'Shōgun' Episode 6 Takeaway: Ochiba-no-kata strengthens her grip over Osaka palace politics
Contains spoilers for 'Shōgun' Episode 6
OSAKA, JAPAN: With the introduction of Ochiba no Kata (Fumi Nikaido), the political spheres of FX's 'Shōgun' appear to be becoming increasingly intriguing.
Ochiba is the mother of heir Nakamura Yaechiyo (Sen Mars), who has a nasty disposition and some ancient grievances to pay to Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada).
The series, based on James Cavell's book of the same name, the series introduces Ochiba in the last episode but she is unquestionably one of the most important key players in the series, gaining a firm hold over Osaka's power dynamics.
In the most recent episode, it was revealed that she is speeding up the process of selecting the fifth member of the regency, with the hopes of impeaching Torangna.
Ochiba no Kata restricts members of the regents within the palace
The most recent episode revealed more about Ochiba no Kata, who was once a simple young girl and friends with Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai).
However, after her father, a former daimyo named Lord Kuroda Nobuhisa (Eijiro Ozaki), was assassinated by Mariko's father, Akechi Jinsai (Yutaka Takeuchi), she turned into a cunning and manipulative woman who wanted to exact revenge.
Ochiba believes that Akechi assassinated her father, but Torangana orchestrated his death. So she has a cause to get him killed as quickly as possible but the convoluted palace politics are preventing her from doing so.
To accelerate Torangna's impeachment, she devises a strategy.
She states that there is a threat to the heir's life, so she wishes to expedite the selection of the fifth member of the regent; until then, no member of the regent was permitted to leave the palace.
Ochiba no Kata invites Lord Ito to become the fifth member of the regency
Along with Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira), she asks Lord Ito (Eisuke Sasai), an influential warlord, to succeed Toranaga as regent.
However, things appeared to be off track when Sugiyama (Toshi Toda) declined to vote for Ito's appointment, citing the need for proof that the heir's life was threatened.
His rejection appears to have irritated Ochiba, who orders Ishido to expedite the process of assassinating Toranaga as soon as possible, resulting in Ishido and his men murdering Sugiyama and his entire clan.
In the end, she succeeds in appointing Ito as the fifth member of the regency and appears to be pleased with having gone a step forward in exacting her revenge on Torangana.
The series premiered with its first two episodes on February 27, 2024, on Hulu and FX. The subsequent episodes are scheduled to be released weekly.