Shōgun: What Is the Minowara Bloodline?

Lord Yoshii Toranaga’s connection to the Minowara bloodline in Shōgun gets a shoutout in Episode 1, “Anjin” – so, what is it? And why is it so important to the FX historical drama’s remaining episodes?

Related: Shōgun: What Does Hatamoto Mean?

What Is the Minowara Bloodline in FX’s Shōgun?

The Minowara bloodline is (as its name suggests) the name for those samurai born into feudal Japan’s powerful Minowara clan. Like Toranaga himself, the Minowara clan is a fictional entity created by author James Clavell for the original Shōgun novel. It takes its cues from the real-life Minamoto clan and one of the Minamoto clan’s later offshoots, the Matsudaira clan.

The Minamoto clan derived its power partly from its ties to the Imperial family. Hundreds of years before Shōgun‘s late Sengoku period setting, the Emperor at the time devised the Minamoto surname for those in the family ousted from the Imperial line of succession. The newly minted Minamoto clan was then bumped down to nobility status, however, its royal lineage still gave it the edge over feudal Japan’s three other great houses: the Fujiwara clan, the Taira clan, and the Tachibana clan.

Related: Shōgun: What Is a Fief, Explained

This same backstory presumably applies to the Minowara bloodline, as dialogue in “Anjin” indicates that Toranaga’s heritage means he’s a viable candidate for the vacant shōgun title. It’s also the likely reason – along with his recent uptick in territory and all that comes with it – that Toranaga’s fellow regents plot his downfall throughout Shōgun‘s first three episodes. He’s already got the birthright, so if he gains any more economic and military might, what’s to stop him from appointing himself Japan’s sole ruler?

It’s what Toranaga’s historical counterpart did, after all. Tokugawa Ieyasu assumed control of Japan in 1600, naming himself shōgun three years later – citing his purported blood ties to the Minamoto clan while consolidating his power. Time (and Shōgun‘s remaining episodes) will tell whether the Minowara bloodline plays a similarly pivotal role in Toranaga’s destiny.

Shōgun is currently airing on FX, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.