Top 10 Shogun Moments

It’s not the first interaction between Blackthorne and Toranaga, but it’s arguably the most consequential. Toranaga requests that the Anjin draw him a map of the world, and he obliges. Not only that, he informs Toranaga about global politics, including trade routes, alliances between countries, land treaties, and religious colonialism. It’s a lot of dense material that could have easily come across like a dry history class, but it’s greatly entertaining thanks to some sharp writing and captivating acting. It’s amazing how fun they managed to make an expositional scene about trade and politics, but hey, that just goes to show how great the show is!

“Shogun” is quite a heavy show, so it was nice to see a brief moment of levity. Toranaga and Blackthorne escape Osaka, and the future shogun honors the English explorer by making him a hatamoto. In Japanese culture, a hatamoto was a high ranking samurai and trusted vassal who worked directly under a lord, or daimyo. It’s a touching gesture, and it’s followed by a cute scene where Blackthorne teaches Toranaga how to dive. It’s fun, funny, and necessary, a light break from the action that also shows a great relationship beginning to take shape.

The relationship between Mariko and Buntaro is arguably the show’s bleakest aspect, and that’s saying something. It’s a completely loveless marriage, and as depicted in chapter five, a rather violent one as well. Enter chapter eight, when things are at a nadir. Nagakado is dead, and Toranaga has seemingly surrendered to Ishido and the council. Seeing no hope for the future, Buntaro approaches Mariko and suggests that they commit seppuku together. It’s a total gut-punch of a scene that encompasses their marriage all too well - and painfully depicts why Mariko is so unhappy.

Contrast Buntaro’s scene with Blackthorne’s. Whereas Buntaro’s conversation was cold, loveless, and completely without spark, Blackthorne’s is the total opposite. He and Mariko share a beautiful nighttime talk after dinner, and it is warm, loving, and never mind sparks - these are fireworks! Blackthorne recounts a date that he and Mariko would have if they were back in London, and his point about forgetting your troubles cuts to Mariko on a deeply personal level. It’s after this talk that she makes her move, having finally found a person to love and connect with. The scene is beautifully acted and scored, and we desperately wish that we got more like it!

“Shōgun” has a deft handle on tone, being able to both make us cry and wince in horror. Blackthorne and his party get a nasty welcome on the shores of Ajiro, especially when Yabushige comes to investigate. A power hungry man with a deep thirst for blood, Yabushige confiscates the ship and has the men imprisoned. He also orders that one of the sailors be killed “his special way.” That “special way” is throwing him in a slowly-boiling cauldron and listening with great pleasure as he screams himself to death. The scene is not only horrific, but necessary in terms of building tension and establishing character. As fun as he is to watch, Yabu is not a good person.

Learning that Toranaga will surrender to Ishido, his most trusted general, Toda Hiromatsu, commits a great act of defiance. Protesting Toranaga’s decision, Hiromatsu commits seppuku in front of all the vassals, with his own son Buntaro serving as his second. The scene is fantastically acted between Tokuma Nishioka and Hiroyuki Sanada, the latter of whom does a fantastic job in revealing Toranaga’s pain through subtle facial expressions. And as we learn later, this seppuku was a secret ploy between Hiromatsu and Toranaga, having been planned in advance for strategic purposes. Hiromatsu serves his lord in the most respectable way possible, and Toranaga once again reveals himself as a deceitful strategist.

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#4: Killing Jozen

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“Shōgun” didn’t often portray big battles, but when it did, it went hard. Nebara Jozen comes a callin’ to see what Toranaga has been up to and to order Yabushige back to Osaka. For both personal and political reasons, Omi plants a rather violent idea in the head of Toranaga’s son, Nagakado. When Jozen arrives to witness the cannon demonstration, Nagakado acts on his own accord and essentially commits a war crime when he decimates Jozen’s army with a series of chain shots. It’s the biggest cliffhanger in the show, not to mention its most grisly and grotesque sequence. War is on, and we were shocked to see it.

Despite everyone’s doubts, Toranaga was always in control. This is revealed in a fascinating conversation between him and Yabushige, shortly before the latter commits seppuku. Toranaga reveals his scheming to Yabu, admitting that everything, from the ship burning to Mariko’s death, had been secretly planned in advance. And while he never says it, the insinuation is that he did it all for power and to become the almighty Shōgun. These are shocking revelations that throw Toranaga’s entire character into question and raise some serious moral dilemmas that weren’t there before. Yes, his goal of a peaceful Japan is admirable, but he is forced to do some questionable and deceitful things in his quest to get there. Such is the moral ambiguity of war.

The character arcs of Blackthorne and Fuji come to an end in an absolutely gorgeous scene about letting go of the past. Blackthorne takes Fuji out on the water, wanting one last interaction before Fuji leaves Ajiro to become a nun. Fuji takes the ashes of her husband and child and scatters them in the water in a commemorative ceremony. Then it’s Blackthorne’s turn, and he drops Mariko’s cross into the water. The scene is heavy with pain and loss, but it’s also meant to convey positive emotions around redemption and healing. This isn’t the last scene of “Shōgun,” but it brings Blackthorne’s story to a moving and satisfying close.

Chapter nine is a tremendous piece of television, and while Mariko’s explosive death is obviously impactful, we have to give the top spot to her near-seppuku. This is a phenomenal sequence that is terrifically performed by both Anna Sawai and Cosmo Jarvis. The scene is heavy with emotion, but the tears really start flowing when Blackthorne steps up and offers to second Mariko. The seppuku pays off many important aspects of Mariko’s character, including her contentious family history, her religion, her depression, and her allegiance to Toranaga. Meanwhile, Blackthorne performs the ultimate act of love by putting his own soul on the line and offering to alleviate her fear of damnation. Weirdly enough, we couldn’t imagine a greater act of romance and chivalry.

Did we forget your favorite moment? Let us know in the comments below!