Kenson Gakka: The First Battle of Kenson Gakka
Hour of the Serpent
The final morning event was a recreation of the first stage of the Battle of Kenson Gakka, which took place on the Way of Righteous Vengance, the road leading through Kenson Gakka, just south of the city, where the road to Scorpion lands intersected with the road to Shiro Matsu. All were invited to watch, and all samurai were invited to participate, as the festival began to extend beyond the city walls and into the surrounding countryside. The battle itself was a fairly straightforward mock renactment of Scorpion defending the pass from the Lion aggressors. The goal for the Lion, of course, was to seize the pass and slaughter as many of the Scorpion as possible.
General Ikare directed the "Lion" forces, while Matsu Kioma took the role of Bayushi Takida, the Scorpion general who defended the Lion's Shadow six hundred years earlier. The samurai, in mock Lion and Scorpion armor, marched south out of the city towards the pass to prepare to begin their contest.
Doji Kadokawa stood on the side of the Scorpion, hoping to receive some practice with his blade against the best the Lion could offer before the iaijitsu contests later in the day. Wading into the thickest of the fighting as it began, he scanned the Lion lines for an opponent he could face.
As he searched, Kadokawa was knocked out by a boken blow to the back of the head. Some time later, he woke up rather upset at his unfortunate turn of events.
Hida Katsu clubbed his way through the front lines of the Scorpion army. Isawa Roshii was a little surprised to see the ochre-clad Crab break through the lines in front of him. With mock disdain and a slight smirk on his face, Roshii stepped in front of Katsu, obviously challenging him to go any further. Katsu smiled.
The two faced each other and sheathed their boken. The space around them cleared as they stared each other down, hands on their sword hilts. A few faces from the crowd swirling around them stopped occassionally to observe the two samurai about to engage in one of the most honorable practices known to cultured man. A bead of sweat ran down Roshii's face. Katsu drew his boken.
He missed.
As Katsu swore, Roshii drew his sword.
He missed, too.
Katsu and Roshii separated, assumed their stances and drew again. Both missed again.
Katsu swore loudly and clubbed Roshii over the head with his boken. As Roshii fell limp, Katsu waded back into the fray, cursing loudly.
A short time later, Katsu came upon a crimson-clad samurai blocking his path, his boken held to the side in invitation. Katsu cursed again and took his stance. Katsu stared at the samurai with an expression of unbridled frustration and rage, not concentration.
The samurai smiled slightly, correctly deducing that Katsu was not a trained duelist. Devoting no time at all to studying Katsu's stance, the Scorpion lunged at Katsu, striking him squarely across the chest.
Katsu didn't flinch. Katsu didn't fall. He merely stood there and growled. The Scorpion blinked. "It's a mock battle," he whispered to Katsu. "You're supposed to fall at this point."
Katsu growled at the Scorpion again and turned to walk to the sidelines and out of the battle. He didn't stop to pick any fights, seeing that he was "dead," but on more than one occassion he delivered a sharp blow to some crimson-clad samurai who got in his way.
As Aramoro fought against the front lines of the Scorpion army, his unit was taking many casualties from the heavy fighting. Somehow, however, Aramoro found that he was largely unscathed. The fortues were smiling on him as he pressed against the Scorpion lines.
He fought on as any valiant Lion would, stepping into the thick of the enemy lines. As he strode forward, Aramoro noticed the battle lines pulling away from him. Looking over, Aramoro noticed that another unit was charging the front of the Scorpion forces and drawing them away from his own. With a great cry, his Gunso began a charge deep into the enemy forces.
Rushing deep into the Scorpion lines, Aramoro's unit encountered much fierce opposition. At one point, a Scorpion bushi jumped in front of him, hand on the hilt of his boken, sheathed in his obi, challenging Aramoro for the right to continue. Aramoro smiled and sheathed his boken as well. The two stared each other down for a moment, then the Scorpion quickly drew his weapon and lunged towards Aramoro.
But not quickly enough. Aramoro deftly stepped aside from the strike and brought his own boken down on the Scorpion's back with a resounding crack. Aramoro smiled, victorious. Until the other Scorpion quickly closed in on the Lion, standing in the middle of the battle.
Pajaro was unused to such a large battle. The fact was that the nearly 2,000 people surging along the road from Kenson Gakka were more than the entire population of his somewhat small clan. Despite this, Pajaro stayed in the fighting. Not necessarily in the thickest of it, but in the fighting, nonetheless.
After some time in the battle, Pajaro's Gunso received orders from the Scorpion commander to charge the front lines of the Lion army and draw away their forces so that another unit could slip deep into their forces. Pajaro's unit began the charge into the Lion forces, but before long, Pajaro's large frame was laid low by one boken blow too many.
Between the blood and carnage, Ku Shi spotted the standard bearer of the Scorpion army. She knew she must kill the bearer to take it, and then withdraw from the fighting to return it to her commanders. She ran towards the Scorpion and stopped before him. The Scorpion narrowed his eyes, as he knew what was about to happen.
The two stood a moment, eyes locked and scorn on their faces, in a small sea of tranquility in the tumultuous battle, observing each other for any signs of weakness.
Ku Shi suddenly sprang towards the bushi. He attempted to move out of the way, but the baner he was carrying slowed him too much. The Scorpion and the banner fell. Ku Shi quickly picked up the banner and began making her way to her commander with her prize.
Running towards the rear of her army, Ku Shi was surprised that even though the fighting was still heavy, her path remained relatively clear. She did not think that she received any wounds since she took the banner.
Ku Shi had made it to the rear of her army, but could not go any further. Even though the fighting around her was scarce at that point, Ku Shi had been winded for some time from blows she received early in the battle. Sadly, she fell at the rear of her army, without having reached her commander.
In the heat of the battle, the Lion commander noticed a weak spot in the Scorpion defenses. Signaling the Gunso of Akodo Ichiro's unit with new orders, the Gunso announced the charge to break the lines of the advancing army. With a deafening cry, Ichiro and his unit began a charge into the middle of the opposing forces.
With Ichiro's unit wading through the Scorpion army, they advanced up a small hill on the roadside. The Gunso again received new orders from the Lion command, to hold the high ground against the massing Scorpion forces.
Unfortunately, the general could not see the swarming mass of Scorpion on just the other side of the hill. Ichiro's unit was quickly swarmed by a mass of black and crimson. As the red mass moved on, the hill was left holding nothing but several fallen Lion.
Jin's slight form looked strange enough in his bulky, wooden, ochre-colored mock armor. The courtier drew no shortage of confused looks when he headed to the front lines of the Lion army before the battle. Cocky as he was, Jin would accept no position less than the one that would gain him the most glory.
As the battle commenced, Jin ran at the Scorpion army, displaying a skill with a sword that many around him did not expect the small courtier to possess, and shortly after he joined the fray, Jin smiled as he found an opportunity to display his true skill. A Scorpion samurai stood before him, boken in hand held slightly behind his back, inviting Jin to a duel. Jin assumed his stance, his boken in both hands next to his ear.
For a moment, the two studied the other, then the Scorpion moved as if to strike. Jin leaped into a lunge at the Scorpion, whose movement had frozen for a moment, as if he was uncertain how to strike the small samurai in front of him. Jin's boken connected with the Scorpion, and the Scorpion never came close to Jin.
Jin smiled as he turned from his opponent, congratulating himself for his victory. Then he realized why the others were surprised to see him join the thick of the battle, as he found behind him a swirling mass of crimson descending upon him.
Running into the front lines of the Lion army, Nyoko was quite pleased to be able to get a good workout for her martial abilities. Most samurai were not used to a shugenja practicing with a katana. At this point, though, few were bothering to notice. In fact, the large Lion barring her way with his swords sheathed didn't seem to notice at all.
Nyoko smiled. It would be nice to practice her jujutsu as well.
The Lion charged. Nyoko did the same. Their blows landed heavily on each other. Nyoko could tell that she managed to damage him at least as much as he hurt her. The Lion regained his composure, looked at Nyoko and smiled. She returned his smile, then charged at him.
Again, the blows fell heavily. Nyoko was hurt. The Lion was hurt more, she could tell. Not letting him gain any more advantage, she turned back towards her foe. He swung at her, but finally he missed, off balance from his bruised ribs and not seeing well from his swollen eye. Nyoko connected, if barely. It was a resounding blow, however. The Lion staggered a moment, and then collapsed to his knees. Knowing he would not soon rise, Nyoko bowed to her defeated opponent, drew her sword, and began into the enemy lines once again.
As she paused to fight the Lion, the battle passed her by. For some time, Nyoko tried to make her way back to the front of the battle. Once she finally made it, a vaguly familiar sight greeted her. An ochre-clad samurai blockd her path. She noticed this time, at least, he had his sword in his hand. The samurai was challenging her to get past him, but at least she would not have to fight bare-handed again.
Nyoko could be stubborn, but she realized that she was about to drop.
Nyoko assumed her stance, if a samurai could call it that. Her arms hung to her sides loosely. To most, she would seem to be relaxing. To the Dragon, she would seem deadly.
Nyoko sized up her opponent. She could tell from his posture that he was a more practiced duelist than she was. But despite this, she smiled. But she did not move then. Her opponent studied her, waiting for a move.
And move she did. Nyoko sprang towards the Lion and caught him completely off-guard. He was completely incapable of reading her relaxed stance. Her boken struck him in the chest, and he fell to the ground.
Nyoko leaned over him, and whispered, "Mirumoto said it best. 'He was the better swordsman. His speed and skill were superior to mine. I won because I knew I would not lose." Hoping he would remember it in the future, she bowed to him and turned back to the battle.
After the battle, the Kitsu shugenja made their way through the battlefield reviving those lying unconcious on the field. As they woke Otaku Ku Shi and Akodo Aramoro, the two samurai were asked to report to Matsu Kioma. Not knowing what to expect, the two found each other back on the parage grounds, as well as six other Akodo and Matsu in an assortment of ochre and crimson false armor. Kioma stood before them with Akodo Ikare.
"You eight have been chosen," the daimyo began without introduction, "because of your displays of honor and courage during the battle as the 'winners' of this portion of the festivities." He motioned to a servant next to him bearing a tray holding four ornate gold ribbons and four crimson ones who, bowing, came forward and handed a ribbon to each of the eight samurai.
"In addition to this token," Kioma continued, "you each will have a place beside me during the ceremonies about to take place that will mark the beginning of the afternoon's festvities. In addition, you may use the same place of honor for any events that you wish to observe for the rest of the day."
As the crowds were beginning to reappear in the parade grounds, the samurai all took their place in the box next to Kioma and Ikare as the daimyo and the general prepared to begin the ceremony. Just before the ceremonies began, the remainder of the samurai's box was filled by Daidoji Handen and several of his yojimbo.
During the last moments of the ceremoy, after Kioma and Ikare have expressed their thanks to their guests and congratulated the winners of the competitions to that point, a sense of serenity overtook the field. The monks of Yaruki Jukko, who had been working behind the scenes to pull all of the events together, finally appeared, carrying wooden crates that contained war-hawks trained by the Lion falconers. The birds' release was meant to officially mark the transition into the next phase of the festival.
The crowds watched, hushed, as the birds were released, but a rumbling anger was heard when it was seen that the birds were not war-hawks at all. One hundred tiny doves pierced the sky above Kenson Gakka, their white feathers quickly no more than tiny, flittering dots upon the blue noon-time sky. The sight of the doves -- an omen of war and bad times -- upset all of those gathered.
Immediately, the eyes of Kioma and Ikare turned to Noshin and his monks. Kioma quietly walked forward from his position on the field and faced the monk. Though the daimyo kept his voice low, his words and his thinly-veiled anger carried well across the still, silent field. "This action," he said to Noshin, "is an insult to my guests, my family, and me. You have tarnished this ceremony and my home. Leave. Now."
Noshin, who had been listening to the daimyo while glancing sidelong at his monks with confusion and anger in his eyes, bowed low to the daimyo. "My sincere apologies, Kioma-sama. We will leave. I also assure you that those responsible will be found and punished."
Kioma seemed unimpressed and stood, unmoving, until the monks have left the area. Kioma turned back to the gathered crowds and said, "Please, friends, do not let the actions of a few ruin our festivities. The inu o-mono will begin shortly. The contestants should report to the judges immediately." The daimyo bowed to his guests and turned to walk back towards the palace.