The Big Picture Week after week, Shōgun makes a point of surprising the audience. Last week's episode, "A Stick of Time," sees Lord Yoshii Toranaga facing a difficult decision as he finds himself betrayed by his own brother, Saeki Nobutatsu : either he surrenders himself to the Council of Regents to be likely executed, or he confronts them with his army and dooms his followers to an inevitable and bloody defeat.
In the present, Toranaga invites his half-brother, Saeki, to have dinner before presenting him with an alliance proposal. Everything appears to be going well, and Toranaga's son, Nagakado , is having fun listening to stories about how his father was when he was young. Saeki tells the story of Toranaga's first battle, but the tale is greatly exaggerated.
At the beginning of Shōgun, most of the plot takes place in Osaka. Although he is a powerful warlord and a member of the Council of Regents, Toranaga begins the series as a hostage of his Council peers in Osaka. Despite his condition, though, he carries on his duties normally, including being the tutor of the Taikō's young heir, Nakamura Yaechiyo , and even ruling his whole domain from afar. These two things may be what save him in Osaka and even turn the tables on the Council.