Spoiler Alert!
This will include spoilers from the start, so I’m warning you now. The Shogun Finale was recently released, following the dramatic Penultimate episode from last week. The penultimate episode, as in many good series, is frequently the most action-packed. And the conclusion often serves the purpose of returning everything to earth and expanding on what we’ve seen, which Shogun accomplished beautifully.
The ending was ambiguous, yet it also provided clarity and finality while keeping things open. There was no Battle of Sekigahara, as many of us feared, and it clearly borrowed from the 1980s miniseries and novel by presenting it practically as a footnote. This is because the show isn’t about the Battle of Sekigahara, but rather everything that happened in the aftermath.
Shogun Episode 10 Breakdown
Torunaga claimed that he sent a woman to do what an army couldn’t, a term with immense meaning. So, without further ado, let us get started with this episode. Here’s an explanation for the ending of Shogun, episode 10. John’s old age and fate Throughout the episode, particularly at moments, there was an emphasis on Blackthorn’s later years.
We had no idea if it was real, but it transported us to the future, when he was an elderly man living in England, yet the objects displayed in his room suggested that he fondly remembered his time in Japan. There was a helmet with Torunaga’s banner, as well as his sword, which was said to have defeated an entire army.
This could mean that after serving Toronaga, he eventually returned to England. One factor that leads me to believe this is genuine is that when the picture opened and closed, a clock ticked in the background, seemingly representing the passage of time.
However, the fact that he was clutching Mariko’s crucifix, which he hurled into the water as Fujisama spread her husband and child’s ashes, leads me to assume it was a dream. Furthermore, this occurred when John was asleep following the explosion that killed Maricor.
This scene felt somewhat like John’s dream, which is relevant to the title. John intended to leave Japan, return home, and spend his life in England. When he was asked, “Was it given to you by a savage?” it almost highlighted his shift in thinking, because later in the episode, when he was knocked out again, the question came back into his brain, and it cut to Mariko several times.
The series focused on John’s sense of belonging and how he didn’t fit in with the European society he was accustomed to, as well as not quite fitting in with the culture and country he found himself in while in Japan. He had described the people as savages before ever stepping foot in Japan, but when he awoke, he had changed his opinion.
I doubt we’ll ever know for sure if this scene was a dream or reality, but I believe it was a dream. In fact, the actual John Blackthorne, William Adams, never left Japan and lived there until his death. He had children there as well. So, if the show wishes to stay true to history, as it has on countless occasions throughout its tenure, I believe it will behave as a dream.
Jon’s despair and sense of grief for Marikor were palpable throughout the show. He held Marikor’s cross, which she had gotten 14 years ago from Father Martin Alvitor, who informed her it was for when words failed. And Blackthorn hanging on this cross with everything he had for the entire episode, even as he was about to commit seppuku, proved that he was in pain and lacked the words to make things right.
One scene was very tough to watch: he was sitting with Fujisama, and there was an empty space next to them where Mariko used to sit. The absence was felt, and it was clear he felt the same way. Even when he boarded the ferry to return to Ejiro and burst into tears thinking about her, it was a moving experience.
The background score also improved the scene’s effectiveness. Mariko implored the church to save John’s life after her death and ensure he was not ambushed. It proved her concern for him, and he appreciated the fact that he was a thought in her thoughts during what would have been her final moments.
John’s declaration that he was praying to a god, not a Protestant god or a Catholic god, but just a god, revealed that he had put the war within him on pause before arriving on the shores of Japan, displaying his lack of concern. Even when he met Toranaga, he informed him that he didn’t need the war and that it was a petty fight, proving that Japan and Maricor had changed him and that he was no longer the same person he had been when he first arrived.
It wasn’t until the end of the show that we saw him let go of Maricor, dropping her cross in the ocean when Fujisama scattered her family’s ashes there. Her words, “Let your hands be the last to hold hers,” struck me as an appropriate touch. John mentioned that a soul devoted to the sea lasts forever, therefore his inclusion of his views in this case, as well as the connection of two different civilizations, piqued my interest.
During this episode, Blackthorn also had some weird experiences. For example, when he met Omi, it was substantially different from earlier encounters. They were both courteous of one another, and Omi handed over the swords and gun without difficulty. This was very different from the hostility in previous episodes.
In addition, in the episode’s end, Toda Buntaro helped Blackthorn pull his ship out of the ocean. That was not what everyone expected, but it established that Blackthorn had a home in Japan. He was no longer the savage the people remembered him as when he first arrived.
The people were no longer savages, as he had thought. There was now mutual respect between the two of them, and he had determined where he thought he needed to be. Yabushige’s Fate Yabushige’s arc was both complex and straightforward throughout the series. He was a man who did everything he could to survive and avoid death, but by the conclusion of the show, death was all that remained for him.
Torinaga’s spy in Osaka reported that they saw Yabushige lead the shinobi inside the castle on the night Lady Mariko was slain, and that his remorse over her death was a clear indication that he was responsible. We saw his regretful demeanour in the first part, when he muttered forgive me to John while cradling Marikor’s lifeless body, indicating that he realised he’d made a huge mistake at that moment.
Yabushige had the last thing on his mind when Ishidor congratulated him on his commitment and promised him a spot on the council if Ishidor won the war. He had almost lost the plot due of his involvement. The earthquake that occurred when Ishidor notified the regents that they would be going to war with Torunaga.
It reminded Yabushige of a period when the former Taiko was going to wage war on Toranaga, but saw the earthquake as a bad omen and was forced to make peace with him. So, as Yabushige pondered on that event, I believe he saw it as a message that he had made the wrong decision and would face his fate when he returned to the fishing hamlet of Ejiro.
The desperation with which he implored the engine to sail to England with him was almost diametrically opposed to the scene at the beginning of the show in the first episode. When the Jesuits brought John before him in episode 1, Yabushige took command of his life.
And now, in this scenario, John was Yabushige’s only hope for life, and there was no sympathy offered, with John just stating, “Pull yourself together.” Yabushige lost all of his warriors, who were now devoted to Toranaga as a result of his treasonous deeds. Even Omi told Toranaga what he had learned regarding Yabushige’s involvement.
Although it was not explicitly stated, I assume this was a test Toranaga had set for Omi, and if Omi did not pass on the information, he would have been aware. Toranaga is a virtuoso at deception; nothing escapes him. Toronaga ordered Yabushige to do seppuku the next day, and I thought this scene and encounter between Toronaga and Yabushige, two long-time friends who never truly trusted each other, was one of the best in the programme.
Yabushige’s seppuku was more public in the 1980s miniseries, yet its intimate nature benefitted the drama considerably. I expected Yabushige to hand over his katana to Blackthorn, as he had in the 1980s episode, but he did not. I hoped to see it since it would have been a symbol of respect, demonstrating that Yabushige recognised Blackthorn as a person and no longer saw him as a barbarian, but I believe the fact that he asked if he may second him before it was refused met that purpose.
Yabushige’s death poem sparked my curiosity as well. Don’t burn or bury my body; instead, leave it in the field to feed a starving dog. This taught me two different lessons. Yabushige recognised the rebellious side of himself and the lack of allegiance in his blood, and as a result, he did not believe he merited a burial or celebration.
But I also noted that Yabushige understood the significance of being able to provide food and strength to a dog that would feast on him, so allowing life to continue. Which one do you think Yabushige believed? That is something we will never know, but I believe he would see the importance of being able to bring strength to another animal.
The inclusion of his final will, which we saw him write on several occasions throughout the presentation, changing it as he believed he was nearing death. It was a nice touch for him to surprise his writer and show that he did it himself in secret.
Yabushige was about to die. Torunaga’s chilling line to him was, “Why tell the dead man the future?” The last phrases were very distressing. Yabushige’s absence does not cause any disruptions in daily living. He was essential to Torunaga’s agenda, yet he did not fit into the world that Torunaga would eventually govern.
It was an excellent way to complete the character’s arc. Toronaga’s scheme The central theme of Shogun was Toronaga’s scheme. Toronaga declared war at the beginning of the first episode. In Episode 10, Ishido and his soldiers were mobilised for war, demonstrating how far behind Toronaga in terms of information.
The phrase “I sent a woman to do what an army couldn’t” literally swung the tide for Toranaga and the ensuing Battle of Sekigahara. Crimson Sky was finished, and Marikor commanded the army that stormed into Osaka. Ishido and the regents agreed to go to war, despite Lord Kiyama and Lord Ono’s objections to what had happened to Lady Marikor and their belief that going to war was the wrong decision.
They appeared to be terrified to leave Ishido because of what happened to Sugiyama and the fate he met, and they did not want to suffer the same fate. So, with Mariko slain, Lady Ochiba no Kata’s presence in the background of the shot during the exchange was tragic since she was the only person who could influence events on the battlefield.
In the previous episode, Mariko asked Lady Ochiba, “Aren’t you tired of all of this?” It seems that Torunaga recognised that killing Marikor and connecting with Lady Ochiba before she died would be immensely beneficial. It accomplished just that. Lady Ochiba borrowed Marikor’s poem “Flowers are only flowers because they fall,” which she authored.
She added the line, but happily there was a breeze. This phrase seems to have a deeper meaning for Toranaga. Toranaga was the wind in this case. It was reported that he could control the wind, and Toranaga presumed he had studied it. So, in the concealed note, the reference to the wind was Toranaga, and Lady Ochiba was expressing her allegiance to him.
Lady Ochiba’s refusal to provide the Heirs Army on the battlefield in Sekigahara prompted the other regents to oppose Ishidō. This meant that Ishidō became the one who wasn’t fighting under the Heirs flag, which the other regents didn’t want to connect with. So Toranaka triumphed that day.
What the show didn’t convey was Ishido’s ultimate destiny. According Japanese history, after losing, Ishida Mitsunari left the battlefield and was eventually identified and caught by local peasants. When captured, he lost his head, which was on display in Kyoto for all to see.
Many other daimyos in the western army who supported Ishida were executed as well. Toranaga wished this because he envisioned a peaceful, unified Japan without warfare, beginning in Edo. Yabushige intimated that Toranaga wanted to be shogun of that unified Japan, but Toranaga never reacted or admitted to anyone that he wanted to be.
But I think Toranaga did. This was his ultimate ambition. After Ieyasu Tokugawa became shogun, the true heir to the taiko was permitted to remain in Osaka Castle. However, Ieyasu Tokugawa conducted numerous raids against Osaka Castle in an attempt to seize control of it.
During the summer siege of Osaka in 1615, Tokugawa’s warriors proved too strong for Hideyori, compelling him and his mother to perform seppuku. So, despite the show highlighting Lady Ochiba no Kata’s devotion and Torunaga’s anxiety for the heir. If the programme had proceeded, Torunaga would have done whatever he thought was required to become monarch.
Torunaga was also shown in this episode to be responsible for the sinking of John Blackthorne’s ship, the Erasmus. This was done to keep the engine in Japan. This, I believe, highlighted Torunaga’s disposable attitude towards the villagers’ lives.
He was executing them to prove the fiction he had concocted to persuade Blackthorne that Christians had destroyed it. We hadn’t seen Torunaga’s brutality in the performance before, but it was one way of demonstrating how far he was willing to go to be convincing.
At the end of the episode, we saw Blackthorn look up at Torunaga as he watched the ship being pulled from the ocean, evocative of the 1980s miniseries. Blackthorn laughed gently, almost as if he had finally understood Torunaga’s goals after all this time.
As Torunaga stood on the edge, the camera went behind him, the music intensified, and the title Shogun appeared. It was a fantastic way to end the concert, and it was epic in every respect. My thoughts on the show: I think this was an outstanding Shogun episode. Am I disappointed that we did not get to witness the Battle of Sekigahara?
I do not believe so. Battle sequences are certainly entertaining to watch, but as I already indicated, this show was about Torunaga, not the buildup to the battle. How he handled people, the game, and his path to becoming Shogun. It’s also surprising that we didn’t witness him become it.
We gave him a lot of work to do, which I appreciated because it highlighted his intelligence and leadership skills. We sensed the end before it occurred. Torinaga was the Falcon that he cared about. Torinaga detailed in Episode 1 how a falcon conceals itself against the light to conserve energy while waiting for an opportunity.
Torinaga’s release during this episode proved that his time had come, and he was prepared to carry the scheme to the next level. The casting for this show was simply outstanding. Everyone did a wonderful job with their parts, and I believe each character was communicated appropriately.
Lady Ochiban Okata’s enigmatic, evil personality, the very human and compassionate Akechi Mariko, the disturbed John Blackthorn, the disloyal Yabushige, or Yoshitora Naga’s composed tactical commander. I believe this final episode could have been a little longer, however.
Not that there were any pace concerns, but I did feel like there were times when things were trying to be wrapped up and needed to be addressed, which I doubt would have felt the same if there had been an extra 15 or 20 minutes. I thought the final episode had the best score of the entire series.
Each piece of music complemented the setting well. Whether it was the last scene or the one that followed Blackthorn’s departure from Osaka, the latter stuck out to me. Shogun will likely be remembered as one of the best miniseries ever created. It’s already high in the ranks, and I feel time will help it further.
It’s simply a fantastic drama set in a time period that is rarely shown on television. And James Clavel’s story from 50 years ago is still as striking now. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be able to watch this show, and while they’ve announced that there will be no Season 2, I’d love to see anything set in the same world or universe.
Whether it’s a prequel or a spin-off, it’s simply too good to miss. But perhaps this is what makes it so lovely. Flowers are merely flowers that fall. So. This finishes Episode 10 of Shogun.
There is a playlist dedicated to analysing each episode of the show. Alternatively, you can go to the channel and find them all. I’ll be releasing a separate film in the coming days that concentrates on Shogun, so stay tuned to find out what it is. What did you think of the ending?
