Post by yoshi on Feb 7, 2011 12:45:08 GMT -5
THE LOOM
“CLACK”
Sang the loom as the heavy beater slammed home. Yoshi carefully wove the next thread through the warp making sure no stitch was missed or dropped. An intentional “flaw” would be inserted and tied off near the end of the bolt as tradition required. Nothing in life was perfect. To strive for perfection was the duty of all living things but true perfection occurred only at the moment of death. Thus by inserting a purposeful “flaw” in the fabric one could avoid the vanity of ego and remain on a path of virtue.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
Outside, a light rain continued to fall as it had all morning. Yoshi was sitting at the loom on the second floor of the Shimakaze household. The wide windows were open allowing the gentle sound of the rain dripping from the bamboo gutters to float through the room. The old woman they brought back from their stay in the Great Lakes Region sat in one corner. She had proven herself to be a master at the Shamisen and the notes she now plucked from the instrument blended with the sound of the rain.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
A child’s hand reached out to touch the silk fabric. Yoshi gently removed the hand and placed it on the wood frame next to her. She glanced at Himeko and smiled warmly. She had grown very fond of the girl since her arrival and was beginning to think of her as a younger sister or perhaps, a daughter. The pangs in Yoshi’s heart reminded her that, at nineteen, she had given up thoughts of marriage and childbearing for her duty to the Empress and the Imperial Family. One thing outweighed the other and duty outweighed all things. She reached out and gently brushed a wayward strand of hair from Himeko’s face. Yoshi was one of few permitted to touch the royal personage in such a manner. She would give her life for this girl if fate demanded and she would do so without regret.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
Since her return to her homelands, Yoshi had taken up her duties as Tenji with the sprit of a warrior. Now her duties required her to act with the sprit of a Lady. And it fell to her to instruct the young Himeko in the customs and traditions of the people she would one day rule. Learning about the loom gave the child insight as to how the common people toiled for the benefit of the Empire. Such knowledge would allow Himeko to rule with compassion and wisdom for she would be closer to understanding the needs of those who, one day, would press their foreheads to the ground as she passed.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
The sky outside grew dark indicating a heaver rain approaching. A breeze rushed past the house causing a shutter to bang against the outside wall. Yoshi stood and looked toward the open window. The old woman stopped playing and stood. Yoshi waved her back and instructed her to continue playing. The old woman bowed and knelt again.
Yoshi walked or rather “floated” to the window. She tilted her head and glanced back at Himeko to see if the child was watching. She was. Yoshi smiled for she would soon teach the child that a “Lady” never ‘walked’ across a room but appeared rather to ‘float’ and this was especially true of a “Lady of the Court.” She would teach her these things in the manner her own mother had taught her. With patience and respect, but with firmness and expectations as well.
Standing at the window Yoshi looked down at the garden that ran along the edge of the property. The rain was welcomed and the great barrels that collected rain water were now more than half full. She breathed in deeply. The smell of earth and rain always made her smile. She turned and looked at Himeko. The child was examining the loom in the inquisitive way a child always examines life.
“The curiosity of a child sparks ten thousand questions.” Her mother once said.
Yoshi watched the girl and hoped she would one day understand that all things done in the daily lives of the people of Tokuno had meaning. How the silk on the loom would soon be dyed and used to fashion a new Kimono for the future Empress. How Yoshi’s long hair, divided into two layers by a wide lacquered hair pin, represented a double water fall; and how that waterfall cascading down her back came to rest behind the bow of her Obi and how the bow had been tied in the fashion of a dragonfly. The same kind of dragonfly that flourished near pools at the base of such waterfalls. All things in life had meaning.
Her charge was to instruct Himeko in the ways of Courtly manners. How a Lady held her fan could be a signal for a lover to approach or a warning to stay away or an instruction to a trusted aide. How a Lady held her hands when speaking to a Lord or her eyes when meeting a King or Queen of another land. A tilt of the head. A flutter of an eyelash. All of these things were the threads of Tokuno life as they were the threads of Yoshi’s life and would soon become the threads of Himeko’s life and all these threads, when woven together, created the fabric of the Empire from now until the end of time.
These lessons would contrast sharply with the lessons of the sword and bow and both Yoshi and Himeko must find a balance between the two. Yoshi had killed a Gargoyle in a duel just before leaving the Great Lakes Region and even then she tried to follow the rites and traditions of her people and the Way of the Sword. The killing was justified and honorable as the creature was a criminal and a murderer but Yoshi felt she had failed in one respect. She had enjoyed the killing. She had not entirely removed her own emotions from the act and thus her actions were not pure.
A gust of wind brushed Yoshi’s face as she reached out to pull the shutters closed. Glancing down she caught a movement at the corner of the house. It was only a shadow but the shadow moved against the wind. She smiled recognizing that such shadows were necessary. The Ninjas of the Blue Lotus Clan would be watching over the house and Himeko; as their duty demanded. Yoshi’s thoughts, however, turned to only one Ninja as she pulled the shutters closed. She bowed her head and stilled her breathing as she locked the window.
Returning to the loom she offered Himeko her seat. Himeko sat at the loom while Yoshi stood behind her guiding her hands into the correct position. Himeko looked up and grinned at Yoshi her eyes gleaming with delight.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom as the heavy beater slammed home. Yoshi carefully wove the next thread through the warp making sure no stitch was missed or dropped. An intentional “flaw” would be inserted and tied off near the end of the bolt as tradition required. Nothing in life was perfect. To strive for perfection was the duty of all living things but true perfection occurred only at the moment of death. Thus by inserting a purposeful “flaw” in the fabric one could avoid the vanity of ego and remain on a path of virtue.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
Outside, a light rain continued to fall as it had all morning. Yoshi was sitting at the loom on the second floor of the Shimakaze household. The wide windows were open allowing the gentle sound of the rain dripping from the bamboo gutters to float through the room. The old woman they brought back from their stay in the Great Lakes Region sat in one corner. She had proven herself to be a master at the Shamisen and the notes she now plucked from the instrument blended with the sound of the rain.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
A child’s hand reached out to touch the silk fabric. Yoshi gently removed the hand and placed it on the wood frame next to her. She glanced at Himeko and smiled warmly. She had grown very fond of the girl since her arrival and was beginning to think of her as a younger sister or perhaps, a daughter. The pangs in Yoshi’s heart reminded her that, at nineteen, she had given up thoughts of marriage and childbearing for her duty to the Empress and the Imperial Family. One thing outweighed the other and duty outweighed all things. She reached out and gently brushed a wayward strand of hair from Himeko’s face. Yoshi was one of few permitted to touch the royal personage in such a manner. She would give her life for this girl if fate demanded and she would do so without regret.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
Since her return to her homelands, Yoshi had taken up her duties as Tenji with the sprit of a warrior. Now her duties required her to act with the sprit of a Lady. And it fell to her to instruct the young Himeko in the customs and traditions of the people she would one day rule. Learning about the loom gave the child insight as to how the common people toiled for the benefit of the Empire. Such knowledge would allow Himeko to rule with compassion and wisdom for she would be closer to understanding the needs of those who, one day, would press their foreheads to the ground as she passed.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.
The sky outside grew dark indicating a heaver rain approaching. A breeze rushed past the house causing a shutter to bang against the outside wall. Yoshi stood and looked toward the open window. The old woman stopped playing and stood. Yoshi waved her back and instructed her to continue playing. The old woman bowed and knelt again.
Yoshi walked or rather “floated” to the window. She tilted her head and glanced back at Himeko to see if the child was watching. She was. Yoshi smiled for she would soon teach the child that a “Lady” never ‘walked’ across a room but appeared rather to ‘float’ and this was especially true of a “Lady of the Court.” She would teach her these things in the manner her own mother had taught her. With patience and respect, but with firmness and expectations as well.
Standing at the window Yoshi looked down at the garden that ran along the edge of the property. The rain was welcomed and the great barrels that collected rain water were now more than half full. She breathed in deeply. The smell of earth and rain always made her smile. She turned and looked at Himeko. The child was examining the loom in the inquisitive way a child always examines life.
“The curiosity of a child sparks ten thousand questions.” Her mother once said.
Yoshi watched the girl and hoped she would one day understand that all things done in the daily lives of the people of Tokuno had meaning. How the silk on the loom would soon be dyed and used to fashion a new Kimono for the future Empress. How Yoshi’s long hair, divided into two layers by a wide lacquered hair pin, represented a double water fall; and how that waterfall cascading down her back came to rest behind the bow of her Obi and how the bow had been tied in the fashion of a dragonfly. The same kind of dragonfly that flourished near pools at the base of such waterfalls. All things in life had meaning.
Her charge was to instruct Himeko in the ways of Courtly manners. How a Lady held her fan could be a signal for a lover to approach or a warning to stay away or an instruction to a trusted aide. How a Lady held her hands when speaking to a Lord or her eyes when meeting a King or Queen of another land. A tilt of the head. A flutter of an eyelash. All of these things were the threads of Tokuno life as they were the threads of Yoshi’s life and would soon become the threads of Himeko’s life and all these threads, when woven together, created the fabric of the Empire from now until the end of time.
These lessons would contrast sharply with the lessons of the sword and bow and both Yoshi and Himeko must find a balance between the two. Yoshi had killed a Gargoyle in a duel just before leaving the Great Lakes Region and even then she tried to follow the rites and traditions of her people and the Way of the Sword. The killing was justified and honorable as the creature was a criminal and a murderer but Yoshi felt she had failed in one respect. She had enjoyed the killing. She had not entirely removed her own emotions from the act and thus her actions were not pure.
A gust of wind brushed Yoshi’s face as she reached out to pull the shutters closed. Glancing down she caught a movement at the corner of the house. It was only a shadow but the shadow moved against the wind. She smiled recognizing that such shadows were necessary. The Ninjas of the Blue Lotus Clan would be watching over the house and Himeko; as their duty demanded. Yoshi’s thoughts, however, turned to only one Ninja as she pulled the shutters closed. She bowed her head and stilled her breathing as she locked the window.
Returning to the loom she offered Himeko her seat. Himeko sat at the loom while Yoshi stood behind her guiding her hands into the correct position. Himeko looked up and grinned at Yoshi her eyes gleaming with delight.
“CLACK”
Sang the loom.