When Hiroyuki Sanada and I spoke this past summer, the Shōgun star and coproducer was preparing for his first-ever nomination at the Emmy Awards. Though the 64-year-old actor was favoured to win, he was stunned when his 17th-century samurai series also became the most-awarded single season of television in Emmy history. “It was unbelievable,” Sanada told me over the phone. “I could never have imagined this would happen.”
Just a few hours after our conversation, Sanada won the Golden Globes Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama. The event is held in Los Angeles, where Shōgun is also nominated for Best Television Series – Drama. “If it was me alone, there would be more pressure,” Sanada says. But he and his fellow nominees—Anna Sawai (nominated for Best Female Actress) and Tadanobu Asano (who won for Best Supporting Actor)—are looking to add to Shōgun’s potential spoils as well. “Luckily, I’m not alone,” he said.
In his speech at the Beverly Hilton, the actor thanked “everyone who’s been in my life” and “all of you have brought me here.” Sanada also offered some advice to “young actors and creators in the world,” telling them, “please be yourself, believe in yourself, and never give up. Good luck.”
The Shōgun star walked the red carpet tonight in a black velvet Ralph Lauren tuxedo. It’s a comfortable suit that he’s tried on for three fittings already, complete with some of his favourite accessories. “Shining black shoes,” he mentioned, along with a black bow tie and his most treasured luxury item: glasses.
Last time we talked, the actor mentioned that his favourite hobby is collecting eyewear. “I think I’ve gotten maybe four [pairs] since I met you and ordered two more,” he said with a laugh. “It’s my only collection. I don’t care for anything [else].” He hasn’t chosen a pair for tonight yet, but he knows that doing so will “help him calm down and feel confident.”
Not that he needs an extra boost. Shōgun’s record-setting 18 wins at the Emmy Awards was a surefire precedent heading into the Globes. Shōgun has also received a significant reception over in Japan. Revered Japanese contemporary artists Takashi Murakami and Hideo Kojima both recently praised Sanada’s work on Shōgun. “It’s so hard to make a samurai drama in Japan now,” Sanada reveals. “It takes a lot of money and time to make it authentic, and the real Japanese samurai drama fans know [best].… So let’s just say I’m relieved.”
Recently, Murakami invited Shōgun cocreators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo to visit him in Japan as they conducted research for season 2. “I said something once like ‘After turning 60, I feel like I got a new job and I’m a newborn baby,’ ” Sanada recalls. “[Murakami] must have picked up on that one quote, because he said he also wants to move forward, too.” Murakami told Esquire last week that his latest art exhibit at the Gagosian in London is partly inspired by the FX series. “I was happy to hear that,” Sanada told me. “Because he’s a little older than me, and I respect him [as well].”
Moving forward, Sanada is focused entirely on making sure that Shōgun season 2 is just as authentic as the first season. Shōgun was originally pitched as a limited series covering James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, but FX piggybacked on the show’s success by announcing that two more seasons were currently in development. Since the material is based on real Japanese history, there’s plenty for the cast and crew to mine. And according to Sanada, fans should still expect some surprises when the show returns.
“We have real history, so we know what happens next,” Sanada explains. “But we don’t want to just follow the history. We’re trying to create original entertainment. There’s so many ideas coming, and we’re not just focused on season 2. Of course, we want a surprise for audiences. You can never guess what’s going to happen.” Uncertainty, he says, is crucial. “That’s also our weapon.”
Originally published on Esquire US
If Shōgun's events feel like they're based in historical fact, that's because most of the story is based on a real-life power struggle. Author James Clavell borrowed many historical figures from the 17th century for his 1975 novel of the same name—which greatly dramatised the story of the first Englishman to sail to Japan. His work of historical fiction even garnered a popular miniseries in 1980, which was such a hit that many cultural observers attributed the show's success to the rise of interest in sushi in the West.
Although Clavell—who hailed from England himself—beefed up both the story of John Blackthorne's arrival in Japan and his influence on the eventual Tokugawa shogunate, many of the characters and events depicted in Shōgun are based on historical fact. This week, FX debuted the first two episodes of its take on Shōgun—and it's already a hit amongst critics. The series stars Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick: Chapter 4) as Lord Toranaga and Cosmo Jarvis (Persuasion) as John Blackthorne. But what's fact and fiction in the latest Shōgun adaptation?
The events of the series begin with the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was the second "Great Unifier of Japan." In Shōgun, he's called the Taikō, which was the title given to a retired advisor of a former emperor. Hideyoshi carried on the work of Oda Nabunaga, the first Great Unifier of Japan, following nearly a century-long of civil war. After the Taikō died, a new path opened for infighting. Five great lords, called daimyo, vied for the title of shōgun: the de facto ruler of Japan.
Japan feared another century of conflict after the Taiko’s death, so Hideyoshi established the five elders who would rule in his place. A prominent member among the five included Tokugawa Ieyasu, renamed Yoshii Toranaga in Shōgun and brought to life by Sanada. Over the span of just two years, he leveraged his power and close connection to the Taiko to become the new shōgun. Assembling his forces, he took Osaka Castle and easily won the bloody battle of Sekigahara—which is one of the most important battles in Japanese history.
Around this time, Takagawa met William Adams, the first Englishman to sail to Japan. Adams eventually became a trusted advisor to Takagawa, who was impressed by his knowledge of Western ships and navigation. He commissioned Adams to Japanese ships—and he later replaced Jesuit Padre João Rodrigues as the shōgun's official interpreter. In the miniseries, Adams’s counterpart, John Blackthorne (played by Jarvis), holds much more significance to Tokugawa’s rise to power than he did in real life. What really won Tokugawa the shogunate? It was military might.
In Shōgun, Tokugawa uses Blackthorne’s presence as a Protestant to sow disagreement between the Five Elders—some of whom profited from the nation’s Christian colonisers, who hailed from from Portugal and Spain. Sure, the Five Elders demanding the persecution of one heretic among Tokugawa’s castle may be a tad far-fetched. But Clavell’s addition of Blackthorne is more so the story's powder keg. Clavell also added a relationship between Blackthorne and Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), whose real-life counterpart never even met Adams.
That isn't to say that Tokugawa and Adams didn't share a friendship in real life. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the two wrote many letters to one another, and the powerful daimyo was fascinated by Adams's knowledge of the globe. Tokugawa also greeted the Englishman during his trips to Japan, even after he had rose to the shogunate. Eventually, Adams was gifted the honorary title of samurai. Meanwhile, Tokugawa remained in power until his death in 1616. He constructed the great Edo Castle—the largest castle in all of Japan—and the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the country for the next 250 years.
