The Eightfold Fence is the fourth episode of the FX limited series, Shōgun. The episode premiered on March 12, 2024.
Synopsis[]
Blackthorne and Mariko test their new alliance as they train Toranaga's gun regiment for war. Yabushige must navigate his past promises to Ishido when an old friend comes to the village.
Plot Summary[]
A man rushes a message from Osaka to Lord Omi in Ajiro. He rushes the townspeople to prepare for the arrival of Lord Yabushige and his guest, Lord Toranaga.
Fuji begs Mariko to let her leave and become a nun because she would rather that than serve a barbarian. Mariko insists she trust Lord Toranaga and only asks for a year of service from Fuji, who compromises and agrees to six months. Lord Toranaga tells Yabushige he resigned from the Council of Regents. Yabushige seems very concerned by this.
The people of Ajiro are surprised to see the barbarian again -and even more that he has a title given by Toranaga. Lord Toranaga addresses the crowd of samurais and the people of Ajiro, asking for loyalty. John looks for his men in Ajiro. He asks Muraji where they are and he informs them they were moved to a different place. Mariko tells him they are in Edo. She then warns him that he cannot board "his" ship without permission and that the crew and ship belong to Toranaga, not him, despite his misunderstanding. She shows John his new house for inspection.
He is surprised to find out that he has been given a home, a staff, and a salary -but John is upset because all he wants are his men and his ship. Fuji will live with him as his consort but John insists he has no interest in pillowing her or any woman. He gets annoyed that she goes wherever he is. Mariko explains Fuji’s history and her intentions for being his consort. Mariko asks him if he knows about the eightfold fence- an impenetrable wall behind which one can retreat whenever needed. She advises him to train himself to listen without hearing.
Omi-Sama demands John hand over his guns but he refuses. Fuji tells him to give them to her and he does reluctantly, his mistrust of Omi brooding. Omi asks Fuji for the guns and she points them at him telling him to go on his way. Everyone besides Fuji heads to the field to start training. Yabushige wants to learn foreign tactics.
John begins to tell them about a great battle - the Siege of Malta but Mariko stops him, confused because he didn’t even fight in the battle himself. John would rather teach them about naval combat. He shows them how to accurately target canons and Yabushige is both surprised and impressed.
Mariko reads that John was ordered to leave Portugal after committing crimes and she confronts John about this. A small earthquake happens, which shocks John.
Kiku and Omi sleep together. She expresses her concern about the presence of the barbarian and remarks that it might be nice if one day Omi himself were Lord of Ajiro. He seems pleased by this idea.
A man comes running to warn everyone that Lord Ishido's men are coming from the West. Nebara Jozen leads the group and approaches. Yabushige goes to speak to Jozen who hands him a letter instructing him to return to Osaka to renew his oath of loyalty to the Council of Regents. Yabushige tells him this is all a misunderstanding but Jozen tells him he’ll take this refusal as a sign he is now an enemy of Ishido. Yabushige shows him he is only trying to help Ishido- by learning the ways of war from the barbarian. This seems to satisfy Jozen for the time being. Yabushige invites Jozen to stay in Ajiro.
John apologizes to Fuji for his behavior before and offers her a gun as a gift but she seems confused by the gesture. She offers him her family’s swords, a symbol of her father’s bravery, and John is touched by the gesture. John asks to try a local dish called natto and Mariko and Fuji seem tickled by the idea of him eating this stinky dish. He likes it to their surprise.
Later that evening, John goes into the hot springs to admire the scenery. Mariko finds him there and thanks him for the gift he gave to Fuji. They open up to each other. Later that evening, John goes to sleep and Mariko enters his room. She opens up her robe and sleeps with him. The next morning, she comments that John seems in good spirits and asks if he enjoyed the courtesan she and Fuji sent him. He seems confused by this but tells her it was a thoughtful gift.
The samurais and men, including Jozen and Yabushige, gather on the field. Nagakado comes out and accuses Jozen of intolerable behavior, offensive to his father. He has canons pointed at Jozen’s men and his men begin firing. Yabushige begs him to stop, confused about what is happening. Nagakado brings down the final blow on Jozen. A concerned Mariko declares, “It is war”.
Cast & Characters[]
Starring[]
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga
- Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne
- Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko
- Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige
- Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi
- Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji
- Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji
- Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado
Supporting[]
- Nobuya Shimamoto as Nebara Jozen
- Yuka Kouri as Kiku
- Emi Kamito as Chiyo
- Yutaka Takeuchi as Akechi Jinsai
- Yûki Kedôin as Takemaru
- Akiko Kobayashi as Setsu
Quotes[]
Do not be fooled by our politeness, our bows, our maze of rituals. Beneath it all, we could be a great distance away. Safe… and alone.
Lady Mariko
Gallery[]
Photos[]
Videos[]
