The smart thing for Baldwin to do would be to keep his mouth shut. However, we all know keeping his mouth shut is not his forte.

I think “We don’t give a flying fuck” is their motto.

Changing the entire menu every day is insanity for everyone. The first thing that jumps to mind, even before the obvious issues the FOH crew will face, is that fact that it takes time for the prep cooks to train on new dishes. Introducing half a dozen new recipes every day is going to consume time they don’t have.

I was born in Louisiana and grew up in Houston. I heard the word used in both places. It was always used that way, like the extra roll in a baker’s dozen.

Indeed!

Or gaining entry into Canada.

You’re right about the Catholics’ fall from Tokugawa’s favor. Adams played key role in the Dutch being favored over the Portuguese and the other Europeans who traveled. He also played a key role in the Red Seal trade during the early years of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

True.

BAXTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like this idea. I believe there are a few of Shogun’s characters’ descendants who appear in Gai-Jin, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for there to be a family resemblance. I too would love to see what Yabushiga’s kin are up to a couple of hundred years later.

Maybe. Blackthorn had respect for Yabushige, but he didn’t like him. Still, I think it was probably because he felt he was going to have to fight his way out of Japan if he was ever going to get back to England.

The guy Blackthorn was based on, William Adams, arrived in Japan in 16oo and spent the rest of his life there. He died in 1620.

I think it was mutual grief and grudging respect. I doubt they’ll be spending their evenings sipping sake.

Clavell did have the good manners of changing the names to protect the innocent.

That’s because he more or less was. He was actually only a minor cog in Toranaga’s scheme—a distraction who entertain’s Toranaga and confuses his enemies. He’s just the POV character in the book and both series.

“Yabushige and the Anjin are goshawks. Short-winged and predictable.”

I don’t think it really mattered in this case. Ishido wasn’t around very long after the attack to collect. I’m pretty sure the rest of his short life was spent in agonizing pain.

That would definitely be their style.

That was thanks to Orson Welles’ narration.

Blackthorn was useful to Toranaga’s plan, mostly as a distraction for his enemies—since he seemed to value the Englishman, they assumed he must be of value. The intelligence on the Portuguese and European religion/politics he provided early on helped Toranaga escape Osaka, but that was pretty much the limit of what…