Until the last day, Zhang Heng still failed to decide which katana to bring back to the real world. After thinking for a long time, he decided it would be better to consult a professional. So, he brought his Kiku-ichimonji, Juzumaru, and the unknown katana given by Akane Koyama to Kyoto’s most famous sword house. He had been here to admire their katana before, and he also told the shopkeeper to reserve all the famous katana for him, so the manager and shopkeeper knew who he was.
When they saw him entering the shop, smiles instantly appeared on their faces. “Abe-sama, we don’t have any new katana today. What brings you here?”
Zhang Heng handily gave the little monk five cents to open the door, causing the latter to grin almost to the back of his head.
“Ah, I am not here to buy katana today. I want to look for someone to appraise a few katana.”
The shop manager and the shopkeeper looked at each other and laughed.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Heng asked. “It’s a coincidence that you are here today. The boss is usually not in the store, and I don’t know why he came here early today, but this is an excellent opportunity! He knows all kinds of swords in the world. From the works of famous swordsmiths to the weapons made by ordinary blacksmiths, he can identify their origin with a glance!” “Is he that good?” Zhang Heng was a little surprised.
“If you have any questions about a katana or sword, just ask him. Of course, you have to make sure that your blade is good enough to capture his attention.”
“Don’t worry about that. Please lead me to him.”
“Come with me.” The store manager took Zhang Heng to a tea room behind the katana house.
A thin old man could be seen making tea there.
“This guest here hopes you can appraise his katana for him.” The shop manager bowed at the thin man.
“Thank you,” he replied, nodding in thanks. The shop manager then exited the house. The old man pointed to the tatami on the ground. When Zhang Heng saw it, he bowed and sat down. During the Tokyo Drift quest, he had spent some time in Japan. At that time, etiquette was not as important, and he could sit as he pleased.
Since Zhang Heng was in a different era, he realized that he had to learn the traditional Japanese sitting style. The toe joints were stretched as far as possible, the instep and calves were placed on a flat surface, where the heel and toes were used as support. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, and it was said that this sitting posture resembled corporal punishment in China.
However, according to the history of China, it seemed like no one sat like that anymore.
The boss did not talk about helping Zhang Heng to appraise his katana. Fortunately, Zhang Heng was not in a hurry. Since there was still half a day left before the quest came to an end, he just sat there and watched the old man make tea.
The Japanese tea ceremony was divided along two main lines-matcha and sencha. In fact, both originated from China, where matcha was from the Tang Dynasty, and sencha was from the Ming and Qing dynasties. When they were passed down to Japan, they were furthered developed and improved. It was said that the earliest tea seeds were brought back to Japan by those who studied in China during the Nara era.
Sen-no-Rikyū was a master, and his Wakei Seijaku had a great influence on the later generations.
The boss had obviously studied the quintessence of Wakei Seijaku. He lit the charcoal and boiled the water in one go. Then, he warmed the bowl, poured the hand-ground tea powder into the bowl, added some hot water, and stirred the tea with a chasen until bubbles started to form. Intricate and graceful, it was not unlike an art performance. Finally, the tea was poured into two bowls. This was matcha.
Zhang Heng took one of the boss’s bowls and pointed at its pattern to show his gratitude.
He then took a sip but couldn’t taste the difference.
“You are very patient,” the boss showed a smile on his skinny face as if he could see right through Zhang Heng’s mind. He then shook his head, “Let’s talk about the katana.”
Zhang Heng took out the first katana and handed it to the boss.
“Juzumaru.” As expected, the boss only glanced at it, going on, “…Heian Era, made by Aoe Tsuneji. The blade is two feet and five inches in length. The rosary around it belonged to the former owner, Master Nichiren. This was a famous katana that belonged to a Buddhist temple. Unfortunately, it fell into the hands of an executioner. It caused the sword to become hostile. To eliminate its hostility, you have to place it at a temple for some time.”
“You are truly good with katana.” Zhang Heng then handed him the second sword.
“This is the Kiku-ichimonji. You have many good katana,” the boss remarked, then stroked the blade as if it was a fine vase. “Did you see the quenching marks on it? They are deeper than the ones found on ordinary katana. This technique is called Ichimonji. The Kiku-ichimonji was the masterpiece of the Ichimonji sect. And its maker was from the Kamakura period. His name is Ichi, and he named it Monji. The katana is two feet and four point two inches long. Its most famous owner is Okita Souji. This famous sword has finally found its destiny. Unfortunately, its owner had a short life. If you listen carefully, you can still hear its wailing. A passionate person paired with a passionate katana was nothing more than love.” After listening to the boss’s comments, Zhang Heng fell into silence. After a while, he raised his head. “What I’d like to ask next is which of these two are more suitable for me.”
The boss did not answer him immediately. Instead, he said, “Don’t you still have one more? Why don’t you take it out?”
“That one was just a gift from a friend. Although it is of great significance to me, I’m afraid it is not good enough for you to appraise,” lamented Zhang Heng.
“I decide if the katana is worthy of my time, not you. Do you still want me to appraise it?”
“As you wish.” Zhang Heng finally handed him the ordinary tachi that Akane Koyama gave him.
“Well, this tachi is so-so. The one who cast the blade is so-so, and the original owner is so-so too. This tachi doesn’t even have a name, and there are no inscriptions on it. Maybe the one who made it felt that it was an embarrassment. I can’t find its origins in books anyway. It is definitely worse than the katana I have in my shop.”
Zhang Heng did not know what to think. He had told the boss that the Tachi was ordinary, but the old man insisted on appraising it. When he finally got it, he couldn’t stop criticizing it. It was as if he had nothing better to do.
“Anyway, this Tachi was given to me by a friend.” Zhang Heng stretched out his hand, attempting to take it back.
However, the boss did not immediately let it go. He said, “In that case, choose this one.” “Hmm?”
“I said, just choose this one. Juzumaru is Master Nichiren’s katana, and Kiku-ichimonji belonged to Okita Soki. Both of them had crafted their signature on the katana. Hence, these are theirs.”
Zhang Heng seemed to be moved by his words.
A katana is only famous because of its owner. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t have a name. You can give it one. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t have a history. Just write the history yourself. Besides, you have invested your feelings into this piece. This is your katana.”
The boss was like a demon, incessantly tempting Zhang Heng to take this katana. “You don’t want me to bring these two famous katana out of this dungeon, right?” Zhang Heng somewhat knew the boss’ true identity. So, he decided that he would be honest with him.
The boss took a sip of his tea and said with a smile, “This is your choice. I’m only responsible for the suggestions. Don’t regret it after you make up your mind.”
“After you have said so much, you can’t bury the fact that this katana is weaker than the other two.”
“You know very well that there is nothing perfect in this world. Katana are like people. We all have our sad moments. Some many emperors and generals suffered from losses. The most important thing is that they had help in their most difficult times.”
“So… You are saying that I should be the one who makes this katana famous?”
“Hehe!” The boss laughed, and all the divine aura emanating from him when making tea was lost. “The choice is yours. Maybe this katana will help you during your most difficult time?”
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