In that era, the land of Fusou was divided into many kingdoms, and even the human kingdoms were constantly at war with each other. Yuzuriha Yosogi was born into one such kingdom named Hakumei. Though born a woman, she nevertheless pursued the path of the sword. The head of their school was old and sick, so she took his place, protecting and developing the school until her younger brother was old enough to take the headship.
That story already seemed to contradict what I knew of the modern Yosogi School, a sign of the archaic values held by these past people. That said, I was in no position to judge them. I had no doubt they were simply doing everything necessary to protect what was important to them, and to pass on what they knew to future generations.
One day, one of Hakumei’s neighboring kingdoms was destroyed by the oni. They learned of their neighbor’s fate through the tales of survivors who had fled from the carnage. Thus the Kingdom of Hakumei learned of the oni threat, and understood that war would come to them in no time.
Hakumei was at a disadvantage for being much smaller than its neighbors, though perhaps that was for the best. It had only managed to maintain its independence due to the efforts of a small group of skilled swordsmen, members of the same school of swordsmanship as Yuzuriha Yosogi. It was clear that if their neighbors couldn’t stand against the oni, Hakumei had no chance against them either.
And so the king of Hakumei—or as they were titled in Fusou, the Lord—decided that rather than waste the lives of his people in an unwinnable war, he would flee the kingdom altogether and find safety in foreign lands.
It must have been a bitter decision to make. Abandoning the kingdom his ancestors had built up over generations must have been more painful than any physical torment. The people abandoning the fields where they grew their crops were essentially abandoning their means of living. But nevertheless, that was the decision he made. No matter what hardship the future would bring upon them, it was better than filling the gut of an oni.
However, despite the people’s resolve to flee, the pursuing oni would be faster. And so the Lord commanded the swordsmen of the kingdom to remain behind with him so as to delay the oni advance for as long as possible. Of course, having inherited the headship of her school, Yuzuriha Yosogi was no exception.
It was said her ailing father told her, “I will resume my post as head of the school. Take your brother and flee south.”
But in reply, Yuzuriha Yosogi shook her head. “No matter what form it takes, should I flee this battlefield, our school will forever be known for cowardice. I cannot lay such a burden on my brother’s shoulders. Moreover, you are too old and weak to serve as the head.” It was a decision made out of her pride, but also out of her love for her family.
In truth, Yuzuriha Yosogi was not the most powerful member of her school. Though her knowledge of technique was superb, her physique and stature meant she often fell behind the other swordsmen. But even so, she was the head of the school. When her younger brother cried, saying he couldn’t leave her behind, she admonished him with a hug.
“If you would stay for my sake, then live on and protect the school for me instead. Survive, grow, and teach the next generation. That is my wish. You cannot cry anymore, for the moment I die, you will become the head.”
In the face of her unwavering resolve, her acceptance of her own inevitable death, her brother had no recourse but to do as she said.
A few days later, as they had predicted, the oni arrived and turned Hakumei into a war zone. Yuzuriha Yosogi stood with dignity, her resolve born equally of pride and love. To buy time for the fleeing people of Hakumei, and of course to protect her younger brother and the future of their school. Having accepted her own death as inevitable, her sword and her spirit became unrivaled.
But the oni were a powerful foe. Though she cut down many of them, the swordsmen fighting alongside her fell one by one. It would only be a matter of time before they were wiped out.
In that moment of fear, Yuzuriha strode through the front lines, literally cutting open a path through the enemy forces to reach the great oni leading them. Having expected a one-sided slaughter, the great oni had grown frustrated at their lack of progress and so arrived himself to crush the resistance.
He was an overwhelming obstacle...but presented an incredible opportunity. Though it looked like they had no choice but to be slowly ground into the dust, a chance to strike at the leader of the oni had presented itself. The great oni was much larger than his soldiers, and in the same way was much more powerful. He had likely inherited much of the strength of his demonic ancestors.
Against that peerless warrior, Yuzuriha Yosogi stood alone. She was well experienced in fighting opponents who were physically superior to her. For this foe as well, she would be crushed in an instant if she only tried to overpower him with a head-on approach.
A simple distraction wouldn’t work. Half-hearted efforts would simply be blown away. In order to penetrate the resilient flesh of her opponent, she would need to use his own strength against him. If she showed even the slightest hint of hesitation, he would pounce and end her life. If she attacked recklessly, he would easily cut her down.
But she fought—without fear and without impatience, wringing every drop of strength from her body. As the last of her strength ran dry, the great oni’s fist struck and took her life. But in that same moment, her sword pierced his chest.
It was not enough to fell the great oni, but it was enough to make the oni’s leader withdraw his troops. Had that instant of pain inspired fear in the great oni, or respect? There was no way of knowing, but it drew the oni away from the battlefield, leaving a small number of Hakumei swordsmen as survivors. These survivors were able to spread knowledge of the oni and how they fought to the other kingdoms.
The red-skinned oni were brutish and powerful.
The blue-skinned oni were nimble and agile.
The green-skinned oni were sly and cunning.
The black-skinned oni possessed a skin like armor.
The white-skinned oni possessed the traits of the red, blue, and green oni together.
The tattooed oni, regardless of the color of their skin, were practitioners of the Wicked Arts.
The great oni were leaders, possessing incredible power.
The surviving swordsmen spread the tale of how Yuzuriha Yosogi had driven back the oni advance single-handedly, and gave them the chance to pass on what they had learned about their enemies.
However, in that era, the human kingdoms still warred among themselves. Unable to find a kingdom that would take them in, the people of Hakumei were scattered across Fusou. A small group of them traveled by ship to the mainland.
It took a short time before Yuzuriha’s exploits were recognized and honored by the people of Fusou—not until they truly understood the threat that the oni posed.
Today, the name of the school of swordsmanship Yuzuriha had led had been lost to time. But I knew it might have lived on under another name. Perhaps at one time, that school had adopted the name of its kingdom. Now, however, they bestowed themselves with the name Yosogi. They had put down roots far west, flourished, and grown into one of the illustrious Four Great Schools of the Kingdom of Ludoria.
I created this written account so that I might not forget even a single detail of this story, so that I can present perfectly to the descendants of Yuzuriha’s younger brother, the people who inherited her legacy, the story of one lone swordswoman.