Nobusuke Tagomi’s MBTI type has sparked debate among fans of The Man in the High Castle, especially when it comes to whether he is an ISFJ or INFJ. In the series, portrayed by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tagomi displays strong traits of an INFJ and aligns closely with Enneagram 9w1. His symbolic thinking, moral restraint, and quiet pursuit of peace make him one of the show’s most spiritually grounded and philosophically complex characters.
INFJ 9w1 Characters
Why is Trade Minister Tagomi from The Man in the High Castle an INFJ? Continue reading for my argument using cognitive functions! The headers for each section are clickable, so you can easily access more information about the dominant function and the Enneagram type, or discover more characters who share the type.
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Introverted Intuition
I initially thought Tagomi was an ISFJ years ago when I first typed him, but upon a recent re-watch, I changed my mind. He seems to be more focused on archetypes, symbols, and interacting with the alternate reality than an ISFJ would feel comfortable with doing; hopefully, in the following I’ll provide a convincing argument.
When Tagomi experiences the alternate reality for the first time, where the Allies won WWII and he is transported into a San Francisco with hot dogs and ball parks and joy everywhere, he does not panic or try to logically disprove it. Instead, he reflects on what it means to him about reality, morality, and what is possible. Tagomi then goes on to find his family in the alternate timeline and attempt to repair the damage done by his alternate self; he sees even the broken cup and his careful repairing of it as symbolic of fixing his family. But in doing so, he also comprehends that his alternate self, a drunken lout, has damaged his relationship with his wife so much that he cannot stay here, even if it’s where he wants to be; for her betterment, and for the world he left behind, he must return to his own time and place.
Many times, Tagomi focuses on small details or symbols without fully understanding their meaning; at the crime scene, after the shooting of the crown prince, he picks up Julianna’s locket, which fell out of Frank’s pocket. Though he does not say as much, it’s clearly because the item has “wu” – what the Japanese call something with emotional weight to it (since it represents Frank’s love for Juliana, his broken heart, the loss of his family, etc; he has poured his pain and Fi into the object). Small things become “significant” to him, and it’s this locket that helps him travel between realities, because he focuses on it in his meditations.
Tagomi has a big picture focus in that he understands early on, when others are convinced of Japan’s superiority, that they cannot win a war with a Reich, and he intentionally exposes Inspector Keto to a film from the alternate reality of testing atonic weapons, to mislead him that Germany has an atom bomb and convince him to stop the war. This sets off a chain of events where Keto uses the film footage to convince John Smith, and then the Furor, that Japan has the weapon instead, and is ready to defend itself.
Several times, Tagomi meets people and senses that they are important; he hires Juliana after a brief encounter with her in the hall, for no other reason than sensing something about her that needs to be in his proximity, and unknowingly, sets up their friendship, which spills into helping her in the Resistance and hiding her. He notices her sameness in the alternate reality, and also perceives that she is happier and more fulfilled in it.
Extroverted Feeling
He is compassionate, diplomatic, and has emotional influence over those around him. Tagomi believes that his own peace should extend to those around him, and uses it as a calming force whenever anyone gets upset. He works to prevent war and acknowledges others’ contributions even when he does not agree with them. The Crown Princess likes to consult with him, because he has a measured, moralistic approach that is not too invasive or blunt; in every situation, Tagomi chooses to be polite and appropriate to the situation, to respect people and their needs, or to submit to their authority without compromising his own values. He is respectful, and careful not to tear down others; he knows “something” happened with Juliana that was inappropriate in the office building, but rather than directly talk about it, he merely says that she would be honored, respected, and only asked to perform innocent tasks under his employment.
After being forced to kill someone to protect himself, Tagomi is shaken by it. He experiences profound emotional distress at having “taken a life,” even to save his own. This shows his humanitarian nature; he also does not approve of or participate in Keto’s ruthless intimidation and interrogation methods.
When he enters the alternate reality, Tagomi is respectful of others’ feelings and of their values; he is actively interested in this version of America, in the anti-war protests, in the sit-in’s against the bomb, etc. He is distressed to learn that his alternate self was improper, said mean things, got drunk and broke the baby’s cup, scaring him, and that he threatened to kill himself by leaping from a bridge (ultimately, this is what happened to his AU self). Tagomi then sets about repairing his broken relationships before he leaves, including signing the divorce papers his wife wants from him as a final gesture of compassion.
Introverted Thinking
Tagomi quietly analyzes things in order to understand them. He asks a lot of questions in the alternate universe about the world, about why they are staging protests, about how Juliana and his son met, what his other self did and said, why his wife wants a divorce, all so that he can fully comprehend his situation and the alternate timelines. Tagomi in several scenes goes to bookstores or sits down in the house and pages through information; he reads about the atom bomb dropping on Japan, about WWII’s atrocities, about the new movements in society, he collects forbidden books at home to read their ideas and ponder them.
His logical understanding of the atomic bomb leads him to realize its potential for stopping a war with the Reich, and so he intentionally returns home hoping to use it. And his overall philosophy is one of preferring to consider the consequences of one’s decisions, rather than to cling to a single worldview; when faced with the truth about an alternate world in which his beloved country lost, Tagomi is detached enough to recognize that it is better than the one Japan established in San Francisco. The people are happy and free, the Japanese now live in harmony with the Americans. This makes him amenable to helping others in subtle ways to undermine the Reich and Japan, even if he does not directly participate in the Resistance.
Extraverted Sensing
When he suddenly finds himself in a different time and place, Tagomi … takes it all in, then gets up and walks around. He has sensory experiences, by going into bookstores and looking at books, by going to his old house several times before he makes a proper appearance (to find out if his wife is alive, if his son is alive, and then to interact with them when he feels ready).
Most of his actions, unlike the impulsive Fi-doms around him, are all based in exerting a small amount of control and feeling comfortable. Going into his wife’s house is a risk; he could get caught. Dealing with a German traitor is another risk, but he does not directly pass information so much as try to provide him a way out with it. Tagomi is undermining his own government numerous times, and is aware that it could get him killed (low Se caution).
In intense situation, he uses his hands-on physical training to kill someone and defend himself. But more often, he engages in small rituals to help him feel centered; he prunes flowers and tends his yard, lights candles at the family altar, fingers a locket to access its wu, and engages in meditation in a low-risk manner (his office, his home). Even in his relationships, as he courts a new woman, he never moves too fast.
The Enneagram 9
Peaceful and accepting; those two words embody Tagomi, the most likable and most moral character on the show. He is cautious but not so afraid that he will not take risks; listens to his emotions and to his instincts and trusts them, when push comes to shove. Always finds a diplomatic way forward, and remains in control over himself at all times, even when people scream at him or seek safety in the middle of the night. Keto a few times gets in his face and escalates, and Tagomi tries to calm him down or detaches.
Several times, Tagomi is visibly shaken by things and made upset by being upset; he has to calm down and express his feeling after a violent action to feel centered again. Rather than create conflict with someone else in the building, he merely rights the wrong Juliana experienced by offering her a job and assuring her that he does not expect anything immoral from her, only good service.
Rather than be upset, when Tagomi “travels,” he takes in this new world with active interest and a sense of wonder. When his “new” family are aggressive with him, he asks what he has done to upset them, rather than to get defensive in return. Often when people tell him what his alternate self did, he merely listens and then goes away to process it, rather than come up with an excuse on the spot (like a 6 might do, to cover their tracks).
The 1 Wing
He has moral principles and deeply disapproves of some of his government’s behaviors; he does not like the violence, the abuse, or the evil around him, so he remains separate from it, and tries to do “good” on a higher plane where he can (helping smuggle out information to prevent a war, taking in Juliana and her sister and hiding them briefly from both Keto and the Resistance, collecting banned books and taking an interest in the AU films).
Tagomi does not put himself forward too much, but when he does, it is on a matter of principle—usually, to save people from dealing with violence and terror. He is in many ways the moral center of the show’s first several seasons, and when they killed him off off-screen to deal with the actor’s conflicting contracts, it was a great loss.
