Yonamine and Bushi

Summary 

Yonamine was a girl from Okinawa. She was a well-accomplished girl, intelligent, big, and strong. She was so good at karate that no one could defeat her. The time came when her dad thought about getting her married, but where would he find a man who would want to get married to someone stronger than him? Her father was a wealthy merchant, so whoever she married would bring a fortune with her. She had a condition: whoever could beat her in a fair fight would marry that person. 

Many men came forward to take the challenge. She was an intelligent, strong girl with a fortune. The first was Kojo. He was bigger and stronger than her. His legs were like tree trunks, and his hands were like shovels. But he committed a foul when she bowed, a sign of respect. He threw a punch. She got angry, and then she twisted his hand so severely that he had to limp away in his loss.

Many men tried to fight her, but she beat all of them. Her father was in despair because everyone wanted a wife who knew how to cook and keep a good house but would want to marry a girl who enjoyed wrestling. 

Bushi Kiyo trained under the karate master Sakugawa, and he was so good that the king of Okinawa appointed him his personal guard. 

His friends said that he should fight against her, although she was bigger than him. He was smarter and stronger than her and wanted to marry a girl like her. He didn't want to marry a fragile girl.

She was very impressed by him. He was a tall, slim man. She also knew he was one of the king's personal guards; he had dark, piercing eyes that looked straight at her and seemed fearless. The match began. They bowed to each other and began to fight, attacking each other using the best techniques. Still, it looked like the match would be a tie, but at a crucial moment of the fight, she paused, and he took her down with a punch. Her dad was thrilled; they got married in a very splendid ceremony.

They had a happy marriage. She kept the house clean, and one day, she was sweeping, and there was a massive bag of rice. She picked it up and swept under it, so he thought, Is she that powerful? How did she go down with my punch? One day, she told him she would like to go and visit her parents. He said it was unsafe to travel at night as bandits were outside. She looked at him and said, don't forget that I am a trained wrestler, He replied, But I beat you, so don't think you are unbeatable.

She said she could care for herself, as the bandits weren't as skilled as him. She was overconfident through Bushi. As soon as she left the house, her husband dressed up as a bandit and went and hid behind some trees. He attacked her. She was so swift that she brought him down, tied him to the tree, and continued walking to her parent's house. The next day, when she was returning, she saw that he was still tied to the tree. She asked if she should untie him, and he said yes and would never do it again. She was in a hurry because she had to get home and cook for her husband, but she didn't know that he was the one who was tied to the tree.

Bushi returned home that evening, looking tired and dull. She helped him freshen up and got him a new pair of clothes. He took out the white lash and showed it to her. She asked whether he was the bandit. He said yes and that he had learned his lesson: never underestimate anyone.