"In the year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred and ninety-eight, five trader warships left the Dutch city of Rotterdam as the first expeditionary force ever sent to ravage and plunder Spanish and Portuguese possessions in the recently discovered New World." "Protestant Holland had been at war with Catholic Spain for over 40 years, with England her only ally in the struggle." "The Spanish had discovered the vast riches of the Americas and, legend had it, the even greater riches ofmysterious Cathay." "Both Holland and England were determined to share in this wealth." "Only one Dutch ship survived the violent storms and icy seas of Cape Horn, to breach the enemy's secret of the Straits of Magellan and finally sail into American waters:" "the Erasmus." "Under the command ofPilot-Major John Blackthorne, with only twenty-eight men ofhis Dutch crew still alive, the Erasmus ventured into the Pacific." "There, pursued and outnumbered by Spanish fleets, her retreat cut off, this ship turned westward and fled alone...into the unknown." "Now, almost two years outward bound from home, one hundred and thirty-three days from her last landfall..." "Go below, Pilot." "I take this watch." " Where's the mate?" " Dead." "There's the stink of death, Pilot." " What's the course?" " Wherever the wind takes us!" "And where's the landfall you promised?" "Where's the Japans?" " Ahead!" " Ahead..." "Always ahead!" "Blessed Jesus..." "Damn the day I left Holland!" " Get aloft, Maetsukker." " No, I'm near death, Pilot." "The scurvy's taken me." "Get aloft and stay there till you're dead or we make landfall!" "How are you feeling, Johann?" "Good enough, Pilot." "Perhaps I'll live." "Most men your age are already dead, so you're ahead of us." "It's the saintly life I've led." "That and the brandy..." "The bosun's dead, Pilot." "Get the body aloft." "You and Roper and Croocq." "Johann, take the dawn watch." " Ginsel, you're bow lookout." " Right." "Captain-General?" "Where...where are we?" "Still on course." "You and your damned course!" "There is no Japans." "But you...you will kill us all!" "We'll get there." "We'll make landfall." "It's a lie!" "All lies from the beginning!" "God rot you, Pilot." "Reef!" "Reef ahead!" "All hands on deck!" "All hands on deck!" "We're lost!" "Lord Jesus help us!" "Get the crew on deck!" "Go on!" "Get out on deck!" "Out!" "Get aloft!" "The forecastle's ho!" "Aloft!" "Reef!" "Reef ahead!" "Turn, you whore from hell!" "Turn, damn you!" "Turn!" "Is this the Japans?" "The Japans?" "It is the Japans." "By God, it has to be!" "Sorry." "Where are my boots?" "Boots." "Feet." "Boots." "Thank you." "My name..." "John Blackthorne." "What's your name?" "Blackthorne." "What's your name?" "Onna." " Onna." " Onna." " Onna." " Hai." "Onna." "Can you take me in your boat to my ship?" "Hai." "You wait here for me." " Wait here for me." " Hai." "But this is my ship." "There are papers in my cabin." "I need them." "I, me want to go in there." " Who are you?" " Who are you?" "I am Father Sebastio." "And you are a heretic Dutchman pirate!" "How did you get here?" "We were blown ashore." " What is this place?" "The Japans?" " Yes." "The authorities know about you." "They crucify criminals and pirates here." "You're going to die." " Where's my crew?" " They will die with you." "May God burn you in hellfire for all eternity!" "Kasigi Omi-san wants to know where do you come from." " Who is he?" " The samurai in charge of this village." "You'd better answer quickly." "Tell him I'm English." "I'm Pilot-Major of the Erasmus out of Rotterdam." "Omi-san says you may walk around the village until his master comes back." "Lord Kasigi Yabu will decide your fate." "What about my crew?" "Where are they?" "Omi-san says, "Do you understand?"" "What's "yes" in Japanese?" "...in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti." "Hai." "By the Lord Jesus, Pilot, you're alive!" "Where's the ship?" "ls she safe?" "Anchored in the bay." "Where are the others?" "Dead, Pilot." "The savages took them away." "Captain-General?" "He can't hear you." "All he does is lie there and moan." "He's in God's hands." "We all are." " Is it the Japans, Pilot?" "ls it?" " Aye, it is." "But there's a priest here." "A Jesuit." "If there's one priest, there'll be others." "Priests and Papists..." "They'll burn us at the stake." "The Day of Judgement approaches." "We never should've sailed here!" "Are there riches, Pilot?" "ls there gold?" " There must be." "Gold and riches..." " Did you see it?" " Have you seen the gold?" " No." "Roper's right." "Only greed brought us here." " It's God's punishment..." " Stop it!" "We're the first ones to reach Japans and we'll be rich if we keep our wits." "How?" "By trading with the devil?" "It's always the devil with you, Jan Roper." "The devil lives on your lips!" "Look to your soul, Johann Vinck." "Will they let us back on the ship?" "Will they let us go now?" " The ship is under guard." " Guards?" " Heathens aboard?" "What are we to do?" " We must get away from here." "Hold your tongue!" "We'll do whatever we can." "Their chief is coming soon." "Then we'll settle everything." "Do you think he'll let us go?" "Why shouldn't he?" "We've done them no harm." "Look at the way they all smile and bow." "They're not bloodthirsty heathens, are they, Pilot?" "Are they?" " It's the same swill as before." " Raw fish." "We can't cook it with no fire!" " He wants you, Pilot." " Maybe the chief is here." " Tell him we come in peace." " I'll do what I can." " He wants all of us." " I'm not going with that devil!" "Roper and Pieterzoon, bring the Captain-General." " He's dying." "Let the poor man lie." " Do as I say!" " Bow to him." " He's a heathen savage." "The daimyo, Kasigi Yabu, Lord of Izu, wants to know how you got here." " By Magellan's Pass." " Liar!" "Magellan's Pass is secret." "You came by Africa and India." "The Pass was secret." "A Portuguese sold us a rutter, a pilot's chart book." "Liar!" "Soon all our ships will know the way." "Heretic lies!" "But you'll tell the truth soon enough." "They use torture here." "Lord Kasigi Yabu asks what acts of piracy you have committed." "None!" "We are not pirates, we come in peace." " Another lie." " Give him my answer, damn you." " God curse you forever." " Tell him we're not pirates, Jesuit pig!" "Lord Kasigi Yabu says your pirate ship is confiscated." "You Papist liar." "You lied to him!" "You filthy lying Jesuit!" " God!" "Sweet Jesus' death!" " We should all pray." "Vinck just did!" " I've got to lie down!" " Don't touch the Captain-General." " He's dying anyway." " Don't touch him!" "Shut up!" "All of you, shut up!" " Get off my foot." " Are they going to kill us, Pilot?" "Lord Kasigi Yabu has graciously spared all your lives." "All except one." "One of you is to die." "You are to choose who it will be." "But you, Pilot, you are not to be the one chosen." "Lord Jesus help us." " What are we to do now, Pilot?" " I don't know." "How?" "How are we to choose someone?" "We don't." "We fight them!" "With what?" "Give them the Captain-General, he's useless anyway." " You make a man sick..." " They'll take none of us without a fight." "If we fight, they'll kill us all." "You heard what he said." "All our lives are spared except one." "How do we choose?" "We don't, damn it!" "Pilot this doesn't concern you any more." "It's between us now." "It's our decision." "Aye." "We'll draw lots." "Straws." "One shorter than the rest." "Agreed?" "What about the Captain-General?" "He wasn't excluded." " Then let the last straw be for him." " Who'll be the first to pick?" "How do we know that the man who picks the short straw will go?" "How do we know that?" "We'll all swear to God." "A holy vow." "I swear it." " I swear." " I swear it." "I swear to God." "God be praised." " Not without a fight." " But we agreed." "I didn't!" "It's all right, Pilot." "We agreed." "It was fair." "It's God's will." " Nobody is going without a fight!" " You'll get us all killed!" "Help me!" "Come on!" "For your lives!" "No!" "It's not me!" "I'm not the one to go!" "Help me!" "For God's sake!" "I was going." "I swear before Christ, I was going." "Poor Pieterzoon." "Why did they leave him?" "They could've carried him away." " Maybe they thought he was dead." " He will be, soon enough!" "Are you all right, Pilot?" "Vinck we won." "Aye, we did." "It was Hans Pieterzoon they took." "No!" "No!" "No!" "My God!" "No!" "Oh, my God!" "This poxy heathen's awake." "Come on." "Get up!" "Move!" "Up!" " What shall we do?" " Kill him." "No." "Maybe we can trade him for something." "Look at the way he's just squatting there, like he don't see nothing." "Pieterzoon..." "God in heaven!" " Pilot, you are to come up alone." " What do they want with me?" "I don't know, but you must come up at once." "What happened to my man, to Pieterzoon?" "He's dead." "May God have mercy on his soul." "Pilot, you must come up." "They can have me instead." "Tell them me, not him!" "Pilot!" " What did he say?" " It's a saying." ""A man's fate is a man's fate, and life is but an illusion."" " What the hell do you want with me?" " Mind your manners, I warn you." "Tell this poxy bastard that I'm a lord in my own country." "Tell him!" "He does not care if you are a king in your own country." "Here you live at Lord Yabu's whim." "You and all your men." "Tell him to go to hell." ""If you do not agree to behave, another of your men will be brought up."" "What does he mean, "behave"?" "It means to obey." "Obey totally." "Tell him I piss on him and his whole country." "And his Lord Yabu." " No, I can't." " Tell him exactly!" "No, you can't!" "No!" "Help, please!" "Please!" "No!" "Please!" "Tell him..." "Ask him to stop." " "Do you agree to behave?"" " Yes, I agree." "He wants you to answer directly to him." "The Japanese for yes is hai." "He says, "Will you obey all orders?"" "Hai." "As far as I can, hai." "Omi-san says lie down." "Immediately." "He did not insult you personally, and there was no cause for you to insult him." "But you must be taught manners." " Do you understand?" " Tell him I understand." "You must tell him yourself." "Hai." "He says it was bad manners to say what you said." "Very bad." ""Do you understand?"" "Hai." ""Get up."" "What about the boy?" "Croocq." "Croocq, lad!" " Is the boy all right?" " He's alive." "Omi-san says you are to go with Muraji and obey his orders." "He said that the lives of your crew depend on your behaviour." "If you fail to obey, they will suffer." "Clear?" "Yes." "Hai." "He says that since your name is difficult to say, from now on you will be called Anjin." "That means Pilot." "Omi-san wants you to know that this is not meant as an insult." "Anjin..." "If you say so." "Oh, no..." "No, I don't." "Like hell!" "A bath will make you foul sick!" "Get out of my way." "Sweet Jesus!" "Yes...yes." "Hai." "Lord Yabu's pleasure at having the barbarian as his prize  vanished at a glance." "The galley that was rounding the headland depended on neither wind nor tide." "And on its sail was the crest ofLord Toranaga." "And Toranaga's most trusted ally," "General Toda Hiromatsu, was standing on the deck." "The barbarian ship calmly at anchor in front ofhim." "This was no coincidence." "Pilot." " You must wake up." " What?" "Konnichiwa, Anjin." "You must greet him." "Say konnichiwa and bow." "Konnichiwa, Omi." " You must say Omi-san." " Why?" "San means honourable." "It is an insult if you leave it off." "Say it quickly and bow." "Konnichiwa, Omi-san." ""You must get dressed quickly."" "Konnichiwa." "Konnichiwa." " Is she his wife?" " Wife?" "No." " Who is she?" " The woman is a harlot." "A common whore and damned for all eternity." "A slave ship." "You can't stop now." "Not if you want to live." "Come, Pilot." "Anjin." "Anjin-san!" "Anjin-san." "Hai, Omi-san." "No, I'm not going on a slaver." "It's a damned slave ship and I won't set foot on it!" "It's a God-cursed slaver and you'll never make me go on board!" "Madonna!" "Leave him alone!" "Did you hear what I said?" "Leave him alone." " Are you the pilot of the Dutchman?" " Aye." "Who are you?" "Good." "I'm Vasco Rodrigues, pilot of this galley." "That's better." "Listen, Pilot, that man is like a king." "I told him I'd be responsible for you and blow your head off if necessary." "Now bow to the bloody-sama." "You do that like a Japper." "Are you the pilot?" "Aye." " What's the latitude of The Lizard?" " 49 degrees, 56 minutes north." "And watch out for the reefs, south by southwest." "You're the pilot, by God." "Come aboard." "There's food and grog, and all pilots should love all pilots." "Right?" " Right." "But where are you taking me?" " Osaka." "The Great Lord High Executioner himself wants to see you." " Who?" " Toranaga, Lord of the Eight Provinces." "He's the chief daimyo of this country." " What does he want with me?" " How the hell would I know?" "!" "But if he wants to see you, by God he'll see you." "Now give them a nice Japper bow and on you go." "Do it, lnglés." " Your ship's confiscated, lnglés." " Confiscated?" " And my crew?" " They'll be all right." "There's nothing that can be done about it now." "Just wait." "You can never tell with the Jappers." "They're all six-faced and three-hearted." "Madonna, she looks fast." " Where was she built, Rotterdam?" " Aye." "Could we go aboard her?" "I'd like to collect my gear." "I'll blow your head off, if you trick me." "I give you my word, pilot to pilot." "And I'll swear on your mother's virtue!" "I'm beginning to like you." "Hey!" "Ima." "Ima it is." "Ima means "now, at once"." "We're to leave at once." " Ask him if I can go aboard my ship." " No, I won't ask him a poxy thing." " I have your word?" " You have it." "Come on." "There's a boat down there." "Don't move fast." "Don't look around." "Don't listen to anybody but me." "Go!" "Don't worry, Captain-san, I am responsible." "Sit there." "Not to worry, Captain-san!" "You get ship ready!" "Watch them carefully, tell me what they're doing." " The bowmen are taking out arrows." " Are they getting ready to shoot?" "Yes, they..." "No, wait." " The Captain's talking to them." " Damn all samurai!" " Why?" " They love to kill." "They even sleep with their swords." "They fear nothing, least of all death." "If a samurai's lord says kill, he kills." "If their lord says die, he'll slit his belly open just like that." "I saw Omi-san kill a man just because the man didn't bow." "You better remember that." "The samurai rule everything here." "They have a right to kill non-samurai whenever they feel like it." "They all serve their master." "That's what the word means." "Samurai means "to serve"." "And if you forget your bloody manners, they'll serve your head up for you." "I didn't see you bow and scrape." "That's because I'm me, Rodrigo-san." "I am important because I act important." "They understand that." "Here, you don't ask, you act." "Of course, sometimes you get killed if you act wrong!" "Right!" "Konnichiwa...to all sod-eating samas!" "Bow like I did." "Right, let's go and get your gear." "Kinjiru, eh?" "Well, not for me, it isn't bloody kinjiru." "I am Rodrigo-san!" "Ichi-ban bloody pilot to Toda Hiromatsu-sama!" "I'm from Toda Hiromatsu-sama, who's a bigger king than your bugger!" "And Toda-sama's from Toranaga-sama, who's the biggest bugger in the world!" "Get ready to abandon ship." "Toranaga-sama!" "Toranaga-sama!" "Hai." "That's bloody well better." "Those sons of plague-infested lice!" "They've taken everything!" "God curse all Jappers!" "Well, since there's nothing here, why don't you take a look at the ship?" " Where are they, lnglés?" " What?" "Your charts." "You've hidden them." "That's why you came on board." "No pilot would worry about clothes." "Now you want me out so you can get your rutters." "You're right, that's why I wanted to come." "But they were in here." "Oh, I don't want to steal them." "I just want to copy a part or two." " They were in the sea chest." " Liar!" "Come on, there's no time!" "I took your word, now you take mine, pilot to pilot." "I won't steal them." "Damn!" "Stolen!" "What?" "Do I believe you, lnglés?" "I think so." "This was where you kept them?" " Yes." " Everything?" "Even your Portuguese rutter?" "Come on, it had to be Portuguese." " How else would you have got here?" " Yes, even the Portuguese rutter, too." "Halfway around the earth and no way to get home." "Lord give me strength!" "I know what you feel, lnglés." "I feel sorry for you." "It happened to me once." "He was lnglés, too, the thief." "May his ship drown and he burn in hell for ever!" "Come on, let's get back to my ship." "You never saw a slaver move like this." "Even with an infidel Turk whipping them to a lather." "Those are samurai rowers." "They'll stroke till they die, if Lord Toranaga wishes." " How far is this place you're taking me?" " Osaka?" "Three hundred-odd sea-miles, and we'll be there in less than forty hours." "Hey, Captain-san!" "West-southwest." "I guess you know your compass, lnglés." "These galleys normally hug the coast for safety, but that wastes precious time." "Toranaga asked me to pilot Toda to Anjiro and back quickly." " I get a bonus if we're on time." " You work for Toranaga?" "Me work for him?" "Hell, no!" "I was just visiting Osaka." "This was just a favour." "They're not great ocean sailors, the Jap men." "Great pirates and fighters and coastal sailors, but the deep frightens them." " What are they going to do with me?" " Whatever they want to do." "What's your own ship like?" "I'm the pilot of..." "I keep forgetting that you're the enemy, lnglés." " We've been allies for centuries." " But we're not now." "Go below, lnglés." "Get some rest." "If you want to sleep, use my cabin." "You're tired and so am I." "Tired men make mistakes." " How do you feel, lnglés?" " Rested." " What do you think?" " A storm." " When?" " Before the day's out." "Now, that is a safe guess." "If this were your ship, what would you do?" "How far is the nearest land?" "Three, maybe four hours." "If we run for cover, it'll cost me my bonus." "Madonna!" "I'm a tired man." "Then go sleep, I'll take the watch for you." "If the wind changes, I'll wake you." "All right." "I think I'll trust you." "God knows why!" "Maintain this course." "At the next turn, four degrees westerly." " Wakarimasu ka?" " Hai." "Four degrees westerly it is." "Go below." "Your bunk's comfortable." "Ah, priest, what have you given me?" "God curse me and my lack of wits!" "There's a storm there, all right." "This craft won't take much water." " How was your sleep?" " Short." "But more than I would've had if you weren't here." " It can't be tai-fun." " What?" "Tai-fun, huge winds." "Worst storms you've ever seen." " We're not in the tai-fun season." " When's that?" "It's not now, enemy!" "It looks rotten enough." "I'll take your advice and head for land." " Steer north by west." " North by west, aye." "Hey, Captain-san!" "Isogi!" "Wakarimasu ka?" "lsogi!" "Isogi!" "What's that?" "lsogi..."hurry up"?" "There's no harm in you learning a little Jap man talk." "You need about ten words and then you can make them dance." "That's if they're the right words." "And if they're in the mood." " Wakarimasu ka?" " Wakarimasu." "Hey, lnglés maybe you learn too damn fast." "Go forward!" "Get them to start bailing!" "Make them understand!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Ship oars!" "Stop rowing!" "Stop rowing!" " What do you think, lnglés?" " You'll do what you want." "But she won't take much water." "We'll go down like a stone." "Next time I go forward, tell me you're putting her into the wind." "That was the hand of God, lnglés." "A wave slapped her rump around." "We'll keep her into the wind." "When the time's right, we'll make a stab for the shore." "My nose tells me if we turn and run, we'll flounder." "If we don't turn, we'll never make it." "What would you do?" "Wait till we're past the headland, fall off from the wind and make the rowers pull for their lives." " That's dangerous." " I know." "All right." "I'll go forward and you take the helm." "Watch me, and when I signal, go west-northwest for the shore." " Watch me very closely." " I will." "You'll obey my orders?" "Do you want me to take the helm or not?" "I have to trust you again, lnglés." "And I hate trusting you!" "Steady as she goes!" "Hard aport...now!" "Hard aport, aye!" "Pull, you buggers!" "One, two, one, two..." "Damn you, Rodrigues!" "Rodrigues!" "Rodrigues!" "Yabu-san!" "Thank you for saving his life." "Thank you for your courage." "Thank you, you black-eyed son of a whore!" "Hai, Omi-san." ""You may come up one by one." ""You may live in the world of men again." ""But break any rule, and you'll be put back."" "What about the pilot?" "What's happened to him?" "If you don't come out now, you will stay down there." " Where's the other man?" " Captain-General Spillbergen's dead." "He's down there lying in the filth." "Omi-san wants you to bow to him." "He wants us to come." "Come on!" "So, now I owe you a life, lnglés." "God curse you!" "It was Kasigi Yabu who saved your miserable body." "Curse him." "No." "Those Jappers would never have come after me if it weren't for you." "The curse is thine." "There's a bottle of grog over there." "Here." "You make a foul nurse, lnglés." "It's your black heart." "Bring the bottle over here." " How do you feel?" " Better." "Considering my head's on fire and my mouth tastes of pigswill!" "Just give me the bottle." "This Toranaga..." " ...why does he want to see me?" " I don't know." "By the Blessed Virgin, I don't know." "And since I owe you something, here's some truth in part payment." "Never forget the Jap men are six-faced and have three hearts." "So, be careful, lnglés." "Be careful what you say." "Be careful how you move." "Even be careful how you think." "Especially with Toranaga." "Toranaga..." "What's he like?" "Same as the rest of them." "Only worse." "They had six hundred years of civil war in this country, until about thirty-five years ago when Goroda conquered half of Japan and made himself ichi-ban lord of the country." "Know who helped him?" "Toranaga." "Then, I guess it was sixteen years ago, one of his own generals killed Goroda and another stepped into his sandals." "General Nakamura." "Know who helped him?" " Toranaga." " Right, lnglés." "Toranaga." "Another big monkey-sama, lshido." "Toranaga in the east, lshido in the west." "Sooner or later there'll be another bloody civil war." "Madonna, I think I got drunk last night." " Where are we?" " On course, Pilot." "You're the pilot now." "A person could think that was funny." "You're supposed to be the prisoner." "You could be taking us anywhere!" "But you...you wouldn't do that." "If they were taking me to lshido's castle, I wouldn't sail them there." "Ishido?" "I thought they were taking me to Toranaga." "So they are." "Except that Toranaga's in Osaka Castle." "And Osaka Castle belongs to lshido." "And what a butcher he is!" "Hell, they all are." "Everything in this country's upside down!" " What are you steering?" " South by southwest." " Who told you?" " You did." "Me?" "Madonna, it's all in a haze." "You looked in my rutter!" "Ah, lnglés, life is so strange." "And if I live, it is by the grace of God, helped by a heretic...and a Jap man." "There's the sod-eating sama." "I'd better go and thank him." "You're a dangerous man, lnglés." "Maybe we'd all be better off if they killed you." "Osaka, the white castle city ofLord lshido." "An escort of twenty samurai was on the dock, wearing the brown uniform of Toranaga's army." "Under the command of Toranaga's youngest son," "Lord Naga." "Konnichiwa, Naga-san." "Now, lnglés, it's Toranaga's fifth son." " Konnichiwa." " Konnichiwa, Rodrigues-san." " Konnichiwa." " That should keep him happy." "Come on." "Now what's the matter?" " You're staying on board." " Why?" "It wouldn't do any good to ask." "When Toranaga's ready, you'll find out." " Go with God, lnglés." " And you." " Good evening, Pilot." " Good evening, Father." " I have a package for His Eminence." " I will see that he receives it." "Forgive me, Father, but I swore I would place it in his hands myself." "Wait here." "It's good to see you, Father Alvito." " I'm pleased your journey was safe." " By the grace of God." "You must tell me about it later." "His Eminence is waiting." "Vasco Rodrigues, Your Eminence." "You have a package for me, my son." "From Father Sebastio in Anjiro." "I swore to place it in your hands." "Would that all vows were so dutifully obeyed." "Thank you, my son." "It's the English pilot's rutter." "Yes." "I want you to read it all tonight." "If the rutter proves that they are pirates, then the man has damned himself." "Yes, Your Eminence." "Why has he come here?" "Why now, when we're almost safe again?" "As God is my judge, if I didn't know better," "I'd believe that the Spaniards or their Benedictine lackeys deliberately guided him here to plague us." "Perhaps they did, Your Eminence." "May God show them the error of their ways." "Where are we going, Toranaga-sama?" "You understand...?" "Wakarimasu ka?" "Where?" "You're an unpleasant little bugger, aren't you, hai?" " Hai." " That's what I thought." "Anjin-san..." "Dozo." "Yoshi Toranaga, Lord of the Kwanto." "My name is Martin Alvito of the Society of Jesus, Captain-Pilot." "Lord Toranaga has asked me to interpret for him." " First tell him that we are enemies." " All in good time." "Vasco Rodrigues has told me of your bravery." "Tell Lord Toranaga that I do not trust you to translate what I say." "You would be wise to reconsider." "Lord Toranaga has favoured me with his confidence for many years." "Perhaps I should point out that I am quite apart from Father Sebastio, who is unfortunately overzealous and does not speak Japanese very well." "His experience here is limited, and your sudden presence took away God's grace from him." "Regrettably." " Tell him." " You may tell him yourself." "The Japanese word for enemy is teki." "If you point to me and say that word, Lord Toranaga will understand clearly." "Teki." "Mariko..." "Hai..." "Since you have objected to my translating, the Lady Toda will explain your responses." "I can have no objection to that, but since she is to convey my words," "I would like to be introduced." "Lord Toranaga has agreed." " What is your full name?" " Pilot-Major John Blackthorne." "John Blackthorne, may I present the Lady Toda Buntaro-Mariko." "I am honoured, Lady." ""If you are English, why were you leading Dutch ships?"" "That is not unusual." "Holland and England are allies." "I was glad to sail to these waters, where no English ship has been." "But we're a trading fleet, though we have letters of marque to attack our enemy." "We came to Japan to trade." ""What are letters of marque?"" "Legal licences issued by the Crown, our government, giving authority to war on the enemy." ""And since your enemy is here, do you plan to war on them here?"" "If they war on me." ""What you do at sea or in your own countries is your own affair." ""But here there is one law for all," ""and foreigners are in our land by permission only." ""Any public mischief or quarrel will be dealt with immediately by death." ""Our laws are clear and will be obeyed." "Do you understand?"" "Yes, sire." "But we come in peace." "We came here to trade." "Could we discuss trade, sire?" "I need to careen my ship." "Then there's the question..." ""When I wish to discuss trade, I will tell you." ""Meanwhile, please confine yourself to answering the questions."" ""So you joined the expedition to trade...for profit?" ""Not because of duty or loyalty, for money?"" "Yes." "It is our custom to be paid, sire." "And to have a share in all goods captured from the enemy." " "So you are a mercenary?"" " I was hired as senior pilot, yes." "But I am not a pirate." " "What is a pirate?"" " An outlaw." "A man who kills, rapes and plunders for personal profit." ""Isn't that the same as a mercenary?" "Aren't you a leader of pirates?"" "No, sire, I am not a pirate!" "The Portuguese and Spanish will tell you that because we're at war!" "What did he say?" ""What I said is no concern of yours." ""When I wish you to know something, I will tell you."" "Sorry, I did not mean to be rude." ""Then hold your tongue until I require an answer."" "Lord Toranaga says that I have told him that Holland was a vassal of the Spanish until a few years ago." "He asks you if that is true." "Yes." ""Then your ally Holland is fighting against its lawful king?" "ls that true?"" "They're fighting against Spain..." ""Isn't that rebellion?" "Yes or no?"" "Yes, but there are mitigating circumstances..." ""There are no mitigating circumstances in rebellion against a sovereign lord."" "Unless you win." ""Yes, Mr Foreigner- with-the-impossible-name," ""yes, you name the one mitigating factor." ""Will you win?"" "Yes." "Hai, we will win." ""How long did it take you to travel here?"" "Almost two years." "Exactly one year, eleven months and two days." ""How did you come?" "By what route?"" "By the Pass of Magellan." "If I had my maps I could show you clearly, but they were stolen." "They were removed from my cabin, with all my papers." " "All your papers were removed?"" " Yes." "You are to come over here, Captain-Pilot, away from the door." "If you value your life, don't move suddenly or say anything." "What's going on?" "You will be a dead man the next time you speak." "Lord lshido, master of Osaka Castle." "Lord Toranaga asks that you stand." "Move slowly and do not speak." "Lord lshido says you are a pirate." "Captain-Pilot, you are to follow this man." "Where am I going?" "You are to be detained." "Where?" "For how long?" "I do not know, my son." "Until Lord Toranaga decides." " Thank you for your help, Lady." " You are quite welcome, Pilot-Major." "Like hell I will!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Me..." "Anjin-san." "Anjin-san." "You?" " Anjin-san?" " Anjin-san." "Jirobei." "Jirobei-san." "I don't understand." "Wakarimasen." "In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti." "Mother of God!" "Art thou real?" "Yes." "Who are you?" "Oh, Blessed Virgin." "Real!" "Who are you?" "I..." "I am Friar Domingo of the Sacred Order of St Francis." "My prayers have been answered." "I thought I was seeing another apparition...a ghost." "The evil spirit...yes, I've seen so many, so many." " How long have you been here?" " Yesterday." "And you?" "Oh, a long time." "I don't know." "I was put here in September in the year of Our Lord 1 598." "It's May now. 1 600." "1 600?" "Come with me, my son." "They are my flock." "They are all my sons in the Blessed Lord Jesus." "I've made so many converts here." "This one's John." "That's Mark." "Methuselah." "Please, sit down, my son." "You must be tired." "One of my flock says that you are a pilot, an anjin." "Is this so?" " Yes." " You came from Manila?" "No, I've never been in Asia before." "Why are you here?" "Jesuits put me here, my son." "Jesuits and their filthy lies." "You are not Spanish, no?" "Nor Portuguese?" "Was your ship Portuguese?" " Tell me the truth before God!" " No, Father, it was not Portuguese." "Of course, your ship was Spanish." "Spanish..." "And you were shipwrecked, like us, foully thrown into this jail." "Falsely accused by those devil Jesuits!" "God curse them and show them the error of their treachery!" "You said you had never been in Asia before?" "This is my first time." "You will be like a child in the wilderness, my son...yes." "Oh, there's so much to tell." "Did you know that Jesuits are merely traders?" "Gun-runners?" "Usurers?" "And that the Black Ship is worth a million in gold to them every year?" "The Black Ship?" "What is the Black Ship?" "That is why the Jesuits are here." "They control all the trade with China." "Selling silk in Japan alone is worth a fortune to them." "Once a year, the Black Ship takes their ungodly profits back to Europe." "To fill their filthy coffers ever further!" " You have never heard of this, my son?" " No, never." "How did that happen?" "The Jesuits have forced the Pope to grant them total power over all Asia." "Them and their dogs, the Portuguese!" "Did you know other religious orders are forbidden here?" "The Jesuits deal in gold, revelling in their profits, against the direct orders of Pope Clement and our King Philip." "Even against the laws of this land." "They meddle in politics, lie and cheat." "They bear false witness against us, my son." "Their lies and poison put me here." "I must tend my flock." "There are converts here and little time." "Sit here, my son." "You will be safe here." "Shimpu-sama." "Domo arigato." "Kore wa Anjin-san no." "I'm sorry, my son." "I did not mean to disturb you." "We thought you might be thirsty when you awakened." "Dozo." "Thank you." " How do you say that in Japanese?" " Domo." "Sometimes you say arigato." "A woman must always be very polite." "She says arigato gozaimashita." " What's his name?" " He is Gonzalez." " No." "His Japanese name." " Ah, yes, ah..." "Kagoya." "But that just means "porter"." "They don't have names." " Only the samurai have names." " What do you mean?" "Only the samurai have first names and surnames." "Everyone else is known by what they do:" "porter, fisherman or cook." "Domo, Kagoya-san." "Only yesterday?" "You said you came here only yesterday?" " What occurred with you?" " When we landed, there was a Jesuit." "Jesuits come from hell!" "God curse them!" "God forgive my foolish rage." "Daiku no Yotaro!" "Jirobei!" "Kinoko no Hachiro!" "Kagoya no Kansuke!" "Kansuke!" "lsogi!" "What's going to happen to him?" "He will be executed." "Are you sure?" "His Calvary is outside the door." "May the Holy Madonna take his soul swiftly and give him everlasting reward." " What did he do?" " He broke the law, my son." "Their law." "The Japanese are a simple people." "They have only one punishment." "Death." "You forget about imprisonment." "That is not one of their punishments." "To them, prison is a temporary place where they decide a man's sentence, and that sentence is always death." "No, only the guilty come here." " For just a little while." " But you've been here almost two years." "One day they will send for me like all the others." "This is a resting place between the hell of earth and the glory of everlasting life." " But you're not guilty of anything." " Then I am the one exception." "Perhaps." "Perhaps it is the will of God." "Perhaps those devil Jesuits are keeping me alive to torture me." "It is so hard to be patient." "So very hard." " What is it, my son?" " Nothing, Father." " Go back to sleep." " There is nothing to fear." "We are all in God's hands." "Ah, how are you today, my son?" " Fine, thank you, Father." "And you?" " Quite well, thank you." "How do you say that in Japanese?" "Domo genki desu." "Domo genki desu." " Has anyone ever tried to break out?" " No, no." "Why should they?" "There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide." "To help an escaped prisoner is punishable by death." "Here, if you don't report a crime, even that will take you to the cross." " Do not think of it, my son." " No." "Tell me more about the Black Ship." "Have you ever seen one?" "Yes." "They are the greatest ships in the world." "Almost 2,000 tons." "Two hundred men are needed to sail one." " How many guns do they hold?" " Sometimes 20 or 30." "Three decks." " She lumbers when the wind's abeam." " What?" "I don't understand." " Big but slow." " The Black Ship?" "Ah, yes." "Domo...genki desu." "Oh, you've remembered." "If only I had ink and paper, I could write the words down for you." "Would you teach me anyway?" "I want to learn." "Yes, of course." "Here, let us trace the words in the dirt." "Then you'll remember them." "Now..." "Dozo is "please"." ""Water"...mizu." ""Please wait" matte kudasai." " Matte kudasai." " ...kudasai." "Now you write." "Anjin-san!" "Your confession, my son." "Say it quickly." " I don't think..." " Quickly, and I will give you absolution." "Be quick for your immortal soul." "Confess before God all things past and present." "Say it now." "The Blessed Virgin will watch over you." "Go with God, Father."