Lady Ochiba is the Scariest Character in All of ‘Shōgun’

**Spoilers for Shōgun Episode 5 “Broken to the Fist,” now streaming on Hulu**

Something truly terrible for Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his allies happens at the end of Shōgun Episode 5 “Broken to the Fist,” and, no, I’m not referring to the freak earthquake that swallows up most of our favorite daimyo’s army. Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido) finally returns to Osaka. The heir’s mother wastes no time putting the ambitious Ishido (Takehiro Hira) in his place, pointing out all the ways in which Toranaga has outmaneuvered him and the other remaining regents. The episode ends with the beautiful noblewoman declaring that the “time for poltics has come to an end,” before saying, “The Council will answer to me.”

Although Lady Ochiba’s been mentioned throughout the FX show’s run — and we saw her at the Taiko’s deathbed in Episode 2’s cold open flashback — this is the first time we’ve gotten a whiff of how terrifyingly powerful she is. Ishido balks a bit in her presence, and with good reason. Not only is she ruthlessly devoted to protecting the interests of her young son, but she is low key the scariest character in all of Shōgun. There’s a reason why Toranaga wanted her safely ensconced in his stronghold at Edo; he wants her off the proverbial board. Now that she’s out, expect the stakes to quickly get even higher for our heroes.

Lady Ochiba no Kata is, like Mariko (Anna Sawai), a samurai from a prominent political family. However, her true power lies in being the only consort who was able to give the late Taiko an heir. And what is a consort? Well, consorts aren’t exactly wives — note that Lady Iyo (Ako) was the Taiko’s legal wife — but they do function in similar ways. Powerful men of the day could have one wife, but many consorts, women who were a mix of lovers, house managers, bodyguards, and extended family members. Consorts exist to serve their lords in any manner necessary. In exchange, consorts are respected members of the upper class, often with the power to influence their lords and even manage their wealth. Any children consorts have are the legal and legitimate children of the lord.

Lady Ochiba might not have been the late Taiko’s wife, but because she is the mother of his young heir, she is the most powerful woman in Japan. Disrespecting her is akin to shaming the heir himself and threatening her is like declaring war. Ochiba has been held in Toranaga’s stronghold of Edo as a de facto hostage for the bulk of Shōgun so far. She was lured there because her sister, who is married to one of Toranaga’s sons, was having a baby. Now, however, the baby has been born and Toranaga had to let her go.

Now, here is where I have to be nerdy and share that in the book, Toranaga is literally more afraid of Lady Ochiba than anyone else. He’ll keep the backstabbing Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) close, cross dress his way out of Osaka under Ishido’s nose, and shrug off assassination attempts. But Lady Ochiba? He does not want to face her at all. He describes her as a “wildcat, a treacherous tigress,” and imagines that if he were to wed her, she’d “be just as likely to thread a needle through your eyes when you’re asleep as she’d be to caress you.”

Lady Ochiba is terrifying because she is ruthless, intelligent, and dead set on keeping her son alive. When she says the time for politics is over, she means it’s time to shed blood. The regents can play their petty games of gestures. Lady Ochiba will lunge for the jugular like one of Toranaga’s beloved falcons swooping down from the sky.

Be very very wary of this latest major character introduced on Shōgun. Toranaga and Ishido certainly are.