“Why is it that only those who have never fought in a battle are so eager to be in one?” Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) asks at one point in FX’s Shōgun. It’s a question that resonates not only with the show’s characters but may strike at the heart of our long-standing fascination with samurai.
Its resonance is all the more profound because Shōgun is loosely — very loosely — based on real events from the end of Japan’s Warring States period that pushed the nation into a new era. Taking historical events and crafting drama from them is something the show has in common with many Chanbara or samurai films. The riveting and often bloody history has provided fodder for countless films, including Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai trilogy, Sekigahara, Samurai Assassin, and The 47 Ronin.
However, these narrative films can obscure the complex history behind the events. Fortunately,...
Its resonance is all the more profound because Shōgun is loosely — very loosely — based on real events from the end of Japan’s Warring States period that pushed the nation into a new era. Taking historical events and crafting drama from them is something the show has in common with many Chanbara or samurai films. The riveting and often bloody history has provided fodder for countless films, including Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai trilogy, Sekigahara, Samurai Assassin, and The 47 Ronin.
However, these narrative films can obscure the complex history behind the events. Fortunately,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
“Shōgun” is a rare sort of television adaptation. It’s based on a book (which previously inspired an Emmy-winning limited series in 1980) that fictionalizes real history, creating a compelling blend of history, fiction, and fantasy. The thrilling TV tale makes for a fun jumping-off point to get into 17th century Japanese history, and now that we’re at the midpoint of the season, it makes sense to check up on some of the show’s biggest unanswered questions.
Did Lord Tokugawa (the “real” Toronaga) actually escape a hostage situation by pretending to be a woman?
No. But Lord Ishida, the equivalent of Ishido, did! Historically, Ishida and Tokugawa’s beef was every bit as spicy as their counterparts in “Shōgun,” up to and including the assassination attempt at Osaka Castle in 1600 When the assassination failed, Ishida got out of dodge by dressing in drag and riding in a palanquin — without...
Did Lord Tokugawa (the “real” Toronaga) actually escape a hostage situation by pretending to be a woman?
No. But Lord Ishida, the equivalent of Ishido, did! Historically, Ishida and Tokugawa’s beef was every bit as spicy as their counterparts in “Shōgun,” up to and including the assassination attempt at Osaka Castle in 1600 When the assassination failed, Ishida got out of dodge by dressing in drag and riding in a palanquin — without...
- 3/27/2024
- by Alexis Nedd
- Indiewire
This article contains spoilers for Shogun episode 4.
As depicted in FX’s Shōgun, Japan’s Sengoku period in the 15th and 16th centuries was a pretty rough time. Perhaps no Shōgun character represents that better than poor Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi).
As the noble-born granddaughter of Toda Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), the closest ally of the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), Fuji’s life was marked by comfort and dignity. Unfortunately that all comes crashing down in the series’ first episode when Lord Toranaga becomes embroiled in a power struggle with Osaka’s Council of Regents. After Fuji’s husband Tadayoshi speaks out of turn at a Council of Regents meeting in defense of his lord, he immediately realizes that he jeopardized Toranaga’s safety in doing so and asks for permission to commit seppuku – a ritualistic suicide to reclaim his family’s honor. Lord Toranaga grants Tadayoshi the right...
As depicted in FX’s Shōgun, Japan’s Sengoku period in the 15th and 16th centuries was a pretty rough time. Perhaps no Shōgun character represents that better than poor Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi).
As the noble-born granddaughter of Toda Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), the closest ally of the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), Fuji’s life was marked by comfort and dignity. Unfortunately that all comes crashing down in the series’ first episode when Lord Toranaga becomes embroiled in a power struggle with Osaka’s Council of Regents. After Fuji’s husband Tadayoshi speaks out of turn at a Council of Regents meeting in defense of his lord, he immediately realizes that he jeopardized Toranaga’s safety in doing so and asks for permission to commit seppuku – a ritualistic suicide to reclaim his family’s honor. Lord Toranaga grants Tadayoshi the right...
- 3/13/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
This article contains spoilers for Shogun episode 3.
Through the first three episodes of FX’s Shōgun, pilot major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) has had a hell of a time in Japan. As the first Englishman in the country (but notably not the first European), the man known as Anjin has been intimidated, beaten, imprisoned, and even urinated on. By the end of episode 3, however, Blackthorne receives a surprisingly impressive new title.
After boldly assisting in Lord Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) secret escape from Osaka, Blackthorne is dubbed “Hatamoto.” While this initially means little to English-speaking audiences, the stunned silence from Lord Toranaga’s supporters suggests that this is quite the honor. So what exactly is a “hatamoto” and why is Blackthorne’s elevation to the role such a big deal? The answer to those questions lie in the real life feudal history upon which Shōgun is based.
Shōgun takes place...
Through the first three episodes of FX’s Shōgun, pilot major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) has had a hell of a time in Japan. As the first Englishman in the country (but notably not the first European), the man known as Anjin has been intimidated, beaten, imprisoned, and even urinated on. By the end of episode 3, however, Blackthorne receives a surprisingly impressive new title.
After boldly assisting in Lord Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) secret escape from Osaka, Blackthorne is dubbed “Hatamoto.” While this initially means little to English-speaking audiences, the stunned silence from Lord Toranaga’s supporters suggests that this is quite the honor. So what exactly is a “hatamoto” and why is Blackthorne’s elevation to the role such a big deal? The answer to those questions lie in the real life feudal history upon which Shōgun is based.
Shōgun takes place...
- 3/5/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
This article contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Shogun.
Midway through its second episode, FX/Hulu miniseries Shōgun features a moment that could be rife with misunderstanding.
Pilot major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) has unceremoniously washed ashore in Japan, becoming the first Englishman to do so. No one in Osaka speaks English, having just learned of England’s existence moments ago, so to communicate with this “barbarian,” powerful regent Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) summons the closest thing to a Brit he can find to translate: a Portuguese Catholic priest named Father Martin Alvito (Tommy Bastow).
Since the Portuguese had previously established trade routes with feudal Japan, much of the Catholic clergy there can speak both Portuguese and Japanese. That’s how the scene unfolds then with Blackthorne speaking in his non-native Portuguese to Father Martin who then translates it in his non-native Japanese to Lord Toranaga who...
Midway through its second episode, FX/Hulu miniseries Shōgun features a moment that could be rife with misunderstanding.
Pilot major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) has unceremoniously washed ashore in Japan, becoming the first Englishman to do so. No one in Osaka speaks English, having just learned of England’s existence moments ago, so to communicate with this “barbarian,” powerful regent Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) summons the closest thing to a Brit he can find to translate: a Portuguese Catholic priest named Father Martin Alvito (Tommy Bastow).
Since the Portuguese had previously established trade routes with feudal Japan, much of the Catholic clergy there can speak both Portuguese and Japanese. That’s how the scene unfolds then with Blackthorne speaking in his non-native Portuguese to Father Martin who then translates it in his non-native Japanese to Lord Toranaga who...
- 2/28/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Before “Game of Thrones,” there was “Shōgun.”
Both are bestselling novels about a factional war between regents/kings to determine who will sit on a recently usurped throne … but James Clavell’s “Shōgun” was published in 1975, 21 years before George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” hit bookshelves. Both became pop culture juggernauts with an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody Award-winning television adaptation that was so popular that restaurants reported a dip in sales whenever an episode aired … but “Shōgun’s” first adaptation premiered in 1980, “Thrones” in 2012. Both draw on real life history to craft dramatic stories, but “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy and “Shōgun” is historical fiction. Kind of.
FX’s 2024 adaptation of “Shōgun” will introduce a new generation to Clavell’s unique twist on writing historical fiction — that is to say, one where all of the historical characters’ names are changed. And many of the events...
Both are bestselling novels about a factional war between regents/kings to determine who will sit on a recently usurped throne … but James Clavell’s “Shōgun” was published in 1975, 21 years before George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” hit bookshelves. Both became pop culture juggernauts with an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody Award-winning television adaptation that was so popular that restaurants reported a dip in sales whenever an episode aired … but “Shōgun’s” first adaptation premiered in 1980, “Thrones” in 2012. Both draw on real life history to craft dramatic stories, but “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy and “Shōgun” is historical fiction. Kind of.
FX’s 2024 adaptation of “Shōgun” will introduce a new generation to Clavell’s unique twist on writing historical fiction — that is to say, one where all of the historical characters’ names are changed. And many of the events...
- 2/28/2024
- by Alexis Nedd
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for the first two episodes of "Shogun."
FX's "Shogun" sets up a premise grand and sweeping in scale, transporting us to feudal Japan during the late Sengoku period, a time when civil wars and social strife continuously plagued the nation. The source material for the limited 10-part series is James Clavell's 1975 novel "Shogun," a stunning, expansive work of historical fiction that spans more than 1,200 pages and details the fictionalized exploits of a real event. As the novel embeds real historical events with dramatic embellishments, there is a lot to dissect and absorb in terms of the socio-political clashes that took place during that time, which eventually led to the real-life Battle of Sekigahara, a turning point in 1600s Japan.
The "Shogun" premiere lays an impressive foundation for the semi-historical events to come, opening with the crew on the Dutch warship, Erasmus, who are on...
FX's "Shogun" sets up a premise grand and sweeping in scale, transporting us to feudal Japan during the late Sengoku period, a time when civil wars and social strife continuously plagued the nation. The source material for the limited 10-part series is James Clavell's 1975 novel "Shogun," a stunning, expansive work of historical fiction that spans more than 1,200 pages and details the fictionalized exploits of a real event. As the novel embeds real historical events with dramatic embellishments, there is a lot to dissect and absorb in terms of the socio-political clashes that took place during that time, which eventually led to the real-life Battle of Sekigahara, a turning point in 1600s Japan.
The "Shogun" premiere lays an impressive foundation for the semi-historical events to come, opening with the crew on the Dutch warship, Erasmus, who are on...
- 2/28/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Of all the shows that have sought or earned comparisons to “Game of Thrones,” most have emulated its genre conventions. From “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” to “Foundation,” fantasy and science fiction series have thrived in recent years, riding on the momentum of a blockbuster hit that proved lore and maps weren’t just for fan conventions. But in writing “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the source material for the HBO drama, author George R.R. Martin was inspired as much by the Wars of the Roses, the real-life conflicts that wracked 15th-century England, as by Middle-earth. Before dragons and ice zombies entered the picture, “Game of Thrones” was built on the stuff of actual history: political alliances, fractured families and massive armies marching on foot.
“Shōgun,” the nearly 1,200-page tome published by James Clavell in 1975, is a work of fiction, but one faithful to the...
“Shōgun,” the nearly 1,200-page tome published by James Clavell in 1975, is a work of fiction, but one faithful to the...
- 2/26/2024
- by Alison Herman
- Variety Film + TV
It was all the way back in 2018 when FX first announced that they would be adapting "Shōgun," the smash-hit novel from James Clavell that was previously adapted into a 1980 television miniseries. To put it into perspective how long the production has been, the miniseries was announced at the same time as the series adaptation of "What We Do in the Shadows," which is now in its fifth season. Described by the network as "an epic saga of war, passion, and power set in Feudal Japan," it seems wise to start prepping for "Shōgun" to be one of the first big hits of next year. "It's really told from multiple points of view, not just the singularly Western white male point of view," FX CEO John Landgraf said during the announcement. "I agree if you exoticize or fetishize Japanese culture from the Western and male gaze it would not fly. I...
- 11/5/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
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