16 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:Actually she was doing exactly as ordered. She and her superiors knew she was going to lose that fight, and couldn't be aware that Shono would be the one leading the force as that was a last minute decision that his mother made after he insisted on being the one to face Mitsuko. But the Ikoma Historian who was present saw she did all as she was ordered and acted with honor.
Yeah, this would be pretty much Tsanuri's angle in the argument. One side would argue that Mitsuko slipped up against Shono and accomplishing her order is not an excuse for this kind of failure. The other side would defend Mitsuko by pointing out that she knew exactly what she was doing, and her killing Shono was simply not an option.
I think this would nicely show the depth Bushido has, that it is not just Duty vs Honor but there are other considerations too, and seemingly dishonorable things can be the signs of true honor. Like, you know, Matsu Tsuko going off the hooks or an apparently unnecessary war with the Unicorn. Bushido is more than that, and those who think it is just self-important people blindly following terrible orders are idiots (take that Daisetsu!).
Then your point would tick off Tsanuri in the end too, as she starts wondering how many honorable samurai must die "doing exactly as ordered" and whether this is actually the most Lion-y way to send your enemies in the clan to their death because it is essentially foolproof and it takes a nitpicky Ikoma Historian playing devil's advocate to find a crack in it.