Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky (43 page)

With Jack’s journey in Japan finally
coming to an end, so has mine. And it has been a
musha shugyō
of epic
proportions. The original idea was first born in 2006, with the first book,
The Way
of the Warrior
, written in the spring of 2007 and published the following
summer in 2008 (UK). Six years have passed since that spark of an idea. Eight books have
now been released in the series: 636,208 words written in total. Jack’s adventures
have been published in twenty-five countries and eighteen foreign languages (so far).
They’ve been nominated for more than sixteen book awards (and won some!). And
I’ve toured ten countries, twenty book festivals, more than 500 schools, and
performed live to over 100,000 fans and almost a million as part of the Biggest Book
Show On Earth online festival. Yet none of this could have happened without the support
and belief of the following people …

Charlie Viney, my agent, who recognized the
idea for its potential and had the unwavering belief to make it happen.

Sarah Hughes at Puffin Books for seizing the
Young Samurai
sword before anyone else could; swiftly followed by my
editor, Shannon Cullen, who bravely took up the sword from Sarah and sharpened it to
perfection over the years. Also, Lola Bubbosh at Disney and the ever-faithful and
fantastic Puffin team, including Wendy Shakespeare, Helen Gray, Julia Teece, Jayde
Lynch, Sara Flavell and the cover designer Paul Young.

Pippa Le Quesne for her early guidance in
the art of writing. Tessa Girvan, Franca Bernatavicius and Nicki Kennedy, my overseas
agents at ILA, for taking
Young Samurai
round the world.

My martial arts instructors – Steve Cowley,
David Ansell and Peter Brown – for their expert tuition, knowledge and support.

My friends – Karen, Rob and Thomas, Geoff
and Lucy, Matt, Hayley, to name only a few – for their constant encouragement and
feedback.

My family – Sarah, Zach, Mum and Dad, Sue
and Simon, Steve and Sam, Ann and Andrew, Laura – who have been with me every step of
the way, carrying me through the toughest of times and celebrating with me at the best
of times.

And, finally, a huge heartfelt thanks must
go to my readers. This book is dedicated to you, and here are just a handful of the most
ardent supporters:

Adeeb Nami, Guilherme Merched Salomão,
Charlie Harland, Hannah Lim En Hui, Paul Nelson, Koh Xuan Hong, Tyler Thompson, Cross
Lee Jun Ye, Gabby Bolderstone, Tee Yew Ping, Andrew Whetherly, Nick Ritter, Nathaniel E
Whiles, Lorraine Whiles, Cameron Clarke, Joel Monroy,
Alexander De
Potter, Rhiona O’Brien, Mon Yeu Chan, Natalija Damjanovi
, Laura Colussi,
Tom Horton, Shevy Oakly, Siddhant Ganguly, Liam Moir, Daniel Baryshnikov, Elmiga Herbst,
Gracie Millett, Victoria Fröberg, Matthew Apps, Philip Morgan, Charlie Baker, Low Chuan
Wei, Aidan Bracher, Kirby Phillips, Marco Rivolta, George Griffiths, Tiwa Ethan Adelaja,
Nur Zarifah Mohd Zafrullah, Callum Dunlop, Seth Alexander James Turquand-Cook, Nirmit
Dhanani, Thean Li-Yang, Robert Mitchell, Li Chao, Anurag Kumar, Elliott Daly, Isabelle
Monteiro, Chloe Anne Dervey, Soon Jia Yi, Isaac Roe, Mu’ammar Theba, Mohammad
Dainish Jabeen, Nicholas Mitchell, Thibaut Revers, Nathaniel L. Williams, Emilie
Elizabeth Carroll, Anisur Rahman, Shelbert Creech III, Shelbert Creech IV, Bishal
Bahadur Sanmani Magar, Instructor Steve McCormick, Shazaan Nadeem, Hank Kiser, Simranjit
Cheema, Zoe Oakes. Lande Fourie, Banti Debnath, Colby Wolfer, Edward Bennett, Oliver
Morley, Millie Tillman, Oliver Hall, Matthias Moosburner, Sian Maiden, Matt Selesky,
Jivjyot Singh, Daphne Ooi, Kevin Haex, Daniël Altena, Shray Bhandary, Ishaan Kumar,
Byron Paterson, Sarah Aschmann, Jonathan Kaname Sison, Dmitry Alyohin, Noah Benoit, Dion
Birney, Thomas Leyton Sidney, Dawn Sidney, Robbie Cannon, Janis Lim Hui Qin, Andy
Honrado, Jessica Morgan, Luke Wolfer, Ozzie Teschler, Tim Hoogstoel, Harrison Facey, Zac
Wakamatsu, Roman Frenkenberg, Sam Buss, Nate Kimball, Gabriel Kemble, Mark Butterworth,
Brock Burnett, Jonathan Paul Walkotten, M. Salman Khan, Joseph Baross, Órla and Cíara
Murphy, Axel Revin, Harry Woodley Luneth Calibur and every other Young Samurai fan
(sorry I couldn’t include all of your names!) … 
Remember, keep waving the sword – the battle may not yet be over!

But as one journey ends, another now begins.
I am embarking on a new adventure, the modern equivalent of the samurai warrior: the
BODYGUARD. This past year I’ve been training in the art of close protection and
I’m now primed to deliver an action-adventure story that will be as thrilling and
exciting as the Young Samurai series.

I do hope you, my reader, will join me on
this brand-new journey …

Chris

Disclaimer:
Young Samurai: The Ring of
Sky
is a work of fiction, and while based on real historical figures, events
and locations, the book does not profess to be accurate in this regard.
Young
Samurai: The Ring of Sky
is more an echo of the times than a re-enactment of
history.

Warning: Do not attempt any of the
techniques described within this book without the supervision of a qualified martial
arts instructor. These can be highly dangerous moves and result in fatal injuries. The
author and publisher take no responsibility for any injuries resulting from attempting
these techniques.

Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin
Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London
WC2R 0RL
, England
Penguin Group (USA)
Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90
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Avenue, Parktown North, Gauteng 2193, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80
Strand, London
WC2R 0RL
, England

puffinbooks.com

First published 2012

Text copyright © Chris Bradford, 2012
Cover illustration copyright © Paul Young, 2012
Map copyright © Robert Nelmes,
2008
Ensōsymbol by Andy Lin

Cover Illustration by Paul Young

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author and illustrators
has been asserted

ISBN: 978-0-141-97102-5

H
OW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED
TRAINING IN MARTIAL ARTS?

I started judo when I was seven years old. I
won my first trophy at the age of eight and have since trained in over nine different
martial arts.

W
HAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MARTIAL
ART AND WHY?

I have enjoyed all my styles – each one has
taught me something new – but my favourite must be Zen Kyo Shin
taijutsu
, since
it was the first one I earned my black belt in. The style originates from the fighting
art of the ninja – my sensei was even taught by a ninja grandmaster!

H
AVE YOU EVER MET A REAL SAMURAI
WARRIOR?

Yes – I am a student of Akemi Solloway
Sensei, who is the eldest daughter of an old samurai family, descended from the
karo
of Iwatsuki Castle (near Tokyo) in the time of Lord Ota Dokan
(1432–1486). The name Akemi means ‘bright and beautiful’ and, because she
has no brothers, Akemi has a special responsibility to keep alive the traditions of her
samurai ancestors.