Top 10 Shogun Moments

WatchMojo

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.”

Transcript

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.

10:01Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified

10:05about our latest videos.

10:07You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

10:11If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.

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.

11:44Did you enjoy this video?

11:46Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell

11:50to be notified about our latest videos.

Category

Transcript

Recommended