The series came to a masterful close with Shōgun’s finale, which revealed Lord Yoshii Toranaga’s actual purpose and defied expectations.
Toranaga defeated Ishido with the help of Ochiba-no-kata, and burned Blackthorne’s ship to keep him in Japan and stop the Portuguese from killing him. His objective was to depose the Regents and effectively become shōgun to usher in a new era of peace in Japan.
With a deft conclusion to the series and a thorough examination of each major character’s backstory, Shōgun episode 10 left viewers wondering if Yoshii Toranaga’s triumph over Ishido qualified him to become the shōgun. The highly regarded FX series was adapted from James Clavell’s Shōgunnovel, which drew inspiration from Tokugawa Ieyasu’s historical story. The tremendous changes Japan went through at the close of the 16th century set the scenario for Shōgun, whose ending showed Toranaga’s purpose was really to topple the Regents and lead Japan into a new era.
Only Yabushige, who killed himself in retaliation for Ishido’s assistance in killing Mariko, learned the entire scope of Toranaga’s scheme directly from him. Shōgun’s conclusion made it evident that Toranaga would win the war even though the combat between Ishido and Toranaga’s men was not shown. Though his ship was wrecked, John Blackthorne, whose story was based on William Addams, dreamed of going home and getting old thinking of Mariko. Consequently, Blackthorne might never set foot in England again. The bittersweet conclusion of Shōgun demonstrated Yoshii Toranaga’s character complexity.
What Happens If Lord Toranaga Gets Shōgun?
Throughout, Toranaga aspired to be the shōgun.
As demonstrated by his talk with Yabushige around the end of episode 10, Lord Toranaga had been quietly pursuing his goal of becoming shōgun the entire time. As the first legitimate shōgun in years, Toranaga envisioned a time of peace for Japan during which there would be no conflicts over who would rule the nation. He would assume the role of supreme military leader. The whole nature of Toranaga’s plot, which included defeating Ishido before the conflict even broke out, was unknown to even his closest associates. Toranaga’s strategy will work, and he will ultimately take the shogunate.
The persona of Lord Toranaga is modelled after Tokugawa Ieyasu, who usurped the Council of Elders as Japan’s legitimate ruler following the Battle of Sekigahara against Ishida Mitsunari. At first, Yodo-no-kata, the mother of the Taikō, and her successor, supported Ieyasu, but their impact on his reign was small. But a few years after assuming authority as shōgun, Ieyasu moved to assail the successor, Toyotomi Hideyori. The heir committed seppuku after this attack, and his mother became a nun. Shōgun’s Ochiba-no-kata was modelled by Yodo-no-kata, while Ishido was modelled on Ishida Mitsunari.
It can be inferred that Lord Toranaga’s story ends similarly to his real-life equivalent, James Clavell’s Shōgun book, which is based on the beginnings of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s shōgunate. Gathering allies who had previously sided with Ishido became easy for Toranaga with the help of Ochiba-no-kata, who stands in for the heir until he reaches adulthood. Ishido could not have won the battle without the heir at his head. Because Toranaga’s plan had already been successful before he even encountered Ishido on the battlefield, this is the reason Shōgun did not portray the entirety of the Battle of Sekigahara.
The True Significance Of Shōgun’s Termination
The tale of Toranaga’s establishment was related by Shōgun.
While some may have expected an action-packed finale, Shōgun episode 10 was nonetheless a fantastic way to wrap up the season. Respecting the original work, the episode pretty much ended where the Shōgun novel left off. According to their real-life equivalents, Lord Toranaga, John Blackthorne, and Lady Mariko all had an impact on the course of the following two centuries in Japanese history, and their stories were interwoven in Shōgun. In the end, Toranaga—whose reign as shōgun will begin in Edo—played a protracted game in which Blackthorne and Mariko were pawns.