The Path of Life
...nd probable. Blackthorne’s patience allows him to remain calm enough to analyse his situation, and to think properly. It is through the use of this “tool” that Blackthorne remains on his path, travelling towards his destiny. Toranaga’s tool for overcoming numerous obstacles to reach his destiny is patience, as well. Toranaga’s path to his destiny is covered with political barriers: persons who disbelieve his values or sense of morals, his plans for Japan, or even his religion. In order to defeat these barriers, Toranaga “fights back” using his arsenal of tolerance. By remaining so calm and so composed in situations that seem hopeless, he strikes confusion in the faces of all who oppose him. This acts as a cloud, hiding his true self from his rivals to avoid being snagged in the enormous web of political confusion. Using patience as a means to bewilder, Toranaga surpasses his obstacles on the Path of Life. Blackthorne’s and Toranaga’s spontaneity clears the paths to their destinies. Blackthorne’s unique characteristic tool, spontaneousness, is used to dishevel the impediments he finds utterly hopeless to overcome. A fine example of using this trait to beat a similarly spontaneous conundrum is seen when he is requested of Lord Toranaga to learn the language and the way of the samurai. The village he resides at in the mean time is responsible for teaching Blackthorne Japanese. If he is unable to speak it at a certain degree of accuracy the entire village is doomed to death. The burden placed on Blackthorne’s path is not, in this case, going to be defeated by patience. In order to save the village, Blackthorne attempts to commit suicide in hope of convincing his superiors he has learned “samurai honour.” But he is stopped by a fellow samurai, because his spontaneity obscured the samurai’s judgement. Now, having saved a village and experienced the will of a samurai first hand, we begin to see a pattern: Blackthorne continues to shock the decent and not-so-decent people of Japan. He continues down his Path of Life, seeing the evermore clear destiny that awaits him. Like Blackthorne, Toranaga’s similar but less manifest way of confusing people by being unpredictable destroys obstacles he encounters. We see this when Toranaga’s chief adviser loses his own temper because of what Toranaga has said, and what he is planning. Toranaga, who also has the ability to remain calm and collected, baffles his vassals, baffling those who may turn against him, as well. He is one of very few men who is a mystery in Japan, and it is because of this he shatters through barriers. Like Blackthorne, he travels the Path of Life and becomes ever closer to grasping his destiny. Blackthorne’s and Toranaga’s wisdom clears the path to their destinies. Blackthorne, the holder of secrets of the world, as Toranaga would have called him, is Toranaga’s key to outsmarting his enemies. Blackthorne’s wisdom of the outside world alerts Toranaga to what the Portugese Empire is really planning: to conquer whatever nations they ...