Lady Ochiba is the overarching antagonist of the show Shōgun. The daughter of Daimyo Kuroda Nobuhisa, she was childhood friends with Mariko and lived alongside her, growing up together in Osaka. Eventually, her father would be slain by Mariko's own father, which Ochiba believed to have transpired on Turonaga's orders. She has since held him in hateful contempt, and used her ascension to power to try and end him. She was the only consort to bear the late Taikō a child, and as mother of the heir, effectively ruled as a shadow ruler until her son came to be of age, manipulating the Council of Regents to for her own desires.
She was played by actress Fumi Nikaidô.
Personality[]
Ochiba was once a sweet and kind girl. Although she went through many difficult ordeals as a child, with her best friend Mariko at her side often undergoing the same troubles, she held hope for a brighter future and endured the difficult times. She deeply admired Mariko for having exceptional skills at being nice and proper, and was genuinely happy being together with her. The night her father was murdered, a deep and rageful darkness came to life within her, one she masterfully kept in check and hidden from the world. From this moment onwards she would scheme and orchestrate her vengeance, which would be abruptly advanced when she was named consort to the Taikō. Despite being his consort, she was disgusted with the man as their relationship was not consensual, as neither was her bearing his child. As she grew older, she became colder and ruthless, but still put on a facade to the world that she was ever the loyal and loving consort to the late ruler. After Toranaga came into conflict with the other Regents, she put her master plan into action and lured Ishido to her side, controlling him and in turn controlling the council to her whims.
Despite her hatred for Toranaga, she had no true loyalty towards Ishido either, and simply saw him as a means to an end and abhorred him when he proposed marriage to her. When he ordered the death of Mariko, her hatred of him surpassed that of Toranaga, and she secretly abandoned her crusade for vengeance, allying herself with Toranaga instead in honor of her fallen best friend.