What happens at the end of Shogun Episode 4?

Episode 4 of Shōgun featured the show’s most gruesome moment so far and made war inevitable after what Lord Toranaga’s son did.

Lord Toranaga travels to Edo, an essential setting for a character inspired by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The plan was for Blackthorn to teach Toranaga’s soldiers new combat tactics from foreign lands while Lord Kanto made other strategic moves before a potential war with Ishido.

However, things would now be more complicated due to the reckless actions of Yoshi Nagakado, who was easily influenced by Kashige Omi and ordered a brutal attack on Gosen. The samurai were sent there by Ishido to bring Yabushige back to Osaka.

1. How did Shogun Episode 4 end?

Episode 4 of Shogun ended with the most brutal moment of the show. The death of Gozen Nibara means that the war has officially begun in the historical FX series.

After Lord Toranaga and John Blackthorn’s narrow escape from Osaka, Episode 4 shows how useful Blackthorn’s weapons and abilities will be in Yoshi’s case.

What was supposed to be cannon training and demonstrations turned into a real battle when Toranaga’s son, unexpectedly, ordered Nabara Gosen and his samurai to be fired upon.

This was considered a declaration of war.

2. Why did Toranaga’s son attack the guardian samurai?

Nagakadu did not want to be seen as a spoiled child. Therefore, the samurai attacked the guardian to prove himself.

Toranaga’s son Yoshi fires his father’s samurai cannons at Nibara and his men at the end of Shogun Episode 4. This led to the worst deaths seen so far in the show, with cannon balls badly killing many samurai.

The Jun cannons were intended to demonstrate samurai practice, but they attacked the samurai in favor of Ishido and the ruling leaders.

Considered by many to be a spoiled child, Nagakado wanted to show his worth as the son of Lord Yoshii Toranaga. He felt that he would gain respect and honor from his peers by taking the life of a samurai working for his father’s opponent.

Gosen was asked to witness the parade but was startled by the battle cry of Nagakado followed by cannon shots aimed at the samurai. Most of Gosen’s men perished instantly, but Gosen himself did not die until after Nagakado delivered the final blow with the sword.

3. Did Omi manipulate Nagakado into attacking the Guardian’s men?

While Nagakado wanted to impress his father from the beginning of the show, Toranaga’s son Kashigi Omi tricked him into attacking the guardian samurai.

That night before the attack, Omi argued that Gosen and his men were there as enemies of Lord Toranaga and that they were going to capture one of Lord Kanto’s most important allies, Kashigi Yabushige.

This led Nagakado to believe that he would do his father a favor by killing the samurai of the Council of Guardians while also proving his worth.

Omi is influenced to act against Ishido and the Guardians. Keiko, the concubine who works closely with Yabushiji, talks to Omi about how he can take his uncle’s place.

Gosen was there to support Yabushige, and if any problems arose with his return to Osaka, that would make Yabushige a target.

However, Omi was smart enough not to make a move and tricked Nagakado into fighting this battle instead. If Yabushige faces the consequences of Nagakado’s actions, Omi’s plan will have worked.

4. Explain Yabushige’s loyalties to the shogunate

Yabushige’s allegiances in the Shōgun are confusing, as the character has been working with both Ishido and Toranaga since the beginning of the show. It’s safe to say that Yabushige is playing both sides of the conflict, hoping to come out on top or at least alive in the end.

Yabushige had a private meeting with Ishido in his castle at the beginning of the series, after which he ensured that John Blackthorne escaped execution. However, Yabushige helps Toranaga escape from Osaka and welcomes the master of Kanto to his village.

5. Was it Mariko who was in Blackthorn’s room?

Mariko says that a prostitute was sent to Blackthorne’s room.

Episode 4 of Shogun focused a lot on the possible relationship between Mariko and Blackthorn. Blackthorn was now given a woman as part of his new status. It’s not like Blackthorn and this woman are going to be a couple.

The Englishman seems to like Lady Mariko. A woman enters Jun’s room in the middle of the night, and is revealed to be Mariko. However, in the morning, Mariko lies by saying that a different woman was sent to Blackthorne’s room, much to his distress.

6. How will Toranaga react to his son’s shogun’s actions?

Lord Toranaga is currently in Edo. One of the most interesting aspects of the upcoming Shōgun episode will be seeing Lord Toranaga’s reaction to his son’s actions.

Nagakado has started the war on behalf of his father who is currently in Edo and has no idea what his son is doing.

Toranaga was aware that the war would eventually have to be fought, so he asked Blackthorn to train Yabushiji’s men in foreign tactics. However, Toranaga wasn’t really counting on his son brutally killing Ishido’s men when diplomacy could still have resolved matters.

7. How will Ishido and the Council react to Nabara Gosen’s death?

At the beginning of the story, Ishido wanted to call Toranaga a traitor and ask the Council of Guardians to remove him from his position simply because he felt Toranaga was gaining too much power.

Toranaga’s son attacking Ishido’s men means that the Council of Guardians can truly see Toranaga as an enemy now.

Which was why any time the Council thought they had before the outbreak of war was over. Also, Ishido may decide that Yabushige is no longer trustworthy since all of this happened while he was in charge. Gosen’s death is expected to have long-lasting effects on the shogun.

8. 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.