THE NOT-SO-SOULFUL SIDE OF SHŌGUN

The other week, I talked about the lessons I learned from the show.

This week, I want to focus on the not-so-soulful aspects of Shōgun (and the romanticized samurai).

One of my oldest posts covered this—too many people romanticize the samurai without truly understanding who they were and what they did. Their general image in pop culture tends to paint them as noble, honorable warriors. But history tells a more complex story.

A shallow summary of Shōgun could sound like this: “Five feudal lords fight over their greed for power, while a gaikokujin (foreigner) falls in love with a Japanese woman.”

But that barely scratches the surface. I don’t want to trigger the rest of the world.

Let me explain.

SPOILER ALERT: EVERYONE WANTED TO BE SHŌGUN

It’s wild to watch the interplay of political beliefs, religion, and personal ambitions that fuel their motivations. With the power a samurai held back then, they had undeniable control over people’s lives—what they could and couldn’t do with them.

The dramatization does a great job of showing the darker side of that power. They weren’t just bound by honor. They were ruthless bureaucrats through and through.

REALITY BEHIND HONOR

Anyone who has a distinct obsession with Japan and its culture knows about bushido, the so-called Samurai Code of Conduct. But many scholars debate the true extent of bushido during the samurai era. Because much of what we know was written after the fact.

In many cases, political maneuvering and survival almost always outweighed their noble ideals. Shōgun gives us a look into that feudal landscape of the time.

They were dealing with more than just combat—they were plotting, making and breaking alliances, and sometimes betraying one another to climb the political ladder.

“Honor” was convenient when it suited them.

SEPPUKU: HONOR AT ANY COST

Speaking of honor, though.

The most striking example is seppuku—the ritual suicide they carried out to preserve their honor.

In a culture where honor was everything, losing face meant losing your right to live. Seppuku was viewed as an act of redemption, a way for someone to take control of their fate—even in defeat.

You watch them and wonder, “How deeply conflicted can a society be?”

In their quest to uphold honor, many were willing to sacrifice everything—their lives and, at times, the lives of innocent people who deserved to live.

This push and pull between life, death, and dignity still blows my mind.

RELIGION AND MANIPULATION

Another layer of the show involves the tension between religion and power.

The Portuguese missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan’s elite, and some of the samurai adopted foreign religions for personal gain. Others obviously saw it as a threat to their authority.

It’s fascinating to watch how the show highlights this conflict—portraying how belief systems were manipulated for political advantage. The role of different faiths like Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity was a driving force in the power struggle.

Looking at religion from this point of view troubles me, especially seeing how manipulation of belief systems still happens around the world. Blind faith, idolatry, and people without common sense allow limiting beliefs to consume them.

Watching how Shōgun portrays this is both eye-opening and frustrating.

THE GAIKOKUJIN FACTOR

And then there’s Blackthorne, the random foreigner. Okay, his story isn’t just a love-interest subplot. It’s a wide-open window into Japan’s relationship with the outside world. His experience shows how Japan handled foreign influence—a little fascinated, maybe more suspicious.

Speaking from experience, his character resonates deeply. As a foreigner living in Japan, this layer of the show makes people like me understand why they treat us the way they do. And why it seems like their view of us hasn’t really changed that much.

Something about Toronaga saying he’s “funny and entertaining” struck a chord so hard it sent us right back to our English-teaching roles.

It’s always a complicated matter—living and working in Japan.

GOING BEYOND THE SURFACE

Shōgun is more than just a tale of five lords and a foreigner. It’s a great blend of tension among many different motivations:

Power.

Honor.

Death.

Survival.

And losing touch with humanity.

Makes you shake your head in disbelief and say, “Japan.”

All of this to say...the show is definitely worth watching.

Stay Soulful,

Jopaz