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thefinalcinderella · 3 years ago

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Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 1 - Eccentrics (Part 1)

Translating this chapter gave me flashbacks...everyone get your kyudo glossary out, you’re going to need it (I should really figure out a better balance for what to keep in Japanese and what to keep in English)

Also, please pray that I get book 3 by the end of this year

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. Binzuru-san is the “Japanese embodiment of Pindola Bharadvaja. Pindola is an Arhat, one of the spiritually accomplished followers of the original Buddha, who asked them to remain in the world for eternity to propagate the Dharma, or Buddhist law.” Billiken-san is a charm doll made by an American teacher. Apparently there’s a statue of one in Japan where people rub its soles for good luck

2. Seiya refers to the Japanese saying “ 右に出る者はない “ which means “being second to none” and refers to the custom of the rightmost seat being the seat of honor

3. I don’t actually know what this word “下座心” or gezashin means. I guessed that it had something to do with being humble since 下座 means “lower seat” or “getting down from your seat to prostrate yourself”

4. These are changed references to real Japanese snacks. “Tocchan Ika” is “Yocchan Ika,” (a type of squid snack) “Baby Moon ramen” is “Baby Star ramen,” and “umainbo” is “umaibo”

5. This took forever to look up but I think it’s a reference to a kyudo song/chant? Basically it means “practice as if you’re in a tournament and act like you’re practicing when you’re in a tournament”

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“E-Excuse me, Narumiya-senpai, can we touch your forehead?”

“…Huh?”

Young maple trees announced the arrival of spring. Brand-new rubber bows were piled up on the shelves of Kazemai High School’s kyudojo.

Narumiya Minato’s hands were on the cord of his hakama. He couldn’t understand the words of the jersey-clad new student.

The first-year, Kanbayashi, was reservedly smiling and nodding next to his friend, but his eyes were blinking at high speed.

“Um, what’s with this all of a sudden? Is this a punishment game or something?”

“No, it’s not. We asked Kisaragi-senpai what we should do to become better at kyudo, and he told us to pat Narumiya-senpai’s forehead.”

Minato glanced at Kisaragi Nanao, who was talking with Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo. Nanao, who sensed his gaze, held up three fingers and waved them with a “Merha.”

“Nanao, you’re telling people nonsense again.”

“Don’t make that face, Minato. I didn’t lie. I just told them my personal opinion. Come on, you have to listen to the request of your adorable kohai.”

Hearing this, Ryouhei’s eyes sparkled.

“Me too, me too! I wanna get better!”

Ryouhei quickly went in front of Minato and started patting his forehead. Imitating his senpai, Kanbayashi also rubbed Minato’s forehead. Minato was speechless as he stared at the two, who looked satisfied from accomplishing their goal. Pressing his hand against his bangs, he stepped back and bumped into something.

It was Seiya.

“I heard that it’s the head that makes you get better.”

Next to him, their coach Masa-san, a.k.a. Takigawa Masaki, was also there.

“Seiya, that’s not true. You have to touch the soles of his feet, not his head, for your wish to come true. C’mon, Minato, put out your foot. Thank you, thank you.”

“Stop it! I’m not ‘Binzuru-san’ or ‘Billiken-san’!” (1)

Despite Minato’s shouts, Masa-san had his hand to his mouth, chuckling. Just as he was thinking about grabbing his hair whorl and rubbing it, another new student stepped up to him.

Keyaki had thick, strong-willed eyebrows and large, dark eyes with a sharp gaze clearly indicated where he was looking.

“Senpais! Please stop fooling around and start practicing!”

Kaito also spoke after him.

“Keyaki’s right. Masa-san, what are you doing?”

“Fufu, sorry, sorry.”

Masa-san clapped Kaito’s shoulder.

Minato and the others had become second-years, and the Kazemai High School Kyudo Club welcomed twenty-two new members this year. There were ten boys and twelve girls. Among them, two of the boys and three of the girls had experience. Kanbayashi Hikaru had experience, and Keiyaki Keima was a first-timer.

Practice began.

The kyudo glove, the “yugake,” was put on the right hand.

That hand took a “hitote,” or two arrows, and the left hand held the bow.

Kaito, Ryouhei, Seiya, Nanao, and Minato stood at the entrance.

Kyudo was a type of budo, and it was the art of shooting a bow. Budo was the way of the warrior. Eugen Herrigel called kyudo “the warrior’s way of shooting,” and Miyamoto Musashi taught that “a warrior is simply one who has a taste for the way of death.”

For competitions, there was “kinteki” (short-distance) and “enteki” (long-distance), and they did the former. They shot arrows at the thirty-six-centermeter diameter kasumi-mato at a distance of twenty-eight meters. At Inter-High, each team consisted of five people called a “go’nin-dachi,” and each person shot four arrows called “yotsuya” for a total of twenty shots.

At “honza,” the archer bowed and stepped forward. If they sat on their heels at the shooting line, turned to the side, stood, performed ashibumi, and shot, that was called “zasha.” If they remained standing at the shooting line and performed ashibumi, that was called “rissha.” The left and right hands were called “yunde and mete” or “oshide and katte.” The process of shooting an arrow was divided into eight steps and given names. This was called the Eight Steps of Shooting (Shahou Hassetsu).

The Shahou Hassetsu was as followed.

First, Ashibumi (Stance) – The feet’s position. Determining the position of the target and self.

Second, Douzukuri (Set) – Preparing the foundation for shooting. Readying the body. Adjusting it.

Third, Yugamae (Bowset) – Nocking the arrow on the bow. Prologue to the confrontation with the target.

Fourth, Uchiokoshi (Set up) – Lifting the bow and arrow.

Fifth, Hikiwake (Drawing) – Pushing the raised bow evenly from both sides.

Sixth, Kai (Fulldraw) – Unification of the target and self. Drawing the bow to its limit.

Seven, Hanare (Release) – Letting the arrow go. Releasing it. Setting it free.

Eighth, Zanshin (Follow through) – Following through to the end. Fully extending yourself.

The five glided into the shooting area, lined up in front of the targets and began shooting in order starting from the front. When the bow with nocked arrow were raised up high and pulled to its limit, bow and archer completed a beautiful cross. After the other four finished shooting their haya and otoya arrows, Minato was the only one left in the shooting area. When his right hand flicked back, a pleasant matooto (sound of arrow hitting the target) was heard.

They went to collect the arrows and bring them back. On the arrow-collecting path, they walked with the arrow feathers pointing at the lawn.

Tommy-sensei spoke.

“Now that you seemed to have learned that the fundamental forms equal taihai, let’s continue with the rubber bows today.”

Just because you joined the kyudo club, it didn’t mean that you would be able to immediately hold a bow and arrow. First of all, you had to imitate the action of shooting a bow without holding the tool, which was called “empty-handed archery.” It was like air kyudo. Tools such as rubber bows were lent by the club.

One of the girls spoke up.

“Coach Takigawa, could you take a look at this?”

“Okay. Seo-san, will you help me?”

Seo and the others corrected the girls’ shakei by putting their hands on their arms and backs in accordance with Masa-san’s observations. Shakei referred to the form.

When practice ended and Tommy-sensei and Masa-san had left, Keyaki let out a big sigh.

“Onogi-senpai, when will I be able to hold a bow? Stretching, taihai, empty-hand practice, rubber bow—that’s all we’re doing. We can’t even wear hakama.”

“Don’t whine. That’s how it is for beginners.”

“Beginners?”

“When I started kyudo in middle school, all I did was collect arrows, paper the targets, and shout ‘Yes.’ It wasn’t until the third-years retired that I was able to stand in front of the targets. The first thing we learned was how to clean the kyudojo.”

“When exactly are you talking about? It’s very old-fashioned to start with cleaning. It is inefficient and meaningless. The common sense here is questionable.”

“Cleaning is a basic part of life, you know? What’s inefficient about learning the basics. Even chores are a fine job.”

“You’re obedient, aren’t you. People like that who only do what they’re told without using their brains will only be used by others. If something is necessary, those who are in charge should be the ones to take the initiative.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Budo begins and ends with etiquette.”

“To be honest, I’m disappointed. I thought that a team with only first-year students had adopted a revolutionary training method since they won second place at Nationals, but Coach Takigawa just has the female members correcting the shooting forms of the newcomers.”

“Hah? That’s enough, you.”

Seiya cut into their conversation.

The smile on his face made those who have known him for a long time freeze.

“I understand Keyaki’s desire to draw a bow as soon as possible. The empty-handed practice and rubber bows are a program for you to learn the Eight Steps of Shooting. If you suddenly pick up a bow and arrow, it is dangerous because you might hit your face with the bowstring and hurt yourself, or the arrow might fly off to somewhere else. It’s a practice method designed to minimize injuries and accidents.”

“I know the Eight Steps of Shooting from watching the video sharing site ‘Yotube.’ What I lack is practice and experience.”

“Have you learned how to move your feet?”

“There’s sashinutai and kashinjoutai. When advancing, you move your left foot first, and when moving backwards, you start from your right foot. Or, when moving forward, you start with the foot closest to the shimoza, and when moving backwards, you start with the foot closest to the kamiza.”

“You seemed to have read the textbook thoroughly. Just like the saying ‘There is no one who can appear on the right,’ (2) in Japan since the olden days, the right is the upper seat and the left is the lower seat. In other words, the Minister of the Right is more important than the Minister of the Left.”

“Isn’t it the other way around in international etiquette? Everything needs a change. Aren’t kyudo uniforms too conservative, like using white only for tournaments? Aren’t you just sitting back and doing nothing by using the word ‘tradition’ as a shield? If you do nothing, you won’t fail or be beaten.”

“I think it’s hard to draw a line between which colors are okay and which colors are not. If everyone wears the same color, it would be difficult to see the economic disparity between them. Apparently, the kendoka of the Imperial Guard wear white dougi and white hakama, originally for hygienic reasons. Keyaki, you’re aware that you lack practice and experience. I think sometimes you don’t understand the meaning and reason of things unless you try doing them. It’s shallow to assume something in this way before you try it.”

“I’m not making assumptions.”

“If you think you can start a revolution by yourself, you’re being too arrogant. Do you have any like-minded comrades who agree with your words and sometimes admonish you? Kazemai’s leaders are always updating their information. When coaching, they always do their best to keep men from touching women—unlike in the past.”

Next to the silent Keyaki, Kanbayashi’s gaze wandered around.

Minato raised his voice.

“Wait, Seiya! Even if it’s obvious to us who have been in the kyudo club since middle school, there must be a lot of things people who pick up a bow for the first time in high school don’t know about. I think this is due to a lack of communication. Before, Onogi got angry because ‘I didn’t hear any of that!’, right? He said we hid things from them because we didn’t trust them. ‘Please understand’ doesn’t tell people anything. I’ve watched you, Seo-san, and Masa-san having discussions until it’s late. I know you bought new rubber bows from the small budget of the club.”

Seiya took a breath and ordered everyone to clean up. People scattered. Keyaki, perhaps frustrated that he was backed up by the person he had told off for messing around, didn’t even make eye contact with Minato.

After checking up on Keyaki, who had gone to get a mop, Kanbayashi ran up to Minato and Nanao.

“I’m sorry, senpais. This is all because I got excited over something that had nothing to do with kyudo before practice… Keyaki is just impatient. He wants to draw a bow as soon as possible.”

Nanao answered.

“Mm, I understand. Kacchan’s always like that, and Seiya isn’t angry either.”

“He’s always like that?”

“Yep, that’s normal for him. Seiya’s slightly sadistic, and Kacchan’s an extreme masochist. I’ll talk to Tommy-sensei, so don’t worry about it. Do you wanna touch ‘Minahead’ one more time?”

“Minahead?”

“Minato’s forehead.”

Both Kanbayashi and Minato blinked at the same time.

---

The silhouettes of five boys and their bicycles stood out cleanly against the backdrop of the setting sun.

Minato was in front of a candy store by the bus stop. Usually, he commuted to school by bicycle and ran to the supermarket to get groceries after club activities, but on this day, everyone was making a side trip together. A sweet smell wafted through his nose, and somehow his cheeks were dyed red as well. He could hear the sound of children spinning for capsule toys.

Ryouhei snapped the popsicle in his hand into two.

“Minato, I’ll give you half. I feel like my head is full of words today. Um, you step forward with your foot that’s farthest away from the gods, right? I was doing it without thinking all this time.”

“That’s gezashin, the mindset where you do something humbly. (3) The fact you can do it unconsciously is proof that your body remembers it. Ah, this is a nostalgic taste.”

“Isn’t it tasty?”

“Ryouhei, where’s mine?” Seiya urged.

“I always give you one, so none for you for today.”

While he was saying this, Ryouhei finished the popsicle and opened the seal of the next sweet. Tocchan Ika, Baby Moon ramen, and umaibo (4) were put away into his stomach one after the other. Nutritional supplements were essential to his growing body.

The two cousins were sitting on the edge of a flower bed. Nanao was playing with a frog key chain hanging from his bag, and Kaito was stretching himself out.

“A real pain-in-the-ass joined the club.”

“Don’t say that. You’re a pain-in-the-ass too, Kacchan.”

“Hah? That ain’t true.”

“I think it’s good that he’s enthusiastic. But he might also get over-theoretical. It doesn’t have to be so excessive that it’s a revolution, but it might be good to think about improvements. It’s also true that we want as many new students as possible to stay.”

Seiya sensed Nanao’s gaze and smiled. Giving the two of them a sidelong glance, Kaito raised his stretched-out body.

“By the way, the Nanao Fan Club is being pretty quiet even though they’re always so noisy.”

“Apparently, the first-year girl members made it clear to my girls that they didn’t join the club for me. They purely wanted to do kyudo.”

“That’s good.”

“And to tell you the truth, it’s also because we got a great coach here.”

“Oh, so they’re more interested in Masa-san, if anything.”

Nanao followed the clouds in the distant sky with his eyes. The clouds, which looked still, were slowly drifting, like phoenixes crossing the sky.

“Let’s stand on that stage as the five of us this year too.”

“That’s a given.”

The corner of Kaito’s mouth raised.

A bus passed by as the boys talked with their heads together. A red vending machine, a box of popsicles, and a poster announcing a summer festival. The capsule machines were filled with treasures. Rainbow-colored circles lit up in the outdoor lights, and crows cawed from the mountains.

Seiya sent a text message to Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo. The wind blew.

---

A few days later, the members of the kyudo club gathered.

The club president, Seiya, spoke.

“Everyone, thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey. The first-years are now practicing entering and exiting the kyudojo, so today we’ll do rubber bows and subiki, and tomorrow we’ll be facing the targets.”

The first-years were flustered. They hadn’t imagined that they would be standing before the targets so soon.

The curriculum was as followed. The scoring target for long-distance competitions, which was about twelve meters from the shooting position, would be placed. The diameter was one hundred centimeters. After that, they would learn how to use a yugake and try shooting at the makiwara. Running concurrently, they would enter the arrow path and stand five meters, then ten meters, from the azuchi, and finish off by shooting from the shooting position.

Seeing the smiling faces of the new members, Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo shook hands and said, “Alright.”

Tommy-sensei continued.

“We had a class for the general public, but our club was short of weak bows for beginners. Incredibly, the kyudo equipment store gave us five bows. Thanks to Yamanouchi-kun.”

Ryouhei rubbed the tip of his nose with his finger.

“You don’t have to rush out to buy a bow until you’re comfortable with the bow strength, but please come to the store when you’re ready to buy.”

“In three months, you’ll be able to shoot in a tournament format. However, you must be careful to avoid danger and take safety into consideration, and you’re not allowed to practice alone unless you get permission. You may only nock arrows in the presence of the advisor or the coach.”

Keyaki put on a muneate and put on a cotton glove on his right hand. Subiki was drawing a bow without nocking an arrow. The right hand gripped the bowstring, and you drew the bow to its limit and returned it to its original position without letting it go. There was the risk of snapping the bowstring if you let it go without any nocked arrows.

The big target was a great success. It was a bit intimidating to hold up the bow and arrow, but it felt better to actually shoot an arrow than to imitate drawing a bow. The vibration was felt throughout his body, and he was enveloped in an indescribable sense of freedom.

Facing the target. Once you heard the sound of the bowstring, you could no longer escape from the bow.

The next step was to practice shooting arrows at the thirty-six-centimeter kasumi-mato from close to the azuchi. Since there would be people entering the arrow path, the second-years weren’t allowed to stand in front of the targets while the first-years were using it. They concentrated on makiwara practice.

Seeing that, Keyaki pursed his lips.

“Coach Takigawa, we didn’t mean to take away from the senpais’ practice time…”

“Makiwara aren’t just for beginners. It’s a very important practice for archers. Those guys are serious about training their juniors as well. I myself have been invited to Kazemai High School as a reverse mentor.”

“A system in which young people give advice to their superiors. I’m worried about how long this will last.”

“People are anxious about what they don’t know. It’s hard to wait a long time without knowing what to expect. Even if it’s hard, if you know how long it will last, you can be more patient than you think. It wasn’t my intention, but I left the newcomers out of the loop by not sharing information with them. I’m sorry about that.”

“No…I didn’t understand the situation either.”

Masa-san called Seiya over.

“From now on, the club president will contact you every month with the schedule.”

“I want to make things better together. Honest young people are more trustworthy than shady adults who are always laughing.”

“I wonder who you’re talking about.”

“Who knows.”

Masa-san stood next to Keyaki and stared in the same direction.

“There may be one fact, but there are as many interpretations as there are people. The origin of the word ‘togaru’ (to become sharp) is ‘toga,’ and it’s a companion word to ‘togabito’ (criminal) and ‘toge’ (thorn). The ancient Japanese believed that to be ‘togaru’ was a sin, breaking the harmony of the group. So, ostracization and harassment will continue for a long time. Are my opinions guided by someone else? Am I guessing the thoughts of those in power? Did I become arrogant because they were praised? On the other hand, am I harboring resentment because I’m being treated unfavorably? It’s necessary to ask yourself these questions.”

“What should I do?”

“Have fun. Become someone worthy of trust. Increase your amount of experience, carefully examine the information, and increase the number of friends you have. Then you’ll be able to face the true boss.”

In front of Masa-san and Seiya, who had turned away, Keyaki bowed his head and said, “Thank you.”

---

He could hear the awkward cries of a lesser cuckoo coming from somewhere.

A yawatashi was being held at the Kazemai High School kyudojo. The archer was Masa-san, the first kaizoe was Seiya, and the second was Ryouhei. They were respectively wearing lapis-lazuli blue, dayflower blue, and amber-colored kimono decorated with family crests. They were prepared by Keyaki, who apparently collected old kimono under the influence of the Yotube channel, “Yumihiki Douji.”

When Masa-san and the others exited the dojo, Keyaki, seated in seiza, was waiting for them.

“Masa-san, your shooting was full of dignity. Your kimono suited you so well as though it was made for you.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.”

It seemed that the newcomer had taken to him quite a lot.

The five first-year students with kyudo experience were also wearing hakama. They had decided to hold a match within the club. It was thirteen mixed male and female students, zasha, and four arrows for two rounds for a total of eight shots. The order of shooting was two first-year boys and three first-year girls for the first group, the five second-year boys for the second group, and the three second-year girls for the third group.

Kaito was staring at his arrow. He beckoned Minato to him, tapped him on the forehead, and walked away with a face of feigned ignorance.

The match began. The very first oomae was the first-year boy, Himuro.

He was a somewhat mysterious boy, so taciturn that one might forget that he existed, and with his bangs long on one side, it was hard to read his expression. But when he stood on the shajo, the atmosphere changed completely. His eyes, which peeked out slightly, didn’t blink. His bow was raised high in the air. His arrow flew sharply. He hit the target.

Next was Kanbayashi. Although he was a little awkward, it was clear that he wasn’t a beginner. He drew his bow to its limit and the tip of his arrow caught hold of the target. He opened his body up in a broad stance, and the arrow hit the target at the nine-o’-clock position. His first arrow hit the target, and the look of relief on his face was evident.

The three first-year girls followed, and the results ended up being two, three, one, zero, and two hits.

The second group consisted of Minato, Seiya, Ryouhei, Kaito, and Nanao.

Minato spread his legs open. He inhaled the breath of the earth through the soles of his feet and conveyed it through his trunk to the branches and leaves.

The two masters were sitting at the judging table in front of him, but he must not be distracted. I’m just a tree, a big tree. I simply breathe quietly while watching people’s activities leisurely.

He raised his bow. He stretched his arms towards the sun. As he opened his body wide and basked in the sunlight, he could feel his cells begin to dance. After he abandoned himself for a while, he heard the sound of his arrow hitting the target.

Meanwhile, Nanao’s feet hadn’t grabbed hold of the earth. His heart was beating wildly. Where’s the danten again? What’s the center of the body? As he repeatedly answered his own questions, he no longer knew where to release the arrow. The arrow made a dull sound after it was released. After that, only one of his arrows hit, and his shooting became indecisive.

For the third group, the final ochi was Seo. She was the tallest amongst the girls, and her tightened body and dignified form was beautiful. After she released her arrow, there was a shout of “Yes!”

For the results, Seiya was in first place having hit all eight of his shots, and last place went to Nanao with five hits.

Nanao’s back was heavy. As it turned out, there was a large boy clinging to his back.

“It’s rare for you to hit only just over half.”

“I’ve been watching a lot of videos recently and tinkering with some things, so I can’t hit as much now.”

“You’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

“Right you are.”

After lining up, Tommy-sensei gave an announcement.

“I’ve kept this a secret from everyone, but today’s match was actually the intra-school selection for the district tournament.”

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo widened their eyes.

“Doesn’t that mean that this is a pop quiz?”

“How terrible of you, Tommy-sensei.”

“We were testing you to see if you were practicing the lesson ‘Practice as if you’re in a tournament, and make your tournament into practice.’” (5)

A paper was put up.

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