Shogun tells the story of English sailor John Blackthorne, who traveled to Japan to win allies and turn the tide of global politics. It’s also the journey of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a shrewd daimyo fighting for survival and power in the unique five-way struggle of the feudal Japanese system. Blackthorne spent the first few episodes of his journey being kicked around from one near-death experience to the next. Finally, Blackthorne earned a title, but what does becoming a hatamoto entail?
Shogun is an adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 book of the same name. The novel is the third of his six-part Asian Saga, which exclusively depicts the experience of Anglo-Saxon visitors to the eponymous continent. Clavell played fast and loose with history, favoring the outsider’s perspective to appeal to his mostly-white reader base. The current take on the material endeavors to tell the story without the unfortunate dashes of prejudice that helped the novel become a classic.
What is a Hatamoto?
A hatamoto is a retainer in the service of a feudal lord. The term developed in the Sengoku period, a century of non-stop civil wars and social upheavals across Japan. Hatamoto broadly means “around the flag” and is usually translated into a term like “bannerman” in English. Lords appointed and held hatamoto for various reasons. Many were government officials, magistrates, overseers of specific functions, and soldiers. Swordsmen like Yagyū Munenori developed martial arts and earned their station by teaching warriors. Most lords appointed and used hatamoto, but one dynasty formalized the system.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara, he became the shogun. The Tokugawa shogunate institutionalized the hatamoto system. The first two shogunates employed gokenin, land-owning vassals largely supplanted by the daimyo after the Muromachi period. Tokugawa kept both terms, but a hatamoto could request an audience with the shogun, while a gokenin couldn’t. Tokugawa primarily considered retainers who remained with his family during his rise to power his hatamoto. In the Edo period, hatamoto enjoyed ranks determined by their yearly income. They commanded fiefdoms where they controlled police, security, and tax collection. The hatamoto rank can mean many things, but its place in Shogun is substantial.
How did John Blackthorne become a Hatamoto?
John Blackthorne became a pariah as soon as he stepped on Japanese soil. The Japanese locals assumed he was a pirate. The Portuguese merchants operating on their shores worked to bolster that suspicion. Only Lord Yoshii Toranaga saw the benefit of a unique perspective in his affinity. Toranaga ordered Blackthorne brought to him, assessed his abilities, and prepared to bring him to their new home. When a rival daimyo hired an assassin to kill John, Toranaga expedited his travel plans. The stressful journey to the shore cost many lives, but Lord Toranaga purchased safe passage aboard a Portuguese ship. The Catholic captain insisted on abandoning Blackthorne as part of Toranaga’s payment. Toranaga reluctantly agreed, trading the foreigner’s life for his own.
John “Anjin” Blackthorne refused to accept Toranaga’s decision. He approached a fishing crew that owed him a favor and requested a ride. With his masterful piloting skills, Blackthorne overtook the Portuguese vessel. He climbed aboard, escaping the enemy blockade and reuniting with Lord Toranaga. The Portuguese could no longer turn back, forcing them to allow Blackthorne passage with their quarry. Toranaga is delighted to see him succeed. He appoints Blackthorne his new hatamoto and orders him to teach a regiment his sailing techniques.
Where can John Blackthorne go from here?
Shogun is a historical dramatization of the tale of William Adams, the first Englishman to reach Japan. Adams arrived in Japan after Tokugawa Ieyasu’s rise to power. Adams received two swords and became a samurai before Ieyasu appointed him a hatamoto. Blackthorne is not yet a samurai. The latest adaptation changed John’s rise to the role as well. Toranaga makes Blackthorne a samurai and a hatamoto after he saves the daimyo’s life in an earthquake. Blackthorne’s first brush with a katana and subsequent upgrade to samurai status will likely be a significant moment in the remainder of the miniseries. Blackthorne describes his rise like this in the book:
Of course. He made me samurai and hatamoto. So they’ll obey to the death and I’ll bring them aboard Erasmus, they’ll be my boarding party and I will lead the attack. How unbelievably lucky I am! I’ve everything I want.
A hatamoto is a critical role that could occupy many different tasks. John Blackthorne became Lord Toranaga’s hatamoto when he demonstrated his advanced skills as a pilot. His information made him useful to the ambitious daimyo, but his unique techniques made him invaluable. Shogun demonstrates an impressive commitment to personal storytelling by maintaining psychological stakes while dealing with military and political strategy. Lord Toranaga seals his arrangement with Blackthorne by asking the Englishman to teach him how to dive. As the men swim together, they seem to purge the conflict that drove them apart. As the show continues, Blackthorne and Toranaga are ambitious men working together to seek common goals.
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