Post by Tami on Oct 21, 2007 13:39:45 GMT -5
Laughing Daughter of the Night
Even in a time of peace, when the Land of the Rising Sun rested content under the wise rule of shogun Tokugawa leyasu, the Hakken practiced the art of war. Each clan wished to be the best and wisest of all; to this end, th&ferds and ladies carried on quiet battles behind silken screens or in bright gardens. A whisper here, a murmur there, the competition for quality continued.
Yet on the estate of Lord Taira Akio and his wife Taira Kaneko, great Lady of the Hakken, chaos reigned. They had two strong sons, Taro and Jun, who were betrothed to noble Hakken daughters of allied clans. Then there was Sayo, their only daughter, their only child of the moon, bornonanight when Tsuki-yomi had no face. From her birth, Sayo laughed at every thing. Even when she prowled on four feet instead of two, she laughed. Father and mother tried to teach her the ways of the Hakken, but life was a game to Sayo. Her brothers showed her mastery of the sword as befitted a samurai, but even as Sayo bested them, she laughed. Father, mother and brothers despaired. If called to serve the clan, would Sayo stain them all with her lack of reverence? How far would her laughter take her when bushido required straightforwardness?
An answer was not long in coming. The daimyo, hearing of Sayo, sentfor her. While her father and mother trembled inside, Sayo paid graceful honor to the daimyo and brought a smile to his lips with her clever stories. Then the time for business me. "Taira Sayo, I have a task for you to perform." The daimyo held out to her a lotus blossom. "You are to take this to the clan shrine of the Yotomi family and leave it on their steps. Forget not your laughter, daughter of the clan, and your name shall be honored."
Father and mother did not even blink, but they knew the sad tidings: that the Yotomi clan had fallen into the destructive clutches of the Coiled Serpent, the Wyrm of Destruction. They knew their child was asked to give her life for the clan, and they worried not that she would never come home, but that she might die dishonorably. Did their daughter have any idea what her duty was to be?
But knowing or not, Sayo took the blossom with a sweetsmile. That very night, she ran on her four swift legs to the distant temple of the Yotomi, clutching the blossom in her sharp teeth. When the rising sun touched her eyes, she stood two-legged on the threshold of the fallen clans shrine. She laid the blossom down just as stinking, corrupted warriors poured out from the earth's bowels to confront her. Sayo hadnever forgotten the teachings of her brothers, so she felled many with single strokes of her blade .
She remembered the command of the daimyo , and loyally and obediently followed his orders not to forget her laughter. As more and more of the Warm's warriors overtook her, Sayo laughed at them and their foolishness in straying from the path of bushido. The kindly servants of Tsuki-yomi who listened to the fateful battle agreed that never had they heard such perfect laughter, so inspired by wisdom. When Sayo fell dead, they bore her away, just as the magic lotus flower blossomed into a great fire, destroying the entire Yotomi estate.
The daimyo told Lord and Lady Taira of their daughter's noble death, and they were ashamed they had thought so tail of her in life. "Let this be a lesson to you, then," he replied. "For the path of warrior is to strive for quality in all things, not just those which bring us the greatest glory and honor in battle. This is truly the way of the Hakken."
Even in a time of peace, when the Land of the Rising Sun rested content under the wise rule of shogun Tokugawa leyasu, the Hakken practiced the art of war. Each clan wished to be the best and wisest of all; to this end, th&ferds and ladies carried on quiet battles behind silken screens or in bright gardens. A whisper here, a murmur there, the competition for quality continued.
Yet on the estate of Lord Taira Akio and his wife Taira Kaneko, great Lady of the Hakken, chaos reigned. They had two strong sons, Taro and Jun, who were betrothed to noble Hakken daughters of allied clans. Then there was Sayo, their only daughter, their only child of the moon, bornonanight when Tsuki-yomi had no face. From her birth, Sayo laughed at every thing. Even when she prowled on four feet instead of two, she laughed. Father and mother tried to teach her the ways of the Hakken, but life was a game to Sayo. Her brothers showed her mastery of the sword as befitted a samurai, but even as Sayo bested them, she laughed. Father, mother and brothers despaired. If called to serve the clan, would Sayo stain them all with her lack of reverence? How far would her laughter take her when bushido required straightforwardness?
An answer was not long in coming. The daimyo, hearing of Sayo, sentfor her. While her father and mother trembled inside, Sayo paid graceful honor to the daimyo and brought a smile to his lips with her clever stories. Then the time for business me. "Taira Sayo, I have a task for you to perform." The daimyo held out to her a lotus blossom. "You are to take this to the clan shrine of the Yotomi family and leave it on their steps. Forget not your laughter, daughter of the clan, and your name shall be honored."
Father and mother did not even blink, but they knew the sad tidings: that the Yotomi clan had fallen into the destructive clutches of the Coiled Serpent, the Wyrm of Destruction. They knew their child was asked to give her life for the clan, and they worried not that she would never come home, but that she might die dishonorably. Did their daughter have any idea what her duty was to be?
But knowing or not, Sayo took the blossom with a sweetsmile. That very night, she ran on her four swift legs to the distant temple of the Yotomi, clutching the blossom in her sharp teeth. When the rising sun touched her eyes, she stood two-legged on the threshold of the fallen clans shrine. She laid the blossom down just as stinking, corrupted warriors poured out from the earth's bowels to confront her. Sayo hadnever forgotten the teachings of her brothers, so she felled many with single strokes of her blade .
She remembered the command of the daimyo , and loyally and obediently followed his orders not to forget her laughter. As more and more of the Warm's warriors overtook her, Sayo laughed at them and their foolishness in straying from the path of bushido. The kindly servants of Tsuki-yomi who listened to the fateful battle agreed that never had they heard such perfect laughter, so inspired by wisdom. When Sayo fell dead, they bore her away, just as the magic lotus flower blossomed into a great fire, destroying the entire Yotomi estate.
The daimyo told Lord and Lady Taira of their daughter's noble death, and they were ashamed they had thought so tail of her in life. "Let this be a lesson to you, then," he replied. "For the path of warrior is to strive for quality in all things, not just those which bring us the greatest glory and honor in battle. This is truly the way of the Hakken."