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Shōgun delivers one clear message: Feudal Japan at the turn of the 17th century was brutal—even for the warlords running things. A disgraced samurai commits seppuku after committing what amounted to a faux pas during a meeting between his lord and the others, and even his new baby is killed as part of the penance. A man is boiled alive, another is decapitated. A ship full of starving and scurvy-addled white, European traders are taken hostage by the area’s reigning lord; both the Japanese and their captives repeatedly call each other savages.
The Peabody-winning FX on Hulu series, based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, updates the 1980 TV miniseries adaptation (which also won a Peabody) with lush production values, a less white-centric approach, and careful attention to Japanese history and culture. The dialogue is predominantly in Japanese, and the story is balanced equally between the brash leader of the traders, John Blackthrone (Cosmo Jarvis), and the ascendant Lord Yoshii Toranga (Hiroyuki Sanada), with more agency granted as well to translator Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai). The arrival of Blackthorne and his crew—and, crucially, the cannons on board the ship—upsets the already delicate power balance among the region’s five ruling Regents and complicates matters for the Catholic Portuguese traders who have entrenched themselves in local culture.
Creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks made authenticity their priority when they took on this classic and complicated tale. They compiled a “900-something-page instruction manual” to guide the writers and crew in their vision, but they also wanted to present the complicated story, which is based on a real chapter of Japanese history, in a way that audiences could grasp. “I really wanted it to feel like—even if you’re not an expert on Japanese history—that you would feel at least the volume of work that went into it,” Marks told Esquire. “Every good bit of world-building, when it comes to a historical epic, deserves to be treated like it was crafted just for me to understand.”
Where to Watch: Hulu
The Official Trailer
Dive Deeper
Starred Review: Shōgun
“From its sprawling monologues to its expertly crafted sets, the series stands out immediately in a landscape where content appears to be more important than art,” Kaia Shunyata writes. “Throwaway dramas are nothing compared to this, and as the epic tale slowly unfolds, the series is able to stand out as a titan amongst its peers.”
Where to Read: RogerEbert.com
In this FX-produced look at the process of making the show, Marks says, “Without a doubt, the hardest aspect [of making FX’s Shōgun], the thing we grappled with from the beginning up until the moment we delivered the last episode, was, ‘How do we tell this story in a way that brings us closer to our Japanese partners, who worked on the show with us and who were in the mud and the rain and the darkness with us for the very, very long time it took us to prep and shoot this show? How do we reflect this experience authentically in a way that feels like it is speaking with something new to say? And how do we [avoid] making the mistakes of previous Hollywood depictions of stories set in Japan?’”
Where to Read: TheWaltDisneyCompany.com
Further Listening: Shōgun: The Official Podcast
Staff writer Emily Yoshida hosts, interviewing the creators, cast, and crew to break down the intricate plots, reveal how they brought feudal Japan to life on screen, and delve into the real history that informed it all.
Where to Listen: FXNetworks.com
Hiroyuki Sanada’s Peabody Conversation
“My role’s real model, called Ieyasu, was my hero since I was young, because he stopped the war period and then created the peaceful era for such a long time,” Sanada said. “Introducing his life to the world is very meaningful, especially for now.”
Where to Watch: PeabodyAwards.com