Shōgun was a bestselling book that put screenwriter and author James Clavell in the stratosphere of one of the most famous authors ever. The book was published in 1975 and detailed a period of time in the Edo period of Japan; the dramatized actions were all rooted in actual history.
This series follows actor and producer Hiroyuki Sanada's character, Yoshii Toranaga, on his journey to become the shōgun, the military leader of the nation that was unaware Portugal and Spain were hiding sea routes from their sworn protestant enemies (mainly the English).
This deception was Spain and mostly Portugal's ploy to keep the Asian resources, riches, and trade to themselves while infiltrating—through religious conversion— the power structure of Japan.
Toranaga and his translator, Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), utilized captured English ally John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) to gain an understanding of the larger world they were unaware of as it related to geography, commerce, the schism in Christianity and potential trade partners and enemies.
Unlike the 1980 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain, this series is far more gritty and authentic to Clavell's prose than the NBC event that earned excellent reviews for the time.
KTVB spoke to executive producer Michaela Clavell, who manages James Clavell's publishing rights and continues to represent the estate after he died in 1994. Michaela Clavell had complete confidence in showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, who she felt measured up to her father's vision. "In a good creative process, trust will free you up to experiment, [as well as] win some, lose some, but that is a necessary part of creative excellence. Immediately upon meeting Justin, whom I met first, and Rachel later, I was struck by their huge intelligence and enthusiasm. They'd read the book. We slowly trusted each other over time as we worked together. Justin's ability to take complex issues, break them down into simple terms, and then regurgitate them back into complexity was truly stunning. And they just impressed the [Clavell] estate from the very beginning,"
Clavell noted that Kondo and Marks were primarily responsible for the series' beautiful and complex structure when asked about the authenticity of these new talents brought to the adaptation for the FX production. She said, "My father's books were complex. It's not easy to translate them simply to the screen. To do it properly, you have to put all the layers in. There are more layers than an onion, but they must be put there. There's the story, the romance, the spirituality, the culture. From the very beginning, both FX, Justin, and Rachel wanted to write this more from the Japanese perspective, and I think that's what you mean by it being more authentic. They [both the 1980 and 2024 miniseries] were both authentic. They really were. Our current time period allows us to be more complicated and complex in that portrayal than network television would've allowed you in the late 1970s. But both are groundbreaking for their time. I think that needs to be said. The times are just different. The audience is more sophisticated and more global and the technology."
For those unfamiliar, FX's Shōgun is an original adaptation of James Clavell's bestselling novel set in Japan in 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Producer Hiroyuki Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who is fighting for his life as his enemies within the Council of Regents have turned on him. It is a chance incident when an Englishman named Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) survives a floundering shipwreck and is brought to him. Blackthorne knows the seas and oceans, unlike the Japanese, with whom Portugal and Spain have managed their rendition of world order and even geography with the less worldly Japanese.
Blackthorne reveals secrets that could help Toranaga win against the regents—especially the ones who have sided and converted to Catholicism thanks to the controlling Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants.
Fates become entwined, there is a love story aspect to the overall tale, and history is taught through Clavell's meticulous research and accurate details of life during this transitional period in Japan.
Toranaga's translator is the beautiful "Toda Mariko" (Anna Sawai), a Christian noblewoman whose family has suffered some disgrace.
As for the cast, Clavell could not have been more pleased. She said, "The cast, everyone, everything, and every detail about Shōgun blew my socks off. My daughter, who's 30, was blown away by Mariko (Sawai) and the ferocity she brings to the part. Cosmo had a tremendous sense of humor. He would throw away a line, and everyone on set would laugh because he had that ability. And, of course, Hiro is Hiro. He's a legend for a reason. He's magnificent as Lord Yoshii Toranaga. His intelligence radiates through, and you believe he's capable of these multi-layered strategies in life. I think Yabu (Tadanobu Asano) is the best bad guy to come around in a long time. He's wonderful. We got really lucky with everyone."
Shōgun is created for television by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, with Marks serving as showrunner and executive producer alongside Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, and Kondo. FX Productions produces the series.
TUNE IN: Shōgun will air on FX and stream the same day on Hulu. The first two episodes premiere Tuesday, Feb. 27, on Hulu and air the same day at 10/9c on FX, followed by a new episode each Tuesday.