Hakoné Pass is a mountain crossing between Mishima and the approaches to Kwanto. In the narrative it serves two sharply contrasting purposes: it is a place where Blackthorne and Mariko pause together, and a defensive position in Toranaga’s plan to withstand an invasion by retreating behind the mountains and buying time.

Setting and Approach

The road from Mishima leaves the flatlands and winds upward into the mountains to Hakoné Pass. The ascent places the pass on a route between the lowlands and the elevated terrain that Toranaga later counts on for defense. The account gives no further physical description of the crossing, but establishes its mountain setting and its connection to Mishima and Odawara.

A Two-Day Rest

Blackthorne and Mariko rest at the pass for two days. From their high vantage, they see Mount Fuji at sunrise and sunset, its peak usually veiled by a wreath of clouds. Mariko explains that the mountain’s frequent shrouding makes a clear view all the more exquisite and says that it is possible to climb to the summit. Blackthorne immediately proposes doing so, turning the pause into a moment of shared attention to the landscape.

Place in Toranaga’s Defense Plan

Toranaga identifies Hakoné Pass as part of the line to which his forces could fall back after containing an anticipated southern attack at Mishima. The next position in that retreat would be Odawara, where he expects to make a final stand. In the north, he plans to hold Zataki in the mountains along the Hosho-kaidō Road near Mikawa. The pass thus belongs to a broader strategy that uses distance and mountainous terrain to slow opposing forces rather than risk a decisive battle too soon.

Strategic and Narrative Significance

Toranaga’s plan depends on delay: he says that every day gained weakens Ishido, and that his forces must fight, withdraw behind the mountains, and wait until the moment is right for Crimson Sky. Hakoné Pass matters not as the site of a battle shown in these passages, but as a named point in that intended fallback. Its quiet interlude with Blackthorne and Mariko also contrasts with this military purpose: the same mountain route that offers a brief rest and a view of Mount Fuji forms part of the terrain on which the coming conflict may turn.