Shogun’ Is High-Stakes Event TV at Its Finest

James Clavell turned “Shogun,” a novel first published in 1975, into a well-received miniseries in 1980. The adaptation took place in Hollywood (KABC).

A new limited series is reimagining the legendary tale for FX and Hulu. It delves into the political climate, brutality, and scenic splendor of ancient Japan. The show is based on real events and follows a British navigator as he forms an odd bond with one of the five warlords in Japan just before the country’s impending civil war.

Shogun, loosely based on the 1980 NBC miniseries of the same name and James Clavell’s best-selling novel, takes place in 17th-century Japan just before the country is about to experience its bloodiest civil war. A year has passed since the death of the taiko, the highest-ranking official of a united Japan. Since the designated taiko’s child cannot yet legally assert his right to the throne, a Council of Regents consisting of five individuals has been formed to fill his stead. The most mysterious member of the council, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), is a famous warrior from a dynasty family. The other members of the council all have their own agendas, including two men who became Catholic after the Portuguese began trading with the island nation. For fear that Toranaga may crown himself shogun and establish a de facto military dictatorship in Japan, the other council members have banded together to oppose him.

The council is getting ready to vote to impeach Toranaga, which would be the equivalent of a death sentence, under the leadership of the cunning Lord Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira). Toranaga, however, recognizes a chance when a shattered Dutch ship, commanded by the English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), reaches the Japanese coast.

Even though the Portuguese-allied council members view Blackthorne with suspicion due to his Protestant faith, he could prove to be a valuable bargaining tool in future negotiations. On a more critical note, Blackthorne is well-versed in Western tactics, and the cannons and muskets aboard his “barbarian” ship might swing the odds in Toranaga’s favour in the event of a conflict.

As a proud producer and actor in “Shogun,” Hiroyuki Sanada is involved in the production in more ways than one. “I wanted to introduce our culture to the world correctly for such a long time,” Sanada remarked. I could assemble a Japanese crew familiar with Samurai dramas, and we had a Japanese consultant in every sector to ensure authenticity to the best of our abilities. I felt liberated and able to focus on my acting after that; it was like a dream come true!

Producer Eriko Miyagawa expressed their desire for this updated edition to challenge conventional storytelling conventions. “Hopefully, people will be curious about stories that take place in a foreign land and are told in a different language,” Miyagawa stated. “It really felt like the right time to tell this story; it felt like the industry was ready, the audience was ready, and the feeling of responsibility was there.”

“Shogun” will premiere on FX and Hulu on February 27th, with the premiere of the first two episodes.

One of the exciting aspects of the Shogun is attempting to follow the ever-changing loyalties of the main political figures within the intricate framework. The strict code of conduct that distinguishes Japanese society only serves to highlight the delicate nature of the issue. For example, in the pilot, when Ishido insults Toranaga’s master, one of the samurai from Toranaga speaks out of turn; as a result, the samurai is sentenced to seppuku, ending his lineage. When the people around him act so callously towards life and death, Blackthorne serves as a good audience proxy by reacting with disbelief. (Shogun injects some humor into Blackthorne’s culture shock by asking, “Why do people in this country want to bathe more than once a week?”). Even in your kimono, Blackthorne, it smells like a bomb.

Toranaga recruits Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a noblewoman from a tarnished lineage, to translate for Blackthorne since, naturally, Blackthorne cannot speak Japanese. (Although the entire series is in English, Mariko and Blackthorne talk in Portuguese because she is a converted Catholic.) Over time, Mariko and Blackthorne grow closer over their peculiar situation: they are both pawns in a dangerous political chess game where a single misstep might trigger a full-scale war that devastates Japan.