Starvation. A man boiled alive. Another beheaded. A gut-wrenching decision that will bring viewers to tears. And that’s just in the first episode of Shōgun . Ever since the launch of the eighties TV reboot last month, word has quickly spread about the spectacular FX and
Disney Plus series, which is set in the tumultuous feudal era of 1600s
Japan . Based on James Clavell’s novel of the same name, the story features fictional characters with direct parallels to historical figures who were pivotal to the power dynamics of the country centuries ago. Some have compared Shōgun to the unpredictable and tense worlds of
Game of Thrones and Succession . There might be violence aplenty, but the real danger comes in the slightest of eye movements or a single word said out of turn. No one is safe. Metro.co.uk recently had the opportunity to visit several key locations in Japan where the real-life warlords and samurai convened, bringing the show to life to an even greater degree at magnificently preserved sites including Osaka Castle, Nijo Castle and Edo Castle in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. While this latest adaptation of Clavell’s work was predominantly filmed in
Canada, the painstaking detail that went into recreating the real rooms where Japan’s leaders made decisions that would impact the entire kingdom is breathtaking to behold, especially when put up against the real thing. Shōgun tells the story of an Englishman called John Blackthorne, a pilot-major who winds up in Japan after suffering from starvation aboard a ship in a Dutch merchant fleet. He gains the trust of the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga, as well as the confidence of the influential noblewoman Toda Mariko, as war threatens to break out between rival factions of the nation. In the new adaptation, Toranaga is played by Japanese cinema legend Hiroyuki Sanada , whose credits include films such as The Last Samurai, The Twilight Samurai, The Wolverine, Bullet Train and John Wick: Chapter 4 to name a few. He stars opposite Peaky Blinders star Cosmo Jarvis as Blackthorne – who’s being touted by bookmakers as a potential contender for
James Bond – and Anna Sawai as Mariko, who’s appeared in Pachinko, Giri/Haji and the Fast and Furious franchise. Critics and fans of Shōgun have already hailed the drama as a ‘masterpiece’ in reviews and across
Social Media for its brilliant performances and authentic representation of Japanese culture. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Read the full story » The character of Blackthorne is based on a real man called William Adams, who became the first Englishman to reach Japan. The navigator ended up becoming an advisor to the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu – who serves as the inspiration for Toranaga – rising the ranks to become a samurai himself, with the name Miura Anjin (meaning the pilot of Miura). One particularly special place that we visited during our stay in Japan was a hotel called KAI Anjin, a boutique resort in Itō inspired by Adams with a serene oceanic view, hot spring baths (onsens) and actual ship pieces adorning the walls. Adams was in fact stationed in the city for several years after his arrival in Japan, following Tokugawa’s orders for him to build ships in a Western style. In complete contrast to the tranquillity of the Itō seaside, we also visited the towering Osaka Castle, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks which was both attacked and reconstructed by Tokugawa in the 17th century. During the trip to Japan, Metro.co.uk was among the invited press who had the chance to meet Frederik Cryns, a revered professor of Japanese history who served as the historical consultant on the show. Inside Japan's secret death chambers were the very worst criminals are executed Man who invented karaoke has (badly) sung his final song and died aged 100 This South
London park is the best place to see cherry blossom in the capital Japan bans tourists from major sightseeing district after 'out of control behaviour' The splendour of the city of Osaka is highlighted at the end of the first episode of Shōgun, in a moment that was a particular favourite of Cryns’ – whose new book, In the Service of the Shōgun: The Real Story of William Adams, is being released this year. Blackthorne says to a Spanish sailor named Rodrigues (Néstor Carbonell): ‘I won’t die in this wretched land.’ Rodrigues replies: ‘This wretched land? I tell you what, Inglés. We’re coming into port soon. Why don’t you go up there? Go up and tell me what you see. And tell me when you set eyes on Osaka, if you really think our world is the hilt of civilization.’ Cryns explained that he spoke at length to Shōgun co-creator Justin Marks about the significance of Osaka as a world city, which was ‘built from scratch’ by the powerful Taikō, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, thanks largely to his construction of the castle beginning in 1583. ‘It was built…perhaps one of the first city planning at the time. So all the streets were straight. You had the castle, around the castle you had the residences of the warlords, and then you had the merchant district,’ he detailed. ‘I said, “You really have to reconstruct that city as it is, because it was never done before.” No one has in period dramas in Japan. We built the city of Osaka, which was really a splendid city. I think Justin was really impressed with that, so that’s why I think he put that scene [with Blackthorne and Rodrigues] in it. So I’m really happy with that.’ Plenty of the experiences we had in Japan retracing the real history behind Shōgun were peaceful, from being treated to a special performance by the traditional Japanese NOH Theatre that’s featured in episode six, to visiting Sensō-ji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo which was designated by Tokugawa as a tutelary temple of the Tokugawa clan. But in reality, the feudal era of Japan depicted in Shōgun was fraught with violence. Cryns explained that samurai would always carry a dagger with them in case they needed to use it to commit ‘seppuku’, a form of taking one’s own life in a manner that was deemed honourable by their class. Poems were frequently written by samurai before they went into battle or before committing seppuku, with all of the poems featured in Shōgun written by Cryns himself. As gruesome as the episode one scene is when a man is boiled alive in a huge pot of steaming water, Cryns stressed that this moment was historically accurate, with the punishment having been carried out on a 16th century robber called Ishikawa Goemon and his son. What’s more, while people might be used to ninjas being depicted on screen in all-black ensembles with matching face coverings, secret assassins during Tokugawa’s lifetime could have gone under the radar as dutiful maids, ready to strike when called to action. The Shōgun novel, the 1980 miniseries and the latest 2024 reboot might technically centre around a fictionalised tale, but the narrative provides people with a fascinating and authentic insight into what life really was like during that era of Japan. Consider us hooked and invested in Toranaga, Blackthorne and Mariko’s story… even if history has already told us how it’s going to turn out. Shōgun is available to watch on Disney Plus with new episodes released on Tuesdays. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you. MORE : 7 reasons to watch reboot of classic eighties TV show hailed a ‘masterpiece’ MORE : All the eighties TV shows getting rebooted – including the one that shouldn’t