The Minowara sword at Anjiro

Anjiro waits, three thousand of Yabu's samurai massed on the shore; Omi has spent five hundred koku on the welcome, and Mura has secretly stolen rice and weapons. Aboard, Fujiko begs Toranaga for seppuku rather than be the barbarian's consort; he bargains her down to half a year. Seeing Yabu's regiments, Toranaga knows he is in a shark's home waters. He stomps ashore on an unplanned inspection and harangues the legions. Yabu learns that Toranaga has resigned from the Council and offers to second his seppuku. Toranaga explains the Council is hamstrung without a fifth member, calls for an honour guard and hands Yabu the Minowara heirloom sword Nakamura gave him the day he knelt as vassal. While Yabu stands mesmerised, Toranaga casts off. Mariko delivers the scroll: the Anjin-san is a hatamoto on twenty koku a month, and the village will be crucified if he has not learned Japanese in six months.

Anjiro is revisited from the other side: the village of the cauldron is now Yabu's parade ground and the hero's fief. Fujiko's bargain for half a year sets a clock the last chapter will honour. The Minowara sword is Toranaga's deepest bribe, and the scroll's crucifixion clause converts language learning into a plot.