TV Recap: FX’s “Shōgun” Episode 7 – Toranaga’s Brother Comes to Ajiro

FX’s series adaptation of Shōgun strays a bit further from the book in the seventh episode, titled “A Stick of Time.” It resets some of the events from Edo to Ajiro, and also pulls some events forward in time. And for those confused by the title, it’s never explained in the series save for context clues, but it means the length of time it takes for incense to burn.

Chapter 7 – "A Stick of Time" – Written by Matt Lambert

Flashback – 46 Years Ago

12-year-old Lord Toranaga (Kai Coulter) wins his first battle, seemingly surprised at the outcome. He is led to a tent where his opponent, Lord Mizoguchi (Takaaki Hirakawa), congratulates his win. “Tell your scribes that Mizoguchi fought with honor,” he tells the child warlord as he begins to remove his armor to commit seppuku. He gets on his knees in front of Toranaga and asks him to be his second. The boy stands next to 20-year-old General Hiromatsu (Kristopher Hori), readying his sword to assist with Mizoguchi’s suicide.

Present

Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his soldiers wait for the arrival of his brother. Lord Saeki Nobutatsu (Eita Okuno) eventually emerges from the mist, his white flags contrasting Toranaga’s red ones. The two brothers climb off their horses and bow in their long-awaited reunion. Saeki mentions passing a decimated army, and Toranaga says it’s his, a casualty of the earthquake. “In your desperation, you had no choice but to summon the vast legions of your mediocre brother,” Saeki laughs. His eyes quickly find John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) amongst Toranag’s men, commenting that the rumors are true. Tornaga calls Anjin forward, and he says he’s honored to meet his lord’s kin. Toranaga brags about his cannon tactics, offering to discuss things further tomorrow, but tonight, he wants to have a happy, celebratory reunion. “My men are eager to spill blood by your side,” Saeki says as he asks to be let to the hot springs.

At his camp, Toranaga complains to Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) about the cost of Kiku’s services for the week. He had Mariko negotiate with Lady Gin for Kiku to entertain Saeki. Mariko shares that Lady Gin offered to lower the price in exchange for a stick of his time. Their conversation stops when Anjin arrives, having been summoned. Toranaga warns him to be on his best behavior and to leave his pistol at home. Toranaga wants to discuss his role in Crimson Sky, hoping that it reunites him with the Erasmus so he can attack Osaka from the harbor. “I’ve decided nothing, and that’s the end of it,” Toranaga responds. Blackthorne continues to ask questions, ignoring Mariko’s plea for him to let it go. Eventually, he is forced to back off. “Please tell him I am ready for whatever our fate may bring,” he says before leaving.

Lady Gin (Yuko Miyamoto) stands outside her Tea House and greets Kashigi Omi (Hiroto Kanai), who wants to speak to Kiku. Gin informs him that Kiku has been rented for the week, offering to find a more suitable courtesan for a samurai of his rank. “Ever since Kiku pillowed here with the barbarian, your Tea House has been spoiled,” Omi insults her. “From what I recall, his mind was on someone else that night,” she responds to Omi’s confusion.

General Toda Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka) visits Blackthorne’s house to see Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi). “You keep a clean home,” he compliments her despite the house still being put back together from the earthquake. He has a white package for her. “When we parted in Osaka, I promised to keep them safe,” Hiromatsu says. Fuji thanks him as she takes the ashes of her husband and child. She vows to join them in death when her service is complete. He encourages her to live so that she may see the glory they died for. She expressed her doubts that they will be victorious, but then feels shame for sharing it. She adds that with his son Buntaro fighting, victory is certain.

At Saeki’s welcoming party, a large feast is served, and the saké never stops pouring. He observes how his nephew, Yoshii Nagakado (Yuki Kura), has become a young man since the last time he saw him. Nagakado asks his uncle what his father was like as a boy. Saeki brings up Toranaga’s victorious first battle, and how he chopped off Mizoguchi’s head with a single blow. As everyone erupts in cheers, Toranaga looks at the floor solemnly. Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe) glares at Blackthorne as he drops food with his chopsticks. Omi leans in and says, “It must bring you great honor seeing your wife perform her duty to the Anjin with such devotion.” But it’s Omi’s turn to be jealous when Toranaga asks Saeki how he’s enjoying his gift, and Saeki merely comments on Kiku’s beauty, seemingly insulting her ability to entertain or pillow.

The jovial mood of the party soon sours. Saeki wants to discuss Toranaga’s war plans tonight, but Toranaga insists on delaying that conversation to tomorrow. He tells Nagakado a lesser-known story about his father. “He was once sent away as a hostage to ensure our alliance with the Imatani clan,” Saeki reveals. “Our mother told him to be brave. That a Minowara does not feel fear.” But when it came time to say goodbye, it became obvious that young Toranaga soiled himself in fear. Nobody but Saeki seems amused by the story. And then Saeki reveals the game he’s playing. His army blocks all the roads in and out of Ajiro as he produces scrolls, gruffly tossing one to Hiromatsu. It’s from the Council of Regents, ordering Toranaga to return to Osaka to answer for his crimes. The scroll reveals that Saeki has become a Regent. “So, Ishido finally managed to fill my seat,” Toranaga nods. The other scroll is for Nagakado, ordering him to commit seppuku for the murder of Nebara Jozen. Toranaga orders his son not to take the scroll. “I am honored to consider the Council’s request,” Toranaga tells his brother. “I will thoroughly contemplate this and submit my answer by sundown tomorrow.”

The next morning is rainy and overcast as Blackthorne paces in his garden, asking Mariko what will happen if Toranaga surrenders. She says they will all be sent to Osaka to grovel, and that half of Toranaga’s men will be ordered to commit seppuku. Once again, Blackthorne brings up his desire to attack Osaka from Erasmus.

Saeki visits Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano). He has a gift for him, saying it’s the result of sending Igarashi Yoshitomo (Hiro Kanagawa) to negotiate with the Council. Yabushige reluctantly lifts the lid to see the head of his dead vassal inside.

Hiromatsu, Buntaro, and Nagakado wait outside of a shrine as Toranaga meditates. Buntaro wants to go to Edo to warn their troops, but Hiromatsu doubts he can make it past Saeki’s army alone. When Toranaga exits the shrine, Nagakado asks if they can die with blood on their swords. “Why is it only those who have never fought in a battle who are so eager to be in one?” he asks his son. As Toranaga heads through town, Lady Gin stops him and says Mariko promised her a stick of his time. “A promise is a promise,” he responds.

Soon after, Lady Gin finds herself in Toranaga’s tent, a stick of incense burning. She tells him that to belong to the Willow World means spending the best years of your life in service to great men, being left with nothing as you mature. She dreams of a Tea House district in Edo where courtesans can have a guild that protects their future. “Let us age with the grace we devote tour youth to cultivating,” she requests, bowing as she sees the stick extinguish. “Thank you for this novel distraction,” he dismisses her, saying his future isn’t long enough to help with her long-term plans. “Is it?” she asks, seemingly in the know. “My fate is written,” he assures her. “Your hardships made you into the cunning man you are today,” Lady Gin says, sharing that she was born in the gutter, using her hardships to drive her ambition, becoming the most successful woman in Izu. She asks why he left his army so vulnerable on purpose. He says none of this was by design, but she leaves him feeling like she knows more than he lets on.

Omi and Nagakado vent to each other at the hot springs. Omi misses his life before the Anjin arrived, wishing he had been content overseeing a small fishing village.  “We just need a plan,” Nagakado says. “We’ll bring down as many of these spineless pigs as we can.” A voice through the mist responds. “Spineless pigs?” Saeki emerges, sharing with this nephew that it wasn’t easy to hand over his brother in exchange for power. He encourages him to think of his legacy.

Blackthorne goes to the harbor and sees a big ship waiting. He asks Muraji (Yasunari Takeshima) whose crest is on the sails. It’s Ishido’s ship. Yabushige approaches Blackthorne, looking at the giant pot and saying he probably wishes he had died that first day rather than having a slower, drawn-out death in war. Yabushige personally feels like every death he evades leads to another. He pulls his sword on Blackthorne, who confusedly pulls out his own. Yabushige tries to give him a lesson in sword fighting, but Blackthorne doesn’t take to it quickly. While on his back, unarmed, Buntaro enters the scene and holds his blade to Blackthorne’s neck. Blackthorne is confused when Buntaro puts it back in his sheath and walks away.

Fuji trains for battle in the forest with a naginata. Nagakado approaches, interrupting her practice. “What Tadayoshi did for my father that day…” he begins. “It should have been me standing up to Ishido and his insults. If I had been braver, maybe Tadayoshi and your son would still be with us.” Fuji responds, saying, “We do what we can, when we can. We can only hope it’s enough.”

In his tent, Toranaga completes a new will, adding two chō (2.449 acres) of land for Gin in Edo. Buntaro approaches the tent and bows. Mariko gets up to leave, but he asks her to stay. She kneels next to him. “Before we die, I beg permission to take the barbarian’s head,” Buntaro requests. He feels the Anjin has only aligned with Toranaga to serve  his own self-interests, and he doesn’t like the way he looks at his wife. Toranaga reminds him that in order to do this, he would have to take both Anjin and Mariko’s heads. He asks Mariko for her thoughts. “My life is for my husband to take,” she answers. “I don’t accuse my wife,” Buntaro says. “Then you cannot accuse the Anjin,” Toranaga settles the matter. Buntaro seems ashamed as he leaves.

Alone, Toranaga accuses Mariko of confusing her priorities. “No more having things two ways,” he orders her. “Are you with me in our fight against your father’s enemies, or are you with the barbarian?” Mariko doesn’t take any time to respond, saying, “I have served you loyally and utterly.” She asks for permission to commit seppuku, offering her wakizashi to him. Toranaga knocks it onto the floor in frustration, stepping out of the tent and looking up at the sky.

As sunset approaches, Toranaga asks Hiromatsu why he didn’t defend him last night with Saeki was telling insulting stories. Hiromatsu begs for his forgiveness, but Toranaga clarifies that he meant the story about beheading Mizoguchi. They both know it wasn’t a single chop, but nine horrifying hacks at the man’s neck. “Who picks a child to be his second?” Toranaga asks.

Saeki and his army stand before Toranaga and his at sundown. “Lord Saeki, I bow before you and agree to travel to Osaka, where I will submit to the will of the Council before Lord Ishido,” Toranaga announces to everyone’s surprise. Yabushige and Nagakado try to object, but Toranaga orders them back to silence. “Crimson Sky was a mistake,” he declares, saying he doesn’t want to split the realm apart. Blackthorne stands up, telling Toranaga in Portuguese that he has committed them all to die as he walks off. “From this day forward, you have nowhere to go and nothing left to be,” Saeki tells his brother, who bows to him. They leave for Osaka tomorrow.

Kiku (Yuka Kouri) has tapped into the wild side of Saeki as they pillow, the courtesan holding a silk scarf that lightly chokes Toranaga’s brother’s neck. As they finish, he promises to make her his seventh consort. “Would you allow me to elevate our play?” she asks, sharing that they have more tools at the Tea House. He asks to see them, and she leaves the bedroom to grab some. Saeki relaxes, opening the shoji to get some fresh air. His relaxation ends when he hears a struggle outside. He steps into the hall to find Nagakado has just killed one of his men, now coming for his uncle. The fight leads to the wet garden, which is flooding from so much rain. Nagakado slips and falls backward, hitting the back of his head on a jagged garden rock. His head instantly starts to bleed, and he lays there twitching. Nagakado is seemingly dying a slow and painful death as his uncle watches.

Next Episode – Tuesday, April 9th, streaming on Hulu and airing at 10/9c on FX:

Chapter 8 – "The Abyss of Life” – Written by Shannon Goss

Toranaga’s defeated clan moves to Edo and awaits their fate. Blackthorne must decide who he fights for — the lord who has turned his back on him, or the ambition that brought him to Japan in the first place.