What Is The Heir’s Mother Planning?

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Shōgun episode 5.

Shōgun episode 5 brought a new player into the game – the heir’s mother – and revealed more about Lady Mariko’s past as her relationship with John Blackthorne became more complicated. Taking many by surprise, including Lady Mariko, Shōgun‘s newest episode revealed that Toda Buntaro was not dead. The samurai returned alongside Lord Toranaga, only to find out he would now have to live under the same roof as the Anjin. The tension involving Blackthorne, Mariko, and Buntaro set the tone for Shōgun episode 5, which ended with Toranaga almost dying after a massive earthquake took place.

While Ishido did not take any immediate action over the death of Nebara Josen, the leader of Shōgun‘s Council of Regents met with Ochiba-no-kata, the heir’s mother. Toranaga, who had to watch a large portion of Anjiro be destroyed by the earthquake, will now have to deal with another powerful figure as Lady Ochiba is no longer interested in political machinations and wants to protect her son from those who may try to usurp his title. Lastly, Mariko and Blackthorne are no longer on good terms after the former revealed her life story to the latter.

Lady Ochiba’s Return In Shōgun (& What It Means For The Regents)

Ochiba-no-kata has returned to Osaka

Ochiba-no-kata is the mother of the Taikō’s heir, having been the only of Nakamura Hidetoshi’s consorts to bear the ruler a child. At the beginning of Shōgun, Ochiba was essentially being kept as a hostage in Toranaga’s castle in Edo, which increased the tension between the Lord of Kanto and the Council of Regents. In theory, the Regents should rule on behalf of the Taikō’s son until Yaechiyo turns 16. However, Ishido and the rest of the Council of Regents feared that Toranaga, who was growing more powerful by the day, wanted to take over.

Now, Shōgun reveals that the heir’s mother is not only fully aware of the political games being played over her son’s title but is also taking part in the conflict. Ochiba is speaking directly to Ishido and seems to have a massive influence over him and the rest of the Regents, which makes sense given how the council should protect the interests of the heir. Ochiba-no-taka perceives Toranaga as an enemy and has chosen to align herself with the Regents, but she seems to be the one giving the cards and not the other way around.

Shōgun episode 5 ends with Ochiba stating that the time for political games is over, suggesting she will now be more directly involved with the decisions concerning her son’s future. The series had so far painted Ishido as the biggest threat to Lord Toranaga’s plan, but that may not be the case. An alliance between the heir’s mother and the Council of Regents will not be good for Toranaga, especially now that a war between him and Ishido is inevitable following the gruesome death of Jozen in Shōgun episode 4.

Shōgun Episode 5’s Earthquake & True Story Explained

Shogun’s earthquake is based on the Keichō earthquake

Shōgun episode 5’s earthquake almost got Lord Toranaga killed and led to countless casualties in one of the show’s most intense sequences yet. John Blackthorne and Lady Mariko had previously felt a smaller-scale earthquake in episode 4, which was the first earthquake Blackthorne ever experienced. Lady Mariko stated that, in Japan, death can come from air, land, or sea, referencing how the country has always been susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis. While it seemed like FX’s Shōgun was going to skip the portion of the novel that loosely adapted the Keichō earthquake, episode 5 covered this important event.

Related

Shogun’s Imjin War Reference Explained: What Happened Between Japan & Korea

The Imjin War between Japan, Korea, & China is referenced several times in Shōgun, representing a time when the rivals of the series worked together.

Although Shōgun takes place in 1600, the earthquake that happened in episode 5 is based on the Keichō earthquake, which took place in 1605. It had a magnitude of 7.9 and affected several regions, leading to thousands of deaths not only due to the earthquake itself but also to the tsunami that came afterward. In James Clavell’s novel, John Blackthorne saves Yoshii Toranaga during the earthquake, and that is why the Lord of Kanto makes the Anjin into Hatamoto. This is slightly different from what happened in FX’s Shōgun, as Blackthorne became Hatamoto before the earthquake.

What Happened To The Gardener In Shōgun (Is He Really Dead?)

Uejirou was used as a scapegoat

Uejirou, the gardener assigned to John Blackthorne’s home, was said to have been executed for committing a crime. The crime in question was to remove the pheasant, which Blackthorne received from Lord Toranaga as a gift and hung up on the wall, from where it was because of the smell. This is because Blackthorne jokingly said that whoever touched the pheasant “was dead,” which led to the gardener’s action being considered a crime punishable by death. Usami Fuji explained the situation to Blackthorne, who was in shock and extremely angry at what his words had led to.

Related

What Happened To Lady Mariko’s Family In Shogun

Lady Mariko reveals glimpses of her family’s tragic backstory in Shōgun episode 4, which could have major implications for her later in the season.

However, it is unclear whether the gardener is really dead. Earlier in the episode, Toranaga warned Muraji, his spy, to be extra careful now that Yabushige was looking for the mole. Although Muraji wanted to turn himself in, Toranaga said that he would not have it and suggested they found “another spy” for Yabushige to discover. At the end of Shōgun episode 5, Muraji claimed that the gardener, who had already been killed at that point, was the spy. Considering Uejirou’s body was never shown, he may have been taken to a different location and used to cover up Toranaga’s real spy.

Muraji’s Real Name Explained (& How Toranaga Protected His Spy)

Muraji is a samurai serving Lord Toranaga

Muraji was revealed to be Toranaga’s spy in the region controlled by Yabushige in episode 1, but the show has now offered more information about their relationship. Muraji, whose real name is Tonomoto Akinao, is a samurai who once served Toranaga and remained loyal to the Lord of Kanto. It’s unclear for how long Tonomoto Akinao has been living as a spy under a different name, but he and Toranaga have managed to keep their arrangement secret despite Yabushige’s efforts to find the spy. Uejirou, whose death is not confirmed, was used as the scapegoat.

Why Toda Buntaro Didn’t Fight John Blackthorne

Despite the tension, a fight between the two didn’t happen

Toda Buntaro’s return led to some very intense scenes involving him and John Blackthorne, all of which culminated in a confrontation between the two characters after the Anjin saw that Buntaro had hurt Mariko. While it seemed like there would be some sort of duel between Buntaro and Toranaga, especially given how they were previously comparing their skills, Lady Mariko’s husband simply apologized to the Anjin. The samurai noted that he was dishonoring Blackthorn’s home and refused to get up and pick up his sword for a fight.

Everything Shōgun Episode 5 Revealed About Lady Mariko’s Past

Lady Mariko has wished to commit seppuku ever since her father’s treason

Shōgun’s Lady Mariko is loosely based on Hosokawa Gracia, who played an important role in Japan’s Sengoku era and converted to Christianism at a young age. Gracia’s father, Akechi Mitsuhide, betrayed and killed Oda Nobunaga, considered the first of Japan’s Great Unifiers. Like Hosokawa Gracia, Lady Mariko is the daughter of a traitor, Akechi-san, who killed Lord Kuroda. Mariko revealed to Blackthorne that, even though she asked to commit seppuku alongside her family, she was forced to marry the samurai Toda Buntaro instead. Mariko has lived in shame and agony ever since, hoping she will someday be allowed to die.

What Is Next For John Blackthorne & Lady Mariko’s Relationship In Shōgun

Mariko and Blackthorne will now only speak to each other through other people’s words

Blackthorne confronted Mariko about how she chose to live her life, stating that she could not spend her days wishing to be dead and being resentful that she was not allowed to commit seppuku. This caused them to argue, and Mariko now seems to regret having told her life story to Blackthorne. She has put an end to whatever relationship they had, saying that, from now on, they will only talk to each other whenever there is something to be translated. Whether they will reconcile in Shōgun’s next episodes remains to be seen.

Stream on Hulu

Shogun

Shogun is an FX original mini-series set in 17th Century Japan. Shogun follows John Blackthorne, who becomes a samurai warrior but is unknowingly a pawn in Yoshii Toranaga’s plan to become Shogun. The series stars Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne and Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga, along with Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, and Yûki Kedôin.

Cast

Cosmo Jarvis , Hiroyuki Sanada , Anna Sawai , Tadanobu Asano , Yûki Kedôin

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu