SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Summary Blackthorne's zen garden scene in Shōgun epiosde 9 could indicate his fate in the Shōgun season finale. The critically acclaimed series only has one episode left, titled "A Dream Within A Dream", which will premiere on Hulu and FX on April 23, 2024.
Related Shogun Episode 8’s Tea Scene Explained: Why Lady Mariko Refused Buntaro’s Request Shogun episode 8 is rather devastating for Buntaro, partly because of his wife Mariko's brutal response to his tragically romantic gesture.
Before Mariko plans to commit seppuku, Blackthorne draws a line through the rippled sand in a zen garden, disturbing its balance. The ripples in the zen garden are said to be like waves that embody a sense of movement and flow. Blackthorne corrupts the harmony of the zen garden to express that he doesn't believe in what the ripples of sand represent.
Blackthorne has constantly challenged the ways of the feudal Japanese culture in Shōgun, most notably after the gardener was killed for getting rid of the rotting pheasant in an earlier episode. Blackthorne had jokingly said that anyone who touches the pheasant would die because of his poor Japanese, which was taken literally.