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Pilot major John Blackthorne, also known as Anjin (按針, lit. "Pilot", "Steuermann"), is the protagonist of James Clavell 's 1975 novel Shōgun. The character is loosely based on the life of the 17th-century English navigator William Adams, who was the first Englishman to visit Japan.
- 1564, England
- Richard Chamberlain
- c. 1620, Japan
- Overview
- Synopsis
- Plot Summary
- Cast & Characters
Anjin is the first episode of the FX limited series, Shōgun. The episode premiered on February 27, 2024.
Destinies converge in Japan after a barbarian ship washes ashore in a poor fishing village. Meanwhile, in Osaka, Lord Toranaga finds himself outplayed by his enemies.
An old ship moves slowly in the ocean at night. An Englishman, John Blackthorne, drops something into the ocean. He pulls it up and sees fine white sand, which he decides to take it to the captain. The captain tells him he sees what he wants to see. Blackthorne assures him they will reach land—Japan specifically—and the captain tells him it’s the scurvy talking. The captain tells him he’s reached his limit after most of their crew has perished. He looks at a gun on his table. Blackthorne leaves and stands alone on deck, looking out into the distance. A gun shot goes off, presumably the captain killing himself.
A Japanese man sings to himself as he walks along the rocky coastline. He sees a ship approach the shore. The Japanese armed forces get alerted and rush to the shore to confront the boat and its passengers. They find sick starved men, unable to move. One man moves and they choke him. The soldiers wonder who they are.
Elsewhere, a group rides horses in the countryside of Osaka. Yoshii Nagakado hands a beautiful bird to his father, Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who admires the bird’s ability to conceal herself. They ride to Osaka Castle and receive a request from Lord Ishido Kazunari asking that he confine himself to his personal quarters. The onlookers seem surprised Toranaga came at all. Toranaga goes to meet with the Council of Regents. They accuse him of aligning power against the Council by consenting to six marriages and doubling the size of his fief. Toranaga insists he is content with his role as Lord of the Kanto and wants peace. The Council asks if he took Lady Ochiba, the heir’s mother, hostage to guarantee his safety, but Toranaga insists that his daughter-in-law is in labor and this is the reason for her visit to his castle.
Ishido, on behalf of the council, demands the Lady Ochiba’s return under penalty of impeachment. One of Toranaga’s men, Tadayoshi, jumps up and defends his lord, expressing his anger that the Council has insulted Lord Toranaga. Toranaga commands Tadayoshi to stand down and admonishes him for accusing Ishido of insulting Toranaga. Tadayoshi asks permission for Toranaga's permission to commit seppuku and end his bloodline, and Toranaga apologizes to the council on Tadayoshi's behalf. Lord Ishido tells Toranaga to return Lady Ochiba and then they will vote on his fate.
Toranaga discusses the incident with his general Toda Hiromatsu and asks if Tadayoshi is married to his grandchild. Hiromatsu confirms that he is married to his best grandchild, Usami Fuji. Toranaga says he will make sure they live. He then asks Hiromatsu to go to Ajiro in his place.
Meanwhile, Tadayoshi asks his wife Fuji to hand over their son on the Lord’s orders but she refuses, holding a knife to her own neck in threat. Toda Mariko reasons with her, pulling the knife away.
Starring
•Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga •Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne •Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko •Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige •Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi •Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari •Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji •Shinnosuke Abe as Toda "Buntaro" Hirokatsu •Tokuma Nishioka as Toda Hiromatsu •Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji •Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado •Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba No Kata •Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito •Yuka Kouri as Kiku •Yoriko Dōguchi as Kiri No Kata •Ako as Lady Iyo/Daiyoin
Supporting
•Néstor Carbonell as Lord Vasco Rodrigues •Hiromoto Ida as Lord Kiyama ukon Sadanaga •Toshi Toda as Lord Sugiyama •Sen Mars as Nakamura Yaechiyo •Paul Moniz de Sa as Father Sebastio •Takeshi Kurokawa as Ohno Harunobu •Ned Dennehy as Captain General
Feb 27, 2024 · Anjin: Directed by Jonathan van Tulleken. With Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano. Destinies converge in Japan after a barbarian ship washes ashore in a poor fishing village. Meanwhile, in Osaka, Lord Toranaga finds himself outplayed by his enemies.
- Jonathan van Tulleken
- 2023
- Adventure, Drama, History
- Ronan Bennett, James Clavell, Shannon Goss
Episode 1 - Anjin. A barbarian ship washes ashore. Host Emily Yoshida and guests break down episode 1 of FX’s Shōgun. Featuring showrunner Justin Marks, actor Hiroyuki Sanada "Toranaga," historian Frederik Cryns, and costume designer Carlos Rosario.
People also ask
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Feb 27, 2024 · Premiere “Anjin,” written by co-creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, begins aboard the Dutch privateer vessel Erasmus, as the English pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) confronts the ...
- Jesse Raub
- Contributor
Feb 28, 2024 · Shōgun – Season 1 Episode 1 “Anjin” Recap & Review. 28 February 2024 by Arnav Srivastava. Anjin. In episode 1, we learn Shogun is set in the year 1600 in feudal Japan. Currently, the Portuguese have a monopoly over trade in the New World. Their influence extends through the church.
Apr 23, 2024 · The unstable lord even asks the Anjin to take him back to England, as though the distance can free him from his guilt.
