Master's Art

The boy stood silently, face lowered before his master, waiting for acknowledgement of his presence. He had been taught not to let his gaze wander but to keep alert for his master's response. Moreover, he knew the place where he was standing very well, having worked there for the last three years of his apprenticeship. However, a visitor to these chambers might well have stopped, caught by the display of craftsmanship to be found all around the walls. The chamber was in the heart of the city of Ahsi'tay, near the central bazaar and the communal workshops where the craftsmen toiled and brought forth their wonders. This particular chamber proclaimed in an instance the craft of its occupier. The elegant yet effective glass lights imported from the Zuberi cast their luminescence over the various pieces placed against the walls, on shelves, tables and other display places, giving enough light to work by, without the inconvenience of the smoky torches.

And such pieces! Marble, carved into the likeness of birds of the sky; beasts of the land; fish in the sea; other forms of both human and plant. Marble of every hue and color under the sun, some one color throughout, some where the natural blending of colors had been brought out by the craftsman's touch. Images that seemed almost alive, caught in one instance, but ready any moment to recommence their movement. But of all the forms and figures present, one form eclipsed the rest: the serpent. Whether a smooth piece of marble with a repeating simple pattern of snakes or a six foot high three dimensional carving of a giant serpent, coiled and poised to strike, the theme was repeated again and again, always in different ways, but always returning to the same basic subject: Ji'Kalna the great serpent, Mother, Goddess, Inspiration, and symbol of the Jillhani people.

The piece that the boy was holding was far less eye-catching than the items on display, of course. He was still in the middle of his apprenticeship, having learned the basics of working with marble, but knowing that he had a long way to go before he would be able to match his master, the respected Keitaro Iwakiyo. Since the age of ten he had been living and working with this man, just as his father had apprenticed Iwakiyo's son and was teaching him the art of creating the beautiful, yet deadly katana that were the main weapon of the Jillhani. At times the boy wished that he could have carried his father's trade, but it was not done to apprentice one's own son amongst the Ji'Coi. Nearly thirteen now, the boy stood tall and slender, with pale silver skin, and long black hair tied back behind him to prevent it interfering with his work. His few years of bending over the craft table and working in fine detail chiseling and working the marble had given him the beginnings of hunched shoulders and an almost imperceptible squint. However, in the main he was normal for his age and background, enjoying the life that he led.

Except for certain occasions, such as today. He had been working on this piece for a month now, and this was the day that he would present it to his master for his approval. He would stand before him and wait until Iwakiyo had finished the specific piece of work that he was engaged upon. Even more than letting his gaze wander, he knew not to interrupt a craftsman at work. THAT lesson he had learned from his father, long before entering his apprenticeship. One careless interruption could cause a flaw that could ruin days, weeks or even months of work, and accordingly deprive the crafter of the money that he would get for the piece. If there was one unforgivable sin in the world of crafting, this was it.

Finally, Keitaro Iwakiyo put down his tools and looked up from his work. He noticed the boy, and what he held, and motioned for the boy to hand it to him.

'So, Hideki, you have finished your work, and bring it to me?'

'Yes master Iwakiyo'

Keitaro took the small plaque and studied it critically for a moment. It showed a single serpent, in a style popular amongst the Ji'Mal, with mottled skin brought out by the carving tools, eyes open and forked tongue protruding. After a brief pause he looked at the boy, handed back the plaque and said 'Can you tell me what is wrong with this?'

Hideki kept his outward appearance composed, but inside his heart sank. Every effort of his up to now had been rejected. This was the first piece that he genuinely thought was good enough to pass his master's scrutiny. He looked at the piece again.

'Perhaps, master Iwakiyo, it needs more work on the mottling, or more definition on the border?'

'Both of those are the case, but both of these can be remedied. What is the more serious flaw?'

He waited for a moment and then pointed to the tail of the serpent, his finger indicating a tiny, almost imperceptible chip where the tail arose out of the flat marble surround. Hideki winced as he saw where his master was indicating, and Keitaro Iwakiyo raised his eyebrows at the boy.

'Do you wince because you had not checked your work thoroughly before bringing it to me, or do you wince because you had noticed it and hoped that I would not? No, do not bother to answer. The former would indicate a sloppiness that is fatal to the skill of the craftsman; the latter would indicate that you were trying to deceive me, and that you did not have a high enough regard for my skill, thinking that you could get this past me. Neither negligent nor fraudulent behavior is acceptable in this profession.'

The boy shifted slightly before replying.

'Master, could I not work with the piece to compensate for the chip?'

'If you managed to smooth out this flaw, you would do so by destroying the symmetry of the piece and thus create another imperfection. No, this piece is fatally flawed. Dispose of it, and start again.'

The boy stood, wrestling with his feelings, before turning to go. Before he left, his master spoke again.

'Wait. Your emotions churn within you, and this is no way to carve. To achieve what you seek, you must be as calm as the marble with which you work, as focused as the tools that you use to shape it. Sit down and speak of what you think.'

Watching the boy's indecision as to what to say, he added, more softly: 'There is no dishonor.'

Hideki sat down and thought for a moment. Then he too spoke softly.

'Master, I have been apprenticed to you for nearly three years now, and I thank you for your teaching, your patience and your wisdom. When I started, I was barely able to gouge chunks out of the rock that I began with, and my early pieces were laughable in their crudity. However, since you have permitted me to work with the marble, I feel my skills increasing day by day. I look at a piece like this, and think that it is not so different from many of the carvings that I see when I wander through Ahsi'tay. You noticed the slight chip because you are a master craftsman, but who else would? It may not be perfect, but surely it is a good piece, or could be made into one. Surely anything can be improved upon to make it better, and therefore there is nothing that can be called truly perfect. If I were to correct it, even those who might through eagle-eyed observation see the chip, would not notice that.'

The master nodded.

'I was wondering when I would need to discuss this with you. You have reached this point a little after most of my students do so, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.'

He sat down opposite the boy, leaned forward and spoke as he looked him in the eye.

'Your point is that this could still be a good piece with work; that it can never be a truly perfect piece, and that such ideals are unworkable. There are pieces throughout Ahsi'tay and Bishani more widely that are equal to, or inferior to what this piece is, or may become. This is quite acceptable, and few if any apart from us would know the difference. Is that a fair summary of your position?'

The boy thought for a moment and indicated assent. His master nodded and continued.

'Firstly I will say that all the points that I have made in my summary of your position are correct. There is no way to measure perfection, except possibly by the Mother herself.'

Both men bowed their heads briefly.

'Many people, in seeing this piece would deem it acceptable or better. I might be able to sell this piece even now in its current state, and I certainly would be able to do so if you amended it and finished it properly. Having said all that, do you now see why I still insist that it be discarded?'

The boy thought again, made as if to speak and then shook his head. Keitaro Iwakiyo went to the back of the workshop and opened the chest that kept his most precious possessions. Out of courtesy Hideki looked away, although he knew that the chest was magically trapped as well as mundanely locked, and would only open for his master. Shortly his master came back with two items in his hands. He proffered the first item to Hideki who took it and looked at it in amazement. It was the most beautiful piece of work that he had ever seen. Formed from a marble of shimmering white, with veins of crystal and blue running through it, it depicted the Mother in a state that appeared from one perspective to be that of a stunningly beautiful woman, and from another that of a giant serpent. He had grown blasé in viewing the
master's creations such that he was no longer amazed every time that he walked into the workshop, as most visitors were. However this was something ... special. Irrationally afraid of marring it by his touch he placed it gently on the table next to him and studied it. He turned to find his master with a twisted smile on his face.

'Well my student, as a worker of marble how would you judge that piece?'

Hideki was surprised, as the master never generally asked for comments on his work, and certainly never fished for compliments, which were all that he could think to offer. He thought for a moment and then spoke.

'Master, the obvious response is one of amazement and awe at the piece. I think that I can say, without wishing to flatter, that it is the most beautiful piece that I have ever seen. I could continue to describe its beauty in detail, but I sense that you are not looking for that response. The only way that it could be relevant to our discussion is as an example of how much better your work is than mine. Yet you have no need to bring this out, as all of your work surpasses mine. Is this meant to indicate perfection, then?'

Keitaro Iwakiyo smiled thoughtfully as he responded.

'You have seen some, but not all. Indeed I was not looking for compliments, and I was certainly not trying to compare your work with mine. Of course my work is better - I have been doing it for longer. If by some miracle I could meet you as a master and compare your work with mine, that would be a fair comparison; but I will have gone to be with Ji'Kalna long before that happens. Any master who would lord it over his students in such a way does not deserve the title of master. H e has certainly not mastered himself. This much you have seen.

However what you have not seen is the reason why I have showed you this. To assist your thoughts, I will ask you the same question that I asked of your work: Can you tell me what is wrong with this?'

Hideki's eyes widened in shock, and he turned back to the piece. Looking at it as critically as he could, he examined it from every angle, looking for any hairline cracks, any signs of amendment to cover such, or anything that could mar or spoil such a work. After at least five minutes of patient study he turned back to his master.

'I cannot see anything, master.'

'So you would judge this work acceptable? You would be proud to call it your own? ... No, do not answer that. The answer is plain on your face. Then tell me, what is missing from the piece?'

The boy turned to it once again. The question did not seem to make sense as he looked at the statue, as there was no obvious omission. He felt that he was not understanding the question, that his master was getting at something different. Keitaro Iwakiyo spoke again.

'What is missing, which is present on every other piece of mine that you will see in this workshop?'

With that hint, the boy knew exactly what to look for. Gently he picked up the statue and examined the base. Sure enough, his master's maker's mark was not present, as it was on every piece on show. His master held out the object in his other hand; it was the elaborate and intricate stencil that his master used to inscribe the mark upon a piece when it was ready to sell.

'What is this used for, my student?'

'To place your mark upon a piece, master, so that all may know that it is your work.'

'Indeed. And at what point do I put the mark upon a piece?'

'When it is ready to be sold.'

'And what is the test that any piece must pass before it receives the mark?'

The boy looked confused for a moment.
'The test ... I do not understand master, as I would repeat my last answer - that it is ready to be sold; perhaps that it is good enough to be sold?'

The master nodded slowly.

'Here we come to the central misunderstanding. 'Good enough' is not the test. Would you consider this statue 'good enough' to be sold, and thus to receive the mark? Clearly from your earlier comments you do. Yet I will tell you now that this piece has not received the mark, and will never receive the mark. It has failed the test, and remains only as an example to show my students. But your eyes show that you have a question.'

Hideki nodded.

'Yes my master. But I still cannot see why it is unworthy. You are right that I would be honored, more than honored to call such a piece my own, and that I would regard it as worthy of presentation to one of the great Lords themselves. Would you enlighten me as to why it is flawed?'

Keitaro Iwakiyo smiled.

'You show some perception, as this piece was intended for a great Lord, and it took me months to complete. Moreover if you had brought me this piece today I would have been more than impressed with your work. Nevertheless ........ look at the eyes.'

Hideki looked closely, but could see nothing but exquisite carving. His master picked up a square tool used for measuring right angles and set it against the statue.

'Sight along the square. Now look at the eyes. Can you see - one of them is slightly lower than the other, and thus the face is unsymmetrical and flawed?'

Hideki acknowledged that there was such a difference, although when the square was removed, he could not see the difference, even if he was looking for it. It would impossible for anyone who did not know of the very slight blemish to find it there.

Keitaro Iwakiyo continued.

'Now, my student, I will tell you what this mark represents, and why this piece failed it. In placing this mark upon a piece I am saying that it is perfect. Not totally perfect as that is impossible, but as perfect as my skill allows it to be. Go through all the pieces in this workshop and try to find one imperfection in any of them. If you do, tell me and if I agree, I will instantly reduce it to rubble. 'Good enough'? The only person who can judge if my work is 'good enough' is me; and it will only ever be 'good enough' if it is as perfect as I can make it. I could have made the eyes straight on the statue. It was an elementary mistake that ruined months of work, and forced me to start all over again. Thus just as this piece of work is not 'good enough', so your effort was not 'good enough'. As an apprentice you are held to a lower standard than I. When and if you finish your apprenticeship you will become a journeyman, and be held to a higher standard by others. If you persevere you may achieve the rank of master, as I have done, and others will demand still higher quality. But always the standard that really matters is that which you set yourself, and that will always be higher than that of any other person. Others can be fooled; you know what you are capable of.
But you have another question.'

'Master that is an amazing ideal, and all the more remarkable as it led you to reject a piece of this wonder. Thus it is an ideal that you live by, and thus worth something. However, it is possible that you can always live by such a standard? You said that you worked for months on this, yet you received no payment. Did this not affect your family when you had less to spend on them? I do not mean to pry, master, I only ask about the practicality of such a view.'

His master nodded slowly.

'I did have to face the loss of needed revenue. I also had to go to the Lord and explain that his statue would be delayed, which understandably displeased him. However, although you see this as an impractical ideal, it is the essence of practicality itself.'

He looked Hideki straight in the eye and continued more slowly.

'The alternative to this is being satisfied with less than I am able to do. Yes, I could fool many people into thinking that it was good, and to them it would be good, or at least 'good enough'. However my attitude would have changed. Instead of striving for the best, I would be seeking to do just enough to be accepted. There would be less need to continually hone my skills; less need to be vigilant over mistakes. Soon I would move from ignoring flaws to failing to notice them when they arose. This would then poison the whole of my life. I would seek to cut corners, to improvise and to make do. There would be pieces around in Bishani society which bore my mark, the symbol of my honor, and yet they would be flawed. This would bring dishonor not only upon myself, but also upon my family, and ultimately the Mother. To be Jillhani is to strive for perfection. If we wish to settle for less, then we might as well go and join the barbarian Valgarin in their crude dwellings.'

'Would you have your father make inferior weapons, which could break in the hand of the wielder? You know, you have seen how long it takes him to fold and refold the metal to make a perfect sword. Would he choose to speed things along so that he could make two lesser swords in the time it would take him to make one?'

The boy frowned in thought, and his master beckoned him to speak.

'Master, I can understand why a sword must be made as well as it can be. A life, or many lives would be at stake, and my father would be dishonored if his work led to that. But, without wishing to diminish our craft, if a sword breaks, a man may die. If the eyes on a statue are slightly uneven, how will that affect anyone?'

Keitaro Iwakiyo shook his head.

'You have missed the point, my student, as so many do. If the statue is uneven, the chances are that it will have no effect on anyone - except for me. But that effect would be the start of a rot that would consume me. It is not only the warriors that must strive for perfection. The whole of our society, and not just the Ji'Coi, is bound together in this. We do not all reach physical perfection with weapons, or what would the warrior classes be for? However we do all seek perfection of the most powerful weapon of all; a weapon that all have and all use constantly; for good or ill.'

He tapped the side of his head meaningfully.

'My mind gives me the will and the discipline to strive for perfection. To do so honors myself, my family and the Mother. But more, it keeps the Jillhani as a people. I did not speak fancifully when I said that this is what makes us Jillhani. When the blessed Mother came to aid us, when we languished in the captivity and servitude of those we do not name, did we remain downtrodden, or sit back and wait for her to rescue us? No! We rose up behind her, slaves though we may have been, and fought and strove for our freedom, and our right to live as a nation. The price of that freedom is eternal struggle for perfection, for with this comes ability, vigilance, and resolve. Without these we cannot expect the Mother to do for us what we refuse to do for ourselves, and we might as well prepare ourselves to return to a state of slavery again. Nor was I joking when I said that we could join the Valgarin. For that, or something like that, is what we would become if we abandoned our quest for perfection.'

The boy frowned in deep thought.

'Then that is why my sister .... but I should not speak of her.'

The master nodded.

'Such things may seem harsh, but the family must remain strong, and strive even as a unit that is greater than the individual. Even as the greater society as a whole must strive. But remember that while this is harsh at times, it is not cruel. The one thing that may be spoken without dishonor of the one you mentioned is that she is not dead. May Ji'Kalna allow her reach her perfection as best she can amongst her new people.'

Taking the statue and the maker's mark in his hands, he faced his apprentice once more.

'Now, my student, what do you say to the piece that you showed me earlier?'

Without a word the boy took his carving, went to a vise on one of the workbenches and fastened it into place. Taking a heavy hammer and chisel he struck at the piece; once, twice, three times, until the piece cracked in the middle. Taking the remains out of the vise he dropped them into the bins containing the off cuts, from which smaller things might be made in time.

He turned to find that his master had returned the items to the trunk, and was facing him with as much of a smile on his face as he had ever seen. With a note of pride in his voice, the first that Hideki could remember, he addressed him.

'My student, today you have learned the most important lesson of all. Today you have taken your first great step towards mastery. Not the easier mastery of marble, but the deeper mastery of self. The mastery that takes one's whole life to learn; the mastery that is the best purpose of that life.'

'Now come, let us return to our work.'

Table of Contents

Home Page
Cheat Sheet
Fiction Facts
Terms
Updates

Character

Clothing
Common Trades
Food
Occupations
Personality
Physical Description

Kingdom

Animals
Crafts
Geography
Government
Homes
Hostiles
Imports and Exports
Language
Other Kingdoms
Resources
Town

Culture

Art & Literature
Combat & War
Drugs & Gambling
Family
Hospitality
Life to Death
Slavery
Superstitions
Traditions

Religion

Creation Myth
God
Holidays
I-Ching
Prayers
Relationship
Rituals
Worship

Social

Criminals/Outcasts
Interaction
Laws/Enforcement
Politics
Social Orders
Social Organization

Stories

Acceptance
Act or Falter
Master's Art
Price of Honor
Shades of Grey
Ysz

All the content copyrighted to Portals Interactive Entertainment, Inc
or to their respective owners where noted. Please read for more info.

Comraich is closed, please visit us at Grimmwold Shard.

Grimmwold is a private free Ultima Online shard.  We focus on roleplay, or RP was its called.  Role-players will find an exciting and flexible fantasy world based on Grimm Fairy Tales, European Myth and Lore, and some modern children stories such as Narnia featured in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  However we are an adults only role-play game, privately hosted on our own online server.  Ultima Online is an older MMORPG game created many years back by OSI and now owned be EA.  For those who are fans of UO, and fans of RP, Ultima Online has maintained an incredible following both on the public servers and private shards such as ours.
If you are interested in trying out online role-play in an adults only fairy tale setting, we encourage you to give us a try.  We offer a wide range of races and classes and some of the best RP you will find online role play server anywhere.