Heroic Poetry in Shōgun and The Lord of the Rings

Hello Tolkien Poppers!

I’ve had today’s post in the pipeline for awhile, but now that my second year as a teacher is in full swing and some other writing projects have been completed (stay tuned), I have been freed to provide you with my latest offering.

Today’s post is on the Heroic Poetry tradition and how Lady Mariko from the latest TV phenomenon Shōgun and heroes such as Sam and Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings solidify themselves among the pantheon of the heroic! Spoiler warning for those who have not read or watched Shōgun. I hope you enjoy this post and are inspired by the beautiful, brave, and artistic.

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Now onto the rest of the article!

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Many of us were pleasantly surprised with one of the most epic and well-written TV series: Shōgun. Based on the book of the same title by James Clavell, this series has everything: enrapturing drama, wonderful historical fiction, breathtaking action, and masterful interlacing narrative. More can be said about Shōgun and I will be saying more, particularly about its poetry and how it shares a certain kinship with the poetry in The Lord of the Rings. 

Heroic poetry can be found in cultures all over the world from Greece to Scandinavia to Japan. These poems began in oral traditions to eventually be written down later. These include the Battle of Maldon and the Odyssey plus many more. Both Shōgun and The Lord of the Rings invite its viewers/readers into a mytho-historical look into this oral tradition in action. In Shōgun, we are witnessing the accounts of the events leading up to the Battle of Sekigahara as told by the English sailor, John Blackthorne. Additionally, The Lord of the Rings is framed as a collection of accounts written down by hobbits and translated by Tolkien. The framing of each contributes to the feeling of the reality of the passing on of oral and written traditions in our primary world. Specifically, the recounting of the spontaneous creation of poetry by their respective heroes. 

The heroes in fiction historical Japan and Middle-earth together compose their poetry in response to death. Shōgun explores the heroic facing of death through the Japanese Death Poem, which has a long tradition in Japan in the primary world. For those such as Aragorn and Sam, their poetry is framed as being postured against facing what Tolkien calls “The Long Defeat,” which he claims is a feature of the “northern spirit” of Germanic and Old English sensibilities that can be traced through epic tales such as Beowulf.¹ The Japanese Death Poem and The Long Defeat conceptualize death differently. However, they both reveal the similar posture towards death that heroes hold in both Shōgun and The Lord of the Rings: acceptance of death, embrace of death, and acting as a hero in light of this approach to death. 

In the Shōgun TV series, there is a dynamic of religious diversity - primarily between a generic Protestantism of an English flavor, Roman Catholicism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shinto. This dynamic is reflective of the reality of our own world and how individuals and societies negotiate values amidst that reality. It is impossible to capture what death means to a particular religion or individuals in a society at any given time. This is because religious meaning is fluid and porous, transforming over time in relation to others. However, the way in which death is seen by English and Portuguese Christians is contrasted to the way in which Japanese culture sees death. In both Protestant Christianity and Roman Catholic Christianity, Jesus Christ has defeated death through his ministry, death, and resurrection. To partake in the spoils of Christ’s victory, i.e., heaven, escape from death, one must accept Christ as one’s savior. Now, how Christ is received differs amongst various Protestant and Catholic denominations, but for our purposes here, we’ll acknowledge the general understanding of Christ as saving Christians from death. Death without Christ results in one’s soul experiencing eternal conscious torment in the fires of hell. This is surely the way in which it is portrayed in Shōgun. 

The history of Japanese religion is extremely complex and how death has been conceptualized throughout its hosting of various religions and philosophies has varied widely. Generally, death is seen less of as a singular conception that needs to be resisted through a specific religious solution and more like an aspect of life that can be approached through an acceptance and working with death instead of against it through a multitude of approaches.² The Japanese in Shōgun clearly carry a calm demeanor when it comes to death, and those who embrace it in the show are those who embody the heroic through action and poetic composition. 

The primary hero of the show, in my opinion, is Toda Mariko, who is descended from a “highborn” line, a Catholic convert, and loyal to Lord Toranaga. Throughout the series, we learn that she was brought up in an extremely tough environment and lost her parents to political dishonor, carrying the dishonor in her life in society and expressing a desire to die because of this burden. However, Lord Toranaga, who has taken Lady Mariko into his court, has forbidden her to take her own life because of his political need for her. Taking one’s own life in Japan during this time in history was not dishonorable, but could be a very formal and honorable way to die when done properly, particularly through seppuku. However, loyalty to one’s Lord trumps one’s personal desires and endeavors.

Although Mariko’s desire for death becomes more and more apparent the further we progress through the show, it is clear that without her counsel and skills that Lord Toranaga would not be as far along on his trajectory to become the next Shogun, i.e., military ruler of Japan. She is a hero. She faces down ruling lords, conducts behind-the-scenes political deals, and manipulates others with strategic precision. Her skills and given purpose are not enough to lure her away from the call of death. This entanglement of death and heroism is directly tied to her being a primary composer of poetry throughout the show. She writes and is able to create poetry on the fly. In episode nine entitled “Crimson Sky,” Mariko confronts her childhood friend Ochiba, who is in league with Lord Ishido. He is Lord Toranaga’s chief rival in the series. Ochiba allies herself with Ishido and together they keep Toranaga’s concubines hostage. Mariko goes to retrieve them in protest. As a preamble to her actions, she recites this poem to her Ochiba, who has invited her to a poetry competition: 

“While the snow remains

Veiled in the haze of cold evening

A leafless branch…”

There is a lot more to this poem in the context of the episode that you can read here: https://screenrant.com/shogun-episode-9-leafless-branch-poem-explained/. But for our purposes, we will stick with poetry and its ties to the heroic in Shōgun. 

The poem remains incomplete, open-ended, which serves as an invitation for Ochiba to add to the poem. Mariko announces that she has been commanded by Lord Toranaga to leave with his concubines. Lord Ishido prevents her from doing so, which gives Mariko the right to perform seppuku. She holds back for the time being. In Toranaga’s quarters, Ishido sends ninja to assassinate everyone staying there. Blackthorn, Mariko, Yabushige, and Toranaga’s concubines fight their way out of the quarters and lock themselves in a storehouse. The ninja plant explosives at the door of the storehouse. Instead of attempting to block the blast with a makeshift barrier from the store, Mariko stands in front of the door, speaks the ceremonial words of seppuku, takes the fullness of the blast, and saves everyone inside the storehouse. 

Sacrifice for the sake of others is truly what makes Mariko a hero in this episode. Her poetry composition is in line with those a part of the heroic poetry tradition and the one she writes on the spot not only demonstrates her skill and reserve, but foreshadows her heroic seppuku for her Lord, friends, and allies. Death, standing with its jaws wide open, on the edge of inevitability is confronted with bravery and humility so that others may continue their fight under the shadow of death. 

Tolkien’s heroes share similar qualities with Lady Mariko. Though despair is not embodied, but overcome by Tolkien’s heroes, they face death or the long defeat for a chance at giving future generations the opportunity to keep on living and fighting. Aragorn is the primary example of a hero who can compose verse at a whim. An early example is the Lament for Boromir as Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli lay him to rest in the funeral boat. Rather than condemn Boromir for his selfishness, the Three Hunters - particularly Aragorn - carry his redemption of defending Merry and Pippin to its culmination by honoring Boromir through ceremony and song. Legolas contributes to the lament, demonstrating his own proclivity for art and heroism. 

The main case study for seeing the development of spontaneous verse through a character’s heroic journey is Sam. In Book II in The Fellowship of the Ring, following Gandalf’s death, the Fellowship came under the protection of the Galadhrim. During their time in Lothlórien, Sam attempts to write something in honor of Gandalf as an addition to Frodo’s Lament of their beloved wizard:

“The finest rockets ever seen:

They burst in stars of blue and green,

Or after thunder golden showers

Come falling like a rain of flowers”

He goes on to quickly dismiss his verse as not being worthy of Gandalf. Whether or not one were to agree with Sam’s harsh self-criticism, it is a worthy attempt at artistically remembering one as lofty as an Istar. His humility, service, and willingness to face death are what condition this attempt that will be the stepping stone to the rise of quality pertaining to the heroic poetry and actions of Master Samwise. 

In Book VI in The Return of the King in the chapter entitled “The Tower of Cirith Ungol,” Sam had infiltrated Cirith Ungol to save Frodo from the clutches of the orcs Shagrat and Gorbag. Thankfully, the orcs fell into a giant quarrel, killing almost all of its inhabitants. Sam climbed the steps of the tower to find Frodo and when he could not, he was overcome with a song called “In Western Lands beneath the Sun”:

“In western lands beneath the Sun

the flowers may rise in Spring,

the trees may bud, the waters run,

the merry finches sing.

Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night

and swaying beeches bear

the Elven-stars as jewels white

amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie

in darkness buried deep,

beyond all towers strong and high,

beyond all mountains steep,

above all shadows rides the Sun

and Stars for ever dwell:

I will not say the Day is done,

nor bid the Stars farewell.”

Upon hearing this, an orc referred to as Snaga goes to investigate and runs away, believing Sam to be a Great Elf-warrior. Snaga climbs a ladder that reaches the topmost of the tower, where Frodo is being held captive and begins whipping him. Sam comes to stop him and Snaga falls through the trapdoor to his death. Frodo is saved, given the Ring, and set to return their march to Mt. Doom. 

In order for Sam to have arrived at this point, he had to overcome Shelob, the temptation of the Ring, thirst and hunger, and the Two Watchers of the tower. Against all odds, he overcomes these hurdles and by the assistance of others is able to restore the quest of the destruction of the Ring. Sam’s song is then recorded amongst history and legend. 

Unlike Mariko, Sam does not wish to die, but he does not allow the fear of death to paralyze him. He faces death over and over again, sacrificing his own life for the sake of Frodo, the Fellowship, and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. This spirited affront to death is the stuff of legend and it is immortalized in heroic verse. 

Some of the most impactful stories such as Shōgun and The Lord of the Rings, retain their status among the great stories because of heroes like Mariko, Aragorn, and our beloved Samwise. They are not just brave, but embody and express artistic beauty. Heroism does not belong to the hardness of rash machismo or the passivity of the bard. Rather, those who act to embrace the reality of death at the cost of themselves for others and render their valor into art are truly the heroes worthy of remembrance. 

1. There is an issue with Tolkien’s conceptualization of the “northern spirit”: “Tolkien was not a fascist, but the ‘noble northern spirit’ in which he believed was created in modern culture in the service of race theory which, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in particular, imagined the White race into being and placed it at the top of a hierarchy of humanity.” (Young, Helen. Race and Popular Fantasy Literature: Habits of Whiteness. 22.) However, the theme of facing the long defeat of death, monsters, and the end of the world are present in literature like Beowulf, the Völuspá, and the Prose Edda.

2. Hoffman, Yoel. Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death. 28-43.

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