The Reluctant Leader - T23

May 9 (13kms)

After yesterdays lack of energy, I asked Taichi San to order me breakfast with my room. I went down at 6:30 and ate almost everything on my tray.
Taichi San came down soon after.
After breakfast we got our things and went down to pay.
I admit I expected (irrationally) for the hotel to try and charge more. On the sheet Claire San gave me it said the prices started at 8,400 yen but they quoted Taichi San 6,500. When I paid it was only 5,250. I was really pleased and a little ashamed.

We walked over the street to Temple 23. At the stamp office, I was elated to finally get a scroll. There was a picture of Kobo Daishi I had always been attracted to and there was a scroll with the exact picture in the middle. It was 20,000 yen but felt to me like an investment.

Taichi San had informed me that he was going to walk and sleep outside for a few days but said he would come with me to the next train station so he could put me on a bus for Muroto - where my next temple was.

We went to the train station but our train didn’t leave for another 45 minutes so we just sat. Last night I had written an extensive analysis of Taichi Sans numbers (numerology) so as we sat, I went through them with him. He had a stunning line up of leadership numbers, both 9s and 1s. I told him he had no choice – he was born to be a leader.
After I told him about it more in depth, he said his Mother and Grandfather had told him all his life he was to be a leader and he always said No No.

I still get surprised (and sometimes frustrated)when someone who has such a natural commanding stature and presence is not aware of it, or shirks from it. Taichi San handled everything calmly, gently yet solidly and without question. He researched quietly and only came to me when he had answers or decisions - of which he presented in a dispassionate non attached manner. I only had two days with him but I felt like I was in the present of future greatness.

I thought he would need to wait to get a translation of what I had written but he sat for the next half hour on the train and read the whole 10 pages.

We got off the train then within five minutes I had said hurried goodbyes to Taichi San and was on the bus to Temple 24.