Tentatively, I stepped forward and unsheathed the iaito in one smooth motion, making sure the immediate cut would precede my foot and yet that the stance was secure and stable before the sword hit its imaginary target—a true challenge in coordination and body control. My posture would be low enough to conceal my feet’s position under the folds of the hakama. The tip of the blade arrives first, I reminded myself when I let...

Dumbstruck and mouth stupidly agape, I drank in the sight of this stunningly pretty lady whose age had not taken any of her looks; quite the contrary. If anything, age had proven generous to her and turned her into an unparalleled beauty that rivaled any of my acquaintances and held the promise of the spice of decades of experience. Wordlessly but shame written all over her expression, she closed the gap between us, cuppe...