Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean.
Jack realized that as long as he was fortunate enough to meet friends like Ronin and Hana along the way, he had a good chance of making it to Nagasaki alive.
Find your heart and you’ll find your home, the Riddling Monk had said.
Striding onward, Jack knew exactly where his heart was.
NOTES ON THE SOURCES
The following quotes are referenced within Young Samurai: The Ring of Water (with the page numbers in square brackets) and their sources are acknowledged here:
1. [Page 32] ‘What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.’ By Oliver Wendell Holmes (American poet and writer, 1809–94).
2. [Page 33] ‘Do not walk in front of me; I may not follow. Do not walk behind me; I may not lead.’ By Albert Camus (French novelist, 1913–60).
3. [Page 248] ‘There are many paths but only one journey.’ By Naomi Judd Holmes (American singer, b. 1946).
4. [Page 248] ‘The only journey is the one within.’ By Rainer Maria Rilke (poet, 1875–1926).
5. [Page 253] ‘A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.’ By Tim Cahill (Australian athlete, b. 1979).
6. [Page 262] ‘We … would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.’ By Franklin D. Roosevelt (US President, 1882–1945).
7. [Page 270] ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ The Bible, Romans 12:21.
8. [Page 280] ‘Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.’ By Ryunosuke Satoro (Japanese poet, dates of birth/death unknown).
RIDDLE ME THIS …
A Young Samurai challenge!
Can you solve the following brainteasers by the Riddling Monk? Or will you go mad trying to think of the answer?
Riddle 1
Which is heavier: a tonne of gold or a tonne of feathers?
Riddle 2
Where’s the bottom at the top?
Riddle 3
If a grasshopper halves the distance to a wall on every jump, how many jumps will he need to reach the wall if he starts from ten feet away?
Riddle 4
Jin is standing behind Kuzo, but Kuzo is standing behind Jin. How can that be?
Riddle 5
I have no voice yet I speak to you.
I tell of all things in the world that people do.
I have leaves, but I am not a tree.
I have pages, but I am not a bride.
I have a spine and hinges, but I am not a man or a door.
I have told you all, I cannot tell you more.
What am I?
Riddle 6
No legs have I to dance,
No lungs have I to breathe,
No life have I to live or die
And yet I do all three.
What am I?
Riddle 7
You are in a room with two doors – one leads further into the dungeon, one leads to freedom. There are two guards in the room, one at each door. One always tells the truth. One always lies. What one question can you ask one of the guards that will help you pick the door to freedom?
Answers can be found on the Young Samurai website
www.youngsamurai.com
THE GAME OF GO
History
Go is one of the oldest board games in the world. It is believed to have originated in China more than 3,000 years ago. Legend says the Chinese Emperor Yao had his counsellor Shu design the game for his unruly son, Danzhu, to teach him discipline, concentration and balance.
Go was introduced to Japan between the fifth and seventh centuries AD and soon gained popularity at the Imperial court. By the thirteenth century, the game had spread to the general population, and in 1612 the Shogun was awarding stipends (a fixed salary) to the four strongest Go players. From this, four great Go schools were founded – Honinbo, Hayashi, Inoue and Yasui.
Over the next 250 years, the intense rivalry between these schools raised the standard of play significantly and a ranking system was established, classifying players into nine dans (grades) of which the highest was Meijin (master).
The game remains popular to this day with some 50 million Go players in the Far East alone.
Five Go Legends and Facts
1. Go has been compared to playing four Chess games at the same time on the same board!
2. A full set of Go stones (goishi) typically contains 181 black stones and 180 white ones, since a 19x19 board has 361 liberty points. As Black goes first, that player gets an extra stone. Traditionally, the stones are made of clamshell (white) and slate (black).
4. Go Seigen, who was born in China in 1914 but primarily played in Japan, is considered to be the best player in modern Go – and perhaps of all time.
5. The Atom Bomb Game is a celebrated Go match that was in progress when the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945. The immense explosion stopped the game, damaged the building and injured some spectators, but amazingly play was resumed after a lunch break! White won by five points.
Learn how to play the game of Go!
For further information on the game and how to play, visit www.youngsamurai.com or contact the British Go Association via their website www.britgo.org
JAPANESE GLOSSARY
Bushido
Bushido, meaning the ‘Way of the Warrior’, is a Japanese code of conduct similar to the concept of chivalry. Samurai warriors were meant to adhere to the seven moral principles in their martial arts training and in their day-to-day lives.
Virtue 1: Gi – Rectitude
Gi is the ability to make the right decision with moral confidence and to be fair and equal towards all people no matter what colour, race, gender or age.
Virtue 2: Yu – Courage
Yu is the ability to handle any situation with valour and confidence.
Virtue 3: Jin – Benevolence
Jin is a combination of compassion and generosity. This virtue works together with Gi and discourages samurai from using their skills arrogantly or for domination.
Virtue 4: Rei – Respect
Rei is a matter of courtesy and proper behaviour towards others. This virtue means to have respect for all.
Virtue 5: Makoto – Honesty
Makota is about being honest to oneself as much as to others. It means acting in ways that are morally right and always doing things to the best of your ability.
Virtue 6: Meiyo – Honour
Meiyo is sought with a positive attitude in mind, but will only follow with correct behaviour. Success is an honourable goal to strive for.
Virtue 7: Chungi – Loyalty
Chungi is the foundation of all the virtues; without dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to one another, one cannot hope to achieve the desired outcome.
A Short Guide to Pronouncing Japanese Words
Vowels are pronounced in the following way:
‘a’ as the ‘a’ in ‘at’
‘e’ as the ‘e’ in ‘bet’
‘i’ as the ‘i’ in ‘police’
‘o’ as the ‘o’ in ‘dot’
‘u’ as the ‘u’ in ‘put’
‘ai’ as in ‘eye’
‘ii’ as in ‘week’
‘ō’ as in ‘go’
‘ū’ as in ‘blue’
Consonants are pronounced in the same way as English:
‘g’ is hard as in ‘get’
‘j’ is soft as in ‘jelly’
‘ch’ as in ‘church’
‘z’ as in ‘zoo’
‘ts’ as in ‘itself’
Each syllable is pronounced separately:
A-ki-ko
Ya-ma-to
Ma-sa-mo-to
Ka-zu-ki
arigatō gozaimasu thank you very much
bitasen copper coin
bō wooden fighting staff
bōjutsu the Art of the Bō
bokken wooden sword
bushido the Way of the Warrior – the samurai code
Butokuden Hall of the Virtues of War
Butsuden Buddha Hall
Chō-no-ma Hall of Butterflies
daikon long, large white radish
daimyo feudal lord
daishō pair of swords, wakizashi and katana, that are the traditional weapons of the samurai
dōshin Edo-period police officers of samurai origin (low rank)
futon Japanese bed: flat mattress placed directly on tatami flooring, and folded away during the day
gaijin foreigner, outsider (derogatory term)
geta traditional Japanese sandal with an elevated wooden base
hachimaki headbands, sometimes reinforced with metal strips
hakama traditional Japanese trousers
hamon artistic pattern created on a samurai sword blade during tempering process
hanami cherry-blossom viewing party
haori a hip- or thigh-length kimono-like jacket, which adds formality to an outfit
hashi chopsticks
Hō-oh-no-ma Hall of the Phoenix
inro a little case for holding small objects
janken Japanese name for the hand game of Rock, Paper, Scissors
jutte (or jitte) an iron truncheon or rod with a short pointed hook
kami spirits within objects in the Shinto faith
kamon family crest
kanabō large oak club encased in iron or with studs
kanji the Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system
kataginu a winged, sleeveless jacket of the samurai
katana long sword
kenjutsu the Art of the Sword
kesagiri diagonal cut, or ‘Monk’s Robe’ cut
kiai a shout; also used in Go to describe a player’s fighting spirit in the face of adversity
kimono traditional Japanese clothing
kissaki tip of sword
koan a Buddhist question designed to stimulate intuition
koban Japanese oval gold coin
komusō Monk of Emptiness
kōshakushi traditional oral Japanese storyteller
kuji-in nine syllable seals – a specialized form of Buddhist and ninja meditation
manjū Japanese steamed bun made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat with a sweet or savoury filling
metsuke technique of ‘looking at a faraway mountain’
mon family crest
musha shugyō warrior pilgrimage
nagare flow or roll
netsuke toggle for helping attach inro cases to the obi belt
ninja Japanese assassin
ninjutsu the Art of Stealth
ninniku the philosophy of the ninja, ‘cultivating a pure and compassionate heart’
Niten Ichi Ryū the ‘One School of Two Heavens’
obi belt
ofuda a talisman issued by a Shinto shrine, made of paper, wood or metal, inscribed with the name of a kami and used for protection in the home
okonomiyaki grilled or fried savoury pancake
omamori a Buddhist amulet to grant protection
onryō vengeful ghost
origami the art of folding paper
ronin masterless samurai
sageo cotton or silk cord attached to the saya of a samurai sword
saké rice wine
sakura cherry-blossom tree
samurai Japanese warrior
sasumata a pole with a U-shaped prong used to trap the neck and limbs to immobilize an opponent
saya scabbard
Senbazuru One Thousand Origami Cranes
sencha green tea
sensei teacher
sente term in Go for holding the initiative of the game
Sha ninja hand sign, interpreted as healing for ninjutsu purposes
shakuhachi Japanese bamboo flute
shinobi another name for ninja, literally ‘stealer in’
shinobi aruki stealth, or silent, walking
Shinto the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people
Shishi-no-ma Hall of Lions
Shogun the military dictator of Japan
shoji Japanese sliding door
shuriken metal throwing stars
soba buckwheat noodles
tabi traditional Japanese socks
taijutsu the Art of the Body (hand-to-hand combat)
tanuki Japanese raccoon dog
tantō knife
Taryu-Jiai inter-school martial arts competition
tatami floor matting
torii a distinctive Japanese gate made of two uprights and two crossbars denoting the separation between common space and sacred space, found at the entrance to Shinto shrines
ukemi break falls
uki-ashi floating feet technique
umeboshi pickled dried plum
umeshu plum wine
wagashi traditional Japanese confectionary often served with tea
wakizashi side-arm short sword
yamabushi Lit. ‘one who hides in the mountains’; Buddhist hermits who live in the mountains
yukata summer kimono
Zai ninja hand sign for sky or elements control
zazen seated meditation
zori straw sandals
Japanese names usually consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, unlike in the Western world where the given name comes before the surname. In feudal Japan, names reflected a person’s social status and spiritual beliefs. Also, when addressing someone, san is added to that person’s surname (or given names in less formal situations) as a sign of courtesy, in the same way that we use Mr or Mrs in English, and for higher-status people sama is used. In Japan, sensei is usually added after a person’s name if they are a teacher, although in the Young Samurai books a traditional English order has been retained. Boys and girls are usually addressed using kun and chan, respectively.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For an author to reach his fifth title in a book series is quite an achievement and I couldn’t have done it without the support of all my fans, friends, family and the fantastic team behind me.
Like the Five Rings, the stability of Earth has been provided by my gorgeous wife Sarah, my mum and my dad, Sue and Simon, Steve and Sam (the best bro and sis-in-law I could wish for!) and all my wonderful friends, in particular Karen and Rob Rose, Geoff and Lucy Roy, Matt Bould, Charlie Wallace, Russell and Jackie Holdaway, Nick and Zelia O’Donnell, Laura Colussi et al…. thank you for your unwavering belief and patience in me.
The adaptability and strength of the Ring of Water is found in Charlie Viney, my ever dependable agent and firm friend; at Puffin, Shannon Park, an editor whom I admire greatly and am so lucky to work with; Wendy Tse and Helen Gray, my hardworking copy-editors; Tessa Girvan, Franca Bernatavicius and Nicki Kennedy, my overseas agents at ILA; and Trevor at Authors Abroad.
The energy and passion of the Ring of Fire shows both in the efforts of the fantastic Puffin PR and marketing team (Lisa Hayden, Vanessa Godden, Jayde Lynch, Tania Vian-Smith, Kirsten Grant et al.) and, above all, Francesca Dow, the daimyo of Puffin Books), as well as the growing legion of dedicated fans and readers around the world – thank you for continuing to spread the word.
The freedom of the Ring of Wind is seen in the understanding and patient tuition of Sensei David Ansell of the Shin Ichi Do dojo (www.shinichido.org) and Sensei Peter Brown at the Shinobi Kai dojo (www.shinobi-kai.net), and also in the constant movement of booksellers, both independent and major, and school librarians who are always working hard to shift copies of the series and promote it to new readers – I truly appreciate your support.
Finally, the creative force of the Ring of Sky that helps me write these books – thank you, but could you make it a little easier next time! I have deadlines to keep, you know!
You can keep in touch with me and the progress of the Young Samurai series on my Facebook page, or via the website at www.youngsamurai.com
Arigatō gozaimasu!