi.

They called her from the gate, but no one answered─so they took it upon themselves to walk onto the grounds. Judging from the spirited cries echoing from within, it seemed Kiguchi was home alright─and sure enough, they found her in the middle of the dojo, swinging her sword alone.24

Alone.

Swinging a wooden sword─in the middle of the dojo.

Oto the Cured─Shichika could feel the lifeforce. He was certain. After all, if he had failed to sense the lifeforce emanated by all Mutant Blades when they were handling the Cured two days before, he could never have been certain that this was the Cured at all.

An official appraiser of the Twelve Possessed.

But Kiguchi really uses the Cured to practice?

He’d reckoned she would keep it somewhere safe most of the time.

“Hayah! Whah! Dah!”

Voice ringing loud, Kiguchi swung the wooden sword─Oto the Cured.

After training for who knows how many hours, her body was drenched in sweat. And yet her posture remained perfect, and Shichika could tell that it would stay that way. Throughout the sequences, she maintained perfect posture, from one moment to the next, no matter how she swung the wooden sword.

─Almost too perfect.

Of all the swordsmen Shichika had seen thus far, in training or in battle─Ginkaku Uneri and Hakuhei Sabi…the former swordsman Meisai Tsuruga…his father Mutsue Yasuri…the staggering genius Nanami Yasuri…and all the others he had met in dojos in the Capital or fought along the way─every one of them had something rough or loose25 about their style, but he did not sense this coming from Zanki Kiguchi.

She went all out.

One hundred percent.

Pushing her body to the limit─swinging her sword to the brink of collapse. As if she wasn’t one misstep away from splitting the precious sword in two─

This isn’t going to be easy.

Shichika was sure of that.

She was a model owner of a Mutant Blade.

In that sense, perhaps using the Cured to practice revealed how deeply her dedication was ingrained.

Her ingrained dedication─to that sword of wood.

“…”

Zanki Kiguchi.

Her majestic, forthright fighting style convinced Shichika that she would be a painful adversary─and while the fact that she fought fairly offered some relief, he saw little reason to be optimistic either.

Thing is.

He would only get to fight her if Togame did some fancy footwork, in her diplomacy.

“Hayah! Whah! Dah!”

Continuing through her forms, Zanki Kiguchi almost acted like she hadn’t noticed Togame and Shichika step into her dojo uninvited─in fact, perhaps she hadn’t noticed after all.

As admirable as her concentration was, you had to call her somewhat careless for allowing them to do so.

Missing the opportunity to call her name again, they stood by idly and watched Zanki Kiguchi train─and went unnoticed, until after she had finished the prescribed number of rounds.

“…Huh?”

Mopping her forehead with a tenugui.

Kiguchi acted surprised.

“Weren’t you two here─just yesterday?”

“We’re back,” declared Togame.

Swagger will only go so far in justifying a rude opener like that.

Shichika found himself bowing his head.

Meanwhile, Kiguchi─faced with these two intruders, because that is what they were─bowed to them from the waist.

Then raising her head with perfect posture, she said, “If you’ll excuse me, I just need to freshen up.”

“No, you’re fine,” Togame told her, “as you are.”

By the way, Togame had identified herself the day before─as being Togame the Schemer, Grand Commander of Arms of the Yanari Shogunate Military Directorate, Owari Bakufu. Furthermore, she had insisted that this second coming of the Sword Hunt was being carried out “for the sake of the nation”─making her position clear.26

Given Kiguchi’s personality, Togame had surmised that she would hand over Oto the Cured quite willingly, but this was wishful thinking.

Her answer was as stated above.

“Madame Togame.”

Kiguchi’s tone was gracious, but her answer had not changed.

“You are welcome anytime─but as the Master of the Heartland School, I will not relinquish Oto the Cured. This wooden sword is the pride of the Heartland School, and verifies that I am the school’s master.”

“Okay. I get the picture─I’m not trying to have the same conversation twice. But I hope that you can understand why we are disinclined to thank you and be on our way.”

“If you must resort to violence─”

Zanki Kiguchi─raised her wooden sword.

Her reflexes were perfect.27

“I’ll answer you in kind. Go on, I’m ready.”

“Whoa, easy…”

This was too much even for Togame.

Kiguchi, though not quick-tempered─was quick to draw.28

Because this sword was made of wood, Togame was more hesitant to resort to violence than she had been for all the other Mutant Blades. Except perhaps for Hakuto the Whisper, it was surely far more delicate than steel. One false move, and Oto the Cured would be reduced to splinters.

And if the sword was broken, they would have nothing to collect─therefore, ideally.

They would reach a mutual agreement, before the tumult of the battle!

“If you give us a chance,” said Togame, “I’m sure that we can work this thing out peaceably. It’s poor form to send a visitor away.”29

“…”

“As long as I can verify that you have the right caliber to be the owner of Oto the Cured, then my work here is done.”

“Is that─it? But…”

Kiguchi sounded unconvinced─this was no favorable reaction. If you read into her gestures, it appeared that she was trying to find a way to rid herself of a couple of pesky visitors.

But Togame was relentless.

All she had to do was mix her up─and wriggle her way in.

“Madame Kiguchi, I would like for you to join me for a game of shogi─and providing that I come away victorious, I would then request for you and Shichika Yasuri, the Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu, to have a contest over who can keep Oto the Cured.”

1 将棋 SHŌGI a Japanese board game using pieces and moves much like those of chess

2 それなりのもの SORENARI NO MONO adequate; as one might expect

3 直毛 CHOKUMŌ “straight hair”

4 気迫 KIHAKU spirit

5 童子属性 DŌJI ZOKUSEI “young-child attributes” Lolita-like

6 変則的 HENSOKUTEKI “odd/changed rules” irregular, atypical

7 保有 HOYŪ possess

8 真人間 MANINGEN true (good) human being often, who has reformed

9 諦め顔 AKIRAME GAO “give-up face”

10 引退 INTAI retire

11 門下生 MONKASEI “students under the gate” pupils of a school of martial arts

12 一等地 ITTŌCHI “first-class land”

13 廃れた SUTARETA became obsolete, died out

14 証明 SHŌMEI proof

15 王道を歩む ŌDŌ WO AYUMU take the royal road

16 面識 MENSHIKI “face knowledge”

17 武道方面 BUDŌ HŌMEN “martial arts region”

18 ご仁 GOJIN a respectful way of referring to a third party

19 知名度 CHIMEIDO degree to which a name is known a modern term

20 どのようなものがあるのか DONOYŌNA MONO GA ARUNOKA [the “sleeves” pun isn’t in the original]

21 取っ掛かり TOKKAKARI handhold

22 お世辞にも OSEJI NI MO even as flattery

23 心の鬼を心で斬る これをもって 慚愧 KOKORO NO ONI WO KOKORO DE KIRU KORE WO MOTTE ZANKI cutting, with the heart, the demon in one’s heart─thus shame (which combines the first four kanji)

24 素振り SUBURI “plain swings” analogous to shadowboxing

25 余裕、遊び YOYŪ, ASOBI wiggle room, or play

26 率直 SOCCHOKU frank

27 即応 SOKUŌ “instant reply”

28 短気 短絡的 TANKI TANRAKUTEKI “short spirit” easily perturbed “short circuit” simplistic

29 門前払い MONZEN BARAI “shoo from the gates” reject outright; not even give the time of day