Anjiro Omi

Anjiro Omi is identified in this passage as someone Blackthorne expects to encounter at Anjiro. His significance here lies less in direct action than in the pressure his anticipated presence exerts on Blackthorne’s private calculations: Omi becomes a possible target for revenge, but also a test of Blackthorne’s patience and judgment.

Anticipated Encounter

As Blackthorne considers the journey ahead, he learns that Omi will be at Anjiro. The prospect redirects his attention from the immediate question of leaving Yabu behind to what he might do about Omi. The passage supplies no direct action or speech from Omi; he is present through Blackthorne’s expectation of meeting him.

Blackthorne’s Options

Blackthorne considers asking Toranaga to have Omi killed, reasoning that Toranaga owes him favors, or challenging Omi himself. He weighs the means against the likely outcome: he would have little chance with a sword, while using a pistol would amount to murder. Rather than act, he decides to wait. Omi is thus positioned as the focus of an intended reprisal that Blackthorne postpones, not carries out in this scene.

Restraint and Unresolved Grievance

Blackthorne’s thoughts place revenge on Omi within a broader, paired grievance, but the passage does not fully explain its basis. His decision to wait reflects his awareness that he currently enjoys Toranaga’s favor and has limited time before reaching Yedo. Omi’s narrative role here is therefore tightly bounded: his anticipated presence sharpens Blackthorne’s resentment, while the contemplated violence remains unresolved.