Chapter 58
Summary
- The Regents are convening in the Great Room on the second level of the donjon amidst tension due to recent events.
- Lady Ochiba attends the meeting, feeling strong loathing for Ishido, who is downplaying the severity of a ninja attack and loss of life.
- There is disagreement among the Regents about whether Christians are responsible for the recent attack, possibly for ransom purposes.
- Ishido suggests perhaps Christians in Nagasaki would pay for a captured barbarian (the term barbarian referring to a non-Japanese or foreigner).
- Speculation leads to concerns about potential conspiracies involving Christians and foreign powers involving acts of war.
- Discussion moves to the potential action of Lord Toranaga, with some doubt expressed about his possible strategies.
- Zataki and others doubt Toranaga's involvement in the attack, believing merchants or barbarians to be the culprits, while Ishido and others think Toranaga is too clever to use ninja.
- The meeting reveals various distrusts and enmities among the Regents; Kiyama for instance despises Zataki.
- Kiyama insists that Toranaga was behind their entrapment by Lady Toda Mariko.
- Ishido is accused of failing to preemptively discover Toranaga's secret lair.
- Talk of the ninja attack leads to further disagreements about security measures and holding people against their will in Osaka Castle.
- The group debates whether or not to cancel previously issued 'safe conducts' that would allow people to leave the castle.
- Leper Onoshi, who is isolated from the group due to his condition, warns against revoking safe conducts as it would dishonor those who bravely died and could have political consequences, suggesting letting everyone leave.
- Onoshi also implies that holding people might be seen as intending to betray a written undertaking to allow departures, damaging their reputation among other lords.
- Lady Ochiba makes a decision to either support Toranaga or Ishido.
- Discussion of who will control the Kwanto after Toranaga's defeat reveals prior promises made to Zataki.
- Kiyama contemplates picking sides between Ishido and Toranaga, considering Toranaga's intelligence and the plausibility of him taking measures to delay the Emperor's visit, which would signal his ability to affect significant political change.
- An earthquake interrupts the meeting temporarily but causes no serious harm, ending with a newly kindled enthusiasm for life.
- The Regents vote for war following the earthquake, prompted by their belief Toranaga could prevent the Emperor's visit to Osaka.
- Blackthorne, the foreigner, regains consciousness and can't hear, but finds he's not seriously harmed beyond that. He is guarded by Ishido's men and reflects on his plans to leave for Nagasaki and take the Black Ship.
- Ishido and Lady Ochiba have a conversation about different strategies and holding the Anjin-san (Blackthorne) as leverage against Christians.
- Lady Ochiba is proposed as the 'queen' in the political chess game by Ishido, although she dismisses the title.
- Discussion of a Spanish Bishop coming to Japan causes concern for dell’Aqua, the Father-Visitor, who fears changes stemming from a political shift in religious power from the Portuguese to the Spanish.
- Priestly orders are commanded by the Pope to leave Japan, but disobedience and refusal is shown by Friar Perez, demonstrating internal conflict within the Church.
- Dell’Aqua receives the Papal Order and starts to worry about changes in the Church's political standing and about his own position.
- Dell’Aqua sends the news of the war decision immediately to Martin, to be passed to Toranaga, and attempts to make urgent arrangements, calling for Kiyama and Ferriera.