Blackthorne’s Appointment as Hatamoto gives him a recognized place in Toranaga’s personal service and transforms his presence in the village from that of a foreign guest into a protected retainer with defined support and obligations. The appointment brings security and status, but its language-training requirement also places the entire village under a severe threat of collective punishment.

The Sealed Appointment

After Toranaga’s galley had departed, Mariko presented Yabu with a parchment bearing Toranaga’s seal and asked him to read it. Yabu first watched the vessel pull out of range; only then did he take the scroll and turn his attention to what it said about Blackthorne. When Blackthorne approached, Yabu greeted him in a friendly manner and returned the parchment to Mariko after reading it.

Mariko then gave the document to Blackthorne. He could examine its characters but could not read them, so she explained its terms: Toranaga had made him a hatamoto, a special retainer on Toranaga’s personal staff. The sealed appointment established Toranaga’s absolute protection for him, and Yabu acknowledged that authority. It also granted Blackthorne a salary of twenty koku a month.

Status and Support

The appointment was accompanied by a practical arrangement for Blackthorne’s life in the village. Yabu welcomed him there and promised that a house would be provided, along with teachers. Through Mariko, Yabu also explained that he wanted Blackthorne to learn Japanese as quickly as possible. The new status therefore offered material support and a protected position, while directing Blackthorne toward a specific task: acquiring the language.

The document’s authority was not merely ceremonial. Mariko presented it formally, Blackthorne received it as his own, and Yabu recognized its terms. In a setting where Blackthorne could not interpret the writing himself, Mariko’s translation made the grant—and the limits and duties attached to his welcome—intelligible to him.

The Village’s Burden

Yabu announced that the responsibility for teaching Blackthorne belonged to the village. Mariko explained that every resident was expected to help and that the villagers would be judged by his progress. If he had not learned satisfactorily within six months, Yabu threatened to burn the village; before that, every man, woman, and child would be crucified.

That condition sharply complicates the honor of Blackthorne’s appointment. Toranaga’s protection shields the new retainer, but the means chosen to secure his instruction expose the villagers to collective violence. His elevation thus creates a chain of obligations extending beyond the two lords: Blackthorne is to learn, the village must teach him, and Yabu enforces that demand through a deadline backed by the threatened destruction of the community.