John Blackthorne has officially been promoted to be Lord Toranaga's hatamoto, aka "Guardian of the Banner", and now that he's been appointed to a higher rank, he offers his weapons. So, what were Blackthorne's cannons used for in Shogun?
CONTENT SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers for FX's Shogun episode 4, so proceed with caution.
What Were John Blackthorne's Cannons Used For?
Shogun episode 4 titled The Eightfold Fence shows Lord Toranaga placing his trust in John Blackthorne's ability to develop the right strategy.
Considering that Toranaga is planning ahead for any potential danger or war, having the white samurai on his side would do wonders in gaining a new perspective for their future battles.
Now, upon promoting Toranaga from "anjin" (roughly translated to pilot) to "hatamoto" (guardian of the flag"), Blackthorne has the opportunity to shape Toranaga's men ready for war.
"For this exercise, the cannon will fire across the plain and blast the targets with perfect accuracy," as instructed in the episode.
Part of Blackthorne's deal is training Lord Toranaga's son, Yoshii Nagakado, through a series of exercises in operating the cannons and increasing accuracy towards their plain targets.
However, one unforeseen incident occurred in the middle of their training grounds. Surprisingly, Lord Toranaga's son had other plans in mind for the cannons.
READ MORE: Shōgun Fans Have a Good Guess on Lord Toranaga's Potential Betrayal
Nagakado Attacked the Council of Regents Using Blackthorne's Weapons
While Blackthorne was training Lord Toranaga's regiment on foreign tactics along with his son, Nagakado, a samurai messenger was sent by the council of regent. As it turns out, the messenger is seeking Yabushige to return to Osaka.
Even though the allies of Lord Toranaga are well aware of what the plan is, Nagakado takes this as an opportunity to prove himself to his father.
Shogun episode 4 ends with a bang. Literally. The messenger of the council of regents lies on the ground, and Nagakado decapitates him with his sword, leaving Lady Mariko crying in horror at their dawning future.
Who would've thought that Nagakado would take advantage of his position to fire the cannons against the samurai? This ensures war and will end in more bloodshed than they can count.
Because of Nagakado's reckless move, Lord Toranaga and his comrades are now in danger.
Meanwhile, Shōgun episode 5 titled Broken to the Fist premieres on March 19 on Hulu.
READ NEXT: Shōgun: Do John Blackthorne and Lady Mariko End Up Together? Forbidden Romance Explained
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