The second challenge is offered:
He must leap to the foot of a bridge
In front of a training school many miles away,
His feet to leave the ground here
And not touch it again until he is there.
A "salmon leap" it is called,
But Hakuin accomplishes it simply
By stepping into a carriage outside the restaurant
And only stepping out again when he reaches his destination.

Another "salmon leap" is called for,
This time to cross the bridge.
What is this Celtic fascination
For a fish that does everything the hard way?
Sitting patiently by the river
Hakuin waits until a salmon jumps into the air,
A peculiar trait that makes it easy to catch.
With the fish firmly in hand,
He walks up to the guardian of the bridge
And says, "Give me a word of Zen."
When the guardian looks at him in puzzlement
Hakuin smacks him upside the head,
Steps over his unconscious body, and crosses.

In the courtyard of the school
Two young men wrestle, naked,
While a beautiful woman sits nearby watching.
She is their mother, he is told.
His task is to seduce her
Using a weapon of iron,
But he knows this will not be easy:
He is neither young enough, nor a close enough relation
To attract her attention.
Taking the salmon, which he still holds in his hand,
He swiftly carves it into strips.
Some are lightly stir-fried in his traveller's wok,
Others washed and left raw.
The entire meal is then arranged on a platter in an attractive fashion
And presented to her.

Within the hour she is his,
Having succumbed to Hakuin, The Iron Chef.