And there was another matter. He was getting too old for this business. Lately he had been plagued by headaches, and his encounter with the sohei seemed to have aggravated them. He felt discouraged. Putting his head into his hands, he muttered, “What can I do?”

“If it weren’t for my mother, I could come with you. I know the place better than you. We might not be successful, but it would be worth a try.”

Tora looked up. “Would you do that? After what they did to you?”

Saburo gave him his crooked smile. “I remember some faces. They come to me at night. I’ll never forget.”

“Oh. You mean you’d look for those who did this?”

“Of course. That’s what I dream about when I’m awake.”

“But why can’t you leave your mother? She’s safe here.”

Saburo shook his head. “You don’t know her. I dare not do this to my new family.”

Tora laughed. “Come on. She’s a busybody, but at heart she’s kind and she tries to be helpful. What could she possibly do?”

Saburo said darkly, “She’s the one who sent me among the sohei, and you ask ‘what can she do?’”

“Then send her back to your sister.”

Saburo turned away. “I can’t,” he said dully. “They won’t have her. They know her too well. Besides, she’s my responsibility. It will be best if I leave. She can keep house for me, and I’ll find some work to feed us both.”

“No. You belong here.” Tora paused. “Well, there’s nothing to be done then. I’ll tell the master. When he hears she’s your mother, I’m sure he’ll make her welcome.”

Saburo’s head sank lower. “Yes. But it isn’t right.”

“You’ll stay?”

Saburo nodded. “For a while. But what will you do?”

“I’m having a look at Enryaku-ji. See if I get any ideas. How about some directions?”

Saburo looked at him anxiously. “What do you plan to do?”

“I’d just like to get an idea of the place.”

“You’ll go back to Otsu first?”

Tora nodded.

“There’s a road up the mountain. All roads to Enryaku-ji are good. The main temple is actually surrounded by smaller, outlying temples. But you want to know about the sohei. They have their own place in one of the smaller temples. Few visitors ever go there, but it has its own main hall, lecture hall, and several training halls. They call them training halls, but they are really dojos. They teach fighting skills there. The place is tucked away on a steep mountain ridge. You can get to it from the main road. There’s a path that climbs the side of the mountain before you reach Enryaku-ji’s main gate. The sohei are separate from the other monks and come and go this way when they need to visit Otsu. The path leads to a gate, but the gatekeepers there won’t admit you. The whole complex is walled and surrounded by watch towers.”

“I was afraid of that. Any other way in?”

“Yes. You can get there from the Enryaku-ji grounds. That path is behind the Kaidan-in, the ordination hall. It’s well hidden and is for the monks only, and the sohei if they’re summoned by the abbot or participate in any of the temple observances. If you encounter anyone there, you’ll be stopped. And if you’re not, you still won’t get into their compound.”

Tora grinned. “I’ll be very careful.”

Saburo gave him a hard look. “Promise that you’ll come get me before you try anything dangerous.”

“I will. Thanks, brother.”

∞

When Tora returned to Otsu, he found his master was preoccupied with the governor’s family. He was said to be visiting a shrine fair and had left no instructions for Tora. As it was not yet midday, Tora decided he had plenty of time for a visit to the temple.

So he got back on his horse and took the wide road that led from Otsu up the side of Mount Hiei to the huge temple complex that was Enryaku-ji. This time of year and in this weather the road was busy. Most of the pilgrims in their rough white cotton robes and wide straw hats, walked leaning on staffs, their provisions slung in bags over their shoulders. Some of the upper class faithful traveled by horse or in litters. All in all, there was a steady stream going up the mountain and coming back down.

Their spirits were high. For many of them, this was a welcome release from their usual labors and the long winter months inside their houses.

It was, of course, also good for their souls.

Above them rose the green mountain to a blue sky dotted with small clouds. The holy mountain, Mount Hiei, guardian of the capital. Tora believed mountains to be inhabited by ancient gods, but it was Enryaku-ji and other mountain temples that claimed to protect the people below.

The road climbed through forest dotted here and there with cherry trees bursting into bloom. Birds darted through the branches, and small wildflowers bloomed in the grass.

Soon Tora could see the tops of pagodas and some roofs of temple halls rising from the forest. There were many of these and they were widely separated. He began to realize the enormous size of the complex and got the first inkling that his plans might be beyond him. For the time being, he persisted. Closer to his destination, he came across the first roadside vendors. They sold all sorts of foods, amulets, straw sandals, straw hats, and straw coats, umbrellas, rosaries, and other items useful to pilgrims.

As it was long was past midday, Tora stopped for a bowl of noodles at one stand. The food was vegetarian, and any hopes he might have had for a cup of wine vanished. There was water, though, at a token price.

Eventually, he reached the entrance to the main temple—there were apparently many of these, scattered over the mountainside and associated with Enryaku-ji. He turned his horse over to a young monk, made a donation, and walked through the large, roofed Monju-ro gate into the temple grounds.

There was little to distinguish this mountain temple complex from many others. True, the halls and other buildings were in excellent condition, the red lacquered columns, railings, and eaves brilliant in the sun, and the gilding even brighter and very rich. But he found the pagoda unsatisfactory because it had only three levels. On the other hand, the sheer number of buildings stunned and bewildered him. How would he ever find his way around this place?

For a while, he just wandered about like the rest of the visitors. He paused before the Amida hall, thinking it rather small and unimportant looking. The Daiko-do, or great lecture hall, was more impressive. Following the general stream of pilgrims, he passed among many other halls, the Kanjo-do, used for initiations, the Yokokawashu-do, another large building, and the Komponchu-do with its colonnaded gallery. Beyond rose mountains, forests, and craggy rocks toward more halls and pagodas.

The monks’ living quarters were tucked away behind the main buildings, and nearby were storage buildings.

Ordinary monks in gray or black or pale robes stood or wandered about, offering to direct visitors and answering their questions, but Tora saw no sohei. He decided not to trouble the helpful monks with his own questions.

The sun was setting and he was getting tired before he gave up on seeing all of the huge temple complex and turned back to the main compound. He located the Kaidan-in, a small ordination hall, and found it awkwardly close to the lecture hall where a great number of monks seemed to be stationed. The path Saburo had mentioned skirted the side of the building. It was unmarked, and a monk stood there to make sure none of the visitors would be tempted to explore it. In fact, the more Tora thought about it, security was very good here. The monks he had seen mingling with visitors and pilgrims, offering to direct them, seemed to have been placed there as guards. It gave him a creepy feeling. No doubt, someone had already noted him as neither a sightseer nor a pilgrim. He paused to scan the area casually and caught several monks looking his way.