Miko, p.68
Miko, page 68
Justine gently stroked the back of his injured hand. “Why won’t you smile, Nick. You’ve been brooding for weeks. It worries me to see you like this.”
Nicholas spread out his hands, palms up. “I look at these, Justine, and wonder what they’re for besides inflicting pain and death.”
She put one of her hands in his. “They’re also gentle hands, Nick. They caress me and I melt inside.”
He shook his head. “That’s not enough. I can’t help thinking what they’ve done. I don’t want to kill.” His voice trembled. “I don’t believe that I ever could have.”
“You never sought out death, Nick. You’ve always killed in self-defense.”
“Yet I sought out the training, first bujutsu, then ninjutsu. Why?” His eyes were pleading.
“What answer do you think will satisfy you?” she said softly.
“That’s just it,” he cried in anguish. “I don’t know!”
“I think that’s because there is no answer.”
His head went down and he said in a muffled voice, “Then I have no answer for how I maimed my friend.”
“Oh, Nick,” she said, pressing her lips against his cheek, “Lew doesn’t blame you; why blame yourself?”
“Because without me he’d still have two hands!”
“No, without you he’d be dead. And he’d never have found out who really murdered Angela Didion.” Nicholas had told her as much as he could during their long vigil during Croaker’s operation. “You know how obsessed he was over that.”
With a little cry Nicholas tore himself away from her loving embrace. He went around the car, reached into an open back window, and took the dai-katana up.
He kissed Justine hard on the lips. “I’ll be back in a little while. Wait for me; listen to the birds, watch the sunlight drift through the leaves.”
He went away from her up the small grassy knoll and down toward the lake. The water sparked and danced as ripples creased its surface. Water lapped softly at his feet, running into his socks. It felt good on his feet, and he waded in up to his thighs, unmindful of his clothes.
There was a pain like a stone in his throat. Iss-Hōgai had been the Colonel’s gift to him to commemorate his passage from child to man.
But, he thought now, there was another passage he must make that came after that one. He was ready for it now; prepared in every way he could imagine. Yet it would still hurt, he knew. Not as much as his hurt for his friend, but it would be bad enough.
“Thank you, father,” he mouthed as he lofted the dai-katana high over his head in his good hand and threw it with all his strength out into the middle of the lake.
It hit the surface point on, and there was no splash at all. Soundlessly, it disappeared into the depths.
For a long time after that Nicholas stood thigh deep in the cool water, feeling its life-giving lap surrounding his body. He breathed deeply of the air; heard birds calling behind him. He saw a pair of snowy herons lift off from the water’s surface and wheel into the white sky. He watched their flight until they, too, were lost to sight.
He recognized the lightness in his spirit when it came, like a fresh breeze after a humid summer’s day. It had been time to put away the lethal toys that had dominated his life for so long. It was time to get on with living.
He turned at last and waded the short distance to shore. Just beyond the small crest of the knoll, Justine waited for him. His heart expanded at the knowledge.
As he went toward her, he thought that she might be right after all, just as Nangi had been right. Japan was his home. Did he really want to leave it now?
For the first time he could feel the real force of the calmness he experienced in Itami’s chano-yu room. There his spirit was truly at rest. He could imagine tsukimi—moon viewing—there; celebrating New Year’s with traditional mochi rice cakes; hanami in April when the cherry blossoms fell rich and radiant, reminders of all that life was: exquisite and fleeting. Sakura were, after all, as mortal as men and women.
In Itami’s house—his house, should he wish it—the modern-day Japan had not yet come. The feudal hand still resided there, proud and splendid and eternally victorious. Honor lived there, as well as courage.
Nicholas, taking Justine’s hand in his, thought it would be the perfect spot to teach a new spirit what life was all about.
GLOSSARY
aikido—ai, HARMONY; KI, energy; do, the way. A discipline of hand-to-hand martial arts employing pivoting movements to neutralize an attack.
Aisha seishin—in business, devotion to the company.
aka-i-ninjutsu—literally, “red ninjutsu.” Used for good.
akuma—an evil spirit: a devil.
akuryo—a battle mask in the shape of an evil demon’s face. See mempo.
ama-gasa—an umbrella.
anata—the polite form of “you” used by women.
atemi—one of a number of percussive strikes in aikido.
baishun—literally, the selling of spring; prostitution.
bokken—wooden practice sword used in kenjutsu training.
bonbori—paper lanterns traditionally hung during hanami.
Boryokudan—a gang of thugs employing extremely violent tactics. Its members are not bound by the code of honor of the yakuza.
bujutsu—generic heading for all Japanese martial arts.
bushido—samurai’s strict and unforgiving code of honor.
-chan—informal suffix to a name indicating love and a certain special closeness.
chano-yu—the tea ceremony.
cho—districts within a city’s wards.
chome—subdistricts within a city’s cho.
chimin—tactical unit leader within a particular ninja school or clan.
dai-katana—longest of the samurai’s katana, or long swords.
daikon—a white radish.
daimyō—a feudal warlord.
dan—any of a number of black belt or highest rankings in aikido.
denka no hoto—bureaucratic phraseology for the katana, the samurai sword.
dohyo—a sumo ring, where the wrestling is performed.
dojo—physical school of martial arts, the place of practice.
domo arigato—thank you very much.
ekika—in hand-to-hand combat, a vital spot just beneath the armpits.
feng shui—Cantonese for geomancer: he who reads portents in the cardinal elements of life: earth, air, fire, and water.
fusuma—opaque sliding door in the interior of a Japanese house.
futon—a thick, flexible mattresslike quilt for sleeping.
Fuyajo—literally, “The Castle That Knows No Night,” the name of a geisha house. See geisha and Yoshiwara.
gaijin—a foreigner.
gakubatsu—the bond between school classmates that extends on into business life.
geisha—one trained in the arts of entertainment.
genin—a ninja agent within a particular school or clan.
geta—wooden clogs.
getsumei no michi—literally, “the moonlit path”; a level of awareness suspended between the conscious and the subconscious.
gi—the costume worn during the practice of martial arts.
giri—the concept of debt, usually moral.
goho-no-kamae—a specific opening stance in spike and chain combat. See manrikigusari.
gunsen—a war fan, usually made of iron.
h’eung yau—literally, “fragrant grease”; Cantonese for a bribe.
hachimaki—a cloth wrapped around the forehead of a warrior.
haha—mother, informally or lovingly.
hai—yes.
haiku—a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables which strives to encompass a maximum of content and emotion in a minimum of space. A microcosm of Japanese life.
hakama—a traditional black divided skirt worn by sensei in certain forms of martial arts; part of the gi.
hanami—three days of cherry blossom viewing.
Hang Seng—the Hong Kong stock exchange.
hara—to be grounded within oneself, to possess force of spirit, inner strength; therefore, to garner respect. Most prized by Japanese. Hara resides in the lower belly.
haragei—in the martial arts, a form of sixth sense.
hera-mochi—literally, the one with the right to hold the spoon used to serve rice; the head of the household; the mother.
hinin—the lowest level of Japanese caste society. Traditionally, all ninja families originated in the hinin.
hiragana—the basic Japanese language, consisting of forty-eight phonetic syllables adopted from Chinese Mandarin.
hito washi—“the human eagle,” a makeshift glider ninja learn to construct.
iai—the art of drawing a weapon—usually a katana—and striking in the same motion. May be effected from a position of seeming unpreparedness.
ichi—literally, “position”; an offshoot of kiai, using the voice to influence the enemy’s thought or action.
ichomage—the traditional intricate coiffure of the grand champion, or yokozuna sumo.
Ikagadesuka—the equivalent of “Hello, how are you?”
ikebana—the art of flower arranging.
irimi—exercise variations of jo-waza, stave aikido.
Iss-hogai—literally, “for life”; the name of a katana.
iteki—a barbarian; a derogatory term devoid of all respect.
jaho—magic.
janomegasa—a rice-paper umbrella.
Jinno Shotoki—one of the great books of teaching in the Shinto religion. It was written in 1339 by Chikafusa Kitabatake.
jit suryoko—superhuman powers. See akuma.
jitsu—fullness, as in breathing.
jo-waza—the martial art of stave aikido.
jonin—leader of a ninja school or clan.
joss—Chinese term used variously for luck, destiny; akin to karma.
joss stick—incense.
juka—the organ meridian on the human body just beneath each ear. See kyukon.
juku—an elite private study group to aid Japan’s best students.
junsuisei—the purity of resolve.
k’ai ho—Mandarin ideogram meaning, variously, a gap, an opportunity to be seized; spies. A term used by Sun Tzu in his Art of War.
kabuki—a form of highly stylized Japanese theater employing masked actors.
kamae—one of a number of opening stances in spike and chain combat. See manrikigusari.
kami—a spirit, ancestral or otherwise.
kamikaze—literally, “divine wind.” Self-destruction in war for the good of the Emperor.
kamiza—the upper seat of the aikido practice mat. The place of honor reserved for the sensei.
kamuro—a serving girl to geisha.
kan—a status of power bestowed upon the bureaucrat by Imperial appointment. Originally from the Mandarin, meaning the home of the man presiding over a city.
Kan-aku na ninjutsu—literally, “black ninjutsu.” Invariably used for evil, the most virulent sub-discipline of which is Kuji-kiri.
kanji—the written Japanese language.
kanryodo—the Way of the samurai-bureaucrat; a modern martial art purely of the mind.
kanzashi—traditional long hairpins, usually made of carved wood, ivory, or tortoiseshell; usually part of a set. See kushi.
karma—one’s destiny.
karyukai—literally, “the flower and willow world.” See Yoshi-wara.
katakana—adjunct syllabary in the Japanese language used to introduce colloquialisms and words of foreign origin. See hiragana.
katana—the samurai’s longsword.
kataribe—professional language memorizers used before the beginning of the Japanese written language (prior to the fifth century A.D.).
katsu—a form of deep resuscitation.
keibatsu—the bond created by blood or marriage into a family.
keiretsu—an industrial conglomerate of companies.
Kempeitai—in the present, the military police; during World War II, the secret police.
ken—the standard six-foot unit of house construction.
kendo—the art of the sword from an educational point of view; viz. technique is translated as do, meaning a spiritual path. See kenjutsu.
kenjutsu—the art (jutsu) of the sword (ken) in a combative, practical sense. See kendo.
ki—inner energy required for any of the martial arts.
kiai—a shout to startle and frighten an enemy.
kimono—a traditional robe, usually of silk or cotton, worn by both men and women.
kin-yu keiretsu—financial linkages. The basis of keiretsu.
kite—one of a number of vicious percussive blows using either the edge of the hand or the tips of the fingers in concert.
Kobudera—a form of evil magic employed by the Kuji-kiri.
kobun—a company; part of a keiretsu.
Kodomo-gunjin—literally, “little soldier.” A name as an endearment.
kogen—the Japanese highlands.
kokuhisho—black-skin syndrome caused by the inclusion of a coal tar dye in women’s skin cream.
kokyu suru—in certain martial arts, an attack stance; to breathe.
komuso—a wandering ascetic; the ideogram used at the center of the Kuji-kiri ninja crest.
konzern—division of a keiretsu conglomerate, broken down by industry.
koppo—the martial art of breaking bones.
ku—wards, the broadest area designations, within a city.
Kuji-kiri—literally, “nine-hands cutting”; a form of black ninjutsu. See Kan-aku na ninjutsu.
kushi—traditional comb used in the hair, usually part of a set. See kanzashi.
kyo—emptiness, as in breathing.
kyodobatsu—the bond between men born in the same prefecture or town.
Kyoiku mama—an education mother; one who helps her children in their academic studies.
kyudo—a martial art.
kyukon—the nine organ meridians on a human body.
kyusho—vital spots.
mabiki—the weeding-out process used to rid a school or bureau of undesirables.
maho-zukai—a sorceror.
makiotoshi—in spike and chain combat, a move to wind the chain about the opponent’s neck. See manrikigusari.
manrikigusari—literally, “the chain with the strength of ten thousand men,” a martial arts weapon consisting of a steel chain weighted at both ends.
mempo—a battle mask made of hinged steel.
menju fukuhai—literally, “reversing in the belly.” Slang phrase used by bureaucrats still under the domination of the American Occupation. It meant carrying out American orders on the face of it while reversing policy after some time had passed.
michi—a path; a journey; duty; the unknown; a stranger.
mie—a stylized pose used in kabuki.
miira—a mummy.
miko—a sorceress; a maiden in the service of a shrine.
mochi—traditional rice cakes eaten at New Year’s.
montsuki—part of the traditional dress of the sumo grand champion.
muhon-nin—a traitor.
musubinawa—an eight-meter coil of rope made of women’s hair. See rokugu.
naga-hibachi—a kind of stove.
nariyuki no matsu—to wait for the turn of events; to be patient.
nekode—cat’s claws made of forged steel. See rokugu.
netsuke—carvings of ivory or wood, traditionally used to tie off the strings of an inro, a carved box, worn around the waist when dressed in a kimono, in lieu of pockets.
ninja—literally, “in stealth.” A Japanese assassin.
ninjutsu—a wide field of subspecies of martial arts studied by ninja.
Noh—serious Japanese drama.
oba-chama—grandmother.
Oba—mother, formally.
obi—wide silk sash used to hold kimono in place.
ochugen—in business, a mid-year gift.
Ogawa-no-jutsu—the arcane art of breaking down toxic substances inside the body. Part of ninjutsu.
ogi—a folding fan.
oiran—a full-fledged geisha. There are three levels, of which tayu is the highest.
Okagesamade—the equivalent of “I am fine.” See Ikagadesuka.
omae—the form of “you” used only by men.
omoya—literally, “mother house,” the central section of a Japanese house, reserved for family members only.
oseibo—in business, a year-end gift. Westerners may see this as a bonus but, in fact, it is used to repay the obligations that have accrued during the course of the twelve-month period.
oshi—in sumo wrestling, pushing with the entire body.
oyabun—the head of a yakuza family; the boss.
ozeki—sumo champion.
pachinko—a pinball-like game played on a vertical field.
quai loh—Cantonese for foreign devil.
riakon—a Japanese country inn.
ritsurei—in aikido, the ritual bow before the sensei of the dojo.
rokugu—the ninja’s six tools for traveling.
ronin—literally, “wave man.” In feudal times, a masterless samurai; today it is employed to describe ministers who have retired from bureaucratic life and have not yet formed a new business affiliation.
rotenburo—an outdoor hot bath.
ryochi—a feudal lord’s region of power. See daimyō.
ryu—a school or discipline of martial arts.
saika tanden—in martial arts preparedness, a state of “nothingness,” where one is ready for all eventualities.
saiminjutsu—an arcane form of martial arts practiced by some ninja, involving a particularly potent form of hypnotism.
sake—rice wine, the traditional Japanese drink, served hot or cold.
sakura—a cherry blossom, a national symbol.
samisen—traditional stringed instrument.
samurai—in feudal Japan, the warrior. The samurai class was the only one allowed to wear swords in public.
-san—suffix to a name used for respect and politeness.
San Ho Hiu—Three Harmonies Association. The traditional name for the Triads.
sanchome—area designation within a city district.
sankinkotaiseido—in feudal times, the annual pilgrimage of daimyo to the capital, seat of the Shogun’s power.
