Written by Hana Schimeneck
I was intrigued by our guide who promised to take us to the hidden treasures in the mountains. He looked innocent enough. Being a samurai, the thought of finding mirrors and swords excited me. I could either use them in battle, barter with them for some items that interest me or sell them and make money.
My name is Kanazawa no Takehiko. I am from a town called Kokufu which is in the province of Wakasa. At age 26, I feel I’m a pretty mellow fellow. I’m married to an energetic, fun-loving girl named Masago.
On that fateful day, Masago and I, along with our horse, followed the man to the mountain. I believe his name was Tajomaru. It was around noon. His lust for Masago was unknown to me currently. We came upon a grove which was covered in bamboo. Tajomaru told us the treasures were about 50 yards ahead buried under a clump of cedars. Masago and our horse decided to stay back and Tajomaru and I would forge forward to get the buried treasure. We were walking together, Tajomaru was a couple of steps behind me. We approached the buried treasure and out of nowhere, I was hit from behind with a rock to my head. I was dazed and fell to the ground immediately. There was no help in site anywhere. I regained consciousness only to find that I was tied up to the root of the cedar and my mouth was stuffed with bamboo leaves which made it impossible to call for help. I felt many emotions.... scared, angry, helpless, and embarrassed to name a few. After all, I am a trained, strong, sword-bearing warrior! Tajomaru left me and went back to get Masago. He told her I was sick and that he needed her help. They were walking back to see me and that’s when Masago pulled a knife on him! She must have felt something wasn’t right. My bride was trying to defend us! I knew she was feisty; just didn’t realize she was this feisty! Tajomaru was too strong and overpowered her. He had his way with her in the field and he didn’t have to kill me to do it. She felt much shame about what happened.
Masago said, “it was more trying than death to have her shame known to two men”. Tajomaru came back to me and untied me. This was the battle for Masago – the winner got Masago, the loser, death! I was feeling weak, but we battled hard. Our sword fight lasted for 23 strokes. I lost on the 23rd stroke and died. My throat was slit, and I lie on the ground bleeding to death. I could only moan and groan. It was a slow death. Tajomaru turned around to claim his prize but she was gone. She may have run away during the beginning of our fight. I’m not sure, but I do know I’m going to miss her very much! He ran back towards the road, but the horse was the only thing there. His heart was racing because he just murdered a man. He also could not find the only witness to the murder. He took my horse into town and disposed of the sword along the way. I’m not sure what happened to the man after that, but I guess greed is never a good thing....in this case, it cost me my life!