ShōgunSeason 1, Episode 4, “The Eightfold Fence”, accelerates everything in the Hulu historical drama, from the violence to the impending war to the romantic relationships. One of thebest Hulu TV shows of 2024continues to bring the emotion, adventure, and intelligence in the fourth episode of the season,“The Eightfold Fence”, a term described in the episode that also serves to help explain some of the significant themesof this startlingly gorey, heart-racing, and beautifully romantic episodes. There is a war brewing, and episode 4 is the opening salvo.
Since wrecking on Japan, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) has managed to align himself withthe powerful but alone Toranaga(Hiroyuki Sanada) and has gotten closer to Mariko (Anna Sawai) as well. Mariko is still holding out hope that her husband did not die in the previous episode. Even if he is dead, however, their marriage seemed to be one of duty, rather than of love. The difference is clearly observed in “The Eightfold Fence”, an explosive episode still defined by the romance at its center rather than the cannonballs that end it.
Blackthorne Proves His Worth In Ajiro
Toranaga Makes Blackthorne A Hatamoto
In Ajiro, Toranaga honors Blackthorne, his friend of convenience, withthe rank and title “Hatamoto”, and then the warlord goes off on business, leaving everyone to deal with his absence in their own way. As Hatamoto, Blackthorne is given a large house, riches, duties, and a consort named Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) who follows him everywhere, a fact he finds annoying until she later proves to be a formidable ally. It goes unsaid, however, thatBlackthorne, for all his property, is now Toranga’s property, and he’s going to have to earn his keep for the warlord.
Shogun’s 10 Best Scenes, Ranked
From the engaging duels to the drinking contests that make up unforgettable scenes in Shogun, the series explores cultural clashes in feudal Japan.
Blackthorne endeavors to train Toranga’s newly formed unit of rifle-toting soldiers, but the inexperienced Blackthorne hasn’t a clue about infantry tactics. What he does know is naval warfare and cannons. He impresses Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) and the soldiers and goes about teaching them the art of artillery warfare in an explosive montage that’s so enjoyable, even Mariko can’t help but smile. At the same time,Blackthorne learns more about Japanese and Samurai culture, earning the pistols he left on his ship,Erasmus.
When he gifts one to Fuji, she gifts him two samurai swords back, swords that belonged to her father, decorating him as a Hatamoto should be. Blackthorne has discovered an appreciation for his new home, and, going forward in the season, he will have a much stronger connection to the world he now lives in rather than one solely based on his need to open up a shipping route to England.
Mariko And Blackthorne Get To Know One Another
Blackthorne Learns About The Eightfold Fence
While Blackthorne trains the soldiers, Mariko can’t help but notice him. She helps teach Blackthorne about Japan and its culture, and when she reminds him that Fuji has a life beyond her duty to Blackthorne, he’s humbled.Mariko teaches him about the “Eightfold Fence"and how Fuji, like many Japanese people, uses hers. The “Eightfold Fence” is the concept of compartmentalization, and Japanese children are taught it from a very young age. Their dreams, ambitions, fears, and doubts are hidden behind a multi-layered fence in their minds.
Instead, he starts to appreciate the “Eightfold Fence” and accepts that everyone has a story he is not privy to.
The outside of the fence is plain and unmoving, and this way, no one can guess someone’s true fears, worries, and desires. Fuji has one, Mariko has one, and almost everyone Blackthorne has met in Japan hides behind theirs. It’s in part why he’s had trouble connecting. As a rash adventurer who wears his heart on his sleeve, Blackthorne comes to stop judging those he meets only on what he sees. Instead, he starts to appreciate the “Eightfold Fence” and accepts that everyone has a story he is not privy to.
Mariko and Blackthorne continue talking and come across one another while bathing. Sitting back-to-back, Blackthorne tells Mariko about the date he would take her on if they were back home in London. It’s tantalizing enough that Mariko comes to Blackthorne’s room that night, and the two sleep together. That morning, Mariko claims she sent a courtesan to Blackthorne’s room, but that’s just a cover in case either Blackthorne or Mariko comes to regret their liaison. Once again,Mariko hides behind her “Eightfold Fence”.
Yabushige Has To Decide Where His Loyalties Lie
The Five Regents Send For Yabushige
While Blackthorne is warming up to Mariko, Yabushige is caught in an incredibly difficult position. He’s sworn loyalty to Toranga and to Ishido (Takehiro Hira) and the other regents. When Ishido’s man, Nebara Jozen (Nobuya Shimamoto), comes calling with a contingent of soldiers,Yabushige recognizes he’ll either be forced to commit seppuku in Osaka, or, if he refuses the call, he’ll be labeled a traitor and killed anyway. Instead, he shrewdly invites Jozen to stay the night and see a cannon demonstration the next morning.
Jozen and Yabushige were once friends before the series began.
He hopes that his powerful new army may convince the regents that he can still be a valuable allywhile alive. His young and crafty nephew, Omi (Hiroto Kanai), has a different idea and talks with Nagakado (Yuki Kura) that night. Nagakado, Toranaga’s son, will do anything to impress his legendary father, and Omi knows this. He plants the seed of an idea in Nagakado, a way to impress Toranaga and ensure his father’s legacy continues.
Nagakado Makes A Rash Decision
The War Starts With Jozen’s Death
The next morning, everyone lines up with Blackthorne’s soldiers and prepares for the demonstration. Jozen and his small force of men line up along the side of the yard, and everyone prepares to watch some large planks of wood at the far end of the yard be blown to smithereens. As the soldiers load their charges, Nagakado rides out in front of them and declares that Jozen and his men’s presence has dishonored his father and that he demands compensation. This comes in the form of cannonfire as the soldiers point barrels at Jozen.
Jozen, the soldiers, and their horses are almost literally torn to shreds by the cannonballs. It’s a frighteningly disturbing and gruesome bit of warfare, and it signals that the reserved violence from the start of the season is over. The rest ofShōgunis going to be steeped in this horrific sort of bloodshed. Jozen gets one final curse out before he and the other barely surviving members of his entourage are beheaded.Mariko says, “It is war”, quietly, and her hushed fear says more than any cannonball.
Anna Sawai’s Comments About Mariko In Shōgun Season 1, Episode 4, “The Eightfold Fence”
Sawai Thinks The “Eightfold Fence” Is “Poetic”
ShōgunSeason 1, Episode 4, “The Eightfold Fence,” is a critical episode for Mariko, and actress Anna Sawai has discussed her thoughts on the subject. Sawai said about the sex scene in the episode (viaDecider),
“I think that obviously having her husband Buntaro die played a big part in her being like, ‘Okay, well, you know, this isn’t completely wrong,’ even though he is a Protestant and even though he is married and has kids.”
Mariko may not be completely sure her husband has died, but she has a feeling, and that seems to be enough to let her guard down around Blackthorne. It’s letting her guard, her “Eightfold Fence”, down that allows her to be free with Blackthorne. About that “Eightfold Fence,” Sawai says (viaScreenRant),
“Eightfold fence is, I think, a way to protect yourself when you’re in a situation where you just don’t feel accepted, or you feel that you need to just get away. The eightfold fence is what you build within your head to just bring yourself into a peaceful place. I think that’s something that I do, but when you put it into words as an eightfold fence, I think that’s very poetic and beautiful.”
Mariko hides herself behind her “Eightfold Fence” and suggests that everyone does so to an extent. After learning this, Blackthorne figures out a way to see past it. It’s not that he’s purposefully trying to make Mariko fall in love with him; he just sees her for who she truly is, and she does the same. The romance inShōgunSeason 1, Episode 4, “The Eightfold Fence,” feels realistic and purposeful, and helps drive the action for the rest of the series.
Shogun
Cast
Shōgun, released in 2024, is set in Japan during 1600 at the onset of a significant civil war. It follows Lord Yoshii Toranaga as he battles political adversaries on the Council of Regents, while a European ship mysteriously appears in a nearby fishing village, complicating the tides of power.
