Yoroku: ‘Shogun’ TV series Emmy landslide shows Japan set to make global cultural mark

In September 1980, following the five consecutive nights of the hit American TV drama “Shogun,” former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and then-Harvard professor Edwin O. Reischauer is said to have stated that 120 million Americans had learned more about Japanese culture than ever before.

The TV miniseries was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by James Clavell, who was also a Hollywood screenwriter. It depicted the “land of the samurai” during Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. The tale was inspired by real-life English sailor William Adams (nicknamed Miura Anjin in Japanese), who was shipwrecked on the Japanese coast and served Tokugawa Ieyasu before the latter’s victory at the Battle of Sekigahara paved the way for the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.

The story’s protagonist John Blackthorne, who initially views Japan as strange and barbaric, eventually concludes that Japan is Europe’s cultural equal. Although Reischauer pointed out that the 1980 show had many historical inaccuracies, he still appreciated the underlying message.

Now, we are witnessing another “Shogun” boom, with a new streamed TV series based on the same novel winning over audiences and sweeping up 18 Emmy awards, including best drama series. Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who portrayed the warlord modeled after Ieyasu, was named best actor.

Times have changed. The original series, which was filmed in Japan 44 years ago with a huge budget, also won the best drama Emmy, but while Japanese actors such as Toshiro Mifune were nominated, they did not win. This time, Sanada not only starred but also served as a producer, meticulously overseeing historical accuracy and other details. Most of the dialogue was in Japanese, yet it captivated audiences even with subtitles.

Hollywood is now being pushed to emphasize diversity, and major streaming platforms, eyeing global markets, are paying more attention to diverse content. In his Emmy acceptance speech for the best drama award, Sanada spoke of all the “crew, directors and masters” who had carried on the samurai drama tradition to that point, stating, “The passion and dreams that we have inherited from you have crossed oceans and borders.”

Opportunities are expanding for Japanese works to make a mark on the world stage.

(“Yoroku” is a front-page column in the Mainichi Shimbun)