Shōgun (2024 TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shōgun
Release poster
Genre	Historical drama
Created by	Rachel Kondo Justin Marks
Starring	Hiroyuki Sanada Cosmo Jarvis Anna Sawai Tadanobu Asano Takehiro Hira Tommy Bastow Fumi Nikaido
Composer(s)	Atticus Ross Leopold Ross Nick Chuba
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	Japanese English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producer(s)	Michaela Clavell Rachel Kondo Michael De Luca Edward L. McDonnell Justin Marks
Producer(s)	Jamie Vega Wheeler Eriko Miyagawa Hiroyuki Sanada Erin Smith Tom Winchester
Production location(s)	British Columbia, Canada
Editor(s)	Maria Gonzales Aika Miyake Thomas A. Krueger
Running time	53–70 minutes
Production company(s)	Gate 34 Michael De Luca Productions FXP
Release
Original network	FX on Hulu FX
Original release	February 27, 2024 (2024-02-27) – present (present)

Shōgun (Japanese: SHOGUN 将軍) 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. The production features a mostly Japanese cast and the majority of the dialogue is in the Japanese language.

Initially conceived as a miniseries, the first season premiered its first two episodes on February 27, 2024, on FX on Hulu and FX, with the rest being released weekly until April 23, 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 began early development.

In 2024, Shōgun became the first Japanese-language series to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, with its first season winning 18 categories at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards and 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, setting a new record as the most awarded single season of television in Emmy history. It additionally received four Golden Globe Awards, including Best Television Series – Drama and acting wins for Sanada, Sawai, and Asano.

Premise

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 rose to become a samurai under Tokugawa Ieyasu, a powerful feudal lord (daimyō) who later became the military ruler of Japan (shōgun) and the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ieyasu is the basis for the character of Yoshii Toranaga.

Cast and main characters

• Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1543–1616): A powerful warlord (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 / Ruri (Yodo-dono, 1569–1615): The daughter of the late Lord Kuroda Nobuhisa and only consort of the late Taikō who bore an heir, her son Yaechiyo.

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Shōgun (serie de televisión de 2024) para niños

• Shōgun (1980 miniseries), another adaptation of the same novel.