CHAPTER 3: THE TRIAL OF THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
NARRATOR: The year is 1671. Takezo Kensei, Japan’s greatest samurai, has begun his search for the hidden forces of the warlord known as White Beard. Having defeated the ninety ronin, he faced his next legendary trial.
PROFESSOR KAREN CHAMBERLIN (University of Cambridge, Literature): Takezo Kensei, our hero, determined and undaunted, must find a piece of the missing map to locate the hidden fortress. And because White Beard is such a crafty one, it’s guarded by the Black Bear of Sakashita.
NARRATOR: Depending on the source, the bear changes in description from ten to thirty feet tall. In some versions, it breathes fire like a dragon. In others, the bear is a living shadow incapable of being cut with a sword. But in every version, Kensei emerges the victor -- defeating the bear and taking from him the missing map.
NARRATOR: Having defeated the Black Bear, Kensei finally had the location of White Beard’s hidden fortress, but his road to it offered one last danger, Kensei’s most romantic trial – overcoming the Snake Women’s charm.
PROFESSOR DONNA DORN (University of Chicago, Japanese Studies): Probably the only kind thing that can be said about White Beard is that he was an equal-opportunity warlord happy to hire female assassins. Now, the Snake Women were twin sisters said to be beautiful beyond measure. But they were also vicious and without conscience, known for killing their foes with serpent venom. So they became known as the Snake Women.
NARRATOR: Most versions of the trial describe them as half-human, half-snake – the product of a deviant tryst. They could change into giant serpents and make snakes do their evil bidding. Kensei’s blade might cut, but every piece would turn into a snake that slithered away. In the end, they escaped Kensei with their lives. Now, with the sweat of so many trials on his brow, Kensei – exhausted, battered – finally reached his ultimate goal: The Hidden Fortress, where all of White Beard’s forces had gathered.
CURATOR TATSUYA ATSUMI (Museum of Cultural History, Tokyo Japan): White Beard’s army seemed unstoppable. Their numbers are listed anywhere from seventy thousand to two hundred thousand. By any account, they were easily the largest army in Japan.
NARRATOR: The stakes were high. White Beard had already conquered half of Japan. Now, he was poised to take over the rest. Kensei knew that if he did not stop this unstoppable warlord, there would be no hope left. Japan would be lost. It was a battle unlike any other: A lone warrior against an army. As we’ve seen, this was no ordinary warrior. This was Takezo Kensei, the Sword Saint.
NARRATOR: Most versions of the tale describe the battle that lasted eleven days and nights. Kensei was said to have killed every last warrior, leaving alive only those wise enough to lay down their arms before him. At the end of the eleven days, the only men left standing were Kensei and White Beard, himself.
NARRATOR: With scant records of the battle itself, we can only imagine the thunder in the clash of these two legendary swords. In the end, only Takezo Kensei remained. By defeating White Beard, he had rescued an entire country from tyrannical rule. His place in both history and legend was secure.
NARRATOR: Facing the ninety ronin, slaying the Black Bear, defeating White Beard’s army -- it seemed that legend made Kensei a god among men. But even gods can be defeated and killed. Kensei was not invincible. His heart being his great weakness, he would eventually meet his end as seen in his most famous tale: Kensei and the Dragon.