Chapter 5
Contains spoilersOverview
At dawn, Kiku departs after a tense night serving Yabu, and village gossip blooms, exposing curiosity and fear. Omi supervises Pieterzoon’s cremation, closing the prior night’s brutality. In the pit, Blackthorne asserts leadership by rationing water and refusing to execute a suicidal samurai. The priest summons Blackthorne alone, signaling imminent interrogation and shifting stakes.
Summary
Before sunrise, Kiku lies awake beside the sleeping daimyo Yabu and a boy, forcing her thoughts toward calm after a night of screams. When the cries cease, she helps a sweat-soaked Yabu undress and reclothe, then, at his gesture, she and the boy pleasure him; he climaxes abruptly and sleeps. Afterward, Kiku comforts the boy, briefly pillows with him, and, at first light, dresses flawlessly and slips away.
Crossing the village, Kiku greets Mura and his mother Saiko, feigning pain to seed discretion-fueled rumors. Saiko eagerly spins tales about Yabu’s habits, and Mura, titillated and thoughtful, heads to the funeral ground. The village shrine and ancient yew overlook a prepared pyre.
Omi arrives with Zukimoto and guards. They bow to Pieterzoon’s shrouded remains, and at Omi’s signal Zukimoto lights the pyre, ceremonially cremating the “barbarian” who died so his comrades might live. They depart, leaving the fire to its work.
In the pit, Blackthorne rations the last water amid filth, flies, and bruises, clashing with Jan Roper’s piety and the crew’s fear. A battered samurai prisoner refuses water, begs strangulation, then attempts to drown himself in the latrine; Blackthorne forbids murder and lets the man choose his fate, reaffirming his code and authority. As noon approaches and watches change, the trapdoor opens: the priest orders Blackthorne to come up alone, heralding interrogation and uncertain terms.
Who Appears
- John Blackthorne
Pilot; organizes water rationing, rejects executing a suicidal samurai, and is summoned alone by the priest.
- Kiku
First-class courtesan; spends the night with Yabu and a boy, departs at dawn, and sparks village gossip.
- Yabu
Daimyo of Izu; undergoes a strained night with Kiku and a boy, then sleeps as dawn breaks.
- Unnamed samurai prisoner
Beaten and despondent captive; refuses water, begs for death, and attempts suicide in the pit.
- Jan Roper
Religious gunner; argues against aiding the samurai and clashes with Blackthorne over authority and faith.
- van Nekk
Merchant; supports rationing, calms panicked comrades, and backs Blackthorne’s leadership.
- Sonk
Sailor; gulps his ration, helps restrain the samurai at the latrine, complains under strain.
- Vinck
Crewman; drinks miserably, sunk in despair amid thirst and filth.
- Captain-General Spillbergen
Ill commander; stays near the barrel, sips water cautiously, and comments bitterly on the samurai.
- Omi
Samurai overseer; honors Pieterzoon with a pyre and directs Zukimoto to light it.
- Zukimoto
Samurai; lights Pieterzoon’s funeral pyre at Omi’s signal.
- Mura
Village headman; observes Kiku’s departure and attends the funeral ground.
- Saiko
Mura’s mother; keenly observes Kiku and spreads colorful rumors about Yabu.
- The boy (apprentice monk)
Fifteen-year-old; joins Kiku and Yabu, later pillows with Kiku and falls asleep.
- Ginsel
Crewman; anxiously questions how long their imprisonment will continue.
- Maetsukker
Crewman; suffers a festering arm wound in the pit.
- Croocq
Crewman; panics and cries out during the night in the pit.
- Father Sebastio
Jesuit priest in Anjiro; appears with samurai and summons Blackthorne alone.