Holding just this rattan cane in his hand, he defeated several Japanese kendo masters in a single month...
In the second month, he first defeated Ueno Tokisada, the head of the illustrious Kogetsu-hoshi-ryu school. Ueno Tokisada was forty years old at the time, the peak of a kendo master's physical strength and experience, and was widely recognized in the Japanese kendo world as a once-in-fifty-years genius! He was hailed with various titles of genius, and many considered him the most promising junior to challenge the head master of the Kogetsu Itto-ryu school. He was also widely regarded as the undisputed number one kendo master among the younger generation in Japan, and everyone believed he would be bestowed the title of Imperial Kendo Master within five years.
At that time, Master Ueno Tokisada was training in his sword-making workshop on Mount Fuji. However, General Ta came knocking on his door, and... when facing General Ta, he used a rattan cane to knock the sword out of his hand in just a few moves.
As a result, this kendo genius, who was said to be a once-in-fifty-years talent in Japan, was so ashamed and indignant that he vowed never to touch a sword again in his life!
In the following month, General Tian visited four sword-fighting dojos, but only fought two matches in total, simply because the other dojos, upon hearing of his arrival, knew they were no match for him and simply closed their doors to him.
For a time, Japanese warriors were terrified of Tian.
Finally, in order to defend the dignity of Japanese warriors, the three major schools of kendo, the three main families, and a total of six kendo masters with the title of Grand Master gathered at the Shinkensai of our Kamishin Itto-ryu school and decided to join forces to fight against this master from China, General Tian.
The six "great swordsmen" gathered at that time were all top-tier grandmasters in swordsmanship, their names revered and worshipped by countless people in the Japanese martial arts world! Among them were the current heads of the three strongest schools at the time: Kamitsu Itto-ryu, Hokuei-ryu, and Danku-ryu! And the head of my Kamitsu Itto-ryu at the time, Jingu Naoo, held the title of Grandmaster of Imperial Swordsmanship of Japan, and was hailed as the number one swordsman in Japan!
At this point, the old man Takeuchi let out a soft sigh: "...At the same time, he was also my personal teacher!"
Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
Old man Takeuchi sighed, shook his head and smiled bitterly, his eyes full of nostalgia: "I remember when I was just over twenty years old, I started learning swordsmanship under my teacher when I was eight. When I was twenty, my teacher said that I could become a swordsmanship master in the future. At that time, I was full of pride and thought I was very great. Among my fellow disciples, only a few older brothers were stronger than me. Moreover, my teacher had very high expectations for me, believing that I could carry forward the Kamishin Ittō-ryū style in the future..."
Back then, I even considered myself a genius. And when others mentioned Ueno Tokisada, that genius who only appears once every fifty years, I was still unconvinced, always feeling that given time, I might not be any worse than him!
Later, I heard that Ueno Tokisada was defeated by that General Ta with just a rattan cane, and that night I had nightmares about it. Then I got up in the middle of the night to take a bath, and then…”
As Takeuchi finished speaking, the muscles at the corner of his eye twitched. He looked at Chen Xiao and sighed, "And then, I saw my teacher in the courtyard!"
Chen Xiao listened quietly, then couldn't help but ask, "And then?"
"At that time... I saw my teacher standing alone in the courtyard. In his hand was the Chrysanthemum Leaf Crest, a legendary sword passed down from the Edo period. It was incomparably sharp! My teacher was standing in the courtyard, holding the Chrysanthemum Leaf Crest, staring blankly at the moon."
When I saw the teacher, my heart skipped a beat, afraid of disturbing her concentration. Just as I was about to leave, she suddenly turned around and called my name. I will never forget the look in her eyes that moment!
Old man Takeuchi shook his head again and sighed, "Since my teacher was the greatest swordsman in Japan at that time, he must have encountered countless enemies in his life! His swordsmanship was extremely profound, and his strength was naturally extremely high. After I followed him, I also watched him spar with others, and every time before a battle, my teacher was extremely calm and confident. But that night, the look in my teacher's eyes... seemed to show absolutely no confidence!"
No matter how much trouble General Tian caused before, in the hearts of us Shangchen Itto-ryu disciples, it was only because our teacher hadn't made a move! We always believed that as soon as our teacher made a move, he could immediately deal with that Chinese master! This idea wasn't just shared by us Shangchen Shinkenzai disciples; many Japanese martial artists at the time also thought the same way.
Because at that time, in the hearts of many Japanese Kendo practitioners, our teacher, Master Naoo Jingu, the head of the Kamishin Shinkensai school, was a god! He was the god of Kendo in all of Japan!
God should not be defeated!
As Takeuchi said this, a tear suddenly rolled down his cheek.
"At that moment, I wanted to leave in fear, but the teacher stopped me and then said something to me."
...
Old man Takeuchi's eyes seemed somewhat unfocused, as if his gaze had returned to that cold night decades ago.
...
It had just snowed, and although it was night, the surrounding snow reflected off the ground, making the yard a dazzling white expanse. The snow icicles hanging from the treetops gleamed like sharp blades in the moonlight.
Naoyu Jingu, the head of the contemporary Kamishin Itto-ryu school and the greatest swordsman in Japan, held the "Famous Blade: Chrysanthemum Leaf Emblem" in his hand and quietly looked at his disciple, Fumiyama Takeuchi, who looked terrified.
"Since you're here, you don't have to leave. I have something to say to you... Sigh, these are things I can't say to anyone else."
Jingu Naoyu looked at the young disciple before him, who was also his most talented student. A sudden wave of emotion washed over him: he had originally held this disciple in extremely high regard. Even the legendary genius Ueno Tokisada, said to appear only once every fifty years, might not be as talented as this disciple! The future successor to his swordsmanship, the one who would carry on the legacy of the Kamishin Ittō-ryū style, would likely fall to this disciple.
Based on his lifetime of experience and observation of countless talented young men, he believed his disciple possessed a talent that was truly exceptional, a once-in-a-century phenomenon in the Japanese swordsmanship world! While Ueno Tokisada was indeed capable, he had only met him once before, and that man's brilliance was too overwhelming; he feared Ueno's potential might not reach the true pinnacle. Ueno Tokisada had already challenged him to a duel three years later. He had then retreated to Mount Fuji to train for three years, seemingly recognizing his own weaknesses and using his secluded mountain training to temper his mind.
He had originally prepared himself to compete against this top young fighter... but unexpectedly, Ueno Tokisada was defeated by a Chinese man.
Naoshi Jingu sighed. He was already very old, and only he knew that the person he truly favored was not Ueno Tokisada, as the outside world claimed. Hmph, it didn't matter that he lost to that Chinese man.
In Jingu Naoyu’s eyes, the one who could truly shoulder the responsibility of passing on Japanese Kendo through the ages and become a grandmaster was none other than his young disciple, Takeuchi Bunzan, who was only twenty years old.
"You can watch the battle tomorrow from the sidelines."
Naoshi Jingu made Takeuchi Bunzan overjoyed at that moment!
In a decisive battle of this caliber, I, as a disciple, was absolutely not qualified to watch!
"Teacher...why?" Takeuchi Fumiyama's cautious nature made him see a hint of softening in his teacher's eyes.
Before the final battle, the teacher didn't seem very motivated... Why?
"Because this is the last chance." Naoyu Jingu's expression suddenly turned serious. He walked up to his disciple, staring at him intently. "What do you think the outcome of tomorrow's battle will be?"
Without hesitation, Takeuchi Bunzan shouted, "Teacher will win!"
"What do you mean?" A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Jingu's eyes, an expression that the young Takeuchi Bunzan could not detect.
“My teacher is the god of swordsmanship of our great Japanese Empire, how could he be defeated!” Takeuchi Bunzan said resolutely.
The teacher stared at his disciple for a long time, then the old man suddenly sighed, his voice filled with despair.
"What if... I told you that I would undoubtedly lose tomorrow's battle?"
Takeuchi Fumiyama stared at his teacher in surprise.
"What I'm about to say, I'll only say to you once!"
The teacher's expression suddenly hardened. He lowered his voice, stared at Takeuchi Fumio, and whispered, "Tomorrow's battle will be the most precious opportunity of your life to observe the martial arts of a top master! I know you have exceptional talent and an exceptional memory. I require that while you watch, you must memorize every single detail of General Tian's moves! I will also unleash the ultimate technique of the Kamishin Ittō-ryū! You must memorize my moves and the entire course of our battle! And... you must remember exactly how I lost, and which move I was defeated by! All of this will be your greatest asset in improving your own level in the future!"
"Teacher..." the young Takeuchi Fumio said in a trembling voice, "Why...why did you lose?"
“Ueno Tokisada!” The teacher slowly uttered a name, his tone tinged with mockery. “A genius that appears only once every fifty years… Hmph! Ueno Tokisada is indeed the only swordsman in decades who has the strength to challenge me. And his talent is truly remarkable. He has also found a way to compensate for his weaknesses, hiding in the deep mountains to hone his mental fortitude. I had already arranged a duel with him three years from now to determine who is truly the strongest in Japan! And…”