Chapter 21

Summary

• Kiri departs for Yedo in the evening, cloaked and with maids in attendance, and heads toward her litter.
• Lady Sazuko, heavily pregnant, Mariko, and Blackthorne are present at the scene, with Blackthorne noting that he is the only one unarmed.
• Yabu and Buntaro lead a 60-man samurai escort, all heavily armed and prepared for travel.
• Aware of the tension, everyone ignores the promise of summer, focused on the possibly dangerous journey ahead.
• Kiri expresses her reluctance to leave and concern for Sazuko’s wellbeing in the cold spring night air.
• Mariko reassures Kiri, telling her not to worry about the next day, which is in the hands of God.
• Sazuko shows indifference to future worries, focusing instead on the current moment.
• Lord Yabu is eager to depart and return to his domain, having made arrangements for his arrival.
• Kiri delays departure slightly, but Yabu still wants to proceed quickly and downplays the inconvenience to Lord Toranaga.
• Ishido, leading the Grays, appears unexpectedly, creating a tense standoff with the Browns at the gate.
• Both Ishido and Buntaro, who have a history of enmity from wartime in Korea, exchange tense words, though no violence erupts.
• Hiro-matsu intervenes to reduce tension, emphasizing that they have friends everywhere and preventing a clash at the gate.
• There's an established protocol that Ishido and Toranaga agreed upon regarding the movement of high personages.
• The situation escalates when Buntaro threatens Ishido with a drawn bow, reinforcing the prohibition of too many Grays entering the gate.
• Hiro-matsu manages the situation by allowing Ishido and five guards to pass and pay their respects to the departing Kiri.
• Ishido, after being allowed to pay his respects, departs with all of his men, and Yabu is urged to leave promptly by Hiro-matsu.
• There is a tense and concerning moment when Lady Sazuko falls, but she reassures everyone that she is all right.
• Kiri, now in her litter and believing it to be Blackthorne, is revealed to be Toranaga in disguise.
• Mariko gets into her litter with the curtains partially open as they all prepare to depart.
• Blackthorne walks alongside Mariko's litter, confused by the appearance of everything being besieged.
• Blackthorne recalls the odd behavior of Kiri (Toranaga) as they depart under the watchful eyes of Hiro-matsu and the now fully closed castle gate.