As I sat at the bar alongside my group of roving companions, I thought of my childhood self. It’s hard for me to fathom what he would have thought of the man that I had become. Most likely, he would not recognize my being, and he would likely die of shock, unable to believe that he had metamorphosed into such a warrior, and yet, I could not expect myself to be anything else.

War is an instrument to be managed carefully. True war is a form of art, and the warrior serves an artist, putting his instruments of combat to use. For me, I had an instrument, an instrument which I adored and treated with utmost reverence. That instrument was the glistening katana given to me by my sensei upon having completed the training which I had been forced to learn since infancy.

“Oh shit!” I thought to myself. Those memories which I had wanted to keep in the darkest recesses of my mind-those memories which I wished to ignore and hope that they would fade away, were all of a sudden coming back to me.

I had two options at that point. I could either cry and release my sorrow in front of the multitude of men congregated at the bar, many of whom were toasting each other, engaged in a reverie through the consumption of the alcoholic beverages proffered to them, or I could drown my sorrows through alcohol, and hope that they left the recesses of my mind, at least so long as the effects of the beverage lingered in me.

However, I knew that even if I did imbibe of the beverage, that the resulting numbness would not last. Since I was a man, however, I could not risk showing my emotions. I needed to keep them within myself, for only in weakness do emotions surface.

Therefore, I asked the barkeep for a bottle of sake. My two fellow samurai, Miyamoto Tsukuba and Akihiko Fumote, stared at me for a second. They seemed somewhat worried, and even though they did not know why I felt the way I did, both of them sensed that there was something deeper within myself that they did not know of.

Miyamoto turned to me and asked “Are you sure that you want to order the sake? I know that you must be feeling terrible, but you can tell us your secret. We’re both loyal to you and we want to know what makes you feel bad so that we can share in your sadness and smile in your joy.”

I was tickled pink by his offer, but did not want them to bear the cross that I carried. After all, they already had crosses of their own to bear. I then turned to Miyamoto and told him “Look, I’m grateful for your offer but right now is not the moment to discuss my emotional state. Let me drown my sorrows to forget about the hand that life has dealt me.”

Miyamoto seemed kind of upset at my unwillingness to share, but reluctantly accepted.

At that moment, I turned to the bartender. He was an older man with graying hair, yet his eyes had a seemingly mischievous nature to them. I went and asked him “May I have a bottle of sake to share with my companions?”

The bartender looked at me and gave me what appeared to be a wink of sorts. He smiled and said “Sure. I’ll give you one.”

I then turned to him and asked him “Could you give us a bunch of cups?”

Once again the bartender seemed ready to obey my wishes, for be obliged me and said “Of course.”

Before long, three small cups were given to me.

I spotted a small table corner. Much to my surprise, it was unoccupied, and I called Miyamoto and Akihiko to come.

Miyamoto and Akihiko, despite being seated along the bar area in two stools, much as I had been earlier, agreed to leave the bar area and come join me.

The three of us sat in the corner. In the middle of the chairs that formed the booth, there was a small wooden table. It had a vermillion color to it, and was barren. On that table, I placed the bottle of sake and the three cups.

I sat on one chair, while Miyamoto and Akihiko sat on two other chairs. Once we were sat, I opened the cap and poured out the sake into the three cups.

Once the sake was poured, and the three cups were full, the three of us realized that a very important element in the ritual of consumption was missing.

I raised up my cup of sake, and Miyamoto and Akihiko raised their cups as well. Our three cups met, and we shouted aloud “Kanpai!”

Upon that word being uttered, the consumption of the sake we had upon us could in earnest begin.

As the three of us continued to imbibe of the sake we had, we started to loosen. Conversation flowed more freely among us, and a pleasant haze washed over us as we receded into the intoxicating effect the beverage produced.

Some time passed and it became increasingly obvious that a multitude of people at the bar had already left. Only a few others along with ourselves still remained, and we saw in the front door of the establishment that it had been closed.

The barkeep continued to serve those last few others and ourselves, but no more people would be allowed to enter. Already, off in the horizon, some fading rays of sunshine began to appear. It was almost morning, and we were still in somewhat of a haze.

Before long, we finished drinking the bottle of sake. It was time to pay for the beverage we had consumed. At that moment, Miyamoto stood up and gave some money to the bartender. I didn’t know how much money he gave the man, but it clearly seemed to have been enough, for the barkeep smiled at him and took the money.

At that moment, Miyamoto, who was already up, called upon the three of us to arise from the chairs were we sat so that we could leave the bar. Akihiko followed Miyamoto, and together, with the two of them standing up, it wasn’t long before I went along with the state of events as they were and stood along with them.

From there, the three of us exited out the back door of the bar. Now outside, I took a moment to glance at the bar where we had been. The building itself looked old and worn down, with some of the wood looking as though it had seen better days. A small sign lay there which promised low-priced sake, which had faded through the ravages of time.

Outside the bar, however, the scenery was much different. It seemed almost as though we were in a verdant paradise, a misty forest where we could shelter ourselves, at least for the time being.

I saw in that forest a convenient place to find a space upon which to relax and enjoy, but Miyamoto and Akihiko did not seem to notice the place which I had seen. As a result, I had to approach the two of them, who were seemingly staring far beyond the horizon, and bring them back to the reality upon which they lived alongside myself.

Once this happened, I showed them the forest that lay just outside the bar, and just within our field of vision. Miyamoto and Akihiko saw this forest, and were also entranced by the forest that lay near us. I was happy that they were finally seeing what it was I wanted them to see, and they agreed to join me in walking towards the forest that we found.

I placed myself in the front as the leader of the group, and Miyamoto and Akihiko took their positions behind me.

At that moment, I knew that whatever might happen along the way to pursue that struggle which I was committed to completing, I had loyal samurai and loyal friends who were beside me and ready to help me in my quest. With that in mind, I knew that I could accomplish almost anything, and that gave me a certain sense of contentment.

After several minutes of walking, large trees started to tower over us. The land we had been in started to fade, and we saw the grass and the many creatures that made the woodland where we were entering into their home.

It was cloudy, and a mist of sorts pervaded the area, and even though it was daytime, the atmosphere felt very different from the land in which we were at just several minutes ago.

However, inside the forest, we had a sense of serenity wash over us which we did not have before. I knew at that moment that we needed a place to rest. After all, we were tired, but we kept on walking to find a place within the forest that suited our needs.

After several more minutes of walking, we finally spotted a dry patch of grass, covered under the shade of a tree. It was near to a waterfall, which brought us happiness, as we would have a place to drink water and bathe. The three of us decided that the place was a great one to be in, and we set ourselves up there.

The three of us first started a fire to give us warmth and to prevent animals from attacking us. Once this was done, I ripped a piece of my kimono to provide a place where we could store our weapons and keep them safe. There, we placed our weapons.

As was customary, we removed our footwear, and soon enough, Miyamoto and Akihiko fell asleep. It wasn’t very long before I soon fell asleep as well.

As I slept, memories came back to me, and I recalled the events which led me to become the samurai that I am.

At the age of two, I was a small child, raised by my father, Hiroto Onoda, and my mother, Midori Kanno. My father worked as a carpenter while my mother was a fruit vendor. Together, the two of them scraped enough money to survive. They were never rich, but they always had enough money to have plenty of food, since I remember never starving. I myself lived a pretty idyllic life. I roamed throughout the house, throughout our village, full of friendly neighbors who helped me frequently, and throughout the woods surrounding the area.

All this, however, was changed, and my idyllic lifestyle would perish in a flash.

I still remember the day as vividly as a painting. It was a dark and rainy day, and I was inside a cave hidden within the woods. From inside, though I was deeply hidden, I heard a sound almost like a thunder. I realized that the thunder was the sound of horses and soldiers entering and killing. The sounds of death, of violence permeated the air, and I remember crying at these sounds.

The sounds continued for what seemed an eternity, but mercifully, they did eventually come to a stop. Throughout this sequence of events, I remained ensconced within the cave, determined to avoid having the violence which occurred strike upon myself.

Once the sounds faded away and tranquility once more reigned, I walked out of the cave. The troops and soldiers had left, but my village had been completely and utterly destroyed. Food supplies were looted, houses and temples were burned, bodies were scattered throughout the ground, and only the sound of carrion birds, screeching in the air as they picked up and consumed the decaying flesh remained.

I saw among the decaying bodies friends and neighbors. All these people whom I had known and loved, perished in a sudden attack, and I knew then that everything had changed for the worse.

At that moment, I went back to the house. There, on the floor, I saw the remains of my mother and father. They had both been killed by those men, and I realized then that I was now an orphan. Like it or not, my life was about to undergo a major change.
At the moment I saw their bodies, I took a glance at myself. I placed upon myself a mission: I would extract revenge upon those who had killed my parents, my neighbors, and who had destroyed the village I so loved.

In order to do so, however, I would have to train and become a warrior. I would have to become a samurai and exact vengeance.

There were two major obstacles to accomplishing this goal, however. First off, I had no training and no experience of any kind with which I could fight against those who killed my family. Secondly, I had no clue who it was that killed my family. To fix both of these things, I would need to be trained by someone who was older and wiser than me, who was experienced in the martial arts, and who could then pass that knowledge and training unto myself.

In other words, I needed a sensei.

To this aim, I left the village, now ruined and destroyed, and headed off. I walked for miles and miles until off in the distance, I saw a large temple. I bowed in reverence at the temple and climbed up the mahogany steps. Once at the top of the steps, I saw the wooden door, ornately decorated and prepared so that the gods would elicit their favor upon the temple.

I grabbed the handles and opened the doors. At that moment, I entered the temple, and saw the worship of the kami-the deities of the Shinto religion. Incense was being burned and rituals were being made in honor of the gods. The monks were prostrate upon the floor, in total and perfect submission to those beings whose influence was greater than that of any being that reigned upon the Earth.

I sat on the tatami floor, and waited for the rituals to finish. Once all the ritual ended, I stood up. Most of the monks left save for one, who was curious at my appearance. He seemed to realize that I wasn’t there, and as a result, we went up to me.

He first said “Arigatou” to me, and I replied back.

At that moment, he asked me “What are you doing here?”

I turned back to him and I replied “Well, I come from the village of Gokoro-name, which was recently destroyed. I seem to have been the last survivor from that village. I want to train, to learn, so that I can become a samurai and exact justice upon those who perpetrated the destruction of my village.”

He looked at me and said “I sympathize with your desire to right the wrongs which you have had to bear witness to. However, anger is a weapon, a tool that you must control and harness. You cannot let anger overcome and dominate you, or else, you will lose your humanity, and become no better than the individuals who wrought destruction upon your village. I will train you and prepare you so that you may become proficient in the martial arts and become a samurai. However, I hope that you do not let aggression triumph over your good nature. I know that your innocence has faded, but do not let it die completely. Do not become cold and unfeeling.”
I looked at him and saw in his eyes a sense that really did care about myself and wished to aid me. As a result, I smiled and said “Yes, master. I shall obey your will.”

The monk turned to me and said “Come with me. I need to establish myself with you. We cannot rush to combat without each knowing about the other. Therefore, let us break for tea.”

At that moment, I put myself in line behind him and followed him to a room within the temple. He opened the shoji screens and entered the room alongside me.

Once we were both inside, he closed the screens. Upon the screens being closed, I saw the monk sit down in a lotus position. I sat down as well, but doing the lotus position proved harder to me than I thought, and as a result, the monk stared at me with eagle eyes. These eyes ultimately motivated me to form the lotus position, and once I did so, the monk smiled at me.

Between us there lay a small wooden table. In that table, there were two porcelain cups. Off in a smaller corner table, there lay a teapot.

At that moment, the monk grabbed the teapot by its handle and poured the tea into the two cups. He then grabbed his tea. I grabbed mine as well but he told me to put the cup down.

I was a little shocked at this, but decided that since he was my elder, and therefore, was superior in knowledge to myself, to follow his lead.

I put the cup down and saw him drink a small amount of the tea. Then, he put his cup down as well. He then gave me a stare and told me “You may drink now.”

At that point, I grabbed my tea cup, and put it near my lips. Just before I started to drink of the tea, he came to me and told me “Patience, young one. Remember that the tea is hot. Do not drink it quickly. Instead, drink it slowly. Exercise discretion and self-control, and recede. Then, you may proceed to drink the tea, but never lose sight of the fact that you are consuming a beverage favored by the gods. It is after all, green tea, which is highly esteemed among the kami and which we are blessed to be able to drink. Enjoy.”

Once he finished, I started to drink the green tea. Taking note of the monk’s advice, I drank the tea slowly. My body was thirsty, and wanted me to drink the tea rapidly. However, I exercised my jurisprudence and self-control to tell my body that I would not bend to its desires. I would control myself and elevate myself above impulses.

I drank of the tea, and I let the heat from the tea dissipate. To the shrine’s credit, the tea was delicious. I enjoyed the sensation of the flavors of the tea, which refreshed me and gave me a sense of tranquility which I did not have.

Some time passed and I finished the cup. The monk poured some more tea on his cup and on mine.

The monk came to me, and introduced himself as Azakune Mirai.
Once I knew his name, Sensei Azakune began to tell me of his past.

He stared at me and said “I came from a poor family in the countryside, much as you did. I remember my childhood, where I lived a contented life with my parents and siblings. As I became older, spirituality, something which had been a residual element that I did not care for, started to become more and more a part of me. I felt a connection to the kami, to the divine beings, and therefore knew that I had to become a monk to achieve that connection.

That said, I did not only reside in the kami. I had other interests and activities which I enjoyed. I practiced kendo with my older brother, and I would engage in several of the martial arts. When I finally left my family and entered the monastery, I realized that the element of the divine within transformed the martial arts from something which I merely performed into an almost god-like experience wherein the martial art served the purpose that was ordained to it by the kami. I received from this an intoxicating feeling, and knew then and there that I had made the correct choice in choosing what I picked.”

I was amazed by him and turned to him. There, I said “I am honored to be making your acquaintance. Thank you for telling me this story.”

At that moment, he turned to me and said, “Come little one. I need to retreat to my bedroom. I’ll create a small bed for you where you can sleep. We both need our sleep, for tomorrow, we shall arise in the early morning.”

I really couldn’t see anything which I would object to, so I followed his plan.

The two of us walked down a corridor and after some walking, the Sensei found his room. He opened the shoji screens so that the two of us could enter, and once we were inside the room, he closed the screens.

Once inside the room, Sensei grabbed a set of items and formed a small bed where I could sleep in. In this bed, he put a pillow and blanket for my comfort.

Then he turned to me and said “I must take a bath. Wait here. Once I finish, I will also give you a bath. Remember that you are a creature of great intellect and potential, and that once I am done with your training, that you will have the tools needed to exact justice for those whom you lost. Now I must depart. You can lie on my bed and wait for me.”

I wasn’t too sure of what it was that he would do, but I nonetheless obliged him. At least at that moment, I had no reason to doubt his good sense.

Several minutes passed by until he finished. The period of time seemed almost interminable to me, but did eventually come to an end. Once it did, Sensei exited from the bathroom. He was fully dressed in his clothes for the night, and looked at me with a stare that said “You’re next.”

I knew that he wanted me to also bathe as well, and while I was a bit reluctant, he carried me in his arms and took me inside the bathroom. At that moment, he undressed me and prepared me for the bath which I was going to take.

He took me into the bathroom, and put me in the water. Grabbing soap and water, he cleansed me. When he finished, he took me out and dried me. He didn’t have clothing that would be explicitly for me, so he gave me one of his robes. It was way too large for me, and I was ensconced in the clothes. He carried me to the bed, and bade me good night.

He went into his bed, and fell asleep. I soon fell asleep as well and in the darkness of the night, there was very little that I could see.

The morning came, and my Sensei came to awaken me. When he woke me up, the sun was starting to rise upon the horizon. Though I did not know the time, it was clearly early in the morning.

The Sensei came to me and told me that he would purchase a set of clothes for me. He did not want after all, that I should be nude. After all, that would be unbecoming, and he did not want for such a thing to happen.

He told me to continue wearing the robe. Then, he went to eat breakfast. I, of course, had to join him.

At the breakfast, a multitude of monks were gathered to eat food. They were seated all in one long table, to show that they were all equal, and at that moment, the food was distributed among the monks.

Sensei sat as did I, and he received a plate of food. Since I couldn’t yet eat solid food, I was given some of his broth, and that filled me up somewhat for the day that was to come.

Once the breakfast was finished, Sensei Azakune stood up. I followed him and went with him. Sensei grabbed a bag with some money and left the temple along with me. Now outside, I found that the Sensei had a horse. He rode on it with me and we went to Nagoya. There, Sensei said, he had a childhood friend who had a market that sold a multitude of different items. Sensei was sure that he could find clothes for me that would last me a while.

As he continued on his trusty steed, the scenery changed. The landscape became varied, as the rolling hills gave way to steep mountains. Throughout this, the greenery became sparser, but the scenery grew more beautiful as the mountains, which were imposing and step, grew to become something greater than the protrusions of rock which they were.

I was in awe, both at the scenery that I watched and at Sensei’s skill when it came to riding a horse. After all, since he had been secluded in a temple, I didn’t expect him to be good at horseback riding, and yet, here he was going a long distance.

Ultimately, we finally entered Nagoya just as the sun was setting. I saw the many buildings, and it was clear that we were no longer in nature, but instead, were in a bustling city, home to many people.

Since I had never before been in large city, I was captivated by the sights of the many houses, temples, markets, and gardens. Slowly, but surely, we finally came to a stop at a local market.

When we stopped there, I saw that there was a plethora of items on offer. There were cooking instruments, clothes, food, art, decorations, and a wide range of other goods which would be too numerous for me to even mention.

Sensei Azakune put his horse to rest at a nearby set of stables which were provided for the convenience of travelers coming to the city. The stables had wooden doors, and their insides were filled with hay. I sensed that Sensei’s horse would have a great and comfortable environment for him to be there.

Sensei called me, and I ran to him. At that moment, I caught up to him and he walked until he arrived at a particular stall. There, I saw a man of medium height, with light skin and dark hair, tending to a piece of fabric which he seemed to have purchased at a certain point in time.

Sensei began to speak to the man, and though the man initially didn’t realize what was happening, he was ultimately snapped back to reality. He turned back, and saw Sensei Azakune.

The man seemed joyous at seeing him, and the man greeted Sensei with rapturous joy.

Once the two men greeted each other, the man asked “Who is this child you bring?”

Sensei replied that “This is Katsuhiro Onoda. He recently came to the temple where I reside having fled the village of Gokoro-name.”

The man introduced himself to me as Fujimoto Kareda, and then said to me “I heard of the village’s destruction. It was destroyed by the shogun of a nearby village, who feared your village because of its better agricultural conditions. He feared that if your village was given enough time and development, that it could surpass his village in influence and wealth, as its soil was quite rocky in comparison to the fertile soil that your city enjoyed alongside crisp mountains. This is a map of the village and this is his name: Kazuto Hiragaya.”

“Oh, and by the way, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.”

I turned to Kareda and said “Likewise. I now have valuable information that I can use to avenge the loss of those whom I loved. Thank you.”

Sensei was a little bit flushed, but turned back to Kareda and chatted with him. Sensei asked him if he had sets of clothes that would range based on age, so that he could buy one set of clothes and have that set last me through maturity and adulthood. Kareda replied that he did indeed have a set of clothes that he felt would work. At that moment, he looked at me and measured me, and upon finishing his measurements, he turned to Sensei and said “Yes. Your pupil will grow to become tall and muscular. I do have a set of clothes that will fit him as he matures and grows.”

He went and looked around his tent, but ultimately found the set of clothes. They were all in an enormous box, made of mahogany, and their outside featured an engraving of a dragon. On the top, the handle allowed the box to easily be carried and also provided a way for the box to be opened.

Sensei Azakune saw the box and smiled. He went to Kareda and said “That’s the one! Thanks.”

Kareda said “No problem. By the way, you need to pay me.”

Sensei realized this, and good-naturedly said “Fair enough.”

He gave Kareda the money, paid for the box, and carried it with him. By the time that we were finished, however, daytime had given way to night time. Sensei was reluctant at this point to make the return trip back.

However, I did want to return, and I cried and begged him to return. Sensei, however, was not amused, and sternly told me “Boy, you need to stop crying. I am not leaving at this hour because I do not wish to ride in the darkness of the night. I need the brightness of the day so that I can be confident of my return in the utmost safety. We’re staying the night in Nagoya and shall leave early tomorrow morning. Abandon your impatience, for it will get you nowhere with me.”

I wanted to cry, and yet, tears did not come out. I realized at that moment that there was a certain element of harshness and bitterness to my own self. Little did I know that bitterness and harshness would become something that would be of much greater importance later on.

At that moment, however, I moved those thoughts away from my mind. Sensei Azakune and I walked to the stables, and there was our horse. Sensei took his horse and mounted me on it followed by himself.

Once on the horse, he rode for several miles until he found an inn just on the outskirts of Nagoya.

The inn wasn’t anything too remarkable from the outside, and the initial impression I had of the inn wasn’t a very positive one. Sensei saw the grimace I made and he did not look with favor upon the facial expression I made. I still wasn’t too happy, but decided that I needed to stop doing it, at least, for a particular period of time.

Sensei dismounted himself from the horse. Once he did so, he walked the horse to another set of stables. These stables were owned by another man, Kazuto Orayama. He looked upon Sensei with a certain degree of respect and reverence, and agreed to store the horse in his stables.

At that moment, Sensei took the horse inside the stables and dismounted me from the horse. After this, the two of us walked to the inn, which thankfully was only about five minutes away.
Upon finishing our walk, we arrived at the inn. I saw the doors of the inn and the various floors and windows that the building had. The inn looked a little worn down, but still seemed somewhat inviting, and it seemed to do a relatively good amount of business tending to the needs of travelers.

Sensei opened the doors and entered the inn, with me following his lead.

When we were finally inside the inn, the interior of the inn seemed far nicer and better kept than the exterior would lead one to believe.

There were two floors to the inn, and a narrow stairway would permit access to the second level. In the first level, there would be a counter for checking in to the inn, a small alcove where it seemed as though breakfast was served, a small seating area with chairs, and a restroom.

The area was sparsely decorated but had certain touches of design and elegance which though minute, helped the area to look more attractive than it would otherwise have been.

Sensei went up to the counter, carrying the basket full of items which he had earlier purchased, and checked in to the inn. Once he had checked in, Sensei told me to follow him to the second floor.

We climbed up the staircase and reached the second floor of the inn. We then walked a while before ultimately coming to a stop in front of our room. Scanning the screen briefly, we verified that it was the room which we were assigned and opened the screen. The two of us promptly entered the room as Sensei closed the screen.

Upon closing the screen, I stared out the window. The Sun was beginning to set, and the multiple colors of the setting Sun captivated me and made me look in awe at the cycle of events which the natural world followed.

I could only focus on this briefly, however, for Sensei took me and bathed me. Once he was finished, he laid me on one of the tatami sheets so that I could fall asleep. Sensei then went and bathed himself, and once he finished, he exited the bathroom and laid down on another tatami sheet next to mine.

By this time, the Sun had completely set, and a black darkness overwhelmed the inn. I fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, I awoke, and Sensei followed shortly after. Once the two of us had awakened, we dressed in our clothes. For the first time, Sensei put on me the clothes which he had purchased. He picked a particular ensemble for me, which managed to fit me well.

I was happy since the new clothes looked a lot nicer than the ones that I had worn earlier, and it marked a great start of sorts to the day. Sensei and I left the room, and upon doing so, the two of us went down the stairs to the first level. Carrying on to the basket, Sensei checked out of the inn. Before we were to step out of the abode, however, we needed some sustenance for the day ahead.

We saw that the small alcove was open, and that they were serving breakfast. It was clear that they only served the breakfast for a specific block of time, and that after this time, they wouldn’t serve the breakfast.

Therefore, the two of us knew that we would have to eat the breakfast they provided. As a result, the two of us entered the alcove, sat down in one of the tables, and had a waitress come to our table.

She was a slim woman with dark hair and dark eyes but with skin the color of milk tea. She possessed a refinement to herself and a sense of purity which struck the two of us with some pleasantness, after all, people of that nature were seemingly becoming harder and harder to find.

At that moment, she asked us what we wanted to order for breakfast.