A Tale of Sword and Drum

It’s Feudal Japan, on a bright May morning. The cherry blossoms and tulips are making way for draperies of wisteria. All around, the beat of the Taiko drums reverberates through the air. In the distance, there come the sounds of kiai, and the crash of bamboo striking bamboo, threatening to drown out the shouts. A dog calls and yips as the nearby boats drift past, the low thrum of their engines interspersed with the occasional horn…