‘Shōgun’ Episode 6 Recap — This One’s for the Girls

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Shōgun Episode 6.

The Big Picture

• Mariko must navigate duty and desire, setting up a complex night for Blackthorne at a brothel under Toranaga’s orders.
• Kiku finds herself in an unpredictable situation with Blackthorne and Omi, showcasing her role in the power dynamics of the story.
• Ochiba asserts power moves against Toranaga and Mariko, revealing her plans for vengeance and manipulation within the Council.

As of this week, we’ve rounded the halfway point on FX’s epic historical miniseries Shōgun. While the greater threat of war looms, the march toward that inevitable battle is a lot slower than we might have initially believed after a particularly explosive fourth episode — especially since the Council of Regents has a new boss in town and Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is still trying to gather reinforcements. Like the installment preceding it, “Chapter Six: Ladies of the Willow World” is a more intimate, character-driven episode that provides context from the past to offer insight into why certain dividing lines have been drawn in the present.

Prior episodes have only just begun to spool out certain narrative threads to answer some of Shōgun‘s subtlest questions — what exactly is the reason behind Toranaga and Ochiba no Kata’s (Fumi Nikaidō) intense glances? Have Mariko (Anna Sawai) and Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe) reached the point of no return in their marriage? What, exactly, is going on between Omi (Hiroto Kanai) and Kiku (Yuka Kouri), and how will that dynamic be tested by the inclusion of a certain “barbarian” pilot in Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis)? All of the above questions and more get answers this week, but the consequences of these revelations on the unfolding story are yet to be determined.

Mariko Is Torn Between Duty and Desire in ‘Shōgun’ Episode 6

This week’s episode brings with it the harsh light of day — and with that, some sobering realizations about the ripple effects that disastrous dinner at Blackthorne’s house may have had. So much so, in fact, that Buntaro seeks an audience with Toranaga to apologize for his unseemly behavior. Between Buntaro’s deference and Blackthorne and Mariko barely capable of sharing a glance, you get the feeling that Toranaga is absolutely picking up on the uncomfy vibes between all of them — but he doesn’t have time to deal with this relationship drama! He’s got a war to plan! His suggestion to Buntaro about how to handle his marriage is straightforward — just get a divorce! — but Buntaro says it’s not that simple, especially since they’ve been married for so many years. With him, Buntaro says, Mariko has always been ice, but he’s noticed a distinct thawing of her personality around a certain hatamoto — which seems to put a new idea into Toranaga’s head about how to deal with things. He tells Buntaro to take a one-week break from the marriage, but he has completely different instructions in mind for Mariko and Blackthorne. Clearly, whatever’s going on between them can’t be solved by distance, so he’s tasking Mariko with setting up a night for the Anjin at a brothel — which she is also ordered to attend, “in case he talks while he pillows.”

This week’s episode not only clues us into the true extent of Mariko’s dedication to duty — even at the cost of her own happiness — but it’s also a showcase for Anna Sawai’s capabilities as an actress. By way of flashbacks to the past and moments in the present, we’re bombarded with instances where Mariko had to simply bow and obey the wishes of others, from her marriage to Buntaro to turning her back on a particularly grisly display of execution at her father’s urging. Sitting across from the madam of the Willow World, the best brothel in Izu, and having to negotiate the terms of Blackthorne’s night with Kiku, is likely not very high on the list of humiliations Mariko has had to endure — but it might be up there. Still, neither she nor we are completely prepared for what transpires between the three of them by the time they’re alone together.

The night begins straightforwardly enough, with Kiku offering an elegant tea service as Mariko encourages Blackthorne to praise her for her pouring technique — but there is a fairly large specter that hangs overhead with the realization that Mariko will likely have to watch the man she cares about being intimate with someone else. It turns out, however, that Kiku, who has always been more perceptive than perhaps anyone gives her credit for, is immediately attuned to the real reason beneath Blackthorne and Mariko’s weird tension. While Kiku has her own responsibility tonight, a duty that has essentially already been bought and paid for, that doesn’t mean she’s unwilling to use her skills to let Mariko act as a conduit between them. Shōgun continues to thrillingly wield language and translation, this time in a hypnotic manner that propels the moment into thoroughly intimate territory. While Mariko previously swore that the only words from her to Blackthorne would be from others’ lips, she’s put in a position to share Kiku’s hushed descriptions while the courtesan sits out of frame behind her.

Is Kiku offering these words for Blackthorne’s benefit, or Mariko’s? Perhaps it doesn’t matter very much in the end, because when Kiku moves to take Blackthorne into an adjoining room, Mariko refrains from accompanying them, as if realizing it’s a place she cannot follow them to. The next morning, it’s unclear whether Blackthorne and Kiku shared any physical intimacies or whether he simply confided in the courtesan, but suffice it to say, there’s one person who might be even unhappier about the whole thing than Mariko.

Kiku Finds Herself in an Unpredictable Situation in ‘Shōgun’ Episode 6

The first time we saw Kiku this season, she had been called into the company of Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), in what amounted to a rather memorable scene featuring an intimate performance for the lord’s enjoyment. In the weeks following, she was a quiet presence in the background, playing music to accompany an important meeting while certainly poised to hear any number of sensitive discussions. Kiku’s proximity to power has always been intriguing to watch, but her knowledge has only been used for wrapping certain men around her finger.

In the wake of Yabushige’s departure for Osaka earlier in the season, however, Kiku’s attentions have been claimed by his nephew Omi, who seems to be mostly operating under the impression that the two of them are the hot new power couple in town. When Kiku discovers that her services have been reserved for the evening, she mostly views it as an opportunity to build her reputation — with Toranaga’s support, she could become one of the most in-demand courtesans around — but Omi is less thrilled about the thought of Kiku pillowing with Blackthorne, especially given the literal pissing match the two of them had at first meet.

However, regardless of what transpires between the two of them that night, there may be no one more surprised by Blackthorne as a patron than Kiku herself. As Mariko picks up the Englishman the following morning, he still seems somewhat weary and tired around the eyes — nowhere near as cheery as he was the morning after being with Mariko — which leads me to suspect there was just a long, late night without any physical intimacy whatsoever. Kiku, however, graciously extends an invitation to Blackthorne to visit again — which Mariko purposefully doesn’t pass along. Watching the exchange from a distance, Omi remarks on Blackthorne’s seemingly good fortune, while Toranaga’s son Nagakado (Yuki Kura) points out that all his father does is “lavish [the Anjin] with gifts these days.” These two have been peas in a pod lately, and not the good kind — between Nagakado’s recklessness and Omi’s lingering distaste for Blackthorne, it wouldn’t be surprising if one or both of them makes a move against him soon. They’ll have to get in line, however, because there’s someone else who has an even greater plan she’s trying to put in place — one that’s been years in the making.

Ochiba Makes Strong Moves With Power in Mind in ‘Shōgun’ Episode 6

There’s been the sense that the return of the late Taikō‘s consort, Ochiba, would result in some very distinct shake-ups within the Council of Regents, but no one could have predicted that it would be playing out in such a deadly fashion. Before we get into that, though, there’s more to unpack about what Ochiba’s arrival in Osaka reveals in terms of the show’s increasingly tangled web of relationships — and why it matters that she’s aligned herself not just against Toranaga, but also, apparently, Mariko.

We’ve already learned more about Mariko’s tragic family history — as told in her own words via last week’s episode — but what crystallizes in heartbreaking form here is the revelation that she and Ochiba were close companions whose fathers found themselves on opposing sides. Mariko’s father, Akechi Jinsai, was the vassal to Ochiba’s father and the former ruler before the Taikō, the great warlord Kuroda. Of course, we know what ultimately transpired between the two men, but it’s this side of the fracture that casts the entire event in a different light. Mariko and Ochiba essentially grew up together, back when Ochiba was known as Ruri, and while Mariko was precisely the kind of girl to steal out of her bed at night and bear witness to horrors committed at the behest of Lord Kuroda, Ochiba made it her own choice “to look away from what we cannot control.”

Yet Kuroda’s murder at Jinsai’s hands seems to have changed their relationship overnight, especially now that Ochiba remains convinced that Toranaga had a hand in plotting with Jinsai against her father — not only that, she believes Toranaga planned the coup himself. That fateful night also forced Ochiba into the mindset of needing to wield power from whatever position she can hold, and this week, she has Lord Ishido (Takehiro Hira), as well as the rest of the Council of Regents, held fast in her grip. Essentially, keeping the other Regents, as well as their families, hostage in Osaka Castle is meant to be a way to force them into voting in a new member so they can proceed with Toranaga’s impeachment, but it also seems like the quickest way to fan the flames of dissent that have been persisting within this circle for weeks. Even the late Taikō‘s wife, Daiyoin (Ako), warns Ochiba that she may be allying with the wrong person in Ishido, but Ochiba is either too determined to see to Toranaga’s defeat personally or too bent on her mission of vengeance to consider an alternative path.

As the Council prepares to vote in a replacement member in Lord Ito, however, Lord Sugiyama (Toshi Toda) proves to be the stalemate — especially since they’re all being threatened with forced imprisonment. Not only does he refuse to put forth his vote, but he and his family later attempt to escape from Osaka Castle by dead of night. This effort fails in a rather bloody fashion, with their murders — carried out at Ishido’s personal behest — assigned to those pesky bandits that seem to stalk the roads outside the city. The Council appears all but poised to collapse in on itself, now that its numbers have dwindled even further, but this seems to be exactly what Ochiba may have wanted, especially if it means asserting her son’s authority. Nikaidō is at her most terrifying here in Ochiba’s final episodic scene with Ishido, as the consort relays the agonies she suffered in pursuit of giving the Taikō his one and only male heir. There’s no doubt that she’ll be a formidable antagonist for the remainder of the series, though to what extent she’ll continue to hold sway over the Council is something we’ll have to tune in for.

“A man may go to war for many reasons,” as Mariko privately issues to Toranaga this week — but ultimately, “a woman is simply at war.” Fortunately for Toranaga, his general, Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), who initially stayed behind in Osaka to protect Toranaga’s wife and consort, has managed to escape the city to warn him about the tumult playing out among his enemies. Toranaga, to his benefit, recognizes that he’ll have to call on yet another ally to fight for his side in the form of his brother, but if the Taikō‘s son remains in danger, then “Crimson Sky it will be.”

New episodes of Shōgun premiere each Tuesday on FX and Hulu in the U.S.

WATCH ON HULU