.The Japanese title of Shogun derived from the Japanese "Sei-i Taishogun" meaning "Great General (Commander-in-Chief) of the Expeditionary Force against Barbarians"(the Barbarians in this case were the Ainu, a caucasoid people located on the Northern Island of Hokkaido). The title applied to those who were appointed by the Emperor to serve as a military dictators in feudal Japan, ruling from 1185 to 1868. The Shogun was the most powerful figure in Japan between the late 12th century and mid-19th century. The three major shogunates were Kamakura, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa. Shoguns differ from emperors and Taikos in that they are largely militaristic and are essentially the commander-in-chief of Japan's army and navy. Shoguns are appointed by the Emperor and must have an established hereditary line that makes them worthy of the esteemed rank. Tokugawa had a direct lineage to the Minamoto clan (Lord Toranaga belonged to the Minowara clan) which helped him establish the Tokugawa shogunate. Although the Emperor was a nominal leader (figurehead, or a ruler in name only), it was the Shogun who was the de facto ruler of Japan. Ieyasu Tokugawa (the historical basis for the fictional Lord Yoshi Toranaga) established the last hereditary shogunate that lasted until the Meiji Restoration, where the Emperor ruled in name and practice, in 1868. After the Second World War, Japan was turned into a Constitutional Monarchy, as a condition of surrender to the United States, where the Emperor once again took on a more ceremonial role, and the government is modeled along the lines of the United Kingdom. For a contemporary context, General Douglas MacArthur, could be considered a modern-day Shogun when he was appointed Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP), and given emergency powers over Japan, after the Second World War, when the new government was in the process of being formed.
Vocabulary:
- Samurai - A warrior class (equivalent to a Knight in Medieval Europe), bound to a code of conduct and a sworn duty
- Shogun (pronounced sho-goon) - Supreme Military Commander (equivalent to a Duke in Medieval Europe) and ruler of Feudal Japan
- Taiko - Grand Chancellor of the Emperor (equivalent to a Prime Minister in the United Kingdom, especially the relationship over the Royal Council of Advisors, Privy Council). Technically, it was the role of the Kanpaku, translated as Regent or Chief Advisor to the Emperor of Japan, who was the real power behind the throne, at least during the Heian Era (794 AD - 1185 AD). The Kanpaku, therefore, was the de facto ruler of Japan. The Kampaku is the most esteemed of all the regents and is considered the Emperor's most trusted advisor. Kanpaku was the highest rank allowable for someone who did not have the necessary bloodline to claim the Shogun title. Sometimes, he would appoint a successor to ensure the regime's stability and retire, taking on the title of Taiko (translated as Retired Regent or Elder Statesman).In fact, the Taiko would continue to rule through the Kanpaku, being the power behind "the power behind the throne".
- Busho - A great feudal lord (Daimyo in Japanese) possessing vast hereditary land holdings. Five Busho compose the Council of Regents. They are essentially the Taiko,or Kampaku, split into five parts who share the same title.
- Karo - (Japanese for house elder) A high-ranking samurai official and advisor to the daimyos. The karo were part of a collegial system with two to a few members in the clan administration.
Some differences from the source novel:
1. The captain of the Erasmus did not kill himself at sea but survived in a very sickly state, only to die of natural causes later.
2. Blackthorne, the captain, and the crew were not initially imprisoned in the pit by the Japanese but were held in much more permissive circumstances and allowed to recuperate from their scurvy and starvation. Blackthorne, whom the Japanese misidentified as the leader (the captain was too ill to speak), was actually allowed to roam freely in the village at first. Blackthorne and the crew were not thrown into the pit until Yabukasige came to the village and passed judgment on them as pirates on the word of the Jesuit priest.
3. Yabu ordered the crew to choose which of them would be boiled to death for the crime of piracy. Although choosing by lots and the condemned sailor accepting his fate, Blackthorne chose to resist, the sailors did capture one of the samurai as a hostage before the other samurai dragged a different sailor away to boiled alive as depicted. It was only after this had occurred that Blackthorne (obviously upset with having heard the screams of the sailor being tortured all night) insulted Omi with comments about "pissing" on his lord and country, resulting in the urination scene as depicted.
4. It has not been depicted yet, but the Japanese left the samurai who had been taken hostage down in the pit to die for the shame of being captured by the barbarians. He failed to kill himself (by drowning himself in their latrine) or to convince the sailors to kill him. After the sailors were released, Omi (who was prepared to leave the samurai to starve to death) honored the request of one of the samurai's friends and threw him a sword with which to kill himself but without a second to ensure a quick death.
5. When Yabu nearly commits suicide at the bottom of the cliff, instead of being alerted to his imminent rescue by the rope touching him, one of his samurai volunteered to jump off the cliff to his death, shouting for Yabu not to kill himself and look up that he was about to be rescued.
1. The captain of the Erasmus did not kill himself at sea but survived in a very sickly state, only to die of natural causes later.
2. Blackthorne, the captain, and the crew were not initially imprisoned in the pit by the Japanese but were held in much more permissive circumstances and allowed to recuperate from their scurvy and starvation. Blackthorne, whom the Japanese misidentified as the leader (the captain was too ill to speak), was actually allowed to roam freely in the village at first. Blackthorne and the crew were not thrown into the pit until Yabukasige came to the village and passed judgment on them as pirates on the word of the Jesuit priest.
3. Yabu ordered the crew to choose which of them would be boiled to death for the crime of piracy. Although choosing by lots and the condemned sailor accepting his fate, Blackthorne chose to resist, the sailors did capture one of the samurai as a hostage before the other samurai dragged a different sailor away to boiled alive as depicted. It was only after this had occurred that Blackthorne (obviously upset with having heard the screams of the sailor being tortured all night) insulted Omi with comments about "pissing" on his lord and country, resulting in the urination scene as depicted.
4. It has not been depicted yet, but the Japanese left the samurai who had been taken hostage down in the pit to die for the shame of being captured by the barbarians. He failed to kill himself (by drowning himself in their latrine) or to convince the sailors to kill him. After the sailors were released, Omi (who was prepared to leave the samurai to starve to death) honored the request of one of the samurai's friends and threw him a sword with which to kill himself but without a second to ensure a quick death.
5. When Yabu nearly commits suicide at the bottom of the cliff, instead of being alerted to his imminent rescue by the rope touching him, one of his samurai volunteered to jump off the cliff to his death, shouting for Yabu not to kill himself and look up that he was about to be rescued.
Council of Regents:
- Yoshii Toranaga - Kanto (centered around Edo or Modern-day Tokyo). Also, President of Foreign Relations for The Council.
- Sugiyama Josui - Northern Regions of Hokushu. Also, a Descendant of the richest samurai family in Japan
- Ohno Harunobu - Bungo (Christian / Leper)
- Kiyama Ukon Sadanaga - Higo (Christian)
- Ishido Kazunari - Goshu. Also, Lord General, Caretaker of Osaka Castle and Toranaga's chief rival. Moreover he is the Lord of the Late Taiko Nakamura personal holdings.
The Samurai would shave the middle part of his head, called a chonmage, where the remaining hair was oiled and waxed before being tied into a small tail folded onto the top of the head in the characteristic topknot, so that his helmet (kabuto) fit tightly onto the head when donning his armor for battle. With less hair, the samurai would also not suffer from the buildup of heat on the head when wearing the helmet.