“And for you, Matsuyama-san, I promised enough to buy the finest sword in Kamakura.” Hishigawa gave another nod, and the servant slid forward and placed another paper-wrapped stack of coins in front of Kaze. Kaze acted as if they weren’t there, but he did give Hishigawa a thank-you bow.
“Good,” Hishigawa said, “now we have some business to discuss. I want you to become my yojimbo, my bodyguard,” Hishigawa said to Kaze.
“Aren’t you happy with the security I provide you,” Enomoto asked, his face darkening at Hishigawa’s suggestion.
“No. It’s not that,” Hishigawa said quickly. “I simply feel the need for some additional personal protection. There have been attempts on my life lately, and I need someone to protect me.”
Kaze was surprised at Hishigawa’s suggestion and bowed deeply. Hishigawa interpreted this as gratitude and an acknowledgment that Kaze was joining his household. Instead Kaze said, “I appreciate the generous offer to join your household, but I have other duties and tasks I must perform.”
“Duties?” Hishigawa said. “But you are a ronin.”
“Sometimes wandering is a duty, Hishigawa-san.”
Hishigawa looked as if he was going to try to argue with Kaze, but Kaze gave a short bow and stood up.
“Thank you for your hospitality and generosity,” Kaze said. “I would like to stay with you a few days, until I obtain a new sword, but then I must be leaving.” Kaze walked out of the room. He left the money behind.
CHAPTER 11
Eagles spot other
eagles from a long distance.
Like gathers with like.
A half hour later, Kaze was in a smaller room talking to Enomoto and sipping warm sakè.
“Hishigawa-san has told me how strong you are as a swordsman,” Enomoto said. “If what Hishigawa-san says is accurate, you attacked the bandits when it was seven to one. Hishigawa-san also said you were able to save his gold as well as get him to the barrier. I’m glad I have a chance to drink with you. It’s rare to come across a man of your quality.”
Kaze gave a curt nod to acknowledge Enomoto’s compliment.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay as a yojimbo?” Enomoto said. “If you don’t want to work for Hishigawa you can work for me. I could always use another man with a sword like yours.”
“I’m sorry. I have things I must do. I am looking for a young girl. She would be nine now. I noticed all your maids are very young, so perhaps you employ her or know something of her. I don’t know what name she would be known as, but she might have come to your house with a kimono bearing a family crest of three plum blossoms. Do you know anything of such a child?”
“Ando-san likes young maids. She buys them from agents who scour the countryside for young farm girls. She likes to break them in so we can turn a profit by selling them into service elsewhere. Although we’ve had many young girls in this house during the time I’ve been here, there’s nothing I can tell you about one with a plum blossom crest.”
Kaze, who had made similar inquiries all over Japan, was neither surprised nor disappointed by Enomoto’s answer.
“Is it true that the bandits were trying to kill Hishigawa-san?” Enomoto asked.
“It was very peculiar. Most hesitated after they had killed the guards and demanded Hishigawa-san’s surrender, but at least one man, Ishibashi, had only the death of Hishigawa-san as his goal.”
“Ishibashi?” Enomoto said.
“Yes. Hishigawa-san said he was the leader of the bandits.”
Enomoto looked genuinely upset. “Disgusting,” he said. “Hishigawa-san was robbed of gold less than a year ago. At that time they killed the guards with him, but they didn’t hurt him. It’s disturbing that they wanted to kill him this time.”
“Why does Hishigawa-san transport gold from Kyoto anyway?” Kaze asked.
“Because his businesses get out of balance in terms of the amount of gold they have. He has to reallot gold among the three locations of Kamakura, Edo, and Kyoto periodically.”
“I understand that,” Kaze said. “I just don’t know why he actually transfers the gold from each of his businesses.”
“Do you know a way he could avoid that?” Enomoto said, surprised.
“I’m not a merchant,” Kaze replied.
“Of course. Forgive me.” Enomoto knew not to pursue talk of commerce, but he eyed Kaze speculatively. “Oh,” he said. “Speaking of merchants, I apologize for Hishigawa-san’s rudeness with this.” He took the stack of paper-wrapped coins from his sleeve and put it in front of Kaze with a bow. This time it was properly wrapped, in a folded sheet of fine paper, to hide the fact that it was a stack of money. “He wasn’t trying to insult you. He thinks it’s normal to hand money to samurai. You saw how the barrier guards snatched up their payment.”
Kaze waved his hand, as if dismissing Hishigawa’s breach of etiquette in handing Kaze the payment so crassly. Kaze took the payment from Enomoto and put it in his sleeve.
“With so many samurai wandering the roads it’s difficult to get employment, even for a man of your skills. Are you sure you won’t change your mind and fight for me?”
“No. I can’t work here,” Kaze said.
“Why not?”
Kaze paused for a minute, then said, “As I told you, I have other obligations that I must fulfill. Besides, I think Hishigawa-san may be a bad man. If he’s not a bad man, then he’s certainly a weak one, the way he’s possessed by his wife, Yuchan.”
Enomoto grinned. “What makes you think that I’m not a bad man, too?”
Kaze looked at Enomoto and said, “I’ve already considered that possibility.”
Enomoto laughed. “Very good,” he said, “just remember that I am a bad man. A very bad man. We’re all bad here. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in this household.”
Kaze picked up his sakè cup and took a sip. “That’s something I’ll remember in my future dealings with you,” he said.
Enomoto laughed again.
Kaze decided to explore Kamakura and left Hishigawa’s villa to go into town. When he walked out of the villa, he saw Hanzo and Goro sitting by the manor’s front gate looking miserable.
Kaze walked up to them and said, “What’s the matter?”
Both held out their hands. They each had a few coppers. “We were promised gold,” Hanzo said accusingly, “and this is what Hishigawa-san paid us. He didn’t even give us the full ten coppers he said he would.”
Kaze looked down at the meager copper coins in their hands. He reached into his sleeve and took out the paper-wrapped coins. He opened the paper, then tore open the tissue that was wrapped around the coins. He took four of the oblong gold coins and dropped two each into the upturned palms of the surprised peasants.
“I’m the one who promised you gold,” Kaze said.
He started down the path into the town of Kamakura. He had only taken a few strides when Goro and Hanzo came rushing up to him. They dropped to their knees and placed their foreheads on the grounds, their hands on either side of their heads, “Thank you, Samurai-sama! Thank you, thank you!” they said.
Kaze looked down at the two peasants. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be disgusting. I gave you gold, not something of true value.”
Leaving the puzzled peasants looking after him, Kaze continued his journey into the town.
Kaze went past the main street of Kamakura, which had a raised stone causeway running down its middle. When Kamakura had its bakufu government, a Shogun had built the causeway as a way of begging the Gods to ease the childbirth of his wife.
On each side of the main street were numerous shops filled with food, merchandise, and clothes. Kaze picked a shop that sold katsuo-bushi, dried bonito. The slabs of dried bonito looked like blocks of wood. A small plane was used to shave pieces off for flavoring in soups and other dishes. The dried bonito looked so much like wood that sometimes scoundrels would sell blocks of wood to unsuspecting housewives at what appeared to be a bargain price for bonito. Often the housewives were so embarrassed that they didn’t report the fraud to the village authorities, allowing the scoundrels to move on to the next village.