After five years of training, Yarimato’s body was tough and ready for challenges, so Takahashi started the hardest part of his training.
Takahashi and Yarimato stood in front of the dojo, where the teacher was ready to start Yarimato’s training, but first he wanted to tell him something.
Takahashi: I’ll be brief, and I’ll start by saying that in all your five years of training, you’ve already gone through a lot of difficult things, but now that you’ve grown up and gained strength, I will finally show you and teach you my sword style, and believe me, everything you’ve been through was necessary for this moment.
So, from now on, you will begin to learn my fighting style called “Storm.”
Yarimato: Storm, what does that mean?
Takahashi: What do you imagine when you hear the word “storm”?
Yarimato: Well, probably when waves rise in the sea and sweep away everything in their path.
Takahashi: My style sweeps away everything in its path.
A storm is a strong tempest at sea caused by strong winds that create powerful waves.
My entire style is connected to water, because water is and always will be everywhere.
Without it, there would be nothing, but that’s not the point.
Water is one of the most powerful elements on our planet, which is why I chose it as the basis for my style.
Water can take any shape and follow any movement, and if you latch onto it, you can do a lot.
Yarimato: So, your technique is connected to water and its movement and mass?
Takahashi: Yes, you’re right in a way, so to begin with, you have to understand the flow, feel it’s every movement, and grab onto it and swim along with it.
Yarimato: Okay, but what about your technique?
Takahashi: All right, I’ll tell you.
My style is based on a one-handed sword grip, both reverse grips, when the blade is pointing down, and normal grip, when the blade is pointing up.
Since water is a huge mass that moves with the current, my style is like swimming with the current.
But this style can be used however you want, so you can hold the katana however you want, with two hands or one, the most important thing is that you catch your flow and follow it.
Takahashi: You are absolutely right.
I never thought I would say this, but yes, that’s right.
It should look like this: after striking an opponent, their blood should follow your sword, and from the side, it will look like a wave rising above the sea.
Yarimato: What about your special techniques related to your style?
Takahashi: That’s the most interesting part, because in addition to the style, I came up with three basic techniques that I’m going to teach you.
Of course, with this style, you can come up with hundreds of techniques, but these three are unbeatable.
The first technique is called “Wave Strike,” the second is called “Waterfall,” and the last, most powerful and dangerous technique, which only a few people have mastered, is called “Tsunami.”
Yarimato: And what are they?
Takahashi smiled and said: First, you will need to master my fighting style and understand the power of water, and then I will teach you these three techniques.
I will tell you a secret: none of my students have mastered all three techniques.
Beginning his training in the Storm style, Takahashi first gave his student a real sword and clothing.
Yarimato received a shikimizue sword, the same as his teacher’s, black wide hakama pants, and a white kimono with large sleeves called gi.
Takahashi gave Yarimato a white top so that he would keep his clothes clean, but even though it wasn’t important, Takahashi wanted his student to learn how to take care of his things, so Yarimato had to constantly wash his kimono after hard training sessions.
For the first two months, Yarimato got used to the sword, as the Bakken and katana, or rather the shikimizue, differed from each other in that when fighting with a wooden sword, you put more physical strength into it, while with swords, you concentrate more on speed and accuracy.
Therefore, Yarimato had already trained his striking power because he always trained with a wooden sword, and now he had to focus more on his weapon.
At first, Yarimato slowly repeated the movements that his teacher showed him, and he often went to the waterfall to train his endurance and try to feel the mass of water.
One day, Takahashi-sensei showed Yarimato a new place, and it was not a small river, but a large river with a fairly strong current, so Yarimato tried to walk against the current, but it was not easy and often knocked him off his feet.
However, Yarimato continued to train despite the difficulties he faced.
To improve his accuracy and speed, he chopped bamboo trees and repeated the same strike for hours, practicing each element of the strike.
But this was not enough for Takahashi, and so two months after beginning to study the Storm style, the teacher began to train Yarimato in combat with real swords.
After one battle, Yarimato began to see progress in his training.
Yarimato and Takahashi-sensei fought with their swords, trying to strike their opponent.
Yarimato still couldn’t wound his teacher even once, but his teacher constantly touched Yarimato with the tip of his sword, so Yarimato constantly had to sew up his clothes and apply bandages to shallow wounds that healed quickly.
After another battle, Yarimato fell to the ground from exhaustion and, breathing deeply, thought about how he could defeat his teacher.
Takahashi: Okay, it’s evening now, so let’s continue tomorrow.
And sharpen your sword, it’s already very dull.
Yarimato: Yes, sir, but wait a minute, I’ve sharpened my sword so many times, but I’ve never seen a single scratch on your blade.
And in general, your shikimizue is more like a katana because the handle of the sword is longer than my shikimizue, and your steel itself is also somehow strange.
Takahashi: You noticed, well, you’re right, this sword used to be a katana, but in some battle, my tsuba (sword guard) and the katana’s handle broke, so I threw them away and just replaced them with ordinary wood.
Then I sold the sheath to some merchant and made a new one out of wood, so now my sword looks more like a hidden blade than a katana.
Yarimato: You sold the sheath?
So, you didn’t have much money?
Takahashi: Where would I get money if I was a wandering swordsman who earned money by betting on my own duels?
Yarimato: If you had so little money, then where did you get a whole mountain with a whole dojo, and besides, we eat good food and you pay those three servants?
Takahashi: It’s a very long story, I’ll tell you sometime later.
Yarimato: Who made this sword for you, and why is it so durable?
Takahashi: Well, an old friend of mine made this sword for me, and he never told anyone what made his swords stronger and sharper than others, but even so, this blade can break.
Takahashi fell silent and looked at the blade of his sword, as if thinking about something that happened a very, very long time ago.
Takahashi: Okay, I’ll go to the dojo, and you get yourself ready and come for dinner.
Takahashi turned and slowly walked away to the dojo, while Yarimato became interested in Takahashi-sensei’s past for the first time, as he did not know who his teacher really was.