I was on my way back from cutting my daily quota of oak when I saw a woman standing next to a horse outside of the large bamboo grove. She was alone, but only for a short while. A man wielding a sword and wearing blood stained clothes ran towards her out of the grove. He stabbed her with the sword before she had a chance to react. He took the horse she was watching and sped off up the road. I ran to the woman to try to aid her in any way I could, but she was already dead when I got there. I returned to my horse drawn wagon and continued to bring my carriage back home.
The testimony of a Buddhist priest questioned by a high police commissioner
Early in the morning, I went down the mountain to meditate on the side of the road. As I sat there, a man pulling an empty cart headed south. He had a large axe and looked like a very strong man, probably a woodcutter.
Nearly two hours later a lone man on horseback armed with a sword passed me, heading south. I’ve known this man as Tajomaru. He is a very experienced warrior who is not very strong, but makes up for his weak muscles by being extremely agile and swift. Not many can best him in a duel.
Only minutes later, a man and a woman passed me heading in the same direction. The man was walking while the woman was on horseback. The woman seemed to be wearing expensive jewelry, but each piece of her jewelry seemed to be from a different culture or heritage. The man was wearing average clothing and was armed with a dagger that was very difficult to see. I was only able to see it because I was sitting on the ground, and I saw it strapped to his thigh.
Nearly two hours later, I saw the lone man on horseback from before go speeding by, heading north. His sword was dripping with blood and his clothes were stained red.
He was soon followed by the man I had earlier suspected to be a woodcutter. He went by with his carriage, now pulled by