Shōgun

The hostages are released as news of Mariko's murder spreads through Osaka Castle. Toranaga sends an official letter of protest to the Council of Regents, announcing that he will no longer surrender and instead prepares for war. The Regents know they've lost allies after Mariko's death, but the Heir's banner still makes their side lawful.

Ishido thanks Yabushige for his assistance with the shinobi attack, promising him a place on the Council of Regents, but Yabushige is overcome with guilt. Distracted by delusions, he becomes convinced that a giant catfish caused a recent earthquake, beckoning their bad fortune. Ishido may have his war against Toranaga, but the mood in Osaka is uneasy.

After recovering from the explosion, Blackthorne is escorted out of Osaka Castle and handed over to Kiyama's men. Anticipating another assassination attempt, Blackthorne is on guard, but Alvito leads him to the harbor without incident. With the loss of Mariko, the two men have finally found some common ground. Before Blackthorne departs Osaka, Alvito admits that Mariko made a deal to save his life from the Catholics who wanted him dead.

<figure class="table" style="width:89.5%;"><table class="ck-table-resized"><colgroup><col style="width:6.18%;"><col style="width:93.82%;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="width:50px;">&nbsp;</td><td>INSIDE THE EPISODE:&nbsp;War Council, The Catfish, Ochiba’s Second Verse<a href="#historycouncil">LEARN MORE </a>&gt;</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

When Yabushige and Blackthorne arrive in Ajiro, two surprises await them: the Erasmus has been destroyed, and a small army waits to apprehend Yabushige, led by his nephew Omi. Blackthorne finds the village in a state of panic as Toranaga's samurai search for the arsonist of the Erasmus. Yabushige is brought before Toranaga and interrogated for his role in the shinobi attack. He was seen aiding the assassins, so after months of treachery, Toranaga orders him to commit seppuku.&nbsp;

Toranaga is later reunited with his consorts, Kiri and Shizu. He meets his newborn son and receives a mysterious secret letter from Ochiba. Meanwhile, Blackthorne returns to his Ajiro home, where Mariko's absence is palpable. With Fuji planning on becoming a Buddhist nun, Blackthorne has never been more alone. Feeling responsible for the pain inflicted on the village, he sets a meeting with Toranaga.

On the cliffs of Ajiro, Blackthorne apologizes to Toranaga for his disrespect and asks for mercy on Ajiro. He realizes that Mariko's deal for his life must have promised the Catholics that they could burn his ship, making him less of a threat. When Toranaga refuses his pleas, Blackthorne attempts suicide — stopped at the last minute by Toranaga. Having proven his loyalty, Toranaga asks Blackthorne to rebuild his ship, eventually making him a fleet.&nbsp;

As the village settles back into peace, Yabushige prepares for his death. And Toranaga, waiting to second him, finally has someone to share his inner heart with. He reveals to Yabushige that he ordered Blackthorne's ship destroyed as a test. He also sent Mariko to Osaka, knowing she could do what his army could not. Though Toranaga is outnumbered, Ochiba has pledged to withhold the Heir's support from Ishido, giving Toranaga a chance to win the war. As Shōgun, he plans to usher in an era of great peace and prosperity. It is with this vivid vision of the future that Yabushige dies.

<figure class="table" style="width:89.5%;"><table class="ck-table-resized"><colgroup><col style="width:6.18%;"><col style="width:93.82%;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="width:50px;">&nbsp;</td><td>INSIDE THE EPISODE:&nbsp;Fudō Myō’ō, Yabushige’s Death Poem, The Battle of Sekigahara, Ochiba’s Letter<a href="#historyfudo">LEARN MORE </a>&gt;</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

Blackthorne takes Fuji to sea in a small boat, knowing she still struggles with grief. He explains the custom of a burial at sea, and they lay her family's ashes to rest, along with Mariko's crucifix, allowing them both to say goodbye.&nbsp;Enlisting the help of the villagers, with the unexpected aid of Buntaro, Blackthorne pulls the remains of the Erasmus from the bay. As Blackthorne settles into his new life in Japan indefinitely, Toranaga faces his future. His plans have finally fallen into place.

<figure class="table" style="width:89.5%;"><table class="ck-table-resized"><colgroup><col style="width:6.18%;"><col style="width:93.82%;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="width:50px;">&nbsp;</td><td>INSIDE THE EPISODE:&nbsp;The Fate of the Erasmus and its Crew<a href="#historyerasmus">LEARN MORE </a>&gt;</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">War Council 軍評定</h5>Before a Sengoku warlord went to war, he would gather his generals and major vassals to discuss all the options. This is called ikusa-hyōjō, war council (lit. war evaluation council). All options would be evaluated. The decision was usually made by majority vote, but the warlord had the casting vote.&nbsp;In the series, the Council of Regents had to decide unanimously. This is why Ishido was so eager to convince the other regents. In episode 8, Toranaga also held a war council. It was not uncommon for such a council to erupt into heated arguments between the pro-war and the pro-peace factions, as we saw in that episode.Sometimes the council could not reach a decision. For example, in 1590, the Hōjō clan of Odawara held a war council because they were being attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the Taikō). Inside Odawara Castle, the generals couldn't come to a consensus on whether to stay in the castle or go on the offensive, and whether to wage all-out war or seek a path to peace. After repeatedly holding meetings and spending much time in idle debate, they finally surrendered, and the Hōjōs perished.With little chance of victory, the war council discussed the best way to achieve a truce or surrender. If they decided to go to war, the warlord or a prominent general would say "Shutsujin yamunashi," which literally means: "It is inevitable to go to war" or "We must go to war." The generals repeated “yamunashi.” Then they discussed the best way to conduct the war.

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">The Catfish 鯰</h5>Warlords considered natural phenomena to be of great importance when going into battle. For example, it was considered bad luck if birds flew toward one's position from the enemy's direction, and good luck if they flew in the opposite direction. A military strategist with knowledge of yin-yang would divine the good and bad fortune of each date, time, and direction. A lottery was used to determine the date and time of the battle. The Japanese warlords were indeed very superstitious.They also feared earthquakes. In 1586, four years after Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the Taikō) defeated Akechi Mitsuhide (Akechi Jinsai in Shōgun) and seized power, the Tenshō earthquake struck central Japan, where Hideyoshi had his power base. It was a gigantic earthquake that caused severe damage to the region around Lake Biwa.&nbsp;The famous Jesuit Luis Frois wrote that Hideyoshi was in Mitsuhide's former castle near Lake Biwa at the time. But when the earthquake struck, he left everything he had prepared, jumped on a horse and fled to Osaka for refuge, riding his horse so fast that it was as if he was flying. At that time, Hideyoshi was in the midst of preparations for war with Ieyasu, but because of the earthquake, he halted the preparations and made peace.Hideyoshi believed the earthquake was caused by a giant catfish (namazu). With a length of up to 4 feet and a weight of up to 45 pounds, the Giant Lake Biwa Catfish is one of the largest native freshwater fish in Japan. The Giant Lake Biwa Catfish has been recorded to become extremely active just prior to an earthquake. Perhaps because of this phenomenon, Hideyoshi came up with the idea that earthquakes were caused by the catfish itself.For several hundred years before this incident, the Japanese believed that earthquakes were caused by the rampage of a dragon or large fish lurking underground. But the earliest written reference that clearly associates catfish with earthquakes is a letter from Hideyoshi to Maeda Gen'i, one of his vassals and then governor of Kyoto.&nbsp;In this letter, Hideyoshi ordered Gen'i to build Fushimi Castle so that it would be protected from catfish. Hideyoshi's belief was taken up later in the Edo period, and numerous pictures of catfish were produced after the great earthquake in Edo in 1855.

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">Ochiba's Second Verse 脇句</h5>In episode 9, Mariko had given the first stanza (hokku) for a linked verse poetry party, which after her death was never held.雪ながら yuki nagara夕べに霞む yūbe ni kasumu枯れ枝かな kare-e kanaWhile the snow remainsVeiled in the haze of cold eveningA leafless branchUsually, the host responds with the second stanza, the wakiku. Thinking of her old friend and how they used to play linked verse poetry games together, Lady Ochiba composes the following stanza.風なほ吹きて kaze naho fukite花は花なれ hana wa hana nareFlowers are only flowers because they fallBut thankfully, the wind.The first verse of this stanza in the English version (the second verse in the Japanese version) repeats the content of Mariko's farewell words ("Flowers are only flowers because they fall") to Lady Ochiba in episode 9, indicating that Mariko had already given the hint for the wakiku at that time. Our verse is inspired from the death poem of Mariko's historical counterpart, Akechi Tama (better known as Hosokawa Gracia). It reads as follows.ちりぬべき chirinu beki時しりてこそ toki shirite koso世の中の yo no naka no花も花なれ hana mo hana nare人も人なれ hito mo hito nareOnly if they knowwhen to fall off and perishthe flowers in the worldbecome flowersand humans become humansTama wrote this poem just before she committed suicide to avoid falling into the hands of Ishida Mitsunari (Ishido in Shōgun). In Shōgun, Mariko also knows when she must die. Lady Ochiba, for her part, introduces "wind," also a seasonal word for early spring, which blows away the flowers and suggests purification and a new beginning. It is Mariko's farewell that gives Lady Ochiba the strength to begin anew.

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">Fudō Myō'ō 不動明王</h5>When Yabushige is led away after his interrogation by Toranaga, he utters, "May Fudō Myō'ō smile on tomorrow." Fudō Myō'ō is a Buddhist deity, one of the six Myō'ō ("Wise Kings"). He is said to be an incarnation of Buddha Vairocana (Dainichi Nyorai in Japanese). "Fudō" means "the immovable," so Fudō Myō'ō can be translated as "the Immovable Wise King."This deity is always depicted with a frightening face, fire behind his back, a sword in his right hand and a rope in his left. The sword serves as a tool to drive out demons and cut off people's worldly desires. The rope is like a lasso to catch and bind evil, but also to bind people so they can't reach their worldly desires.With his strong, violent, terrifying appearance and the sword in his right hand, this Buddhist deity was the perfect idol for the samurai and was worshipped by many of them. The famous warlord Takeda Shingen had a statue of Fudō Myō'ō made by the best craftsmen.&nbsp;It is said that Shingen shaved his head in front of the statue, burned the shaved hair, mixed it with lacquer, and personally applied it to the statue's chest and colored it. He hoped that the deity would protect his clan even after his death. Some medieval legends also say that Fudō Myō'ō protects and prolongs the life of those on the verge of death.

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">Yabushige's Death Poem 辞世の句</h5>A samurai death poem is called jisei no ku in Japanese, meaning "a verse when leaving the world." The death poems of several famous warlords have come down to us. Many of them speak of dreams and the transient world. For example, the death poem of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toranaga in Shōgun) is as follows: "Ah, how pleasant! Two awakenings and one sleep. What a dream of a fleeting world! The rosy hues of early dawn!" Once again, Yabushige's death poem does not seem to follow the usual conventions.亡骸は nakigara wa焼くな埋めるな yaku na umeru na野にさらせ no ni sarase餓えたる犬の uetaru inu no腹を満たせよ hara wo mitaseyoMy dead body,don't burn it, don't bury it,just leave it in the fieldand with it, fill the belly ofsome hungry dog.This poem is an adaptation of a death poem attributed to Ono no Komachi, known for her feminine beauty and melancholic poetry. However, several other poets have been cited as the author of this poem, and nothing can be said for certain about the real author.

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">The Battle of Sekigahara 関ヶ原合戦</h5>As in the series, the armies allied with Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toranaga in Shōgun) and Ishida Mitsunari (Ishido in Shōgun) met at Sekigahara, where they fought their decisive battle. Before the battle, news of the suicide of Akechi Tama (Hosokawa Gracia. Mariko in Shōgun) reached her husband, Hosokawa Tadaoki (Buntaro in Shōgun).&nbsp;Tadaoki was part of an army composed of an alliance of warlords assembled by Ieyasu to subdue Uesugi Kagekatsu, one of the regents. Kagekatsu had retreated to his own fief in Aizu and did not respond to Ieyasu's calls to return to Osaka.When Tadaoki heard of his wife's death, he was furious and vowed to destroy Mitsunari. It is easy to imagine that Tadaoki's anger spread to the other generals, many of whom were vassals of the Toyotomi, including Tadaoki.&nbsp;The death of Tadaoki's wife was such a shock to the generals that they decided to move directly to Osaka to put an end to Mitsunari's rebellion. It was these Toyotomi generals who rushed west and dealt Mitsunari's allies several blows before Ieyasu made it to the Sekigahara Plain where the decisive battle was to take place.The generals under Ieyasu's banner formed a strong front, united in their goal to defeat Mitsunari's forces. Due to the quick movement of Tadaoki and his fellow warlords, Mitsunari didn't have enough time to consolidate his positions. His allies were divided, causing confusion and delays.&nbsp;The army of Kobayakawa Hideaki, one of the largest armies in Mitunari's alliance, was stationed on a hill. After several attacks by Ieyasu's forces, Hideaki's army fell on the flanks of Mitsunari's allied forces, causing them to panic and flee. A few days after the battle, Mitsunari was captured and executed

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">Ochiba's Letter 折紙</h5>At the end of episode 10, Toranaga tells Yabushige how he will win the Battle of Sekigahara because Lady Ochiba would not send the Heir's army to support Ishido. In the same episode, we also see that Toranaga has received a letter from Ochiba. These events are based on historical facts. When Ishida Mitsunari (Ishido in Shōgun) was planning to raise an army against Ieyasu, Yodo-no-kata (Ochiba in Shōgun) sent a letter to Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toranaga in Shōgun) asking him to return to Osaka to stop Mitsunari's plans.Meanwhile, Mitsunari was able to convince the other regents and commissioners to join his war effort. However, Yodo-no-kata did not side with them, and the army of Hideyori (Yaechiyo in Shōgun) remained neutral. Although the regents and commissioners signed Ieyasu's letter of impeachment, neither Yodo-no-kata nor Hideyori issued any documents other than the aforementioned letter.&nbsp;This gave Ieyasu official recognition that he was fighting in Hideyori's name. Many vassals loyal to the Toyotomi had already joined Ieyasu's ranks, and on the day of the Battle of Sekigahara, one of the most powerful warlords, Kobayakawa Hideaki, switched sides to Ieyasu. Hideaki was the nephew of Kōdai-in (Daiyoin in Shōgun), the official wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the Taikō).After his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu entered Osaka Castle, where he was treated to a feast by Yodo-no-kata and Hideyori. There would be peace until 1614, when the balance of power between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi finally crumbled and the Siege of Osaka, the largest and last battle in the history of the Sengoku period, resulted in the destruction of the Toyotomi forces and the seppuku of Yodo-no-kata and her son, Hideyori.

<h5 class="ckHeading5">&nbsp;</h5><h5 class="ckHeading5">The Fate of the Erasmus and its Crew</h5>Toranaga's historical counterpart, Tokugawa Ieyasu, did not burn the ship of William Adams (John Blackthorne in Shōgun), but he did forbid the Erasmus and its crew from leaving Japan. Adams's ship, the Liefde, was badly damaged, and without repairs it quickly fell into disrepair.&nbsp;After two years of unsuccessfully asking for permission to leave, the crew abandoned the ship. Each went his own way and married Japanese girls. For example, we know of a Dutch sailor who married the daughter of an innkeeper. He stayed there and helped run the inn. Other sailors settled down as merchants.In 1605, Captain Jacob Quaeckernaeck finally received permission to leave Japan. In Malacca he met his cousin who was admiral of the fleet of the Dutch East India Company. Quaeckernaeck was appointed captain of one of the fleet's ships, but soon died in a sea battle against the Portuguese.Adams himself became a trusted advisor to Ieyasu. He built two ships for the Shōgun and, as Hatamoto, had influence on Ieyasu's foreign policy. In 1609, the Dutch East India Company sent ships to Japan and established a trading post in Hirado, Kyushu. Adams negotiated favorable trade terms for them.&nbsp;Two years later, the English East India Company also established a trading post in Hirado. It was at this time that Adams finally received permission to leave the country. Although he traveled to Southeast Asia several times in the service of the English East India Company, he never returned to his homeland. Adams died in Hirado on May 16, 1620, 4 years after Ieyasu had left this world.

A choice that will make history.&nbsp;Host Emily Yoshida and guests break down episode 10 of FX's Shōgun. Featuring showrunner Justin Marks, actor Cosmo Jarvis "Blackthorne," historian Frederik Cryns, executive producer Michaela Clavell, and actor and producer Hiroyuki Sanada "Toranaga." In this last installment of the companion podcast, creators, cast, and crew will round out the entire series while discussing the fates of all its characters.

Episode 10 - A Dream of a Dream

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In the wake of a tragedy, Blackthorne finally considers the true nature of Toranaga’s plan.

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Episode 10 - A Dream of a Dream

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