him.
Nothing about the woman should interest him at all. A samurai’s only dealings with women were of an intimate nature. In return, their chief concern was to care for his every need. Allowing himself to be so bothered by her was not appropriate.
Most intriguing was the part of the world she represented, an area all of Nihon had been shielded from. The Nihonese were too concerned with warring to venture far from their shores. Then, too, the ruling samurai feared outside influence and the threat of conquest by foreigners. Sanematsu viewed this differently, sure there was much to learn from other lands. The knowledge she might possess intrigued him. The woman was his key, although to what he was not sure.
CHAPTER FIVE
Matsumoto Katsura entered the shrine, the only one who dared interrupt Sanematsu when the daimyo was with his god or a woman. The feudal lord needed to be available to his second-in-command at any time without notice. He placed his swords in the rack beside Sanematsu’s. The law required an armed soldier to remain seven feet from a higher lord--a law he and all his kind struggled to obey.
A samurai lived with his swords, wearing them or having them at hand at all times, and setting them aside was difficult, even when done voluntarily.
Matsumoto looked covetously at the scabbards of Sanematsu’s swords, made famous by legend. If only fate had put those blades into his keeping, he would now rule Satsuma Province instead of playing nursemaid to a man who played with children.
Lord of the Satsuma Province Sanematsu Yoshihide had power over a third of the inhabitants of Kyushu. He commanded an army of five thousand-plus men sworn to do his bidding no matter what he asked. The code of bushido held obligation to daimyo the ultimate duty. To fail at that giri resulted in dishonor, disgrace and death by the ritual self-kill, seppuku, the ultimate answer for dishonor. No matter how much Matsumoto loathed Sanematsu, he was linked to the Sanematsu clan because of their families’ allegiance to one another.
For generations, the Matsumoto clan had been allied to the Sanematsu. Their great-great-great-great grandfathers were foot soldiers serving Hojo NagaMiyo, a general of the Minamoto clan and, showing themselves loyal, had been rewarded.
Sanematsu’s ancestor had distinguished himself further, surviving the Mongol invasion of 1281 and saving the noted general’s life. For this, he rose in rank. Matsumoto Katsugoro, Katsura’s progenitor, did not garner the same honors, and was left to rise through the ranks to the position of general and receive the title of karou to Sanematsu Shigemasa, the position still held by Matsumoto Katsura.
Sons were born, and upon them more honors were heaped. The Sanematsu attained the ultimate rank of daimyo, an exalted title with heavy pressures and decisions. A Sanematsu two generations past had made a wrong alliance and fell from grace but not power. The ties between the two families remained, and they were cast out of Kamakura with their daimyo to a fief on Kyushu.
As the Matsumoto clan served the Sanematsu, discontent increased with each new branch of the family tree. Now Matsumoto Katsura combined the anger and resentment with a personality capable of acting on the ambitions so long held in check.
He did not linger on his animosity today, as more pressing business forced his hunger for power aside for the time being. He moved near Lord Sanematsu.
“My lord.” He spoke so as not to alarm him.
“Come.”
** *
Sanematsu did not turn. He had been aware of Matsumoto’s presence the moment the karou stepped inside the shrine, seeing him with his sixth sense. Matsumoto had never been able to hide his envy of Sanematsu’s perfection of what their sensei called hara-gi , the art of seeing without seeing, any more than the man could hide his hatred of his position as second to a man he despised.
His flesh crawled in Matsumoto’s presence. Equals on no
Nothing about the woman should interest him at all. A samurai’s only dealings with women were of an intimate nature. In return, their chief concern was to care for his every need. Allowing himself to be so bothered by her was not appropriate.
Most intriguing was the part of the world she represented, an area all of Nihon had been shielded from. The Nihonese were too concerned with warring to venture far from their shores. Then, too, the ruling samurai feared outside influence and the threat of conquest by foreigners. Sanematsu viewed this differently, sure there was much to learn from other lands. The knowledge she might possess intrigued him. The woman was his key, although to what he was not sure.
CHAPTER FIVE
Matsumoto Katsura entered the shrine, the only one who dared interrupt Sanematsu when the daimyo was with his god or a woman. The feudal lord needed to be available to his second-in-command at any time without notice. He placed his swords in the rack beside Sanematsu’s. The law required an armed soldier to remain seven feet from a higher lord--a law he and all his kind struggled to obey.
A samurai lived with his swords, wearing them or having them at hand at all times, and setting them aside was difficult, even when done voluntarily.
Matsumoto looked covetously at the scabbards of Sanematsu’s swords, made famous by legend. If only fate had put those blades into his keeping, he would now rule Satsuma Province instead of playing nursemaid to a man who played with children.
Lord of the Satsuma Province Sanematsu Yoshihide had power over a third of the inhabitants of Kyushu. He commanded an army of five thousand-plus men sworn to do his bidding no matter what he asked. The code of bushido held obligation to daimyo the ultimate duty. To fail at that giri resulted in dishonor, disgrace and death by the ritual self-kill, seppuku, the ultimate answer for dishonor. No matter how much Matsumoto loathed Sanematsu, he was linked to the Sanematsu clan because of their families’ allegiance to one another.
For generations, the Matsumoto clan had been allied to the Sanematsu. Their great-great-great-great grandfathers were foot soldiers serving Hojo NagaMiyo, a general of the Minamoto clan and, showing themselves loyal, had been rewarded.
Sanematsu’s ancestor had distinguished himself further, surviving the Mongol invasion of 1281 and saving the noted general’s life. For this, he rose in rank. Matsumoto Katsugoro, Katsura’s progenitor, did not garner the same honors, and was left to rise through the ranks to the position of general and receive the title of karou to Sanematsu Shigemasa, the position still held by Matsumoto Katsura.
Sons were born, and upon them more honors were heaped. The Sanematsu attained the ultimate rank of daimyo, an exalted title with heavy pressures and decisions. A Sanematsu two generations past had made a wrong alliance and fell from grace but not power. The ties between the two families remained, and they were cast out of Kamakura with their daimyo to a fief on Kyushu.
As the Matsumoto clan served the Sanematsu, discontent increased with each new branch of the family tree. Now Matsumoto Katsura combined the anger and resentment with a personality capable of acting on the ambitions so long held in check.
He did not linger on his animosity today, as more pressing business forced his hunger for power aside for the time being. He moved near Lord Sanematsu.
“My lord.” He spoke so as not to alarm him.
“Come.”
** *
Sanematsu did not turn. He had been aware of Matsumoto’s presence the moment the karou stepped inside the shrine, seeing him with his sixth sense. Matsumoto had never been able to hide his envy of Sanematsu’s perfection of what their sensei called hara-gi , the art of seeing without seeing, any more than the man could hide his hatred of his position as second to a man he despised.
His flesh crawled in Matsumoto’s presence. Equals on no
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