WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for the Shōgun finale.

Summary

• Toranaga believes Blackthorne is fated to remain in Japan, never fulfilling his vision of returning to England.
• Blackthorne's visions of a future in mourning reveal the lasting impact Mariko's death would have had on his entire life.
• Toranaga's plan for Blackthorne involves building a new ship and potentially becoming a close ally after Ishido's inevitable fall.

The Shōgun finale leaves some unanswered questions regarding the fate of one of its main characters, John Blackthorne. Since arriving in Japan at the beginning of Shōgun, the Anjin has been trying to find a way out of the country despite becoming the glorified Hatamoto of Lord Toranaga. As Toranaga's master plan for Crimson Sky is finally revealed in the final moments of Shōgun episode 10, Blackthorne ends up being one of the few people in Toranaga's company that survives until the end following the shocking death of Mariko in the penultimate episode of Shōgun.

At the end of Shōgun, Lord Toranaga reveals that he now has all the pieces he needs to take on Ishido's army in the Battle of Sekigahara. Through a carefully designed strategy that would not have been possible without the sacrifices of Hiromatsu and Mariko, as well as the apparent misfortune of his son Nagakado, Toranaga's secret alliance with Mariko's old friend Ochiba-no-kata ended up being the Achilles Heel in Ishido's plans to end Toranaga's efforts of becoming shōgun. Toranaga also requests that Blackthorne build his army a fleet of ships after saving Blackthorne from ending his own life.

Does John Blackthorne Leave Japan?

Toranaga does not believe Blackthorne will ever leave Japan

After Blackthorne nearly takes his own life in protest of Toranaga's treatment of the villagers in Ajiro, he is encouraged by Toranaga to build a new ship after his old one has been destroyed. In his final conversation with Yabushige, Toranaga says that Blackthorne is not fated to ever leave Japan, which means that the visions that Blakcthorne had of growing old in England would not actually come true. Shōgun episode 10 heavily implies that despite Blackthorne losing Mariko and revealing to Toranaga that he came to Japan to use him in the first place, Blackthorne won't be going anywhere.

Throughout the Shōgun finale, John experiences visions of himself as an old man on his deathbed in the future. However, based on the turn of events in the final episode of Shōgun, it appears that none of Blackthorne's visions would never actually happen. Like Mariko, Blackthorne was originally never meant to leave Osaka but Mariko exchanged his ship for his life, which allowed Blackthorne to return to Toranaga in Ajiro at the end of Shōgun. Because of Mariko, through the help of Father Martin, Blackthorne was permitted to leave the city. He took Mariko's cross with him, which he holds in his vision that turns out to be untrue.

Why John Blackthorne Had Visions Of Future Self

Blackthorne would have never gotten over Mariko's death in England

While it's not entirely clear what Blakcthorne's visions in Shōgun episode 10 meant, the fact they they did not ended up coming true makes them more of an indication of how Blackthorne thought his life would be if he had ever returned to England. During Blackthorne's visions, he lies on his bed as his grandchildren look at his sword, which is placed on display on a wall, holding the cross that Mariko had given to him. This implies that Blackthorne's entire life would have been plagued and haunted by Mariko's death, even if he had made it back to his homeland as he had intended to at the start of the series.

The episode title "A Dream of a Dream" points to the reason why Blackthorne has these visions of his future self in the Shōgun finale. If Blackthorne had gone back to England, he would never have gotten over Mariko and perhaps never would have found a true understanding of God or his life's purpose. Even though he continues to be manipulated by Toranaga at the end of Shōgun, he would never have met Mariko, who is arguably the love of his love, if he had not met Toranaga. His dream of leaving Japan was overcast by his larger dream of serving Toranaga, like Mariko had.

Why John Blackthorne Has Lady Mariko's Cross In His Visions

Blackthorne's life would have been marked by mourning and grief

One of the most interesting differences between Blackthorne's visions and his reality in Shōgun is the matter of Mariko's cross. Mariko had given it to Blackthorne when he offered to second her during her seppuku attempt in Shōgun episode 9, which was a sign of their spiritual connection that had been hinted at back in Willow World. Even though Blackthorne clung onto Mariko's cross in his visions, he actually let go of the real cross in the sea with Fuji when she was pouring the ashes of her son and father based on Blackthorne's suggestion.

Blackthorne explained to Fuji that releasing her father and son to the sea would allow her to release herself from her grief as well, which is essentially why Blackthorne drops Mariko's cross into the sea too. If Blackthorne had stuck to his ways, returned to England, and clung onto the past for the rest of his life, he would have lived a life that was full of mourning and regret, condemned to living through Mariko's memory. Since both he and Fuji were able to let go of their loved ones at the end of Shōgun, they are allowing themselves to move on and accept the natural process of life and death.

What Lord Toranaga Has Planned For John Blackthorne After Shogun's Finale

Blackthorne is karmically fated to never leave Japan

In the final moments of Shōgun, Blackthorne understands what Mariko had bargained for him with Father Martin and the Church before her death, which is why he would not allow himself to waste Mariko's powerful gift. The truth, however, is that Tornaaga destroyed the ship. While Blackthorne is still propelled by Toranaga's manipulations and strategies, and is still considered a human goshawk in his eyes, he still has the opportunity to honor Mariko through his servitude towards Toranaga. Toranaga also has an unusual respect and admiration for Blackthorne that cannot be explained other than he feels comforted by his presence and he makes him laugh.

Through Toranaga's assistance, Blackthorne will build a new ship from the ruins of his old one, which could buy enough time for him to stick around and see the new Japan that Toranaga has created. He may discover that being a close ally of Toranaga after he establishes himself as the new shōgun might not be all that bad and he will likely be reinstated as Troanaga's Hatamoto or better. After Ishido's inevitable fall at the Battle of Sekigahara, Blackthorne will probably remain a close ally to Toranaga since he is fated to never leave Japan after Shōgun.