After making it out of Osaka, Lord Toranaga finds himself in hot water with the Regents in the fourth episode of Shōgun. This is after Nagakado's Regent attack, which Toranaga knew nothing about.
But why did his son launch an attack against the Council? What are the repercussions of this action on Toranaga and his clan? Here's what we know.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for Shōgun episode 4, so proceed with caution.
Why Did Nagakado Attack the Regents?
Yoshii Nagakado (played by Yuki Kura) is the son of Lord Toranaga (played by Hiroyuki Sanada) who many perceive as a spoiled child.
Because he wanted to prove his worth as the son of a powerful man, Nagakado decided to kill the samurai working against his father.
The samurai, Nebara Josen (played by Nobuya Shimamoto) was ordered to watch a demonstration when Nagakado suddenly attacked him with multiple cannon shots.
During the attack, Josen's men died right away. Josen, on the other hand, died after Nagakado's final blow.
Although Nagakado wanted to impress his father, he was tricked by Kashigi Omi (played by Hiroto Kanai) into believing that Josen would capture Kashigi Yabushige (played by Tadanobu Asano). Because of this, Nagakado decided to strike first so he could win his father's respect.
Meanwhile, Omi tricked Nagakado because he, too, was manipulated by a courtesan he was in love with. While Josen was really after Yabushige, the latter would be a target if Josen failed.
This is why the courtesan, Kiku (played by Yuka Kouri), decided to use Omi.
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Did Toranaga Know of Nagakado's Regent Attack? What Happens Now?
In the previous episode, we saw Toranaga traveling to Edo with John Blackthorne (played by Cosmo Jarvis).
They planned to train Toranaga's men with Blackthorne's knowledge of foreign tactics so they could win against Ishido (played by Takehiro Hira).
Since they were in Edo, Toranaga had no way of knowing what his son was planning. Without his knowledge, Nagakado's Regent attack started a war and put his father in danger.
This was obviously seen by the Council of Regents as a declaration of war against them. After all, Ishido has been eager to declare Toranaga as a traitor from the start. His son's actions would give him reason to convince the other Regents that Toranaga is an enemy.
Even though Toranaga did not know what was happening in Osaka, it meant trouble for him and his clan. We'll have to wait and see how Toranaga reacts to this in the next episode of Shōgun.
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