If you watch Shōgun Episode 4 “The Eightfold Fence” all the way to the end, you’ll notice it was dedicated “In Memory of Larry Beckett.” Larry Beckett isn’t a well-known actor nor was he a producer on the FX project. If you google “Larry Beckett,” you’ll likely find references to a poet and songwriter known for his collaborations with Tim Buckley. In fact, you might wonder if Shōgun Episode 4 “The Eightfold Fence” is dedicated to that Larry Beckett. After all, his most iconic work, “Song to the Siren,” features lyrics that almost perfectly fit the burgeoning romance between English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and the enchanting Japanese samurai lady Mariko (Anna Sawai).

However, Decider has confirmed that Shōgun Episode 4 is not dedicated to poet and songwriter Larry Beckett. That Larry Beckett is still alive and well and doing a poetry reading in Portland later this month. Instead, Shōgun Episode 4 “The Eightfold Fence” is dedicated to a member of the show’s crew who tragically passed away during production.

Decider has learned that Larry Beckett was Shōgun‘s cannon expert. With that in mind, it makes total, poignant sense that Shōgun would dedicate Episode 4 to Beckett’s life and work. After all, it’s the episode in which John Blackthorne begins teaching the Japanese about the English navy’s various cannon techniques, specifically the use of the chain shot.

Beckett’s contribution to FX’s Shōgun would not have been possible were it not for the fact that the show switched Blackthorne’s contribution to Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) from the James Clavell book. There, Blackthorne teaches Toranaga’s soldiers how to use muskets, which Shōgun showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo realized was historically inaccurate. Shōgun‘s chief historical advisor Frederik Cryns instead suggested Blackthorne teach the Japanese about English cannon techniques, which were far superior to Portuguese methods at the time.

So if you enjoyed the sheer dramatic scale of Shōgun Episode 4 “The Eightfold Fence,” it wouldn’t be possible without the work of Larry Beckett. RIP.