MERCILESS ONO
by
Charlie Kondek
From the annals
of the shogun’s detective, Inspector Nishimura, a
perplexing encounter from the Kyoho period (1716–1736).
Inspector Nishimura’s staff received a tip from an informant on the
location of an outlaw they’d been trying to apprehend, a man called Merciless
Ono.
The trail led to a farming
village, and when the inspector and his
samurai arrived there, they assembled its inhabitants and those of the outlying
houses in the village square. Neither Inspector Nishimura nor his men had ever
seen Merciless Ono, but they had his description: a man of average height with
a wide, sturdy build, and tattoos on his chest and arms. Also, he was missing a
finger, the pinky of his left hand, which was not uncommon for a yakuza bandit
like Ono. Sometimes, a yakuza’s digit is severed ceremoniously and offered to
his boss, the oyabun, to atone for a mistake. Merciless Ono must have done this
at some point in his career and was an oyabun now, himself.
So
they were looking for a strong man with tattoos and a missing
finger. The problem was, as they surveyed the assembled villagers, there were
three such men, each of about the same age and build, each with a missing
finger. To confound matters, these three were taken to a barn and stripped of
their jackets, where it was discovered that all had the same tattoos, a pattern
of carp, tigers, goddesses, and demons that spread from each man’s pectoral region
to his wrists. “What’s the meaning of this?” barked the inspector’s assistant
angrily. “Which one of you is Merciless Ono?” None of the men would speak.
Inspector Nishimura remarked calmly, “A clever ruse, elaborate
and
costly. Meant, no doubt, to throw us off the scent or buy time for the real Ono
to escape. Hold these men. Let’s think about this.”
He withdrew to the village headman’s house to drink tea while his
staff watered their horses and guarded the three Onos.
What else did they know about Ono, the inspector wondered, that
might help them separate the imposters from the original? That he had earned
the nickname “merciless” for the savagery with which he dealt with his enemies.
That he, like most of his ilk, loved gambling and women. That a big reason for
his success as a gangster was his mastery of the martial arts. “Let’s just
torture all three until they confess,” grumbled the inspector’s assistant. The
inspector replied, “I think I have a better idea.”
Inspector Nishimura moved to an isolated corner of the village, a
clearing in the surrounding forest beside a tranquil stream and ordered the
three Merciless Onos brought to him one by one. When the first was before him,
the inspector stood for a time holding his clasped fan and observing the man.
Then, suddenly and without telegraphing the movement, he thrust the fan into
the stomach of this Merciless Ono, who flinched, yelped, and attempted to cover
the spot with his hands. Uselessly, as it turned out, for the thrust struck
home and knocked the wind out of the man, bending him double.
When the second man was brought to Nishimura, he repeated this
performance. This Merciless Ono twisted his body just enough to avoid the worst
of the blow, still enough to sink him to one knee.
When the third Merciless Ono was brought to Nishimura, he regarded
the inspector warily, perhaps suspicious of what had happened to the other two,
which was unknown to him. As before, they watched each other for a time. When
Inspector Nishimura attacked, this Merciless Ono was caught completely by
surprise. Struck by the fan in his diaphragm, he crumpled to the ground.
Withdrawing, Inspector Nishimura said to his assistant, “I think
we’ve found our Ono.”
* * *
It was the third man, whom Nishimura was able to attack
without
meeting any form of defense. Merciless Ono knew that the inspector knew he was
a martial arts master, so he tried to disguise the fact that he could have
dodged or blocked Nishimura’s fan. However, in doing so he neglected to act
like a normal person, which can’t help covering up or flinching when struck.
Only a trained fighter could have anticipated the blow and accepted it
completely as Ono did. After interrogating all three separately, Inspector
Nishimura confirmed his theory.
All
three were decapitated.
Charlie
Kondek is a marketing professional, student of the Japanese arts of kendo and
iaido, and short story writer from metro Detroit. His work has previously
appeared at Yellow Mama, and such places as Dark Yonder, Black
Cat Weekly, and Hoosier Noir. More at CharlieKondekWrites.com.