Chris Bradford - Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior

PUFFIN BOOKS

Chris Bradford likes to fly through the air. Hes thrown himself over Victoria Falls on a bungee cord, out of an aeroplane in New Zealand and off a French mountain on a paraglider, but hes always managed to land safely something he learnt from his martial arts

Chris joined a judo club aged seven where his love of throwing people over his shoulder, punching the air and bowing lots started. Since those early years, he has trained in karate, kickboxing and samurai swordmanship and has earned his black belt in Kyo Shin taijutsu, the secret fighting art of the ninja.

Before writing the Young Samurai series, Chris was a professional musician and songwriter. Hes even performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (but he suspects she found his band a bit noisy).

Chris lives in a village on the South Downs with his wife and two cats, called Tigger and Rhubarb.

To discover more about Chris go to youngsamurai.com

Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior has been awarded the
Great Britain Sasakawa Award 2007 in association with
the Society Of Authors Foundation

Book of the Year winner at the Fighting Spirit Awards 2008

A really exciting, action-packed martial arts adventure
the fast pace and attention to detail makes this a
wonderful read for all children whether they are
involved in martial arts or not Steve Cowley,
6th dan instructor in Kyo Shin taijutsu

Young Samurai wont just delight its readers with tales
of ninjas, swords and samurai, but will inspire them
to actually get involved in the world of martial arts
Steve Backshall, Childrens BBC TV presenter

A beautifully written, excellently researched and
thoughtfully presented work Chris Bradford has
captured the essence of what it meant to be samurai
Akemi Solloway Sensei, eldest daughter of an old samurai
family and lecturer of Japanese culture ( solloway.org )

Young Samurai is a fantastic adventure that floors the
reader on page one and keeps them there until the end.
The pace is furious and the martial arts detail authentic.
This is a great book that will have legions studying for
their belts in between episodes Eoin Colfer

PUFFIN

PUFFIN BOOKS

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First published 2008

Text copyright Chris Bradford, 2008
All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,
by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers
prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a
similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

Disclaimer: Young Samurai 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 is more an echo of the times than a re-enaction 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.

978-0-14-191802-0

For my father

Kyoto, Japan, August 1609

The boy snapped awake. He seized his sword.

Tenno hardly dared to breathe. He sensed someone else was in the room. As his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, he searched for signs of movement. But he could see nothing, only shadows within shadows, the moonlight seeping ghostlike through the lucent paper walls. Perhaps he had been wrong His samurai training, though, warned him otherwise.

Tenno listened intently for the slightest sound, any indication there might be an intruder. But he heard nothing unusual. The cherry blossom trees in the garden made a faint rustle like the sound of silk as a light breeze passed through. There was the familiar trickle of water as it flowed from the small fountain into the fishpond, and nearby a cricket made its persistent nightly chirp. The rest of the house lay silent.

He was overreacting It was just some bad kami spirit disturbing his dreams, he reasoned.

This past month the whole Masamoto household had been on edge with the rumour of war. There was talk of a rebellion and Tennos father had been called into service to help quell any potential uprising. The peace Japan had enjoyed for the past twelve years was suddenly under threat and the people were afraid they would be plunged back into war. No wonder he was so on edge.

Tenno lowered his guard and settled back to sleep on his futon . As he did so, the night cricket chirped a little louder and the boys hand tightened round the hilt of his sword. His father had once said, A samurai should always obey his instincts, and his instincts told him something was wrong.

He rose from his bed to investigate.

Suddenly a silver star spun out of the darkness.

Tenno threw himself out of the way but was a second too late.

The shuriken sliced through his cheek before burying itself deep into the futon where his head had just been. As he continued to roll, he felt a rush of hot blood stream down his face. Then he heard a second shuriken thud into the tatami -matted floor, and in one fluid movement he sprang to his feet, bringing his sword up to protect himself.