Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Thirteen--A Beautiful Night
Part 106--Like Snakes and Scorpions
Shishio: Unconditional victory?
Houji: Yes. Unconditional victory. In this battle against Himura, Saitou and Sagara, we have ten men, counting Lord
Shishio, against three. So, we have a clear advantage in both numbers and skill.
Yumi: That’s great. So what’s the problem?
Houji: But when the enemy is the best of the best . . . If we fight them now, even among the Ten Swords, any one of lesser
strength than Chou will be destroyed. Thus, we should chose only our best fighters. These three will come up against
Soujirou, Usui and Anji. The remaining six will eliminate those left at the Aoiya!
(Yumi looks surprised; Shishio says nothing.)
Soujirou: I see!
Houji: In the last battle, the Oniwabanshuu of the Aoiya engineered the failure of the Kyoto fire. Not only that, but
ever since Himura Battousai arrived in Kyoto, their information network served as his base support! If not for them, we
should have succeeded easily. To put it another way,
not eliminating them sooner was the cause of our failure. Himura Battousai is clever . . . he may anticipate our using
this oppurtunity to attack the Aoiya. But he is, after all, a swordsman. He would never dream of an opponent attacking
behind his back after issuing a challenge. He thinks like you, Lord Shishio, and like you, “a challenge, ten against
three” was all that was on his mind. Do not forget, our final goal is to take the nation. For this, the best course
is to destroy Himura Battousai and his compatriots here and now!
Shishio: Houji, since when did you start giving me advice? Surprise attacks or foul play wouldn't bother me. But
I challenged Battousai. Changing that would be doubting my confidence as a swordsman.
There will be no change! (raising a fist) Stop babbling and call the Ten Swords!
Houji: After I prepared to receive violence from that fist, I secretly resolved one thing. As the proverb "The Royal
Army is the one who wins" states, the victors write the history books. I will devote body and soul to the plan to make Lord
Shishio the victor. (tearing off his gloves) For this, I have chosen my role . . . No matter what base, cowardly
things I must do, I will offer Lord Shishio unconditional victory! I don’t care if my countrymen or even Lord Shishio
loathes me like snakes or scorpions! Now that we’ve lost the Rengoku, the Ten Swords are our remaining secret weapon.
I cannot approve of this foolish plan to waste them!
(a pause)
Shishio: An enemy might if he had to, but this is the first time an underling has resisted me this far . . . All right,
Soujirou. Go call the Ten Swords.
(the Ten Swords are assembled in the room.)
Henya: . . . Lord Shishio, does this summons mean the next battle is about to begin?
Shishio: Before that, I have something to tell you about the last plan.
Usui: Yes, yes, I want to hear about that. About the Great Fire of Kyoto being a decoy plan, and us being sacrifices.
Saitsuchi: Hmm . . . and what does he mean by that, Lord Shishio?
Shishio: Ah, I knew I hadn't heard the last of that. The truth is, you were supposed to be with me on the Rengoku
during the last battle when we sailed for Tokyo. But the decoy plan was more flashy, and Houji changed the orders
without my consent. Isn’t that right, Houji.
(Sweat breaks out on Houji’s face, but he gets down on his knees.)
Houji: Yes . . . it was all my doing. I ask your forgiveness.
Kamatari: Oh, I knew Lord Shishio wouldn’t betray us!
Usui: So that’s how it is. Then Houji must be punished. (he kneels down beside him.) Tell the truth, Houji.
(laying a hand over Houji’s) You can’t lie before my mind’s eye. If you tell the truth, we can settle this without
pain.
Houji: I . . . I don't understand.
Usui: Nothing on your own?
(He snaps off his thumbnail. Houji screams.)
Kamatari: Oh God ow.
Yumi: Lord Shishio . . .
Usui: You want to say something now?
Houji: I can only tell the truth. The decision to betray seven of the Ten Swords was all my own. In atonement--
(he rips off his own fingernails with his teeth) I want all doubt or mistrust of Lord Shishio to be torn out with
these seven nails!
Shishio: Your orders for the next battle! Sou, Usui, Anji, you will stay and face Battousai with me! Saitsuchi, Fuji,
Henya, Kamatari, Iwanbou, go to the Aoiya and take the heads of all you find there! Houji, you’ll stay here. You won’t
be able to fight with those hands.
Houji: Lord Shishio . . .
Shishio: I saw the strength of your resolution. After this I'll leave the dirty work to you. In return, you'll be the
first to taste the sweetness of victory. At my side.
(The door at the end of the hall, open just a crack, closes.)
Aoshi (thinking): Battousai is coming . . . !
Shishio: First to fight is Anji! Your target is the one behind the destruction of the Rengoku, Sagara Sanosuke. And I
don’t just want his head. Rip out his skull and bring it to me.
(Outside)
Sanosuke: Rokutsurane no Hakone. This is it. All right, let’s do it!
The Making of the Characters--Sadoshima Houji
I got the idea from the character Forge from my favorite American comic X-Men. (Houji’s name is kind of a pun on
this.) It’s not so much his personality, but this position in the organization.
The character Forge doesn't fight directly, but he invents all kinds of machines and is a support
character for his friends. I thought it would be interesting to have a character in the Ten Swords who wasn’t a
fighter but supported the organization in other ways, and eventually came up with Houji. At first he was just a stupid
guy who was always surprised, and I thought "Maybe this didn't work . . . " But actually, he ended up being the number two in the
organization (like Hijikata Toshizou or Shokatsu Ryoukoumetsu) which I've always liked, so ideas started flowing and
he ended up being one of my favorite characters.
This is giving it away, but Houji has a cool part at the end of the Kyoto story. Don't miss it! (or so I say, even
though he probably doesn't have any fans.)
As for the design, people say he's from Giant Robot, but he's not. Houji is 100% Watsuki Nobuhiro and I'm proud of him.
There have been a lot in the earlier books, and my readers like good-looking characters (men or women) but as for me,
I don't think it's enough. I think it's important to draw monsters and evil-looking characters as well, and that's why
I put a lot of effort into them. (First of all, if all the characters were good-looking, the idea of beauty would be lost
and we wouldn't be able to tell which ones are supposed to be beautiful.
My only regrets are about his costume. I wanted to draw Western clothes from that era, but when the time came I had
to work with the information I had . . .