The Thousand Mask Warrior

Katanas

Many heard that a Samurai from Japan always armed with a katana sword, a sword typical of the Japanese country with a single sharp side and curved. Katana is known to have sharpness and power that is told is unparalleled. In fact, the katana is the same as the sword, machete, shamsir, simitar or dao and jian. The difference is how the sword is used. Samurai moves are quick and concise moves in which each katana is planned and calculated so that it hits the enemy and must be able to paralyze and even kill.

The samurai were people who came from a group of knights in Japan. They are submissive under the landlords who have power over an area and certainly not a little financial. They trained hard from an early age. Not infrequently these samurai candidates also came from samurai families. They devote themselves to war by mastering the art of martial arts and warfare, attacking and defending tactics, mastering various knowledge and identity of the nation.

It was just that it needed to be seen that the samurai were not just ordinary soldiers. They are at the top level in society, just like Javanese nobles and priyayi.

Not only were they able to fight, they also understood the art of dancing and singing and religious and royal ceremonies. Not everyone who is a warrior can be said to be a samurai. Ashigaru warriors or soldiers on foot had a lower level than the samurai. They were the most basic of the troops and were at the forefront of the war.

Takizawa Hideyoshi and Mishima Koguro have been together for years. They serve the same master, even changing twice to other landlords whom they deem fit to serve. These landlords controlled vast fields and rice fields and their workers. In the history of Japan, not always the emperor can control all the rulers under him. War must happen for the greatest power. Samurai were needed to maintain their power. Not only that, serving a landlord is the highest honor in the presumption of Japanese society.

At the last landlords in Japan, Hideyoshi and Koguro were given land and houses and dozens of housemaids. A chugen, that is, their direct personal helper, serves their activities and needs on a daily basis even to the point of preparing footwear. The rest of the komono take care of the house and all its needs and are related to menial jobs. Their wealth is enough to make them proud. Their respect and level of society are in accordance with their devotion.

Wars for both small and large have been fought. However, in a war, there must be a winner and a loser. They both understand that. They also understand that they are the losing side at this time. Their landlord was killed and his army was defeated by a stronger landlord. They became ronin or no-man samurai.

Previously a ronin could return to being a samurai when employed by other landlords. But in the Edo or Tokugawa period which began in 1603 AD, there was a rule from the Shogun or the supreme army leader who succeeded in uniting and controlling the regional leaders and landlords throughout the Japanese area called the daimyo, that forbade a ronin to become a samurai without the permission of his previous master.

This is where they are now, employed by Walanda's forces as zamurai warriors, the assassin ronin. They were together with some more zamurai watari people who were employed by Walanda to guard betawi fortress in Sunda Kalapa or also previously named Jayakarta.

They were hired to fight against the attacks of Mataram soldiers and became executioners who punished those who were considered guilty before Walanda's rule as well as the bouncers protecting Walanda's officers. For that the task of protecting brother de Jaager's sister was charged to them. Both of them studied kenjutsu or swordsmanship. Especially Koguro, he is also a ronin with great sojutsu skills or spearmanship.

***

The time we waited finally arrived. A hill rises in the southern part of Betawi fort. The hill is filled with a variety of plants, including pring wulung trees or black or purple bamboo, so the surrounding residents call it bamboo hills. In the middle of the sugarcane trees there is a field that has existed naturally for a long time.

When Badra disappeared the other day, before he came in so miserable a state that he died, his retinue of colleagues spread to various places in Betawi to look for him.

Therefore, Jayaseta actually faced the challenge Badranaya made, going to the bamboo hill three days after the death of the uncle, with Abun's dao hanging from his waist. He knew for sure that Walanda would not 'play' honestly. Although the challenge was given to the de Jaager brothers, they would not come by simply carrying their bodies without escort.

The proof now, Jayaseta stands facing two zamurai watari guards of two brothers de Jaager who are like two layers of defense fortress. The stocky and tenacious Mishima Koguro wears samurai battle suits with chest, shoulders and shin guards. He also wore a headdress similar to a hat made of steel. His two-layer clothes dangled to his knees. On his waist was tucked into a daisho, two Japanese swords, a katana and his shorter partner, wakizashi. His left hand grasped the handle of the katana while a spear was grasped in his right hand.

Unlike Koguro, Takizawa Hideyoshi wears a more compact outfit. Two-sheet clothes without being covered with any shield or protector. His feet were wrapped in cloth and his shoes were made of straw. Her hair that was tucked upwards fluttered behind her white headband. His daisho is tucked in his belt. His own facial water looks softer than Koguro let alone his slim body as if to be the right pair for the shape of his face. But make no mistake, both show a depth of concentration of mind and confidence that endangers the enemy.

Behind them stood a pair of brothers de Jaager. Devisser de Jaager the younger brother known by his nickname the Pale Skinned Lightning stood looming beside his older brother, Sebastian de Jaager. Her Walanda army attire gleamed in the morning sun in harmony with her silvery hair. The clothes he wore were pure white from a stiff fabric, like Javanese cloth. The clothes are long-sleeved and buttoned. On the buttons and both shoulders there is a golden-colored decoration. While his feet are covered in black leather shoes that glint below the knee. The rapier or long sword that is only about two fingers wide hangs on the left waist of this tall guy, just above the pants on the thighs are bulging.

Rapier the centurion showed their level of precision in which the beautiful handles were wrapped with intricate arm and finger protectors such as rings and rigging made of gold and decorated with precious stones. On the right waist was tucked a pistol with a key and a dagger.

Sebastian de Jaager was dressed in more war clothes. He wore metal chest and shoulder guards. Both arms are wrapped in leather hand protection. He also wore a wrapper of the legs up to the knees, while his head was protected by a head protector that was also made of metal. His left waist hung a saber, a sword with one side sharp and slightly curved. Similar to the rapier Devisser, it turns out that the saber also has a fancy finger protector of gold material covering the five fingers of the wearer from the enemy's slash shows the level of predictability.

Jayaseta himself stood up gallantly.His right hand held the dao handle hanging on his left waist, his left hand fingered upstream the Kyai Island Lucky keris tucked in his front belt. Her knee-length pants are black with gold thread decoration on the ends. He wore a white garment with sleeves up to elbows without buttons that were slid sideways and covered with a thick belt and a knitting cloth along the knee that encircled his waist.

Hanuman's mask had been firmly fixed on the face. Her hair was neatly knotted at the top of her head as usual. This time his headband is a batik cloth. Three discs, one of which was given by Salman's grandfather as a replacement for his sompel or rompal discs, have also been placed neatly. Not only that, Jayaseta still kept five secret flying knives behind his leather belt. The rustling of the wind made the taper bamboo leaves collide with each other. The air in this universe seems to be centered on the field of battle where the five human children are ready to complain of life.

Just now Jayaseta was observing the state of his opponents, the spear that Koguru held as a javelin, shot loosely towards his chest. Jayaseta shifted to the left quickly so that the javelin did not hit the target. The wind of Koguro's spear gust felt tight on Jayaeta's face. It seemed clear to Jayaseta that the two ronin were not good at pleasantries.

This javelin throw is a firm sign that the fight has already begun.