Chapter 1
Contains spoilersOverview
Blackthorne awakens in the Japanese village of Anjiro and collides with Jesuit influence and samurai authority. Samurai Omi grants Blackthorne limited freedom, confines the crew, summarily executes a villager, and seals Erasmus, imperiling the rutters. Headman Mura hosts Blackthorne, revealing Christian tensions and looming daimyo politics, then subdues him to enforce bathing.
Summary
John Blackthorne awakens in a pristine Japanese house, eats unfamiliar food, and notes a crucifix that suggests Catholic presence. A language mix-up with a woman he calls “Onna” underscores his isolation. Outside, he observes the immaculate village of Anjiro, Erasmus safely moored with samurai aboard, and unarmed villagers who bow with strict formality.
Father Sebastio, a Portuguese Jesuit, confronts Blackthorne, denouncing him as a heretic pirate and warning a daimyo is coming. Samurai Kasigi Omi arrives, interrogates through the priest, then grants Blackthorne free movement within the village while confining the crew. When a villager rises without bowing, Omi instantly beheads him and later hacks the body, asserting absolute control.
Blackthorne boards Erasmus but is barred from going below by silk seals and posted notices. Fearing discovery of his own incriminating rutter and a stolen Portuguese rutter, he backs down before drawn swords and withdraws, learning to bow to avoid provoking the samurai.
At the crew’s house, eleven survive; scurvy eases on fresh vegetables, though two are near death and the Captain-General remains very ill. The men crave meat and liquor, dread priests and possible conquistadores, and debate rumors of riches. Jan Roper condemns Blackthorne’s choices; others argue to wait for the daimyo, noting Omi’s hostility toward the Jesuit.
Returning to his quarters, Blackthorne mistakenly summons “Onna,” prompting Haku to undress before headman Mura clarifies that onna means “woman.” Mura, a Christian, reflects on local tensions, the execution of the Christian fisherman Tamazaki, and the threatening politics of their daimyo Yabu amid the Toranaga–Ishido standoff. Disgusted by Blackthorne’s refusal to bathe, Mura disables him with precise strikes and nerve holds, compelling him to submit and be carried to the bath.
Who Appears
- John Blackthorne
English pilot; awakens in Anjiro, clashes with Jesuit and samurai, barred from Erasmus’s hold, fears rutters, forced to bathe.
- Mura
Headman of Anjiro; Christian host who clarifies customs, worries about politics, subdues Blackthorne, and enforces bathing.
- Kasigi Omi
Samurai overseeing the village; interrogates Blackthorne, confines crew, beheads a villager, and asserts harsh authority.
- Father Sebastio
Portuguese Jesuit; condemns Blackthorne as a heretic pirate, warns of the daimyo, resented by Omi.
- Baccus van Nekk
Near-blind chief merchant; craves liquor, recounts their arrival, urges patience and trade hopes.
- Johann Vinck
Sailor; boasts of women, supports Blackthorne, fears priests and conquistadores.
- Maetsukker
Fearful crewman; bemoans lack of meat and drink, pessimistic about survival.
- Jan Roper
Fanatical Calvinist merchant; denounces Catholics, accuses Blackthorne of ambition and sin.
- Ginsel
Young sailor, toothless and bowed-legged; horrified by the beheading, fears the samurai.
- Hans Pieterzoon
Gunner; gripes about fate, sides with Vinck against Roper’s zealotry.
- Sonk
Cook; notes shoe etiquette, jokes darkly, shares fears about samurai.
- Maximilian Croocq
Teenage sailor; traumatized and despairing, chastened by Blackthorne.
- Captain-General Spillbergen
Expedition commander; remains very sick and powerless ashore.
- Haku
Middle-aged woman in Mura’s house; mistakenly presented as a courtesan, leaves offended.
- Tamazaki
Christian fisherman; executed by Omi for failing to bow, igniting village unease.