Introduction

Shōgun is an American historical drama television series created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. It is based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, which was previously adapted into a 1980 miniseries. Its ensemble cast includes Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, and Fumi Nikaido. Although it is an American series, the cast is mostly Japanese and the majority of the dialogue is in the Japanese language.

The first season premiered its first two episodes on 27 February 2024, on FX on Hulu and FX, with the rest being released weekly until 23 April 2024. It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for the directing, writing, visuals, production values, performances of its cast, and faithfulness to the source material. Following its success, a second and third season are in development.

Outline

Shōgun follows “the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds, John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.”

Clavell’s Shōgun is historical fiction. The character of Blackthorne is loosely based on the historical English navigator William Adams, who in Japan rose to become a samurai under Tokugawa Ieyasu, a powerful daimyō who later became the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ieyasu is the basis for the character of Yoshii Toranaga.

Cast

In the following lists, the names in parenthesis represent the historical figure upon which the character is based.

• Main:
  • Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1543–1616): A powerful bushō and lord of Kantō. One of the five Regents ruling Japan on behalf of the late Taikō’s young heir. He is a descendant of the Minowara clan (Minamoto clan) which once ruled over Japan as shōguns. He possesses a brilliant mind for military and political strategy.
  • Cosmo Jarvis as Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, known to the Japanese as the “Anjin” (William Adams, 1564–1620): A Protestant English maritime pilot who served on a Dutch fleet seeking to establish trade with Japan. He finds himself and his crew captive to the powerful Lord Toranaga.
  • Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko (Hosokawa Gracia, 1563–1600): An intelligent highborn woman with strong loyalty to Toranaga. She is a Catholic convert who serves as a translator between Toranaga and Blackthorne.
  • Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige (Honda Masanobu, 1538–1616): The scheming lord of Izu who serves Toranaga.
  • Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari (Ishida Mitsunari, 1559–1600): A former peasant turned powerful bushō, one of the five Regents, Toranaga’s chief rival, and ruler of Osaka Castle.
  • Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito, SJ / “Tsuji” (João Rodrigues Tçuzu, 1561–1634): An empathetic Portuguese priest and reliable translator.
  • Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba no Kata (Yodo-dono, 1569–1615): The only consort of the late Taikō who bore an heir, her son Yaechiyo.

• Recurring:
  • Néstor Carbonell as Vasco Rodrigues: A Spanish sailor in league with the Portuguese who befriends Blackthorne
  • Tokuma Nishioka [ja] as Toda “Iron Fist” Hiromatsu (Hosokawa Fujitaka, 1534–1610): Toranaga’s most trusted general and close confidant
  • Hiroto Kanai [ja] as Kashigi Omi (Honda Masazumi, 1566–1637): Yabushige’s bright nephew and the lord of Ajiro
  • Yasunari Takeshima [ja] as Tonomoto Akinao / Muraji: A Christian fisherman in Ajiro, who can translate for Blackthorne and is secretly a loyal samurai serving Toranaga
  • Moeka Hoshi [ja] as Usami Fuji: Hiromatsu’s granddaughter and later Blackthorne’s consort
  • Yuki Kura [ja] as Yoshii Nagakado (Matsudaira Tadayoshi, 1580–1607): Toranaga’s impulsive yet adoring son
  • Ako as Daiyoin / Lady Iyo (Kōdai-in, 1549–1624): The wife of the late Taikō, who later became a Buddhist nun upon his death
  • Hiromoto Ida as Kiyama ukon Sadanaga (Konishi Yukinaga, 1555–1600): One of the five Regents, who converted to Catholicism, due to the wealth the Portuguese acquired for him
  • Toshi Toda [de] as Sugiyama Josui (Maeda Toshiie, 1539–1599): One of the five Regents, who is descended from a rich clan
  • Takeshi Kurokawa as Ohno Harunobu (Otani Yoshitsugu, 1558–1600): One of the five Regents, a once great warrior afflicted with leprosy, which drove him to become a devout Catholic
  • Yuka Kouri [ja] as Kiku: A crafty and beguiling courtesan from Izu and Omi’s concubine
  • Hiro Kanagawa as Igarashi Yoshimito: An older, eye-patch-wearing samurai serving Yabushige
  • Sen Mars as Nakamura Yaechiyo (Toyotomi Hideyori, 1593–1615): The only son and heir of the Taikō
  • Yuki Kedoin [ja] as Takemaru: A young samurai serving Yabushige
  • Nobuya Shimamoto as Nebara Jozen: Ishido’s loyal retainer and an old friend of Yabushige
  • Yutaka Takeuchi as Akechi Jinsai (Akechi Mitsuhide, 1528–1582): Mariko’s late father and a powerful warlord who betrayed and killed Lord Kuroda, tarnishing his family’s legacy
  • Shinnosuke Abe as Toda “Buntaro” Hirokatsu (Hosokawa Tadaoki, 1563–1646): Hiromatsu’s son, Mariko’s husband, and a talented samurai serving Toranaga
  • Louis Ferreira as Ferreira: The Portuguese captain-general of the Black Ship, the largest trade ship that handles commerce between the Portuguese Empire and Japan
  • Paulino Nunes as Father Visitor Carlo Dell’Acqua, SJ (Alessandro Valignano, 1539–1606): A senior Italian priest and the highest-ranking representative of the Catholic Church in Japan
  • Yoriko Dōguchi as Kiri no Kata (Lady Acha, 1555–1637): Toranaga’s wife
  • Mako Fujimoto as Shizu no Kata: Toranaga’s younger, pregnant consort
  • Yuua Yamanaka as Toda Ryûji: Mariko and Buntaro’s son
  • Eisuke Sasai as Lord Ito: An influential warlord and Noh performer who is invited to join the council of five Regents
  • Yuko Miyamoto as Gin: The madam of the Ajiro teahouse
  • Eita Okuno as Saeki Nobutatsu (Matsudaira Iemoto, 1548–1603): Toranaga’s half-brother and a powerful warlord

• Guest:
  • Ned Dennehy as the Captain-General: The Dutch captain of the Erasmus, who committed suicide at sea
  • Yuki Takao as Usami Tadayoshi: Fuji’s impulsive husband and a samurai serving Toranaga
  • Dakota Daulby as Salamon: A surviving crew member of the Erasmus who Blackthorne later encounters living in the slums of Edo
  • Joaquim de Almeida as Father Domingo: A Franciscan friar who befriended and lectured Blackthorne about Japanese politics
  • Yukijiro Hotaru as Nakamura Hidetoshi, later the Taikō (Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 1537–1598): The retired Kampaku who appointed a council of five regents to succeed him until his heir comes of age
  • Junichi Tajiri as Uejiro: An elderly gardener at Blackthorne’s estate in Ajiro
  • Eijiro Ozaki as Lord Kuroda Nobuhisa (Oda Nobunaga, 1534–1582): The former daimyo and Ochiba’s father, who was killed by Akechi Jinsai, Mariko’s father, in 1578
  • Takaaki Hirakawa as Mizoguchi: A warlord who was defeated during Toranaga’s first battle in 1554
  • Yoshi Amao as Sera: A samurai general based in Edo and one of Toranaga’s vassals, who refuses to submit to the Regents
  • Hitoshi Masaki as Tomono: A samurai general based in Edo and one of Toranaga’s vassals, who refuses to submit to the Regents
  • Haruka Igarashi as Rin (Lady Gō, 1573–1626): Toranaga’s daughter-in-law and Ochiba’s younger sister who lives in Edo

Production

Development

During the Television Critics Association’s annual summer press tour in August 2018, FX announced it would make a new adaptation of the 1975 novel Shōgun by James Clavell and had given the production a straight-to-series order. Executive producers were expected to include Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell, Tim Van Patten, Eugene Kelly, and Ronan Bennett. Rachel Bennette is set as a supervising producer, Tom Winchester as a producer, Georgina Pope as a co-producer, and Eriko Miyagawa as an associate producer. Patten also directed the series and Bennett also wrote. FX Productions is slated to serve as the production company for the series. Hiroyuki Sanada serves as a producer and lead actor.

In an interview with USA Today, Sanada described his role as a producer, saying “After twenty years in Hollywood, I’m a producer. It means I can say anything, anytime. […] I had a team for the first time, ever. I carried the pressure of being a producer on my shoulder. But more than that, I had happiness.” He also stressed keeping the show authentic to Japanese history. “If something is incorrect, people cannot focus on the drama. They don’t want to see that kind of show. We needed to be authentic.”

In May 2024, a second and third season were officially announced to be in development, with the writer’s room assembling in mid-2024.

Filming

Principal photography for the series was scheduled to commence in March 2019 in Japan and the United Kingdom but was delayed because the network felt that the production was not “in good enough shape”. Sanada did a single day of filming in 2019 in order for FX to retain the rights to the property as the series was being retooled.

In January 2020, it was revealed that after original writer Ronan Bennett became unavailable they started over with new writer and executive producer Justin Marks and supervising producer Rachel Kondo. The writing team included co-executive producer Shannon Goss, consulting producer Matt Lambert, script editor Maegan Houang, and staff writer Emily Yoshida.

Principal photography for the series began in Vancouver on 22 September 2021, and lasted until 30 June 2022, taking two months longer than expected. Certain post-production visual effects were produced in Ireland. Nikkan Gendai reported that Japanese extras were paid 50,000 yen per day, which is much higher than a Japanese production where they are paid between zero yen to 5,000 yen a day. A Japanese white pine tree used on set was donated and planted after filming to the City Hall of Port Moody.

Marketing

To promote the series, an immersive exhibition of the series occurred at FX Lawn during San Diego Comic Con in July 2023. These included samurai performances and a virtual koi pond. On 05 September 2023, the series was teased in a showcase of upcoming FX television shows. On 02 November 2023, the show’s first trailer debuted on YouTube, which revealed that the series would be released in February 2024 on FX on Hulu. A 30-second trailer for the series aired during the second-quarter of Super Bowl LVIII on 11 February 2024. Bill Bradley of Adweek wrote “The series has been in the works for years and is already the most expensive in FX history, so what’s another $7 million-ish for an ad?

Release

Shōgun premiered with its first two episodes on 27 February 2024, on FX on Hulu and FX. The remainder of the 10-episode series was released weekly. Internationally, the series was available on Disney+ and Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in other territories. An English dub of the series was available on Hulu. A companion podcast hosted by Shōgun staff writer Emily Yoshida was also released for each episode.

Audience Viewership

According to viewer tracking application Samba TV, Shōgun was the most streamed program across all platforms between 26 February and 03 March 2024. It was also the most streamed programme across all platforms during its second week. TheWrap noted that Shōgun was one of the few non-Netflix series to have a back-to-back number one ranking. On 06 March 2024, it was revealed the show drew 9 million views across Hulu, Disney+, and Star+ in its first six days of release. The streaming aggregator Reelgood reported the miniseries was the most streamed program in the United States through 06 March 2024. From 04 to 10 March 2024, Shōgun was the most streamed television series in Canada, and in the United States, according to the streaming aggregator JustWatch.

Shōgun received critical acclaim worldwide.

Shogun 2024 Series

• Series 01 (2024):
  • Episode 01: Anjin.
  • Episode 02: Servants of Two Masters.
  • Episode 03: Tomorrow is Tomorrow.
  • Episode 04: The Eightfold Fence.
  • Episode 05: Broken to the Fist.
  • Episode 06: Ladies of the Willow World.
  • Episode 07: A Stick of Time.
  • Episode 08: The Abyss of Life.
  • Episode 09: Crimson Sky.
  • Episode 10: A Dream of a Dream.

• Series 02 (?):
  • In development.

• Series 03 (?):
  • In development.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Frederick E.O. Toye … (4 episodes, 2024)
  • Jonathan van Tulleken … (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Charlotte Brändström … (1 episode, 2024)
  • Takeshi Fukunaga … (1 episode, 2024)
  • Hiromi Kamata … (1 episode, 2024)
  • Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour … (1 episode, 2024)
• Producer(s):
  • Geraud Brisson … consulting producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Michaela Clavell … executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Michael De Luca … executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Shannon Goss … co-executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Mako Kamitsuna … consulting producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Rachel Kondo … executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Matt Lambert … consulting producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Andrew Macdonald … co-executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Justin Marks … executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Edward L. McDonnell … executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Eriko Miyagawa … producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Allon Reich … co-executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Hiroyuki Sanada … producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Erin Smith … producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Jo Smith … associate producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Heather Turner … associate producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Jamie Vega Wheeler … producer / co-executive producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Tom Winchester … producer (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Caillin Puente … associate producer (5 episodes, 2024)
  • Jonathan van Tulleken … co-executive producer (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Eugene Kelly … executive producer (unknown episodes)
• Writer(s):
  • James Clavell … (based on the novel by) (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Maegan Houang … (story editor) (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Maegan Houang … (written for television by) (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Rachel Kondo … (created for television by) (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Rachel Kondo … (written for television by) (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Rachel Kondo … (written by) (1 episode, 2024)
  • Justin Marks … (created for television by) (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Justin Marks … (written for television by) (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Emily Yoshida … (staff writer) (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Emily Yoshida … (written for television by) (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Caillin Puente … (story editor) (5 episodes, 2024)
  • Caillin Puente … (written by) (1 episode, 2024)
  • Shannon Goss … (written for television by) (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Matt Lambert … (written for teleivision by) (1 episode, 2024)
  • Matt Lambert … (written for television by) (1 episode, 2024)
  • Nigel Williams … (written for television by) (1 episode, 2024)
• Music:
  • Nick Chuba … (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Atticus Ross … (10 episodes, 2024)
  • Leopold Ross … (10 episodes, 2024)
• Cinematography:
  • Sam McCurdy … (5 episodes, 2024)
  • Marc Laliberté … (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Christopher Ross … (2 episodes, 2024)
  • Aril Wretblad … (1 episode, 2024)
• Editor(s):
  • Maria Gonzales … (4 episodes, 2024)
  • Aika Miyake … (4 episodes, 2024)
  • Thomas A. Krueger … (3 episodes, 2024)
• Production:
  • DNA Films
  • FX Productions
  • Gate 34 Productions
  • Michael De Luca Productions
• Distributor(s):
  • FX Network (United States, 2024)(TV)
  • Hulu (United States, 2024)(VOD, video)
  • Disney+ (Non-US, 2024)(VOD, Star, excluding Latin America, video)
  • Star+ (Non-US, 2024)(VOD, Latin America, video)
• Release Date:
  • Series 01: 27 February 2024 to 23 April 2024.
  • Series 02: ?
  • Series 03: ?
• Running Time: 60 minutes.
• Rating: TV-MA.
• Country: US.
• Language: English and Japanese.

Video Link(s)