Hyakkimaru's Birth
Book 1 of the Dororo Novel Series
Toriumi Jinzō
Part 4 - Return to the Hall of Hell
Jukai went to Fushimi the morning after Oniwakamaru was attacked by demons. It had been months since Jukai had last passed through the capital. In his absence, Hatakeyama Yoshinari had lost his claim to become the shōgun's deputy and was now under attack in Dakeyama Castle. The people surrounding the capital took advantage of the shōgun's distraction and rose up in revolt to protest high taxes levied by the Imperial Court. Akamatsu Masanori had recently taken over the shōgun's army and was responsible for putting down the uprising. It was dangerous to travel, so Jukai avoided the main roads and slipped into Fushimi in secret.
He felt a twinge of embarrassment at having to rely on the priest of the Myōshō Temple who had already chased him off once, but he didn't know of anyone else who could answer his questions about the Hall of Hell. Oniwakamaru and Jukai's lives had been threatened by the demons; he needed answers.
When the monk of the Myōshō Temple saw Jukai, he smiled in recognition. "So you're back again," he said. "Do you need something?"
"I have an urgent question," Jukai said. "I beg you to answer it. I need to know the name of the Unryū Temple disciple who survived the fire fifteen years ago."
"Kazunen? Why?"
"I heard that he returned home after the fire," Jukai said. "Where is he now?"
The old monk tilted his head. "I'm not sure, but the old woman who lives in the marsh to the west might. He visited her house after the memorial service for those who died in the fire."
Jukai bowed low to express his thanks, then withdrew hastily. He hated investigating and pressing people for information, but again, he had no choice.
Fortunately, he knew the area fairly well and located the swamp that the old monk had mentioned easily. He asked the farmers about any old women that might have frequent dealings with the local temples. Most people pointed him to an eighty-year-old woman who was still strong and healthy enough to work in the rice fields. By good luck, she was talkative and friendly.
"Kazunen isn't here," she said. "I think he went to Mino. He said he wanted to go to the Kaneyama countryside. He was so young when he left, you know, and very strange in the head. I feel sorry for the poor dear. I'm not really sure what happened to him after he left."
That was all that the old woman knew. She gave Jukai no other leads, so Jukai returned to the estate on Mount Kurama. He told Sakuzō that he was going to take the ferry over Lake Biwa to get to Mino, and from there go to Kaneyama. Traveling by boat was usually safer and less expensive than traveling over land, but there were still pirates on the lake. Jukai didn't know what he expected to learn, but he was determined to find a witness who knew what had happened the night the Hall of Hell had burned down.
Jukai reached Kaneyama without incident, then began his search for Kazunen. He was directed to a small village where some of his friends and family still lived. Kazunen himself had died several years before.
"He went insane and killed himself," one of Kazunen's neighbors said.
Jukai frowned. The Buddhist image maker Unga, who had created the Hall of Hell statues, had also gone mad and committed suicide. If Kazunen had lived, he would be around thirty years old.
It was unfortunate that Jukai couldn't meet Kazunen, but Jukai wasn't about to head home just yet. He wanted to examine the place where Kazunen had died. The neighbor directed him to Kazunen's home a little farther upstream from the main village, then left Jukai alone.
The house had a derelict look about it, like it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. A sigil to keep out evil spirits hung over the door. There was a strong smell of incense in the air.
"Is someone still holding services for him?" Jukai muttered. Maybe the house wasn't as deserted as it appeared to be.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged woman climbed the hill and approached the house. Her hands were dark with earth; she'd sweated through her clothes. She stopped and stared at Jukai when she caught sight of him.
Like most people in the village, she was far too thin and somewhat suspicious of outsiders. She introduced herself as Kazunen's older sister. She relaxed a little when Jukai offered a prayer to the dead for her dead brother, but she clammed up immediately when she learned that he'd come from the capital. He had to place an offering on her brother's grave before she agreed to speak to him.
"When my brother came home from the temple, he was...changed," she said. "He used to love talking to people, but he wouldn't talk to anyone, not even me. He cried out in his sleep sometimes, so I know that he had nightmares. He never told me everything that happened, though I asked him many times. I managed to piece together a few things based on what he said."
Jukai sucked in a breath. He listened attentively as Kazunen's sister told him everything that she knew about the night the Hall of Hell had burned.
***
It was a stormy night with high winds. Rain fell in sheets outside the temple. The leading monk of the Unryū Temple Complex led a man into the Hall of Hell. It seemed like the monk had agreed to guide the man previously, as if he was fulfilling an old agreement or a promise.
Kazunen had never seen anyone wanting to visit the Hall of Hell at night before, but he wasn't ranked high enough to question the leading monk of the temple. He did know that the Hall of Hell had been sealed off since Unga's death. As far as Kazunen knew, no one had gone inside since.
Scant moments after the monk led his guest inside the Hall of Hell, Kazunen heard a scream. He rushed out of the temple kitchen in the direction of the cry and saw a man fleeing, illuminated by lightning. He had cut the leading monk of the temple in two. The body was sprawled on the floor.
The murderer was a tall man in black-lacquered headgear with pleats to either side of his face. His hakama were long and he carried a sword at his hip. He was a samurai: of that, there could be no doubt.
Kazunen approached the body of his spiritual leader with hesitant steps. He didn't notice until that moment that the temple had caught fire. It was unclear if it started from the lamp that had fallen from the monk's hand when he was cut down or from the Hall of Hell being struck by lightning.
The fire spread rapidly. The Hall of Hell and everyone nearby was consumed. Kazunen wasn't able to save the monk's body from the flames. He remembered that Unga's statues were still in the Hall of Hell and tried to save at least a few, but he couldn't breathe in the smoke and was forced to flee for his life.
***
"Did he really see a samurai warrior?" Jukai asked.
Kazunen's sister nodded. "He was sure. And he'd seen other samurai in the capital before that. He could tell a samurai from a common soldier."
"May I ask when he passed away?"
"Last September," she said. "The thirteenth of the month."
"Did something happen then?"
"No, not really."
Jukai checked his journal. The date of Kazunen's death coincided with his and Oniwakamaru's first nightmare of the Hall of Hell.
Assume the shape of your birth, if you choose. It doesn't matter. If you oppose us, we will take your life.
The demons had said that to Oniwakamaru and laughed. It was a threat, and they'd made good on it when they'd attacked Oniwakamaru. Kazunen had gone insane and killed himself. It wasn't clear what Kazunen's connection was to the demons. He had been close to the Hall of Hell when it burned, but otherwise, Jukai saw no connection.
Jukai asked Kazunen's sister to tell him more about the circumstances of her brother's death.
"He dashed out of his room in the middle of the night after a bad dream," she said. "His face was frozen in an expression of fear when I found him the next morning. I think he was frightened to death." She went very pale. "He told me that the Hall of Hell was cursed. Maybe the curse finally caught up with him."
She had put up the sigil to protect against evil spirits over the door then. She burned incense and brought offerings for her brother frequently in the hopes of helping his soul find peace.
Most of the family had moved away from the house to avoid being affected by the curse. Only she had stayed, because she felt like she'd be abandoning her brother by leaving.
Jukai had a lot to think about on his journey back to Mount Kurama.
Kazunen was probably attacked by the same demons that attacked Oniwakamaru. Maybe that samurai has something to do with all of this.
The leading monk of the temple had guided the samurai into the Hall of Hell personally. All the monks had known about Unga's mad suicide; the samurai had probably known about it as well. Jukai didn't know what the samurai's motives could possibly be, but he doubted they were altruistic.
If only the leading monk of the temple were still alive. He’d known who the samurai warrior was, or at least what he looked like. Kazunen had gotten only a glimpse of the man's face as he'd fled from the temple, but the fact that the samurai had killed the leading monk of the temple was significant. Perhaps the samurai had a secret that he hadn’t wanted the monk to reveal.
The only thing that connected Oniwakamaru and Kazunen directly was their nightmares. What was the connection between Oniwakamaru and the samurai?
Jukai had often thought that Oniwakamaru was descended from a samurai family of some distinction. It seemed that his speculation wasn't too far off the mark.
***
Oniwakamaru had something of an adventure while Jukai was away. On the morning that Jukai crossed into Kaneyama, Sakuzō decided to go to Ōhara to buy fishing supplies. He prepared one of the horses in the stable and readied himself for a short trip. Sardines and sea cucumbers were some of Oniwakamaru's favorite foods. The salted entrails and innards were considered something of a delicacy, but Sakuzō preferred catching them fresh in the Bisan Strait off the southern coast of Honshū.
"I want to go, too, uncle Sakuzō," Oniwakamaru said. He'd never been away from Mount Kurama before. Him leaving the mountain was simply too dangerous. His legs still didn't work and he was still getting used to moving his new prosthetic arms and hands.
"You can't," Sakuzō said, not unkindly. "I'll be back as soon as I can, so watch the house for me. I'll bring you back some delicious fish."
Sakuzō understood Oniwakamaru's desire to explore other places, but that wasn't possible right now. Sakuzō consoled himself with the idea that Oniwakamaru would have the run of the estate for the first time in his life. He could move around with the cart to keep from getting bored. Sakuzō also felt better about leaving to go fishing with Oniwakamaru keeping watch over the house.
"At least let me ride in the saddle with you a little," Oniwakamaru mumbled.
Sakuzō smiled. It was only natural for a boy of fourteen to wonder about what it was like to ride a horse. He'd seen Sakuzō and Jukai ride many times, so he might even be jealous of their ability.
Sakuzō lifted Oniwakamaru into the saddle of his horse.
"Where are the reins?" Oniwakamaru asked.
"Here," Sakuzō said, picking them up and handing them to Oniwakamaru.
"Do you use a whip?" Oniwakamaru asked.
"Sometimes. You hold it in your right hand." Sakuzō handed Oniwakamaru a horsewhip. Oniwakamaru struck the horse in the flank with the handle of the whip, causing the horse to lurch forward and break into a gallop.
"Ah!" Sakuzō gasped in surprise and chased after Oniwakamaru and the runaway horse. He expected Oniwakamaru to be scared, but he only laughed.
"I've been tricked!" Sakuzō muttered darkly. He kept giving chase, though it was obviously hopeless. His prosthetic leg couldn't keep up the pace for very long. He was worried about Oniwakamaru going too fast and falling off, since he had no strength in his legs. More experienced horsemen than Oniwakamaru had died after falling from a horse.
Sakuzō sped down the mountain path, running until his face was beet red. Oniwakamaru and the horse far outpaced him. He couldn't even see them anymore.
Oniwakamaru had no fear of falling off the horse. He used his torso to shift his center of balance and kept a sure grasp on the reins. He'd gotten good at supporting all of his weight with his hands, since his legs couldn't move. Anyone who saw him riding would assume that he was practiced at it and having the time of his life. His legs hung like dead weight to either side of the saddle.
Oniwakamaru learned more about how the horse moved as he rode. Pulling on the reins made the horse slow down. Slackening them and using the whip handle made it speed up. He got on the southern road to Ōhara, testing his control and the horse's reactions.
Maybe I can make it to the capital, he thought. That was an extremely reckless goal. He knew the way, in broad strokes, from listening to Jukai and Sakuzō. He also knew the way to Kaede, Sakuzō's home village.
Oniwakamaru could see the capital as the horse ran down the mountain, bright and inviting like a beacon. To Oniwakamaru, who had never left Mount Kurama, the city seemed like paradise. He knew about city life, temples, and city culture from Jukai's stories, but he'd never seen the real thing.
But there were reasons why he'd never left Mount Kurama. Oniwakamaru checked the horse and thought for a moment. If he went back now, it would be like none of this had ever happened. He would be safe. But he also didn't want this whole experience to be for nothing. He might never get a chance to do this again.
Oniwakamaru sped the horse on again, firmly committed to his goal. He would visit the capital. Maybe he'd see the princess that he'd met on the mountain.
He was about to pass through Mount Kurama's gate when he saw something terrible.
The bodies of dead men and women lay in heaps near a riverbank. The wind carried the smell of rotting corpses to Oniwakamaru's nose; he flinched. Many of the bodies had decayed so much that he saw only bones. A young woman who had died recently clutched a child who had been stabbed to her chest. The child was so thin and wasted that it was hard to tell if they'd died of their wound or malnutrition.
The harvest this year had been poor because of the cold wet summer, which had shortened the growing season. Locusts had swarmed over the the little that was left, leaving many people without a steady source of food for months. Starvation and disease were common. The farmers who had survived sought refuge in the capital, but the capital didn't have the resources to support them all. Most died on the side of the road before they even reached it. About eighty-two thousand people died near the capital that year in January and February alone.
Oniwakamaru gathered his courage and urged his horse forward. He didn't make it far before he saw signs of a battle near an old temple. He quickly concealed himself and his horse behind some trees before they could be spotted, then surveyed the scene from his high vantage point.
This was a battle between common people and the shōgun's army. It would be more accurate to call it a slaughter. Farmers and peasants took up pitchforks and hoes against armored men carrying swords and were cut down mercilessly. The river bordering the battlefield ran red with blood.
There were some brave fighters among the common people, but one swipe of a trained warrior's sword was enough to slit their throats. It seemed that the common people had hired some mercenaries, too, but their support wouldn't be enough to win this battle. Oniwakamaru thought that the commoners fought bravely as a single unit, like a herd of wild boar in a stampede, but very few of them actually knew how to fight.
The bloody spectacle took Oniwakamaru's breath away. He thought he was going to be sick. The screams of the unfortunate common people rang in his ears as they died. He felt great anger toward the shōgun's soldiers, who cut down people as easily as farmers might scythe through wheat or rice.
Did Sakuzō fight like this? Oniwakamaru thought. The warriors look strong...these people don't stand a chance.
Oniwakamaru listened to the shrill sounds of metal on metal and the terrified screams of the dying. There was nothing brave or noble about this battle; it wasn't a story. It was real.
Oniwakamaru had no chance of slipping past the battle into the capital. He returned home with the horse to a furious Sakuzō, who scolded him for hours and wouldn't let him out of his sight.
Oniwakamaru decided that he'd seen enough of the cruel and violent world for the time being. He certainly had no desire to run away again. His childhood dream of seeing Kyōto had shattered.
The capital was hell on earth. It was just like the Hall of Hell, where the demons lived. He didn't want to go near it ever again. In his opinion, the shōgun's soldiers and samurai were just as bad as the demons.
***
Oniwakamaru had calmed down from his experience by the time Jukai returned from Mino, but Jukai felt a strange aura around him that he'd never felt before. Witnessing that brutal battle had subtly altered Oniwakamaru's personality. Oniwakamaru was aware of the change in himself as well, though he found it difficult to articulate. There was a contradiction between the peaceful life he'd lived so far and the violence and terror of the world outside.
When Jukai told Oniwakamaru what had happened to Kazunen, that knowledge only made the contradiction starker.
"Was my father...a samurai?" Oniwakamaru asked.
"I don't know for sure," Jukai said. "We only know that a samurai was in the Hall of Hell the night that it burned down."
"But why was he there?" Oniwakamaru asked.
Jukai had the same questions as he did. He also suspected that the samurai and Oniwakamaru were related in some way, but he had no proof.
Jukai and Oniwakamaru faced one another in silence for a long moment. Oniwakamaru lifted his head and said, "I'd like to keep training in psychokinesis. My legs still don't work."
Jukai was a bit confused at this sudden change of subject, but he nodded. "All right. I'll pray to Tamon-ten next; it couldn't hurt. And we'll get your training sessions going again."
"Thank you." Oniwakamaru bowed his head to Jukai.
Why Oniwakamaru suddenly wanted to develop his psychokinesis further after being stuck for so long was something that Jukai figured out much later.
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