In this edition of Who’s Who, we’re asking “Who Is Lord Shimura?” Lord Shimura is one of the secondary characters you’ll interact with quite heavily throughout Ghost of Tsushima. He is Jin Sakai’s Uncle, and Jito of Tsushima as appointed by the Shogun.
Ghost of Tsushima is a fantastically broad game with an amazing cast of characters. Each character plays a vital role in Jin Sakai’s journey throughout Ghost of Tsushima‘s main storyline, while also offering the player the opportunity to explore Tsushima further through character-specific tales.
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Lord Shimura is the head of Clan Shimura, and Jito (The Lord Paramount) of the Island of Tsushima. He is bound heavily to the Samurai code and, as Jin Sakai’s Uncle, often offers the protagonist advice and criticism.
Who Is Lord Shimura in Ghost of Tsushima?
Lord Shimura and Clan Sakai are linked through the marriage of Lord Shimura’s sister to Kazumasa Sakai of Clan Sakai. Kazumasa is Jin’s father, and his death is an image which haunts Jin throughout Ghost of Tsushima.
We also learn that Jin loses his mother early on, making Lord Shimura the primary parental figure in Jin’s life. He taught Jin how to fight and instructed him in how to follow the Samurai Code throughout his youth. He is a force to be reckoned with, skilful with a blade and hugely influential.
Major Main Storyline Spoilers Ahead
We don’t know a lot about Lord Shimura’s life before the events of Ghost of Tsushima. Much of what we do know comes from flashbacks of Jin’s interactions with him as a child. Throughout the Ghost of Tsushima main storyline, the player works with Lord Shimura in his effort to overthrow the Mongol control of Tsushima. This reaches it’s apex after the Shogun calls for Jin’s head for poisoning the Mongol Forces at Castle Shimura.
Lord Shimura’s immovable commitment to the Samurai Code is not only a driving force that dictates his actions in Ghost of Tsushima, it’s also his main personality trait alongside being an elitist hypocrite. It also negatively impacts him as a military commander, as stated by Khotun Khan while he is his prisoner.
The perfect example of this is how Lord Shimura treats Yuna. He condemns her for her past as a thief, and does little to reward her heroics throughout her journey with his nephew, Jin.
Yet, he still insists that the Samurai should act as an example of courage and honour for the common people. He also has an less-than-honourable relationship with a pirate, Goro. He also attempts to frame Yuna for the poisoning at Castel Shimura, in an effort to protect Jin.
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Despite Lord Shimura caring deeply for Jin, he adheres to his personal interpretation of the Samurai Code and Honour above all. He is willing to ultimately kill Jin if needs be, on the Shogun’s command, despite calling for him to be adopted into Clan Shimura.
He also leads many to their deaths with an ineffective, but perceived morally honourable, military strategy and refuses to listen to alternate approaches.
Lord Shimura is a flawed man with a twisted view on what a Samurai should be. He isn’t quite a villain in Ghost of Tsushima, nor is he a hero.
Lord Shimura is portrayed by Eric Steinberg, also known for playing Colonel Fields in Pretty Little Liars and Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
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