We begin Shogun with a Dutch ship, which has headed west from Holland - floundering in the Pacific Ocean. They are the first ship to figure out how to go below South America but are now having troubles. Most of the crew is dead and the pilot (Richard Chamberlain) is trying to keep the ship alive.
The pilot awakens in a strange room - a Japanese room of tatami mats and shoji screens. He sees a cross hanging on one wall and worries about that - which type of Christianity rules here?
He learns that this town is ruled by Omi, a samurai, and sees Omi chop off a villager's head for now bowing. The local Jesuit priest hates the pilot and the pilot in return stomps on his cross to show he feels the same way. The samurai throw him and his 7 remaining crew into a pit. The crew is told by the samurai that one must die. They draw straw and choose one crew member - but when they resist the samurai, another is dragged off to die quite painfully.
The pilot is brought up and swears at Omi. When the Jesuit translates - although he warns the pilot not to say these things - Omi pees on the pilot. He also starts to boil another crew member. Finally the pilot agrees to behave. Omi renames the pilot "Anjin" which means pilot in Japanese and tells him to behave or more crew will be harmed.
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