Akodo and Ikoma
From the High Histories of the Ikoma Library
Akodo shook the dust from his shoulders and looked about the small town, taking in every detail. He threw himself from his horse and walked her to a tying post, eyeing the bath house. As he stepped across the street, a young boy ran out from behind a small home. He ran straight up to Akodo and stopped only a few feet from him.
“Are you a kami?” the boy asked.
Akodo smiled and noddd. “Hai,” he said. “I am Akodo.”
The boy jumped and made the sound of a crow. “Ha ha!” he said. “Are you looking for samurai?” he asked.
“Yes I am,” Akodo replied. ”Do you know where any are?”
The boy nodded. “Only one. Ikoma. He’s a samurai.”
Akodo asked, “And where can I find Ikoma?”
The boy turned and pointed at the sake house at the end of the row. Akodo nodded. “Thank you.”
Many hours later, when Lady Sun fell to the Underworld, Akodo went to the sake house. When he stepped through the doors, every man and woman fell to their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. Akodo suddenly felt the weight of his obi and shrugged. He lifted his sword and gave it to the man standing at the door, who looked at it with trembling eyes.
“Do not fear the sword,” Akodo said. “Fear the man who wields it.”
The man nodded quickly and took the blade from the Lion’s hands.
Akodo stepped forward. “I am looking for samurai,” he said. “Men to stand beside me. Who here is willing to put their skills to the test?”
Akodo was used to the silence that followed that question, but this time, it was shattered by an ancient cackle. He looked over the bowing heads and saw an old man sitting in the corner. Akodo stepped across the room, his steady footfalls making the wood ache under his weight.
“And who are you, that you laugh at…”
“You are very funny,” the old man said.
Akodo felt his fury build in his belly. “Who are you, old man?”
The gray-skinned man smiled, revealing a broken ridge of teeth and only half a tongue. “Me? I am no one of importance. Not in the shadow of such a great lord as yourself.”
The sarcasm oozed from the old man’s lips into Akodo’s ears, poisoning his temper even further. “Do you not know your place, old fool?”
“Obviously you do not know yours….boy.”
Akodo’s fury reached its limit. He reached down and threw aside the table where the old man was seated. “I am Akodo, Son of Amaterasu.”
“I know who you are,” the old man said impatiently. “But you do not know me. And how wise is it to challenge a man when you don’t even know his name?”
Those words settled Akodo’s anger only a little. “Very well,” he said through clenched teeth. “Tell me who you are.”
The old man smiled. “I am Ikoma,” he said. “I am the strongest man in the world, for no man has ever bested me.”
“A hearty claim,” Akodo said.
“But a true one.” Ikoma grabbed his cane and pushed himself to his feet. “Do you see this?” he said as his long finger touched a deep scar on his face. “I got that scar from an oger’s claw. He was strong, but I was stronger. I broke off his fingers…one by one. And the ones I could not rip off,” the old man grinned, “I bit off.”
Akodo saw the glee in the man’s eyes and was suddenly reminded of his brother Hida. The old man continued.
“And this scar here,” he said, pointing to a grisly rip down his arm, “I gained when I discovered the geisha I had in my bed was a bog hag. “ Ikoma looked about at those who now watched him. “But she fled the place screaming when I was done with her.”
Akodo saw the men nod and the women blush and knew the man was telling the truth.
Then, Ikoma pointed to his white eye. “And this eye was lost to me by some man who said he trained under Kakita. “Ikoma pulled a Crane mon from his obi. “Apparently he did not train enough.
“And this one,” he lifted his hair and showed Akodo a long, black scar along his scalp. “This one nearly did me in.”
“You were lucky,” Akodo said.
Ikoma frowned and hsook his head. “No, the Fortunes have been at my throat my whole life,” he said. Then he looked Akodo straight in the eye and said, “But I beat them too.”
Ikoma continued, showing each of his scars to Akodo, and with each scar, the old man told another story. Akodo soon found himself sitting and listening to his tales with a smile on his face.
Finally, Ikoma ran out of scars. “I am Ikoma,” he said. “And that is why I am the strongest man in the world. If you want to fight me now, I will fight you. But know this, Son of the Sky; you may win this fight – for every man meets his better, sooner or later – but you will not walk away from it. You will be one eye short, and you’ll be missing a finger or two, but if you are lucky, you may keep all your toes.
“So, if you’re ready, let’s go out in the street. Just you and me. No swords or knives. Just hands and fingers and feet and teeth and we’ll tear each other apart until one of us screams our mother’s name.”
Ikoma stopped there and leaned forward a bit. “And know this, Son of the Sky.”
Akodo leaned in to hear the old man’s hoarse words.
“I don’t know my mother’s name.”
The stare between the men seemed to go on forever, until finally, Akodo sat up straight and Ikoma followed suit.
“You are indeed the strongest man in the world, and I have no wish to fight you.
“At least,” Akodo finished, “not today.”
Akodo shook the dust from his shoulders and looked about the small town, taking in every detail. He threw himself from his horse and walked her to a tying post, eyeing the bath house. As he stepped across the street, a young boy ran out from behind a small home. He ran straight up to Akodo and stopped only a few feet from him.
“Are you a kami?” the boy asked.
Akodo smiled and noddd. “Hai,” he said. “I am Akodo.”
The boy jumped and made the sound of a crow. “Ha ha!” he said. “Are you looking for samurai?” he asked.
“Yes I am,” Akodo replied. ”Do you know where any are?”
The boy nodded. “Only one. Ikoma. He’s a samurai.”
Akodo asked, “And where can I find Ikoma?”
The boy turned and pointed at the sake house at the end of the row. Akodo nodded. “Thank you.”
Many hours later, when Lady Sun fell to the Underworld, Akodo went to the sake house. When he stepped through the doors, every man and woman fell to their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. Akodo suddenly felt the weight of his obi and shrugged. He lifted his sword and gave it to the man standing at the door, who looked at it with trembling eyes.
“Do not fear the sword,” Akodo said. “Fear the man who wields it.”
The man nodded quickly and took the blade from the Lion’s hands.
Akodo stepped forward. “I am looking for samurai,” he said. “Men to stand beside me. Who here is willing to put their skills to the test?”
Akodo was used to the silence that followed that question, but this time, it was shattered by an ancient cackle. He looked over the bowing heads and saw an old man sitting in the corner. Akodo stepped across the room, his steady footfalls making the wood ache under his weight.
“And who are you, that you laugh at…”
“You are very funny,” the old man said.
Akodo felt his fury build in his belly. “Who are you, old man?”
The gray-skinned man smiled, revealing a broken ridge of teeth and only half a tongue. “Me? I am no one of importance. Not in the shadow of such a great lord as yourself.”
The sarcasm oozed from the old man’s lips into Akodo’s ears, poisoning his temper even further. “Do you not know your place, old fool?”
“Obviously you do not know yours….boy.”
Akodo’s fury reached its limit. He reached down and threw aside the table where the old man was seated. “I am Akodo, Son of Amaterasu.”
“I know who you are,” the old man said impatiently. “But you do not know me. And how wise is it to challenge a man when you don’t even know his name?”
Those words settled Akodo’s anger only a little. “Very well,” he said through clenched teeth. “Tell me who you are.”
The old man smiled. “I am Ikoma,” he said. “I am the strongest man in the world, for no man has ever bested me.”
“A hearty claim,” Akodo said.
“But a true one.” Ikoma grabbed his cane and pushed himself to his feet. “Do you see this?” he said as his long finger touched a deep scar on his face. “I got that scar from an oger’s claw. He was strong, but I was stronger. I broke off his fingers…one by one. And the ones I could not rip off,” the old man grinned, “I bit off.”
Akodo saw the glee in the man’s eyes and was suddenly reminded of his brother Hida. The old man continued.
“And this scar here,” he said, pointing to a grisly rip down his arm, “I gained when I discovered the geisha I had in my bed was a bog hag. “ Ikoma looked about at those who now watched him. “But she fled the place screaming when I was done with her.”
Akodo saw the men nod and the women blush and knew the man was telling the truth.
Then, Ikoma pointed to his white eye. “And this eye was lost to me by some man who said he trained under Kakita. “Ikoma pulled a Crane mon from his obi. “Apparently he did not train enough.
“And this one,” he lifted his hair and showed Akodo a long, black scar along his scalp. “This one nearly did me in.”
“You were lucky,” Akodo said.
Ikoma frowned and hsook his head. “No, the Fortunes have been at my throat my whole life,” he said. Then he looked Akodo straight in the eye and said, “But I beat them too.”
Ikoma continued, showing each of his scars to Akodo, and with each scar, the old man told another story. Akodo soon found himself sitting and listening to his tales with a smile on his face.
Finally, Ikoma ran out of scars. “I am Ikoma,” he said. “And that is why I am the strongest man in the world. If you want to fight me now, I will fight you. But know this, Son of the Sky; you may win this fight – for every man meets his better, sooner or later – but you will not walk away from it. You will be one eye short, and you’ll be missing a finger or two, but if you are lucky, you may keep all your toes.
“So, if you’re ready, let’s go out in the street. Just you and me. No swords or knives. Just hands and fingers and feet and teeth and we’ll tear each other apart until one of us screams our mother’s name.”
Ikoma stopped there and leaned forward a bit. “And know this, Son of the Sky.”
Akodo leaned in to hear the old man’s hoarse words.
“I don’t know my mother’s name.”
The stare between the men seemed to go on forever, until finally, Akodo sat up straight and Ikoma followed suit.
“You are indeed the strongest man in the world, and I have no wish to fight you.
“At least,” Akodo finished, “not today.”
