Excerpts of Letters from Akodo Toturi to Matsu Kojike
Dearest mother,
When Sensei Kage suggested I spend my nineteenth summer here in the lands of the Unicorn, I never knew it would be so insightful, so invigorating…and so perplexing. I have learned much observing their ways, but at the same time, there is so much more for me to learn.
I have not yet met with the daimyo, although I have seen him. He wears a strange coat made of animal skins. Although I have heard of such a habit, I imagined it only to be a Scorpion-born half-truth. But even as I write this, I can see them prancing with their steeds on the snowy plains, wrapped up in their furry mantles.
I have been kept clear of any maneuvers they have made with their armies, so I have found observing their strategies difficult. However, I am to be permitted to learn to ride one of their steeds tomorrow. Apparently, being a daimyo’s son has its privileges.
…It is strong. Tall as well. Taller than me. Taller even than my father.
The samurai-ko who instructed me was a dour girl. It looked as if her face had never learned to smile. She showed me how to use the stirrups and the saddle with a grim voice that sounded as if it had never learned to sing. I had to force myself not to retch from the thought of sitting on dead cow skin, but after a few moments on that magnificent steed, the thoughts fled from my mind.
Our ancestors were right, mother. As I rode the beast, its strength becoming ever more evident with every moment, I imagined our armies standing against them, and I marvel at my ancestors courage. To face down such a beast would require the utmost faith. I have heard tell of the oni that the Crab must face day in and out, and the power these beasts have in their legs only reminds me to respect the – as one Lion poet put it – “mad fever of courage” the Crab have.
And in that moment of distraction, I felt my balance shift. The beast reared beneath me and my head hit the ground as my body twisted behind me. Fortunately, the steed’s hooves fell a breath before my face as I scrambled away from the bucking beast. I stood and watched the battle maiden, watching me from afar.
“I am unhurt,” I said to her.
She shrugged. “Stronger than I thought you were,” she said, and I could swear there was a tinge of disappointment in the words…
When Sensei Kage suggested I spend my nineteenth summer here in the lands of the Unicorn, I never knew it would be so insightful, so invigorating…and so perplexing. I have learned much observing their ways, but at the same time, there is so much more for me to learn.
I have not yet met with the daimyo, although I have seen him. He wears a strange coat made of animal skins. Although I have heard of such a habit, I imagined it only to be a Scorpion-born half-truth. But even as I write this, I can see them prancing with their steeds on the snowy plains, wrapped up in their furry mantles.
I have been kept clear of any maneuvers they have made with their armies, so I have found observing their strategies difficult. However, I am to be permitted to learn to ride one of their steeds tomorrow. Apparently, being a daimyo’s son has its privileges.
…It is strong. Tall as well. Taller than me. Taller even than my father.
The samurai-ko who instructed me was a dour girl. It looked as if her face had never learned to smile. She showed me how to use the stirrups and the saddle with a grim voice that sounded as if it had never learned to sing. I had to force myself not to retch from the thought of sitting on dead cow skin, but after a few moments on that magnificent steed, the thoughts fled from my mind.
Our ancestors were right, mother. As I rode the beast, its strength becoming ever more evident with every moment, I imagined our armies standing against them, and I marvel at my ancestors courage. To face down such a beast would require the utmost faith. I have heard tell of the oni that the Crab must face day in and out, and the power these beasts have in their legs only reminds me to respect the – as one Lion poet put it – “mad fever of courage” the Crab have.
And in that moment of distraction, I felt my balance shift. The beast reared beneath me and my head hit the ground as my body twisted behind me. Fortunately, the steed’s hooves fell a breath before my face as I scrambled away from the bucking beast. I stood and watched the battle maiden, watching me from afar.
“I am unhurt,” I said to her.
She shrugged. “Stronger than I thought you were,” she said, and I could swear there was a tinge of disappointment in the words…