Ito is a port on Izu’s coast that Fujiko proposed adding to Blackthorne’s fief as a possible base for large-ship construction. The suggestion links the location to Toranaga’s plans for maritime capacity, while remaining a proposal rather than a confirmed grant or shipbuilding project.

Coastal Setting and Sea Routes

Ito also appears in the coastal geography of Blackthorne’s voyage with Rodrigues. The galley traveled south along the east coast of the Izu Peninsula and passed Cape Ito before turning west-southwest toward Cape Shinto across open water. Cape Ito is a route marker in this account; it should not be confused with evidence that the voyage stopped at the port itself.

The route illustrates the navigational demands surrounding Izu’s coast. Blackthorne observes that existing charts could be too vague to use and that longitude could not be fixed. A pilot’s rutter, by contrast, could record courses between ports and capes, depths, currents, winds, hazards, and places to water or careen a ship. Ito’s association with a coastal passage therefore sits within a world where practical sea knowledge and suitable stopping places mattered greatly.

Fujiko’s Proposal

When Toranaga considers Blackthorne’s future fief, Fujiko suggests including both the port of Ito and Yokosé Spa. She explains that Ito could serve if Anjiro were not large enough for the needs of a ship, and raises the possibility that larger slipways might be available there. The proposal makes Ito a potential complement or alternative to Anjiro, not a site where construction is shown to have begun.

Fujiko presents the recommendation as a matter of duty. Although she says she has not been to Ito, she has tried to learn about ships and shipping, especially after hearing that Blackthorne’s ship had been burned. Her suggestion is thus grounded in practical questions about whether another large vessel could be built and where the necessary facilities might be found.

Maritime and Strategic Significance

The proposed addition would connect Blackthorne’s fief to a second possible location for shipbuilding. Fujiko’s reasoning is conditional: Ito might provide larger slipways if Anjiro could not accommodate a large ship. The exchange identifies a logistical possibility, not a guaranteed facility or an established naval base.

Fujiko also places the proposal within Izu’s strategic value, saying the region would be easy to defend against Ishido’s armies. That claim concerns Izu as a whole rather than establishing any particular defenses at Ito. Together, the maritime and military considerations make Ito part of a broader plan to pair Blackthorne’s interest in the sea with a fief that could be kept beyond Ishido’s reach.

Status and Narrative Role

Toranaga asks Fujiko why Ito should be included and whether she has visited it, bringing out both the practical basis and the limits of her recommendation. Her answers identify a possible shipbuilding advantage while making clear that she is reasoning from what she has learned, not from firsthand inspection. The evidence leaves the outcome open: Ito is proposed for the fief, but its inclusion and any use of its slipways are not confirmed.