William Adams, the historical figure which the character John Blackthorne was based on, spoke a number of languages, including Portuguese.
The wife of a Samurai would receive a small tanto called a kaiken, a small dagger, as a wedding gift.
Based on the 1975 novel Shogun written by James Clavell, which was first adapted into a miniseries Shogun (1980) starring Richard Chamberlain.
The Samurai carried two swords: Katana (long sword) and Wakizashi (mid sword). The Katana was used by foot soldiers, and provided a longer reach to initiate and prevent attacks, while the Wakizashi (pronounced wa-kee-za-she) is a shorter sword that is primarily used in close combat situations, especially indoors.Moreover, Wakizashi was used as a backup in case the katana became unusable, and to commit seppuku if necessary. A third worn weapon, the Tanto (dagger) was employed for combat and seppuku as well. The generic names for the Katana and Wakizashi are called Daito (long sword) and Shoto (short sword), and worn together they are called Daisho (long and short).
Council of Regents:
- Yoshii Toranaga - Kanto (centered around Edo or Modern-day Tokyo). Also, President of Foreign Relations for The Council.
- Sugiyama Josui - Northern Regions of Hokushu. Also, a Descendant of the richest samurai family in Japan
- Ohno Harunobu - Bungo (Christian / Leper)
- Kiyama Ukon Sadanaga - Higo (Christian)
- Ishido Kazunari - Goshu. Also, Lord General, Caretaker of Osaka Castle and Toranaga's chief rival. Moreover he is the Lord of the Late Taiko Nakamura personal holdings.