Hyakkimaru's Birth
Book 1 of the Dororo Novel Series
Toriumi Jinzō
Part 3 - A Nightmarish Fate
Jukai had not set foot in a city for a very long time. Samurai rushed past him on horseback; shouts and the sounds of horses' hooves echoes all around him.
It was 1461. The samurai lord Hatakeyama Yoshinari had just succeeded his father as the head of his clan. He was disputing with his son-in-law over who had the right to lead the clan. The shōgun sided with his son-in-law, so Yoshinari had secluded himself inside Gakusan Fortress to the north of the capital. This conflict would soon spark the large war to come, but no one involved realized this yet. From the outside, it looked like just another power struggle between the Imperial Court and the local samurai.
Jukai gazed at all the samurai he passed on the road with contempt. He'd escaped from the capital with his father fifty-three years before. Every step that his horse took further into the city reminded him of that desperate flight.
He remembered climbing up the hill from the road and seeing common people and government officials gathered around a temple. That temple was in the right place to be what Sōza Emon had described as the Hall of Hell.
When Jukai arrived at the temple, there was nothing left of it but a burned-out, decaying husk. Charred pillars were stacked haphazardly on top of one another. Roof tiles lay scattered in piles of ash. The sign that had once displayed the temple's name was now completely illegible.
Jukai looked to the north and saw another temple's roof in the distance. The Hall of Hell was part of a temple complex. It was possible that it was still intact. Jukai turned his horse to the north, in the direction of the temple he could see.
Jukai checked his horse in the grounds of a Myōshō Temple.1 The temple was bathed in soft autumn sunlight. Chrysanthemums were all in flower, perfuming the air with a sweet fragrance. He saw other old temples scattered around and assumed that this was Uryū, the temple complex where the Hall of Hell was supposedly located.
Jukai discovered a monk wandering in the garden and dismounted to ask about the nearby temples. The old monk nodded sadly at him. "As you see, Uryū is only a shadow of its former self. The Buddhist image maker Unga went mad and killed himself when I was seven years old. I remember him well. He was a great carver, but he truly was insane at the end of his life. The burned temple at the foot of the hill was called the Hall of Hell. It burned down thirteen years ago. We think the fire was caused by lightning, but it could just as easily have been vagrants."
"I've heard that there were forty-eight statues of demons that Unga made inside the temple," Jukai said. "Do you know what happened to them?"
"Everyone who comes here has heard about the statues," the monk said with a kind smile. "But I'm sorry to say that they all burned in the fire—every single one."
"Did anyone see the temple burn down?" Jukai asked.
The monk shook his head. "No one trustworthy. All the witnesses we had were scared out of their minds."
"What about the priest of the temple?"
"He burned to death as well," the monk said. "It was a tragedy."
"Did any of his disciples survive?" Jukai asked.
"One," the monk said. "The boy was sixteen years old at the time of the fire."
"Do you remember his name?" Jukai asked.
"Kazunen or Chinnen—something like that. His head went a little funny after the fire, so he returned to his home village."
"Would you, perhaps, tell me..."
The monk's expression hardened. "You're asking a lot of questions about that temple. What's your connection to this place, anyway?"
"Uh, nothing really." Jukai thanked the monk for his time, then returned to the Myōshō Temple. He might be able to learn more from the Hall of Hell's ruins.
The ruins were entirely undisturbed. No one had tried to clean up or rebuild the temple. Jukai was inclined to believe the monk about this place's reputation: it definitely seemed cursed. The burned and blackened remnants were weather-beaten and woebegone. Weeds grew tall between the broken pillars and shattered roof tiles. Jukai saw a few intact Buddhist engravings in the ruins. It was surprising that no one had tried to steal them after all this time.
Looking at the wreckage, it seemed that Unga had carved the forty-eight demon statues out of wood. There was very little left of the temple's contents after the fire and exposure to the elements for more than a decade. Jukai didn't see any shaped or carved wood among the ashes at all.
But Jukai had dreamed about the Hall of Hell the previous night. He felt like there should be more signs of the statues that he'd seen here. The monk had told him that the fire that had destroyed the temple had occurred thirteen years ago—the same year that Oniwakamaru had been born. That was too strange to be a coincidence. Jukai wanted to keep looking, but there wasn't anything else to see: no sign of Unga's statues remained.
Jukai mounted his horse and headed back to Kurama. He looked up at the sky and threw his head back in challenge. "You demons, show yourselves to me again. I'm not afraid of you. Oniwakamaru is under my protection. If you want him, you'll have to go through me."
But Oniwakamaru and Jukai had shared the dream at the exact same time. Jukai was the only one who could protect Oniwakamaru from demons and evil spirits, but they'd broken past his defenses once before, when the strange lightning had defeated his exorcism pose. Something else had protected Oniwakamaru then—or he'd protected himself, somehow.
He knew one thing for sure: Oniwakamaru had enemies, and they would certainly try to attack him again. Jukai redoubled all his efforts to prepare Oniwakamaru's prosthetic limbs for surgery. He desperately wanted his son to be able to defend himself.
***
Oniwakamaru had no more strange dreams after that. Neither did Jukai. Sakuzō purchased and made charms to keep demons away and placed them under Oniwakamaru's pillow. Jukai didn't think that the demons after Oniwakamaru would be scared off by a few charms, but he understood how Sakuzō felt, so he let him be.
Performing the surgery to give Oniwakamaru functional arms and legs was a matter of life and death. Even if the surgery succeeded, there could be major complications. And if it failed...
This would be the most difficult surgery Jukai had ever done. Oniwakamaru's life had been placed into his care at Iwakura Shrine thirteen years ago. He would always do his utmost to keep him healthy and safe, but there was more to life and living than ordinary physical existence. Oniwakamaru was always eager for understanding and knowledge: gaining a sense of hearing and eyesight had made him more curious, not less. He'd freed himself from his dark and silent world to discover the natural wonders of the mountain. He'd expressed interest in joining the rest of human society in villages and cities. He would find that difficult unless he learned to protect himself.
Jukai remembered what his own life had been like at thirteen. His and Oniwakamaru's circumstances were completely different. Oniwakamaru's knowledge of history was all conceptual and theoretical; he had little experience with the violence and dangers of the world. But Jukai knew that he would go out into that dangerous world eventually. He had too many questions, about his origins and other things, that he couldn't learn the answers to while he remained at home.
He had met a princess on the mountain and badgered Sakuzō to let him meet more people. He was outgrowing Kurama, like a snake shedding its old skin. Oniwakamaru was transforming into his adult self.
One night while Jukai was mixing medicines, Oniwakamaru rolled into the room to keep him company. After a short, companionable silence, Oniwakamaru said, "I must have surprised you a lot, didn’t I?"
Jukai looked at him in confusion.
"When I was born," Oniwakamaru clarified.
Jukai opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He had never taught Oniwakamaru to speak like a child. Oniwakamaru had sophisticated vocabulary from his history lessons and ancient stories. His speech patterns closely matched those of a polite adult of the Imperial Court. Hearing him ask such a question was surprising enough, but his speech register was also casual and impolite. Oniwakamaru must have picked that up from Sakuzō.
Oniwakamaru's questions were becoming more specific and direct. He must be trying to imagine his early life, from before he had memories. That was why he asked so much about his mother and the circumstances of his birth.
"Uh...I suppose it was something of a surprise," Jukai said neutrally. He could hardly say anything else. Oniwakamaru had been a shocking sight when he was first born, but describing the horror he'd felt wouldn't make Oniwakamaru feel any better about himself. It might even make him feel worse.
"I must have been," Oniwakamaru said with a slight smile. He was speaking politely again. He didn't say anything else.
Jukai felt an uncharacteristic sense of pity for him. Oniwakamaru understood that his body wasn't normal. That thought would be distressing enough for an ordinary teenager, but Oniwakamaru's abnormality was such an anomaly that Jukai had never seen or heard of anyone else like him. He knew that he would have to tell Oniwakamaru the truth eventually, but he wanted to give him arms and legs first.
A few nights later, Jukai called Sakuzō and Oniwakamaru to his room. Sakuzō guessed Jukai's intentions and folded his arms. He still opposed giving Oniwakamaru such a painful and risky surgery. Jukai couldn't possibly perform the surgery without his help and Oniwakamaru's full cooperation. One slip—one mistake—could leave Oniwakamaru with a post-surgical infection that could kill him. Other complications could arise that Jukai couldn't foresee. Sakuzō had helped raise four other children from infancy; Jukai would need him more than ever to assist with Oniwakamaru's recovery.
"Oniwakamaru," Jukai said, "please listen to me very carefully." He spoke quietly, but clearly.
"Yes, father."
Jukai appeared calm, but there was something in his tone that was heavy and foreboding. "I decided to be a doctor when I was just about your age," he said. He told Oniwakamaru about fleeing from Kyōto with his father and his long voyage to China, which Sakuzō already knew about.
"You're so brave," Oniwakamaru said, eyes shining with admiration. Jukai had traveled to China as a child, all by himself.
Jukai had meant to start his explanation with meeting Yōda in China, but Oniwakamaru's recent questions about his birth family forced his father to the front of his mind.
"This surgery is going to be much more difficult than any of the surgeries you've had before."
Oniwakamaru's artificial eyes widened. "My eyes can see, my ears can hear, I can speak...what other surgery do I need?"
"One that will give you arms and legs," Jukai said.
Fear and doubt commingled in Oniwakamaru's expression.
"Please say you'll do it," Jukai said softly.
"No." Oniwakamaru's voice cracked.
Jukai was surprised at the strength of will behind his refusal. He glared at Jukai with set features. It wouldn't be easy to change his mind.
Sakuzō stared at the floor. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Oniwakamaru had already said everything that was necessary.
Suddenly—shockingly—Oniwakamaru laughed. Sakuzō's jaw dropped. Jukai took a reflexive step away from him. When Oniwakamaru stopped laughing, he looked at Jukai.
"I don't need fake arms and legs that sit there and don't do anything," he said.
Oniwakamaru had no desire for cosmetic limbs. That was completely understandable. Jukai would have to convince him that he would be able to move his prosthetic limbs.
"I'm a surgeon," Jukai said. "Do you really think I'd be content giving you wooden limbs that don't do anything except take up space? You'll be able to move them."
Oniwakamaru smiled, but it was a cruel kind of smile. "Wooden arms and legs don't move on their own."
"You're right," Jukai said. "You'll be the one moving them. Let me try."
"My legs will be like uncle Sakuzō's," Oniwakamaru said. "It will be hard to walk."
"Your legs will be different," Jukai said. "You'll change them. You have that power."
"Power?"
"You've always had capabilities that no one else has," Jukai said. "They allow you to hear without ears. You learned to speak because of them. But your eyes are different."
Oniwakamaru tilted his head forward. He was mightily interested in what Jukai was saying now.
"I used my own arts to craft your eyes, expecting your hidden capabilities to make them functional, but I was wrong," Jukai said. "Your power had to join with another's for your eyes to work."
"Your own arts...did you learn how to make my eyes in China?"
"Yes."
"Who taught you how to make them?"
"My honored teacher and master, Yōda."
Oniwakamaru's eyes shone. If he didn't interrupt Jukai now, he would tell his story.
"Long ago, when I was a child, I made the voyage to China with Nadaemon and his son Namitarō. The waves were often rough. We left port with three ships..."
1 Myōshō Temple: While there are many temples with the same name throughout Japan, the one in the novel appears to be fictional. Myōshō means "strange light."↩
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