Showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo break down that emotional John Blackthorne and Fuji scene on the boat in FX’s Shogun episode 10.
Shōgun creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo explain John Blackthorne’s boat scene with Fuji in the finale. Adapting the events of James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, FX’s Shōgun concluded its 10-episode run this past week, bringing closure to the story of Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and his journey in feudal Japan. The touching finale features a final scene between Jarvis’ character Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) in a rowboat, with the former dropping Marriko’s cross into the ocean and the latter the ashes of her late husband and child.
Kondo : That’s also a departure from the book.
Marks: I have to credit one of our producers, Mako Kamitsuna, with developing the kernel of that, because we were talking about ways to keep Mariko’s spirit alive in the story. It felt appropriate for the two of them to mourn her together. It was a tough scene to do because that was all practical. It wasn’t green screen out there. That boat was rockin’. It felt very raw in the performance, in a way I was really proud of. They both come to it from a very vulnerable place.
Kondo: And from very different places, too. Fuji came at it from a Japanese place, this idea of pouring the ashes of her children; these are ashes meant to be stored in a family vault. They hold on to them. The idea of pouring them is so antithetical, and yet the idea that Blackthorne would release this cross, whereas the Westerner would want to cling to something. That’s what the rawness is from. They were actually coming at it from their unique perspectives. It became uniquely Blackthorne and Fuji.
Blackthorne & Fuji’s Storyline Was A Crucial Part Of Shōgun
While the series focuses a great deal on Lord Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) schemes and political maneuverings, Shōgun is ultimately a story about Blackthorne and his experiences in Japan. The character starts off very ignorant of Japanese customs, and he initially pushes back against their way of life. Slowly, however, he comes to respect and adopt many of these traditions, and his time spent with Fuji is an important part of this.
While Shōgun features some intense sequences of action, the final scene between Blackthorne and Fuji affirms that most of the show’s best moments were quiet exchanges between characters.
After Fuji loses her husband and newborn child, Toranaga orders her to serve as Blackthorne’s consort, a role she reluctantly accepts. Blackthorne himself is also not keen on the situation, but the two Shōgun characters, in many ways, need each other. After a rough start, the two develop a respect for one another, and it’s during his time with Fuji that the Anjin learns the ways of Japanese home life. Instead of simply showing audiences how Blackthorne responds to the power struggle occurring around him, the scenes with Fuji add layers to the series and to both characters.
Blackthorne and Fuji’s Shōgun journey culminates on the boat in one of the most moving scenes of the entire series. Both characters have been reborn, in a sense, with Blackthorne having found his new purpose in service to Toranaga, and Fuji having found hers as a nun. While Shōgun features some intense sequences of action, the final scene between Blackthorne and Fuji affirms that most of the show’s best moments were quiet exchanges between characters.
