"Ah, Lord Arai! I am honored by your visit." Tendo Katsuiki rose from his bow. As the wrestling trainer of White Feather Castle he saw his liege-lord fairly regularly, but this visit was a surprise.
"How goes the winter training, Katsuiki?"
"Well enough, sir. The last replacements are healthy, although they do not fully appreciate the virtues of flexibility and would prefer to spend their time on weapons-skills." Lord Arai desired a broad base of training for his ashigaru, and sent all of them to Katsuiki for at least one season to teach them basic unarmed combat.
"I hear you have a new protege, as well?"
"Ah yes, that is so, Arai-sama. I am very pleased with his progress. He is working out now with Hidiyaki, would you like to see him?"
Lord Arai nodded, and was escorted to the courtyard of Katsuiki's house.
Hidiyaki was a burly samurai with a reputation for brutality. He was very strong, thickset, and tall, and was one of the two or three men who Katsuiki trained in advanced wrestling techniques.
His opponent was ... huge. He towered over the tall samurai by a full head. He was clearly just a young man, not even having fully filled out, and he looked gangly next to his sparrying partner's mature musculature, but he was quite the tallest man Lord Arai had ever seen.
Even as they watched, the two men slammed together, grabbing each other around the ribs. There was a moment of titanic effort, both straining and grunting, but then the tall young man lifted his opponent, Hidiyaki, over his head and threw him to the packed earth.
"What name does this young man go by?" Lord Arai watched him move as the two wrestlers stepped outside the circle and bowed.
"He is called Yoshi, Lord. He is of peasant stock."
Lord Arai grunted. "And what do you think of his manner, of his personality?"
"He is a good boy, Lord. Dutiful and good natured."
Lord Arai grunted again. "Well enough. Send him to the castle for two hours each day. I wish him to learn the staff, and to fight against weapons."
Katsuiki bowed in acknowledgement.