These “Shōgun” moments are burned into the minds of viewers. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the greatest and most memorable scenes from “Shōgun.”
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest and most memorable
00:09scenes from Shogun.
00:11Spoiler alert.
00:23Number 10.
00:24Drawing the map.
00:25It's not the first interaction between Blackthorn and Toranaga, but it's arguably
00:29the most consequential.
00:37Toranaga requests that the Anjin draw him a map of the world, and he obliges.
00:42Not only that, he informs Toranaga about global politics, including trade routes, alliances
00:47between countries, land treaties, and religious colonialism.
01:01It's a lot of dense material that could have easily come across like a dry history class,
01:06but it's greatly entertaining thanks to some sharp writing and captivating acting.
01:10It's amazing how fun they managed to make an expositional scene about trade and politics,
01:15but hey, that just goes to show how great the show is.
01:29Number 9.
01:30Blackthorn becomes a Hatamoto.
01:39Shogun is quite a heavy show, so it was nice to see a brief moment of levity.
01:43Toranaga and Blackthorn escape Osaka, and the future Shogun honors the English explorer
01:48by making him a Hatamoto.
01:50In Japanese culture, a Hatamoto was a high-ranking samurai and trusted vassal who worked directly
01:56under a lord or daimyo.
02:00It's a touching scene, and it's followed by a cute scene where Blackthorn teaches
02:14Toranaga how to dive.
02:15It's fun, funny, and necessary, a light break from the action that also shows a great relationship
02:21beginning to take shape.
02:30Number 8.
02:31Mariko and Buntaro's talk.
02:33The relationship between Mariko and Buntaro is arguably the show's bleakest aspect,
02:38and that's saying something.
02:48It's a completely loveless marriage, and as depicted in Chapter 5, a rather violent one
02:53as well.
02:54Enter Chapter 8, when things are at a nadir.
02:57Nagakado is dead, and Toranaga has seemingly surrendered to Ishiro and the council.
03:09Seeing no hope for the future, Buntaro approaches Mariko and suggests that they commit seppuku
03:14together.
03:15It's a total gut punch of a scene that encompasses their marriage all too well, and painfully
03:21Mariko is so unhappy.
03:32Number 7.
03:33Blackthorn and Mariko's talk.
03:46Contrast Buntaro's scene with Blackthorn's.
03:48Whereas Buntaro's conversation was cold, loveless, and completely without spark, Blackthorn's
03:54is the total opposite.
03:55He and Mariko share a beautiful nighttime talk after dinner, and it's warm, loving,
04:00and never mind sparks, these are fireworks.
04:10Blackthorn recounts a date that he and Mariko would have if they were back in London, and
04:13his point about forgetting your troubles cuts to Mariko on a deeply personal level.
04:18It's after this talk that she makes her move, having finally found a person to love and
04:22connect with.
04:23The scene is beautifully acted and scored, and we desperately wish that we got more like
04:28it.
04:37Number 6.
04:38Boiling Alive.
04:46Shogun has a deft handle on tone, being able to both make us cry and wince in horror.
04:52Blackthorn and his party get a nasty welcome on the shores of Ajiro, especially when Yabushige
04:57comes to investigate.
04:58A power-hungry man with a deep thirst for blood, Yabushige confiscates the ship and
05:03has the men imprisoned.
05:05He also orders that one of the sailors be killed, quote, his special way.
05:16That special way is throwing him in a slowly boiling cauldron, and listening with great
05:21pleasure as he screams himself to death.
05:24The scene is not only horrific, but necessary in terms of building tension and establishing
05:29character.
05:30As fun as he is to watch, Yabu is not a good person.
05:39Number 5.
05:40Hiromatsu's Seppuku.
05:42Learning that Toranaga will surrender to Ishido, his most trusted general, Tora Hiromatsu,
05:47commits a great act of defiance.
05:55Protesting Toranaga's decision, Hiromatsu commits seppuku in front of all the vassals,
06:00with his own son Buntaro serving as his second.
06:14The scene is fantastically acted between Tokuma Nishioki and Hiroyuki Sanada, the latter of
06:19whom does a fantastic job in revealing Toranaga's pain through subtle facial expressions.
06:24And as we learn later, this seppuku was a secret ploy between Hiromatsu and Toranaga,
06:29having been planned in advance for strategic purposes.
06:33Hiromatsu serves his lord in the most respectable way possible, and Toranaga once again reveals
06:37himself as a deceitful strategist.
06:52Number 4.
06:53Shogun Jozen.
07:03Shogun didn't often portray big battles, but when it did, it went hard.
07:07Nebara Jozen comes a-calling to see what Toranaga has been up to, and to order Yabushige back
07:11to Osaka.
07:12For both personal and political reasons, Omi plants a rather violent idea in the head of
07:17Toranaga's son, Nagakado.
07:27When Jozen arrives to witness the cannon demonstration, Nagakado acts on his own accord and essentially
07:31commits a war crime when he decimates Jozen's army with a series of chain shots.
07:36It's the biggest cliffhanger in the show, not to mention the most grisly and grotesque
07:40sequence.
07:41War is on, and we were shocked to see it.
07:50Number 3.
07:51Toranaga reveals his scheme.
08:02Despite everyone's doubts, Toranaga was always in control.
08:06This is revealed in a fascinating conversation between him and Yabushige, shortly before
08:11the latter commits seppuku.
08:12Toranaga reveals his scheming to Yabu, admitting that everything from the ship burning to Mariko's
08:17death had been secretly planned in advance.
08:30And while he never says it, the insinuation is that he did it all for power and to become
08:35the almighty Shogun.
08:37These are shocking revelations that throw Toranaga's entire character into question
08:41and raise some serious moral dilemmas that weren't there before.
08:44Yes, his goal of a peaceful Japan is admirable, but he's forced to do some questionable
08:49and deceitful things in his quest to get there.
08:52Such is the moral ambiguity of war.
09:04Number 2.
09:05Letting Go.
09:12The character arcs of Blackthorn and Fujii come to an end in an absolutely gorgeous scene
09:17about letting go of the past.
09:19Blackthorn takes Fujii out on the water, wanting one last interaction before Fujii leaves Ajiro
09:23to become a nun.
09:25Fujii takes the ashes of her husband and child and scatters them in the water in a
09:28commemorative ceremony.
09:38Then it's Blackthorn's turn, and he drops Mariko's cross into the water.
09:42The scene is heavy with pain and loss, but it's also meant to convey positive emotions
09:47around redemption and healing.
09:49This isn't the last scene of Shogun, but it brings Blackthorn's story to a moving
09:53and satisfying close.
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10:17Number 1.
10:18Blackthorn Seconds Mariko.
10:20Chapter 9 is a tremendous piece of television, and while Mariko's explosive death is obviously
10:26impactful, we have to give the top spot to her near-sepuku.
10:39This is a phenomenal sequence that is terrifically performed by both Anna Sawai and Cosmo Jarvis.
10:45The scene is heavy with emotion, but the tears really start flowing when Blackthorn steps
10:49up and offers to second Mariko.
10:58The sepuku pays off many important aspects of Mariko's character, including her contentious
11:03family history, her religion, her depression, and her allegiance to Toranaga.
11:08Meanwhile, Blackthorn performs the ultimate act of love by putting his own soul on the
11:13line and offering to alleviate her fear of damnation.
11:17Oddly enough, we couldn't imagine a greater act of romance and chivalry.
11:32Did we forget your favorite moment?
11:34Let us know in the comments below.
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