Shōgun Recap: Is A Grieving Toranaga About To Pull Off A Masterful Bluff?
This week on Shōgun, Lord Toranaga is devastated by the death of his son Nagakado — and gets hit hard by another death, too — but he may not be as ready to give up as you think.
As Tuesday's episode opens, a mournful and ailing Toranaga leads a procession on horseback following Nagakado's undignified demise. The other lords will allow Toranaga to grieve his son for 49 days before escorting him to Osaka, but Blackthorne is still itching for battle: "At least Nagakado-san died fighting," he mutters to Mariko. Ochiba learns that Toranaga has surrendered — and Ishido offers to marry her (!) to "strengthen our bond," but she doesn't give him an answer. Omi pays tribute to his late friend Nagakado, pointing out that he would never give up the way his father is, and Nagakado's body is burned to ashes in a funeral ceremony while Toranaga watches from afar.
While Mariko visits Lady Rin and her newborn baby, Buntaro stops by and offers to make his wife tea. (Well, it's a start.) Blackthorne runs into that Portuguese priest Alvito and tells him he's planning to reunite with his old shipmates. But Alvito warns him to not wear his Japanese robes when he sees them. Alvito also meets with Toranaga, who no longer trusts him after Blackthorne poisoned that well. Alvito suggests that Toranaga try to use the young heir to win Ochiba back to his side against Ishido, but Toranaga doubts he can ever get Ochiba to align with him. "Your face has the color of defeat," Hiromatsu complains, but Toranaga cuts him off: "My son is dead. I will have no further bloodshed." He offers the priest a parcel of land to build a Catholic church in Edo and asks him to go to Osaka to tell Ishido what he's seen here. That seems like a sign of life to Hiromatsu, who tells Yabushige: "He's going to fight."
Buntaro humbly prepares matcha tea for Mariko and reminisces about their happier days together, but Mariko isn't moved: "I struggle to remember clearly." He has an idea: They could die together to protest Toranaga's surrender and to give Mariko the sweet release she's wanted. But she says no ("I would sooner live a thousand years than die with you like this"), leaving him in tears. Blackthorne meets with a former shipmate, but the drunken lout thinks Blackthorne led them to Japan on a lie and orders him to "take off those skirts," so Blackthorne beats him senseless. He also tries to strike a side deal with Yabushige to reclaim his ship and fight back, but Yabushige refuses to betray his lord. The Portuguese priest Alvito happily plans out where his church will be... but then discovers that Jin's new brothel will be right next door. (Oops!) And back in Osaka, Lady Daiyoin has a stroke and warns Ochiba with her dying breath, "You must stop these games," adding that Ishido is "nothing, and comes from nothing."
Toranaga gathers his men to tell them that Yabushige will deliver his guns and cannons to Osaka, along with the names of the men who are surrendering. Yabushige and Omi sign their names, but another man refuses: "We cannot follow you on this path to defeat." Hiromatsu takes it one step further: He'll commit seppuku, or ritual suicide, if Toranaga doesn't reconsider. He accuses him of "throwing away all we have fought for," and the two old friends stare each other down. Toranaga won't budge, though, and when Hiromatsu threatens that "your vassal dies in vain," Toranaga's reply is cold: "Then die." Omi protests, but Toranaga insists: "I will not yield." Hiromatsu asks Buntaro to second him and says, "Forgive me"... before dragging a blade across his stomach, with Buntaro severing his head to complete the deed.
Mariko later visits Toranaga, and they're both still reeling from Hiromatsu's death. But Toranaga knows that Blackthorne tried to approach Yabushige, and even though Yabushige said no, "he'll change his mind after today." Hmmm... Toranaga weeps over the loss of his friend, but he confides: "Osaka has to believe my defeat is real." Oh! So this is all part of an elaborate ruse. He asks Mariko, "Now are you ready to do your part?" She assures him she is, and as Yabushige and Blackthorne team up to secretly commandeer a ship loaded with weapons, Mariko pops by to tell them she's going to Osaka with them — at Toranaga's request. The next morning, Toranaga visits the ashes of Nagakado's remains and tells them, "Thank you, my son. You've earned me some time. I will not waste it."
So what does Toranaga have up his sleeve? Hit the comments to share your predictions for Shōgun's final two episodes.