Yori rolled his eyes at his friend’s irreverence, then continued. ‘Treat the staff with respect. It represents the body of Kobo Daishi, who spiritually accompanies all pilgrims on their path.’

Nodding, Jack studied the staff in more detail. There were five characters etched into the handle. Thanks to Akiko, he not only spoke fluent Japanese but had a basic understanding of kanji, its written form. Yet, even without this knowledge, these characters were instantly familiar to him:

‘The Five Rings,’ breathed Jack, turning to Miyuki who’d already finished dressing and was dragging the bodies out of sight.

‘The Buddhist monks apply them for spiritual purposes,’ she replied quickly, giving Jack a meaningful look to keep secret their ninja arts, even among friends.

Jack held his tongue. He’d been taught about the Five Rings from the Grandmaster. These five great elements of the universe formed the basis of a ninja’s approach to life. They used the Rings’ power and influence within their fighting techniques and survival tactics. This is what gave the ninja their strength and made them so deadly and feared.

Placing the staff to one side, Jack turned his attention to the pilgrim’s white bag. Inside he found incense, candles, a sūtra book, coins, a set of bells for chanting, a small notebook and a supply of paper nameslips. He removed the notebook to make room for his own belongings.

‘I’d keep that,’ said Yori. ‘The nōkyōchō is for collecting visitor stamps from the temples. More importantly, it’s a travel permit. You’ll need it for passage to Shikoku Island.’

Heeding Yori’s advice, Jack returned it to the bag and took out the bells instead. There was just enough room to stow the most precious item he carried – his father’s rutter. The logbook wasn’t only of sentimental value to him; it was his means of getting home and also highly sought after by those who knew of its power. With the rutter, the trade routes between nations could be controlled. And Jack had promised his father never to let it fall into the wrong hands. That’s why he had safeguarded it with his life and he wasn’t going to leave it behind now.

His only other item of value, apart from his swords, was the black pearl Akiko had given him the day he departed for Nagasaki. It had a golden hairpin attached on account of a thieving merchant, but this proved useful for securing inside the lapel of his kimono. That left his four remaining shuriken stars, a gourd of water and the food supplies in his pack. While Jack contemplated where to stow these, Yori emptied the coins from his pilgrim bag and put them in a small pile, along with some rice from his own provisions.

‘We’re going to need that food,’ said Saburo.