At dusk, Kiri prepares to leave Osaka under heavy guard, with Mariko present and Yabu and Buntaro commanding the escort. Lady Sazuko, pregnant, watches from the veranda. Blackthorne, unarmed and tense, is ordered to walk beside Mariko’s litter. The atmosphere is martial as the Browns assemble to depart.

Ishido arrives unexpectedly with two hundred Grays. Buntaro’s taunts bring both sides to the brink, but Hiro-matsu steps in, enforcing prior protocol that only five Grays may pass the gate. Ishido yields, pays formal respects to “Kiritsubo,” and withdraws, while Hiro-matsu urges immediate departure.

Inside the garden, Kiri is distraught and asks Yabu to escort Sazuko indoors; Sazuko slips on the steps but is unhurt and returns inside. Orders are given, the castle doors are barred, and the escort moves out. Mariko reassures Blackthorne and confirms Sazuko is carrying Toranaga’s child.

Amid the commotion of Sazuko’s fall, Blackthorne notices “Kiri” briefly vanish into a hut and then dart into the waiting litter. Their eyes meet: it is Toranaga in disguise. As the procession departs into the night, only Blackthorne understands that Toranaga is secretly escaping Osaka under Ishido’s nose.