This affects everyone in Toranaga’s camp andis bound to shake things up for him.
All of this reflects on Toranaga’s state in Episode 8: in bad health and depressed.
Hiromatsu most of all.
Image via FX
For Hiromatsu, seeing his friend surrender was unacceptable.
Many reasons led people to do this in feudal Japan, from repenting about a mistake to protesting something.
Toranaga knew that Hiromatsu wasn’t bluffing or being dramatic when promising to commit seppuku, of course.
However, Hiromatsu’s sacrifice may have been part of Toranaga’s plan all along.
He even made it official and forced all his allies and vassals to commit to it, too.
Another in his chest, just for his friends.
And a secret heart, buried deep where no one can find it.
That is a heart a man must keep if he wants to survive."
Toranaga usually plays things really close to the vest, andhis surrender may bethe ultimate deceptionin this sense.
That’s why he had to force his allies to surrender, too, convincingeveryonethat he was defeated.
Regardless, from a strategic standpoint, it works just as if Toranaga had purposely sacrificed Hiromatsu.
And there will be consequences.
He won’t have anyone to laugh about war stories anymore, for example.
A best friend of decades who always stood by him.
A powerful and righteous ally, buta piece that must be sacrificedto play the long game.
Militarily, it remains to be seen.
Shogunis streaming on Hulu in the U.S. New episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays.
