Ferriera

Captain-General Ferriera is a villain from the Shōgun novel by James Clavell and the television mini-series based upon the book. In the year that John Blackthorne first arrived in Japan Ferriera was the Captain of the Black Ship, a Portuguese treasure ship that took Japanese treasure back to Europe.

Being Ferriera's first trip to Japan, he was totally unprepared for the Japanese culture or way of life. He decided that the only way to ensure the successful voyage of the Black Ship was to impose his will upon the Japanese by force. Ferriera wanted to get the Black Ship back to Europe in order to ensure his own wealth and to increase his standing at home. With his attitude he soon came in to conflict with the Jesuit leader Carlo Dell’Aqua, who threatened to excommunicate him if he interfered with Japanese internal affairs as well as remove him from command of the Black Ship. Ferriera attempted to protest that Dell'Aqua was involving himself in temporal affairs.

Ferriera saw the Japanese as less then human, insulting the damiyo Yoshi Torananga by calling him a monkey. He also suggested that he would not honor agreements between the Jesuits and the Japanese. He was also noted for his desire to kill Blackthorne at the earliest opportunity.

When Ferriera attempted to stop Father Dell'Aqua from escorting an injured Blackthorne he pointed a weapon at Dell'Aqua, causing Dell'Aqua's guards to shoot him. With Ferriera dead Dell'Aqua appointed Vasco Rodrigues to take his place.

Trivia
The character of Ferriera was based upon Hoaratio Neretti, the Captain-Major of the Great Ship from Macau in 1600. 1 In the television series he was portrayed by Vladek Sheybal, who had also played the role of SPECTRE agent Tov Kronsteen in From Russia With Love.