sharing a joke with him and bringing a smile to his face. Chiri watched them together, feeling strangely glad inside her soul.
Kuno walked along beside her. Chiri ambled along in the beautiful morning sunshine, and the world seemed suddenly bereft of troubles.
Ayamejo – Iris castle – was a well constructed hill fortress sitting in the middle of a fertile river valley. The hill slopes themselves had been sculpted into sheer, steep slopes – slopes then faced with stone and topped with plastered palisades. Sturdy towers looked out over the river and town – but the castle grounds were clearly filled with beautiful green trees. It was a castle housing one of the three great imperial magistrates – the keepers of the emperor’s justice. The warriors guarding the castle were from the new corps of imperial samurai – men given fiefs directly from the emperor himself, without owing service to any other lord.
At the base of the castle hill, a considerable town – the actual town of Ayamejo – had blossomed and grown. It was a busy place that served the needs of a bustling garrison and administration. There were tea houses, inns and sakē shops, armourers, bowyers, sword makers and silk merchants. Hundreds of households of merchants and artisans. The surrounding valleys were filled with ji-samurai – part time farmer soldiers who served the castle. It was a bustling town, a most beautiful town, and a place renowned for its cheerfulness. Several roads led into the town, and each of these thronged with pedestrians heading to the festival.
The streets had been dec orated with strings of lanterns running above the roads. Flowers and purple iris banners decorated every shop and every home. Booths had been set up in the market spaces, where foods were being fried, puppet shows displayed and exotic wares offered for sale. A little monkey comically dressed in noble robes strutted about across a stage while its handler bawled out scenes from the great epics. Sura stopped and watched in absolute delight, but Kuno moved doggedly onwards. He had to report to the castle before noon. With Chiri beside him, and with Tonbo and Sura ranging before and behind, he plunged on through the busy streets, heading towards the castle hill.
The scent of carnival foods were absolutely mouthy-watering. Sura somehow acquired long bamboo skewers threaded with sizzling meat, and she happily pressed one into Kuno’s hands as he stood admiring the work of a woodcarver. They walked on through the cheerful streets, heading steadily towards the castle gates. Sura changed into her ‘fur form’, delighting in the attention as she strolled merrily through the crowds.
Kuno ate, looking about himself in delight at all the shops. The thought suddenly occurred to him that the fox had claimed to be without funds – begging the question as to how she had managed to purchase the food. Kuno looked at his now-empty skewer, and made haste to toss it away.
The fox was really quite intolerable!
Sura was already the centre of a disaster. She walked along down the street with her cross-bladed spear carried upright across her shoulder. She had yet again forgotten to sheath the blade, and the stunningly sharp blade was slicing through the lines of lanterns strung across the street. The fox was inevitably talking away to a random stranger as she walked, and had failed to notice the cascade of lanterns behind her. Chiri and Tonbo both ran to the scene to try and stem the tide. Kuno could only shake his head and walk on, hoping that no one on the magistrate’s staff would connect him with the fox.
The young, arrogant students of the “ Seven Winds” sword school were putting on a demonstration for the crowds. Balls were being thrown and cut out of the air. Hamada Bunji cut through standing rolls of tatami matting, slashing through and through the mats while they were toppling in mid air. He drew and sheathed his sword with great dramatic flourishes, basking
Kuno walked along beside her. Chiri ambled along in the beautiful morning sunshine, and the world seemed suddenly bereft of troubles.
Ayamejo – Iris castle – was a well constructed hill fortress sitting in the middle of a fertile river valley. The hill slopes themselves had been sculpted into sheer, steep slopes – slopes then faced with stone and topped with plastered palisades. Sturdy towers looked out over the river and town – but the castle grounds were clearly filled with beautiful green trees. It was a castle housing one of the three great imperial magistrates – the keepers of the emperor’s justice. The warriors guarding the castle were from the new corps of imperial samurai – men given fiefs directly from the emperor himself, without owing service to any other lord.
At the base of the castle hill, a considerable town – the actual town of Ayamejo – had blossomed and grown. It was a busy place that served the needs of a bustling garrison and administration. There were tea houses, inns and sakē shops, armourers, bowyers, sword makers and silk merchants. Hundreds of households of merchants and artisans. The surrounding valleys were filled with ji-samurai – part time farmer soldiers who served the castle. It was a bustling town, a most beautiful town, and a place renowned for its cheerfulness. Several roads led into the town, and each of these thronged with pedestrians heading to the festival.
The streets had been dec orated with strings of lanterns running above the roads. Flowers and purple iris banners decorated every shop and every home. Booths had been set up in the market spaces, where foods were being fried, puppet shows displayed and exotic wares offered for sale. A little monkey comically dressed in noble robes strutted about across a stage while its handler bawled out scenes from the great epics. Sura stopped and watched in absolute delight, but Kuno moved doggedly onwards. He had to report to the castle before noon. With Chiri beside him, and with Tonbo and Sura ranging before and behind, he plunged on through the busy streets, heading towards the castle hill.
The scent of carnival foods were absolutely mouthy-watering. Sura somehow acquired long bamboo skewers threaded with sizzling meat, and she happily pressed one into Kuno’s hands as he stood admiring the work of a woodcarver. They walked on through the cheerful streets, heading steadily towards the castle gates. Sura changed into her ‘fur form’, delighting in the attention as she strolled merrily through the crowds.
Kuno ate, looking about himself in delight at all the shops. The thought suddenly occurred to him that the fox had claimed to be without funds – begging the question as to how she had managed to purchase the food. Kuno looked at his now-empty skewer, and made haste to toss it away.
The fox was really quite intolerable!
Sura was already the centre of a disaster. She walked along down the street with her cross-bladed spear carried upright across her shoulder. She had yet again forgotten to sheath the blade, and the stunningly sharp blade was slicing through the lines of lanterns strung across the street. The fox was inevitably talking away to a random stranger as she walked, and had failed to notice the cascade of lanterns behind her. Chiri and Tonbo both ran to the scene to try and stem the tide. Kuno could only shake his head and walk on, hoping that no one on the magistrate’s staff would connect him with the fox.
The young, arrogant students of the “ Seven Winds” sword school were putting on a demonstration for the crowds. Balls were being thrown and cut out of the air. Hamada Bunji cut through standing rolls of tatami matting, slashing through and through the mats while they were toppling in mid air. He drew and sheathed his sword with great dramatic flourishes, basking
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