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One of the most defining traits of a Buddhist temple is the peace and quiet. Ones alongside nature's unspoiled beauty, nestled among landscapes such as mountains or the countryside, especially. Not being entirely silent even then- despite the setting's scenery seeming nearly mute, and frozen in time- little more than the sounds of the monks and shrine maidens going about their business to fill the air.
Located in the mountains of the Tochigi prefecture, Joudou Temple, along with it’s small number of residents, is one such example.
For the head monk of the temple, Yoshiro Yoshihara, each resident of the temple was a precious member of his family. Many came from rather troubled backgrounds, especially the shrine maidens. Yoshiro did not ask for details, but offered the peace of the temple grounds for however long people wished to stay. Like this, peace was maintained.
Neither he, nor the temple would be ready for the day that this peace would be shattered.
The day started like any other. A shrine maiden was sweeping the grounds while the monks went about their morning prayers. Head monk Yoshiro was currently going over the donations from the previous day when the sound of a car approaching the temple filled the air.
This, in itself, wasn’t unusual- the few people that sought out this temple for services often arrived by car. What was unusual came after the car parked, when the door opened, and a piercing cry filled the air.
“Why are we here? I don’t want to be here! I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!”
The temple's residents could not help but turn their heads in the direction of the commotion. One centered around what appeared to be a family of three had left the car; a man, a woman, and their young daughter of maybe 5 years old.
The man looked middle aged; features of short black hair parted to the left, light brown eyes, and stubble on his chin, and dressed in a rumpled, blue three-piece suit.
The older woman also had dark hair, but it went down to her shoulders in a frizzled mess. The woman’s otherwise bright green eyes were surrounded by dark eyebags, her mouth seemed to be stuck in a perpetual frown. The woman wore a long green sundress that fell to her knees.
Between the two harried adults was presumably their daughter. Like the adults, hair dark, and fastened into pigtails sticking above her head. Green eyes, not unlike her mother, but the child was wearing a small blue dress. The most distinctive difference was that the girl was currently screaming her head off.
“I WANT TO GO HOME! I WANT TO GO HOME!"
As much as the temple residents wanted to ignore this spectacle, that was quickly becoming impossible. As the head monk, Yoshiro felt that the least he could do was address this disruption, and he approached the family.
“Pardon me. What brings you to the temple?” Yoshiro asked politely.
“Are you the head monk?” When Yoshiro nodded, the older woman said, “Call me Mrs. Chabashira. Our daughter here is Tenko Chabashira. Could you say hello, dear?”
Tenko took a look up at the head monk and declared, “I don’t like him. Why doesn’t he have any hair?”
“You don’t just ask that kind of question,” Mr. Chabashira told his daughter in a scolding tone. “It’s rude.”
“But it’s true! He doesn’t have any hair!” Tenko insisted.
“Because I shaved it,” Yoshiro explained, drawing on his patience, one honed from years of training. “Most men here have also shaved their heads.”
Mrs. Chabashira leaned towards Yoshiro and whispered: “Nothing we try works. Tenko will shout and cry no matter what we tell her. She’s also rude to everyone.”
“I see. Kids her age often don’t understand the significance of what they say,” Yoshiro commented in an even tone. “Why have you brought her to this temple?”
“Because we’re worried that if our child continues on like this, she won’t be able to fit into society,” Mrs. Chabashira explained. “This has been the hardest decision for us to make, but in the end this may be what’s best for us.”
“Then you wish for your child to learn a little bit about discipline. For how long do you plan for her to stay?” Yoshiro asked as a formality, not expecting it to be longer than a day or two.
Which is why the father's reaction was a red flag, averting his eyes as he coughed into his fist. “Tenko, please listen to the head monk from now on.”
The young girl seemed to know something was off, as she took on a scared expression. “Is this about when I broke that plate? I promise to be good!”
Without another word, Tenko’s parents walked back to their car, getting inside and driving off.
One of the younger monks who had seen the entire meeting asked the unspoken question: “Did either of this girl’s parents give a way to contact them?”
“They did not. Nor did they say if they would return.” Yoshiro heard the sound of sniffling and looked down to see Tenko crying. “So we must acknowledge that Tenko may be a permanent resident of our temple.”
The first week of Tenko’s residence at Jodou Temple was by far the hardest; the previous peace of the temple was disrupted by nonstop cries of “I WANT TO GO HOME!” The Chabashiras were correct about one thing: nothing seemed to stop Tenko’s tantrums.
Monks and shrine maidens quickly learned not to leave anything small near Tenko, as the girl had a habit of picking up anything she found and throwing it. Though, she would quickly apologize if her thrown object broke something, or hit someone.
Yoshiro’s patience, honed over several decades running this temple, managed to temper his interactions with the young girl. He could see, however, that the other residents were beginning to lose their patience.
“Why do we not find the girl’s parents, or leave her at an orphanage?” A monk suggested Yoshiro at the end of the week.
On the surface, it seemed a reasonable enough question. Yet, Yoshiro responded with, “If we gave up on this young girl for the sake of our own comfort, we would be no better than her parents.”
The look of shame on the younger monk communicated that he understood the point. Though, it was true that this situation could not continue.
The solution presented itself unexpectedly, when Tenko asked, “When are my parents going to return?”
“Your parents left you here because they want your behavior to improve.” Yoshiro had not meant to lie by omission, didn’t even realize he did until reflecting on his response later.
“Then, I need to be good?” Tenko asked, looking up at Yoshiro with eyes full of hope.
“You shouldn’t be good just for a reward,” Yoshiro chided gently. “You should do good in the world, even if you never get a reward.”
Tenko considered these words with her small face scrunched up in focus. “Then, can you teach me?”
“Teach you what?” Yoshiro asked, wondering what conclusion the young girl had arrived at.
“Teach me how to be a better person!” Tenko exclaimed. “I don’t want my parents to worry about me!”
Only then did Yoshiro realize the misunderstanding. Tenko seemed to believe that an improvement of her behavior would return her parents to her. In fact, there had been no trace of the older Chabashira couple since their departure, not even a phone call or letter.
"As I just said, you should not change your behavior just for a reward,” Yoshiro said, carefully wording his response. “But, I will also not stop you from doing what you want. I will offer guidance when you need it.”
From then on, Yoshiro watched as Tenko would attend various temple functions, like trying to help a shrine maiden sweep the grounds, or asking the monk about sutras.
Though Tenko was still emotionally volatile, her tantrums happened less frequently when she was occupied. Seeing this improvement, Yoshiro encouraged Tenko to take on more tasks around the temple.
Which is how they all learned that Tenko was more special than anyone expected.
It happened during a morning prayer.
Tenko decided to try and imitate some prayer poses that the other monks were doing. However, the monk nearest to Tenko lost their balance, and fell on the young girl.
In the commotion that followed, Yoshiro swooped in and calmed the situation, pulling Tenko aside. “Are you okay, Tenko?”
“That looked worse than it felt,” Tenko said, doing her best to put on a brave face. “If anything, Junjiro feels much worse!”
“The landing didn’t hurt,” Junjiro said, dusting the girl.
“That’s not what I meant! You feel really guilty that you fell on me,” Tenko said with a concerned expression. “And that you messed up that prayer pose!”
Yoshiro, Junjiro, and the rest of the nearby temple residents all stared at Tenko, who bashfully looked away. “What? Was I not supposed to say that?”
“It’s not your fault. I guess I let my emotions show on my face,” Junjiro said quickly. “I need to redouble my training!”
Yet Yoshiro knew that Junjiro’s training was fine, and the man had not shown his distress. Somehow, Tenko had accurately gauged the older monk’s emotions with physical contact alone.
If this ability was natural to the little girl or not, Yoshiro didn’t know. What he knew is that he needed to shape this ability so Tenko would not misuse it. Deep within his heart, the first flickers of fatherly concern ignited in Yoshiro.
Looking back, Tenko realized just how much her foster father had watched over her…but also, deceived her. A mere week after that incident with the other monk, Yoshiro first suggested self-defense lessons. She could still remember him taking her small hands into his own.
“Do you want to stay here, as a priestess of our temple?” Yoshiro had asked. “You never have to leave the grounds if you don’t want to.”
“I want to see the world! I want to learn all that I can about myself,” Tenko answered, with the pure sincerity that only a child could muster. “I hope that’s okay!”
“If that is your path, I will not stop you. But not everyone in the world is a good person,” Yoshiro said. “A lot of people living here are hurt. I don’t want the same to happen to you.”
What would become Neo Aikido started as lessons in safety. Warnings to never go anywhere with a stranger, to be mindful where she should step, to not lash out in anger. Lessons made more palatable from Yoshiro weaving self-defense lessons into them.
Then the Head Monk took Tenko out on vigilante missions. Long before Tenko arrived at the temple, the head monk occasionally donned a disguise and went out in search of crimes to stop.
The first mission that Tenko went on was small: helping the elderly with heavy boxes. Then Yoshiro took Tenko into a subway car, telling her to watch carefully. A man attempted to sneak up behind an unassuming woman and grab her butt.
Yoshiro calmly walked up to the man and grabbed his wrists, and any words of reproach the man had ready died in his throat when he saw the fury in Yoshiro’s eyes.
Tenko would always remember what Yoshiro told her that day. “I do what I can, both as a Head Monk and a vigilante. Yet there are things only you can do for women, as a woman.”
After graduating from Hope's Peak, Tenko learned of the complexities of the world, that men and women weren’t all that different. Yet, she would always carry the head monk’s teachings within her.
Despite the deception, there was no denying that Yoshiro was more Tenko’s parent than either of her parents had ever been.