What Is a Consort in ‘Shogun’? Explained

John Blackthorne from Shogun had a status upgrade. He went from an outsider to one of the most important vassals serving under Lord Toranaga, which is a pretty neat promotion if you’re trying to survive medieval Japan, but what about his consort?

But it’s not such a happy position for Fuji, who was assigned to be Blackthorne’s consort. She just lost her husband and only child, and Lord Toranaga has subjected her to this new role with a man who is often called a barbarian.

According to historian Frederik Cryns in a podcast, the role of a consort is that of a legal wife. Medieval Japan also had social hierarchies, and it would be more socially acceptable for a hatamoto to hail from a samurai family.

Lady Usami Fuji isn’t meant to be just a housekeeper for Blackthorne. She was born as a noble lady, and her grandfather is a close friend of Lord Toranaga. Because Blackthorne wasn’t born into a noble family, he needed to marry into a samurai family to meet the criteria.

Women, as consorts, were expected to be managers of the household. They were coined as the “innermost person” of the house, but this also meant managing the affairs of the household and maintaining alliances. In the worst-case scenario, if their husbands die, they are also expected to be responsible for managing the clan.

(featured image: Hulu)