What happened to Mariko before the events of Shogun?

Episode 4 of Shogun, titled The Eight Fence, delves deeper into Lady Mariko’s mysterious past. The episode ends on a high note, as Lady Mariko along with Jun Blackthorn and Kashigi Yabushige prepare for a violent response from Lord Ishido Kazunari.

This tension sets the stage for imminent war. Throughout this episode, set in the fishing village of Ajiro, we witness Blackthorn forming a closer bond with Mariko.

In Episode 3, Blackthorn is tasked by Lord Toranaga to teach Yabushiji’s men Western combat strategies. Leaving Toranaga’s son, Yoshi Nagakado, and Yabushige in command, they decided to launch an attack on the Ishida envoys independently.

Mrs. Mariko immediately realized the consequences of such a bold and calculated move, Which may be a strategic element in Toranaga’s grand scheme to control feudal Japan.

1. What happened to Mariko’s family?

Mariko’s father committed a heinous crime by killing the Daimyo and insulting his family. As a result, Mariko is forced to marry Buntaro. As of now, the full extent of Mariko’s past and its impact on the current story remains to be explored.

Episode 4 of Shogun provides a glimpse into Mariko’s dark history through her conversation with Blackthorn and a series of quick flashbacks. Mariko shares a haunting memory of her father’s terrifying face and a childhood memory of falling through the snow during a storm. She confides in Blackthorn that grave injustices in her past led to the downfall of her noble family house.

2. Who is Mariko’s character based on?

The character Mariko is based on the real-life character Hosokawa Gracia. Her father, Akechi Mitsuhide, betrayed and killed his master, Oda Nobunaga, just like Mariko’s father in the series.

After betraying her father, Hosokawa Gracia was detained in Osaka. This happened after Nobunaga’s loyalists, led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, avenged Nobunaga by defeating Mitsuhide. The trailer suggests that if he remained true to these historical events, Toranaga would likely be fully aware of the infamous betrayal committed by Mariko’s father.

3. About the Shogun

Shōgun is an upcoming American limited historical drama television series based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell. The novel was previously adapted into a television series in 1980.

The series is scheduled to premiere with its first two episodes on February 27, 2024, on Hulu and FX, with new episodes of the 10-episode series released weekly.

Shōgun follows the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai; John Blackthorn, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will eventually redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a powerful shrewd, at odds with his dangerous political rivals and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonest family ties, who must prove her worth and loyalty.