Demon Sword Dance
Book 2 of the Dororo Novel Series
Toriumi Jinzō
Part 3 - Mountain of Wisdom
Chapter 2
A month later, Hyakkimaru passed through a village in Niū District. He'd left Tsurugi Shrine behind and crossed the Hino River, then chose a road that would take him to Mount Monju. He crossed over to Sabae via boat and kept traveling until he reached the village. It was sunset, so Hyakkimaru stopped to rest.
Clouds obscured the moon. Thunder rumbled in the far distance.
"On abira un kashal..."
Hearing Manjushri's mantra, Hyakkimaru stopped still and looked around. It sounds like Hōichi, the old monk...
Hōichi walked up the path behind him. When he realized Hyakkimaru was there, he stopped chanting and smiled. "You might not believe me," he said, scratching his head, "but I've been following you for quite some time."
Hyakkimaru frowned. "Since when? Did you start when I left the the ruined temple?"
Hōichi faced the north and stared up at the sky with unseeing eyes. The clouds parted, revealing the glimmering stars. He stood as still as a statue with his smile still on his lips. "Aren't the stars beautiful?"
Hyakkimaru didn't know what to say. He didn't understand how Hōichi could see at all, but he wasn't really surprised at Hōichi's question. Hōichi could see into people's hearts. Seeing the physical world was much less impressive in comparison.
"Can you see the North Star?"
Hyakkimaru looked up at the sky and nodded. "Yes, I see it."
"The North Star rules the heavens and governs all of nature. Look at the seven stars that make up the Big Dipper. Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid—all seven, see? They follow the movements of the North Star, Polaris, which determines the fortunes—and misfortunes—of mankind."
Hōichi explained his belief that fate was written in the stars for anyone who knew how to look.
"Maybe if I had eyes like yours, I'd be able to see the weaknesses of the demons and yōkai I meet," Hyakkimaru said. "Is it just my bad luck that I don't have eyes like that? What do the stars say?"
"I don't know," Hōichi said. "I simply feel that our fates are written there. It's difficult to relate to others."
"Yōkai don't attack you, do they?" Hyakkimaru asked. "It must be because you can see things that other people can't see. Maybe they're afraid of you."
"I don't think so," Hōichi said. "Just because I can see a demon's true nature doesn't make me a threat. And demons and vengeful spirits don't need any particular reason to attack, and I have no particular reason to hate them. I suspect that they merely leave me alone."
Hōichi was probably right. The demons had never attacked Sakuzō or Dororo, only Hyakkimaru and Jukai.
"The demons hate you because your psychokinesis threatens them," Hōichi said.
"But they attacked M-Mio, and she didn't have any psychokinesis."
"They were attacking you, not her. They wanted to kill you."
"What?"
"By killing someone important to you, the demons were trying to destroy your heart."
Again, Hyakkimaru wasn't sure what to say. Hōichi seemed to have that effect on him. The weakening of Hyakkimaru's psychokinesis coincided in timing with the demon's attack on Mio. Her death had delivered a blow to Hyakkimaru's interior self that had not fully healed, and might not ever.
"To exorcise the demons—root them out, tree and branch—you need a plan," Hōichi said.
"What kind of plan?" Hyakkimaru asked.
"You must embrace the spiritual energy inside yourself and become a yōkai."
"Become...a yōkai?"
"Yōkai are concentrated spiritual energy," Hōichi said. "This energy isn't capable of acting on its own, so it assumes a shape—any shape: a tool, an animal, something in nature. Every animated spirit has a core that is integral to what it is. That core is the spirit's essential nature.
"Malevolent yōkai form when the spiritual energy and the shape it takes are incompatible. The Hall of Hell demons are a primal source of evil that corrupted many ambivalent or kind spirits into yōkai.
"You possess spiritual energy that expresses itself through psychokinesis. Your spiritual energy also has a core. Weaponize it. Use it to destroy the demons, as they have attempted to destroy you."
Hōichi looked up at the night sky once again. "Hyakkimaru, draw the Muramasa sword."
Hyakkimaru nodded, then unsheathed the sword.
"Pierce each of the seven stars around the North Star with the tip of the sword," Hōichi said. "This will allow the sword to absorb part of their cosmic energy."
Hyakkimaru did as Hōichi said. Nothing happened at first, but as Hyakkimaru pointed the sword at each star, the Muramasa sword's blade shone brighter.
"Not quite right," Hōichi said. "You must not hesitate. Plant your feet and stab them as hard as you can, until the force is so great that your legs sink into the ground below you."
"Huh?" Hyakkimaru asked. What Hōichi was asking him to do seemed impossible.
"If you can do this, you will unlock the secrets of the stars," Hōichi said.
Hyakkimaru tried to do as Hōichi had said, but he lost his footing and fell after his first attempt.
Hōichi laughed. "I can't do it, either. But I expect you'll be able to, one day. You may not believe me, but you have a power that I don't possess. That is the power to use your psychokinesis to challenge the demons on their own ground. When your psychokinetic energy is fully restored, you will be able to do it."
Hyakkimaru finally understood Hōichi. He'd wanted to show Hyakkimaru that his powers could be restored instead of just saying so, but he wouldn't be able to fight the demons until he made his pilgrimage to Mount Monju. He could see the mountain in the distance, some way to the east.
Mount Monju had a rounded top and was shaped like a temple bell. Even at this distance, it radiated a kind of holy stillness that Hyakkimaru associated with old shrines and temples. A deep green forest clung to the mountain's sides and reached almost all the way to the summit. The morning sun illuminated the leaves of the trees, bathing the mountain in soft light.
Ezichen had five sacred mountains: Mount Haku, Mount Hino, Mount Ochi, Mount Zao, and of course Mount Monju. They were believed to contain gods and spirits that protected the province and contributed to the people's well-being.
Hōichi faced Mount Monju and chanted, "On abira un kashal. I believe we'll meet again while the mountain is still green." He stood up straight and settled his lute on his back. One of the strings sounded out a deep note. He put himself on a path to Kaga Province that would eventually take him all the way to Echigo Province, singing and entertaining as he went.
Hyakkimaru listened to Hōichi's song as he walked away. "The wind blows to the east, and it rains in the west. If the fickle wind carries my scent..."
He hadn't heard Hōichi sing in a long time. He waved at Hōichi to see him off.
***
The Ryōgon Temple Complex was at the foot of Mount Monju on the eastern side of the mountain. The temple owned and developed a lot of land; Hyakkimaru saw several temples lined up on the side of the path he took through a wide gate. In ancient times, there were seventeen residences for the monks built inside the temple complex, but when Hyakkimaru visited there were more than a hundred and twenty.
Hyakkimaru prepared for his trek up the mountain with a sense of excitement. He found the chief priest of the temple, Tokuyūbō, and told him of his intent.
"You came all this way in these troubled times to climb to the top of the mountain and worship Manjushri? Such devotion is surprising in one so young," Tokuyūbō said.
"Doesn't anyone else climb the mountain for prayer?" Hyakkimaru asked. There was a specific type of religious practice called shugendō that fused Shinto mountain worship and Buddhism. The final purpose of shugendō was for practitioners to find supernatural power and save themselves and others by conducting religious training while climbing mountains.
Tokuyūbō sighed. "No one does shugendō anymore, sadly. The temple has been attacked many times over the years, and with the recent wars not many people come here. No one knows if today will be their last day on this earth. And what about you, young man? Have you prepared yourself for whatever might befall?"
"Yes."
Tokuyūbō stared at Hyakkimaru for a moment that stretched. He smiled a little, then nodded. "There is a hermitage retreat at the top of the mountain that is the soul of this temple complex. It is a long way, but I shall lead you there if you wish. It may be that you will encounter the divine being Manjushri himself."
Tokuyūbō told Hyakkimaru a little about Mount Monju. The mountain had three low peaks. On the tallest, the main temple was built. The two others were occupied by temples that were more easily accessible to the general public. Many wild animals made the place their home, including birds, bears, and small rodents.
In some ways, Mount Monju reminded Hyakkimaru of Mount Kurama, the mountain where he'd grown up, but when he first started to climb it, the atmosphere felt completely different. The mountain path intersected many animal trails and was difficult to traverse in parts. Tokuyūbō moved swiftly up the path, so fast that Hyakkimaru found it hard to keep up.
Hyakkimaru saw several mountain sheep during the climb. He and Tokuyūbō startled quite a few rabbits during their passage. Delicate white bamboo lilies grew wild in the underbrush.
"There are five sacred mountains in Ezichen," Tokuyūbō said as they went up the path. "These mountains are Mount Haku, Mount Hino, Mount Ochi, Mount Zao, and of course Mount Monju. They are the foundation of all religious practice in the province."
The high priest Tokuyūbō was born into the Ōdzu Clan. It was customary for members of that clan to become monks. This family tradition dated all the way back to the Nara Period. The family had been recognized for their service in religious work by and Emperor and an Empress, first in 702 by Emperor Monmu and again in 717 by Empress Genshō. During that time period, the Ōdzu Clan were recognized as the spiritual protectors of Japan.
"Also in 717, my ancestor and the chief priest of the temple was climbing the mountain one day and felt the auspicious presence of Manjushri. He went on a pilgrimage to all five sacred mountains in Ezichen and recorded his experiences seeing and sensing the god. Manjushri has been the main Bodhisattva worshiped in this place ever since," Tokuyūbō said.
"Where did the Ryōgon Temple get its name?" Hyakkimaru asked.
From the Śūrangama sutra,"1 Tokuyūbō said. "The full title of the Śūrangama Sutra is Daibutsu Chōnyo Mitsuin Shūshō Ryōgi Sho Bosatsu Mangyō. Roughly translated, it means, ‘Great Buddha, Exalted in Heaven, Show Us the Secrets of Your Mysteries through the Bodhisattva.'"
Hyakkimaru smiled tightly. That was an extremely long name for a sutra.
"The Chinese monk Kumārajīva, who spread the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism through his work, translated the sutra into Chinese in the fourth century. The name of the temple uses the same characters as the simplified name of the sutra, translated into Japanese.
"The sutra is foundational to many of the ideas in Zen and Shingon Buddhism," Tokukyōbō said. "The monk Kūkai, who founded the Shingon school, visited the temple in 815 and buried several sutras here for safekeeping. Many prestigious personages had contributed art and objects to the temple, including three large Buddha statues and eleven smaller statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The Ashikaga Clan contributed heavily to the temple before the founding of the Ashikaga shogunate.
"The poet Saigyō Hōshi even wrote a poem about Mount Monju. ‘I crossed the mountains, crossed Fuji, and ascended to the clouds of Monju," he recited.
Tokuyūbō was a learned man. He knew many poems and songs about the mountain and had even composed some himself.
After a long climb, Hyakkimaru and Tokuyūbō arrived at one of the lower peaks of Mount Monju. Several monks were scattered around the temple there, though most were gathered around a sacred spring behind it. Tokukyōbō prayed briefly over the spring, then scooped water into his hands and drank it.
"This is holy water. It has flowed out of the mountain for untold thousands of years. Drink it and gain understanding of Manjushri's wisdom."
Hyakkimaru also prayed while standing near the spring, then drank exactly as Tokukyōbō had done. "It's wonderful," he said reflexively, though it was likely that any cold water would be wonderful after his long hike. He was sweating and overheated. The water from the spring was blissfully cool.
The temple was dedicated to a manifestation of the goddess Kannon. Many other statues and iconography for gods other than Manjushri were also gathered in the temple. Now that Hyakkimaru had traveled most of the way up the mountain, the main temple of the Ryōgon Temple Complex was very close. This temple was built somewhat precariously on the very top of Mount Monju on a narrow ledge. Only those who were truly devoted to Manjushri traveled all the way to the summit of the mountain.
Tokuyūbō led Hyakkimaru the rest of the way to the main temple, then slid open the doors for him. The statue of Manjushri inside was enormous. He held a sword in his right hand and a scroll proclaiming wisdom in his left. The eyes of the statue seemed to move as if they were alive.
Looking at the statue, Hyakkimaru heard Mio's voice inside his mind. I'll always be with you. I'm sure Myōkichi will heed your prayer and project you. For the briefest of moments, the statue's face looked like Mio's.
"Is something wrong?" Tokuyūbō asked.
"No," Hyakkimaru said. The statue had its own face again. "I was—overwhelmed, for a moment. Forgive me."
Worship of Manjushri in Japan had started during the Heian Period. The monk Ennin was widely considered to be the popularizer of Manjushri worship. In 838, Ennin accompanied a diplomatic mission to the Imperial Court in China. Ennin was in China when the anti-Buddhist Emperor Wuzong of Tang took the throne in 840, and he lived through the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution of 842–846. As a result of the persecution, he was deported from China, returning to Japan in 847. In 854, he became the third head of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. He built temples to store the sutras and religious instruments that he brought back from China and wrote many books about what he had learned in his travels. Ennin was the monk who had originally written Manjushri's mantra.
To the north of the main temple, there was an enormous stone covered in a thick layer of verdant green moss. The stone was wrapped with prayer rope and looked similar to Iwakura Shrine on Mount Kurama.2 Beyond the stone, the mountain sloped gently down. The wide plains at the foot of the mountain were faintly visible.
"The remains of an ancient vase were found here," Tokuyūbō said. "It was from ancient times, when people climbed the mountain to gather sacred water. The Iwakura Shrine here is much older than any temples, so it's presumed that people came here to venerate the stone. Ascetics and sincere believers have made pilgrimages to this place for over three thousand years—well before Empress Genshō designated the mountain as a holy site."
Hyakkimaru bowed his head in prayer. He had been abandoned in a washbasin and floated down the Takano River when he was born. The god of Iwakura Shrine had saved his life, and Jukai's, when they'd been attacked by demonic lightning. He hadn't expected to find a shrine so similar to that one atop Mount Monju. He felt very safe here, enclosed and protected like a child in a womb.
In front of the temple's main hall, there was a rock garden full of stones of all shapes and sizes. "The stones are arranged and selected according to the cosmic dual forces, yin and yang, and the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth," Tokuyūbō said. "The largest stone there represents the White Tiger, the god said to rule over the western heavens. He aligns with the element of metal and protects the western direction. Those red stones there align with the Vermilion Bird who protects the south and is associated with fire. The blue ones correspond to the Blue Dragon, which represents the east and the element of wood. The yellow stones are for the Yellow Dragon, representing the central direction and the element of earth. And the black stones represent the Black Tortoise, the guardian of the north and the representative of the element of water."
It was likely that the Iwakura Shrine and the temple at the top of the mountain had been built here to protect the nearby city of Nara when it was still the capital of Japan in the 700s. There was no doubt that this was a place of tremendous spiritual power. The lofty height of the mountain made it a gathering place for the energy of the Chinese protector gods, just like Tokuyūbō had said.
The Asuwa, Hino, and Kuzuryū Rivers all flowed away from the mountain. Mount Haku rose to the east, and to the north was the Sea of Japan. It was a magnificent view. Hyakkimaru tried to take it all in at once and had to look away, dazzled by the sight.
Tokuyūbō pointed to the east and said, "That there is Ichijōdani, the fortress town controlled by the Asakura Clan. I'm sure the Asakura lord will return soon, the war situation being what it is."
"The Asakura lord? You mean Asakura Takakage?" Hyakkimaru asked.
Tokuyūbō turned to face Hyakkimaru. "Do you know Lord Asakura?" he asked.
Hyakkimaru wasn't sure how he should answer. "Only by reputation," he said. "I've heard that he's a brave general."
"That's true. He is also an extremely cultured man, and very religious. He rules Ezichen in Lord Shiba's absence."
Currently, the fighting between the Eastern Army and the Western Army in Kyōto was at a relative standstill. The wars and conflicts to the north of the capital continued on, however. Shiba Yoshikado and Shiba Yoshitoshi vied for control of Ezichen Province while Togashi Norie fought his younger brother Yasutaka over who should rule Kaga Province.
"I really do wonder what Lord Asakura plans to do now," Tokuyūbō muttered.
Hyakkimaru's eyes fixed on Ichijōdani.
"This is where I leave you," Tokuyūbō said. "It's best for you to perform your worship practice alone. I hope that you return safely to the foot of the mountain, having been reborn."
Hyakkimaru bowed to him politely as he prepared to leave.
"You are free to use the supplies in the temple kitchen," Tokuyūbō said. "Rice, miso, and wild vegetables are all kept in storage."
"Thank you very much," Hyakkimaru said, bowing his head again. He faced the mountain summit, heading for the inner sanctum of the hermitage retreat.
The inner sanctum was to the west of the temple. Hyakkimaru saw two large overlapping boulders in his path as he came closer to it. There was a gap between the boulders, allowing him to pass.
Hyakkimaru saw light in front of him, scarcely twelve feet ahead. Passing through the boulders and into the light was analogous to passing through his mother's womb. If he reached the exit, he would be reborn.
"I really hope this works." He squinted at the light as he walked through the gap between the two boulders.
Hyakkimaru was halfway to the light when his body jerked and twisted to the side. There was no wind, so that couldn't be the cause. A force that Hyakkimaru couldn't see was trying to force him to go back.
Hyakkimaru was impatient to pass through the light, but fighting to go forward got him nowhere. He was pushed back to the two boulders again, inch by slow inch.
Standing where he started, Hyakkimaru glared at the light ahead, allowing all of his frustration to show on his face. What's holding me back? A spirit? A demon?
The distance between the boulders and the exit was only twelve feet. Hyakkimaru could sprint that distance in the time it took to draw in a breath. He steeled himself and ran at the exit, but the result was the same as before.
Hyakkimaru considered. An enormous hawk flew in circles above him. Most hawks were dark brown, but this one was pure white. It looked down on Hyakkimaru from on high, soaring in the sea breeze.
Hyakkimaru looked up at the hawk and smiled a little. "Maybe Manjushri only lets people in personally? Or maybe I have to do something specific..."
When he tried to pass through the light again, he failed. He retreated toward the temple. The wide plain below the temple was broader than the summit of Mount Monju and perfectly flat. The plain was surrounded by a thick forest on every side. A statue of Amida Buddha stood enshrined in the center of the plain.
"When Amida Buddha was still a Bodhisattva, he swore that he wouldn't ascend to Nirvana and become a Buddha until the forty-eight sins of mankind were eradicated from the earth." Jukai's mother Seiko had told him this when he was still a young boy. Jukai had passed on her words to Hyakkimaru.
The Buddhist image maker Unga had carved forty-eight statues to represent the sins of mankind. Unga had also wanted them to act as the Buddha's eyes on the earth so that he could verify that the sins had been destroyed. He'd sealed his creations inside a temple in the Unryū Temple Complex called the Hall of Hell. The samurai lord Daigo Kagemitsu had broken that seal and released the demons. For the sake of his own advancement and power, he’d made a cruel and terrible bargain with the demons.
Beyond the plain, the land sloped down into a tree-filled, rocky area. The hermitage that Tokuyūbō had told him about was there. It was small and old and in poor repair from being lashed by wind and rain for years beyond count. There was only one room inside.
But Hyakkimaru was not discouraged or dissatisfied. The roof was sound and would keep the rain off; that was all that he really needed. He looked out at the mountain through the latticed window of the hermitage, feeling completely cut off from the world. This wasn't the same as praying or training alone on Mount Kurama, like he'd done since he was a boy. On Mount Kurama, he was always able to go home to a warm welcome by Jukai and Sakuzō. There was no home to return to here. He was completely, utterly alone.
***
The air on the peak of Mount Monju was crystal clear in the summer. The mountain was lush with green trees that white lilies sheltered under, filling the gloom with a sweet scent. When the flowers bloomed, the leaves withered. The sight saddened Hyakkimaru. He sat in meditation every day, rain or shine, from sunup to sundown. There were days when he focused only on sitting and not on becoming enlightened, out of necessity, but he kept his practice up consistently.
While he meditated, Hyakkimaru observed Mount Monju's animals and birds. Every living thing appeared serene, secure in the knowledge that Manjushri was watching over them. Just like on Mount Kurama, the animals took a liking to Hyakkimaru. A herd of deer rushed up to him and started playing and frolicking while he meditated.
One day around sunset, a white hawk landed in a tree just outside the hermitage. Hyakkimaru had no doubt that it was the same hawk he'd seen when he'd tried to pass through the large stones on his first day here. He looked up at the hawk and smiled a little, like he was greeting an old friend.
"I envy you, Takumaru. It must be so much fun to fly." Takumaru was the name that he decided to give the bird.
Takumaru took flight, spinning in slow and lazy circles over Hyakkimaru's head. When he flew higher and higher in the western sky until he was almost invisible from the ground, Hyakkimaru frowned. Was there something to the west that he should be concerned about?
Hyakkimaru sprinted after Takumaru before he was completely lost from view, following the hawk until the forest became so dense that it was hard to make progress. When Takumaru flew through a narrow gap between two trees, Hyakkimaru sucked in a breath, then stumbled through the gap.
On the other side, there was an open clearing that appeared to be man-made, though no one had been there for quite some time. Why would Takumaru lead me here? he wondered.
Takumaru was flying in circles above him again. Hyakkimaru glanced up and watched as a single feather fell from Takumaru's tail and floated to the ground.
It was almost completely dark now, but Hyakkimaru could see several large stones in the clearing. At first he thought that they were randomly placed, but when he counted the distance between them with his steps, he realized that they were all exactly the same distance apart. Someone must have placed them here. The place where Takumaru had led him was directly in the center of a circle of stones.
Hyakkimaru remembered what Tokuyūbō had told him about the temple's rock garden. Mount Monju was a place of great spiritual power. The stones in the rock garden had been arrayed according to the cosmic dual forces, yin and yang, and the five elements.
Takumaru's feather landed on top of one of the stones. Hyakkimaru stared at it and lost all track of time. The moon came out and bathed the stones in white light that gave the clearing an ethereal, otherworldly beauty.
By the time Hyakkimaru returned to the hermitage that night, he had already nicknamed the place Takumaru's Clearing. He decided to do all of his meditation and prayer there from then on.
Translator's Notes
1 Ryōgon Temple's name kanji are given as 楞厳寺; the Śūrangama sutra's shortened name is given as大仏頂首楞厳経.↩
2 What has been rendered Iwakura Shrine in these novels refers to a specific kind of shrine that always involves a very large stone as an object of worship. The word iwakura refers to the stone itself; the stone is believed to contain the spirit of a god.↩
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