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Shogun (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Shōgun is an American
television
miniseries
based on the namesake novel
by James Clavell
. As with the novel, the title is often shown as Shōgun in order to conform to Hepburn romanization
. The miniseries was broadcast over five nights, between September 15 and September 19, 1980 on NBC
in the United States
. , it is the only USA-based TV show/miniseries to be filmed entirely on location in Japan. Even the studio shots were done in Japanese studios.
. The series follows Pilot John Blackthorne's experiences in Japan in the early 17th century. After his ship, the "Erasmus" is wrecked along the coast of Japan, Blackthorne must juggle his identity as an Englishman associated with other Europeans, namely Portuguese traders and Jesuit priests, and the Japanese culture into which he is thrust. As an Englishman, Blackthorne is at odds with the Portuguese and the Jesuits. The powerful Catholic foothold in Japan puts Blackthorne - a Protestant - at a disadvantage, but it also brings him to the attention of Lord Toranaga. Already a powerful warlord, Toranaga competes with others for the position of Shogun
.
Blackthorne and the warlord forge a tenuous alliance. To help the Englishman assimilate, Toranaga assigns him an interpreter, the beautiful Lady Mariko. Blackthorne soon becomes infatuated with Mariko, but she is already married, and their romance is doomed. Ultimately, Mariko is killed saving Blackthorne during an attack by Toranaga's enemies, and Blackthorne's ship under guard is lost (secretly) to arson. In the end, Toranaga prevails and earns the Shogunate.
Shogun concludes with Blackthorne supervising the construction of yet another new ship, determined to return home. He is observed by the soon-to-be triumphant Toranaga. A voiceover reveals the Shogun's thoughts - it was Toranaga who destroyed the Erasmus, as he will destroy the ship Blackthorne is now building, and any more he attempts to create, as well as Mariko's vital, but fateful, role in his triumph. The warlord is convinced that Blackthorne's karma
brought him to Japan, and that he is destined never to leave.
In the conclusion of the miniseries, it is revealed that Toranaga is triumphant at the Battle of Sekigahara
, captures and executes his rival Lord Ishido, and takes 40,000 enemy heads.
It was also broadcast in repeats as six two-hour parts and sometimes edited for content (particularly the omission of the beheading and urinating scenes in episode 1).
The miniseries, with narration by Orson Welles
, starred Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne
(Anjin-san), Toshirō Mifune
as Lord Toranaga, Yoko Shimada
as Lady Toda Mariko, John Rhys-Davies
in one of his first major roles as Portuguese
Pilot Vasco Rodrigues, Vladek Sheybal
as Captain Ferreira, and Michael Hordern
as Friar Domingo.
Out of all the Japanese actors hired to be part of the cast, only three spoke English in the entire production: Mariko (Yoko Shimada), Brother Michael (Masumi Okada) and Urano (Takeshi Ôbayashi). At the time the miniseries was made, Shimada knew very little English, and relied on a dialogue coach to correctly deliver her lines phonetically.
Originally, according to the documentary The Making of Shōgun, featured on the North American DVD release, James Clavell wanted Sean Connery
to play Blackthorne, but Connery balked at doing television. Other actors considered for the role included Roger Moore
and Albert Finney
.
and The Thorn Birds
) as networks clamoured to capitalise on the format's success.
The success of the miniseries was credited with increasing awareness of Japanese culture in America. In the documentary The Making of Shōgun, it is stated that the rise of Japanese food establishments in the US (particularly sushi
houses) is attributed to Shōgun. It was also noted that during the week of broadcast, many restaurants and movie houses saw a decrease in business. The documentary states many stayed home to watch Shōgun — unprecedented for a television broadcast. (The home VCR was not yet ubiquitous.)
The Japanese characters speak in Japanese throughout, except when translating for Blackthorne. The original broadcast did not use subtitles for the Japanese portions. As the movie was presented from Blackthorne's point of view, the producers felt that "what he doesn't understand, we [shouldn't] understand."
Rotten Tomatoes gives the series a critic rating of 80%.
It was first broadcast in Japan in April, 1981, where it was dubbed into Japanese throughout. Its ratings on TV Asahi
were similar to those of Roots (TV miniseries)
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
based on the namesake novel
Shogun (novel)
Shōgun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel of the author's Asian Saga. A major bestseller, by 1990 the book had sold 15 million copies worldwide...
by James Clavell
James Clavell
James Clavell, born Charles Edmund DuMaresq Clavell was an Australian-born, British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and prisoner of war...
. As with the novel, the title is often shown as Shōgun in order to conform to Hepburn romanization
Hepburn romanization
The is named after James Curtis Hepburn, who used it to transcribe the sounds of the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet in the third edition of his Japanese–English dictionary, published in 1887. The system was originally proposed by the in 1885...
. The miniseries was broadcast over five nights, between September 15 and September 19, 1980 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. , it is the only USA-based TV show/miniseries to be filmed entirely on location in Japan. Even the studio shots were done in Japanese studios.
Plot
The story is based on the adventures of English navigator William AdamsWilliam Adams (sailor)
William Adams , also known in Japanese as Anjin-sama and Miura Anjin , was an English navigator who travelled to Japan and is believed to be the first Englishman ever to reach that country...
. The series follows Pilot John Blackthorne's experiences in Japan in the early 17th century. After his ship, the "Erasmus" is wrecked along the coast of Japan, Blackthorne must juggle his identity as an Englishman associated with other Europeans, namely Portuguese traders and Jesuit priests, and the Japanese culture into which he is thrust. As an Englishman, Blackthorne is at odds with the Portuguese and the Jesuits. The powerful Catholic foothold in Japan puts Blackthorne - a Protestant - at a disadvantage, but it also brings him to the attention of Lord Toranaga. Already a powerful warlord, Toranaga competes with others for the position of Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
.
Blackthorne and the warlord forge a tenuous alliance. To help the Englishman assimilate, Toranaga assigns him an interpreter, the beautiful Lady Mariko. Blackthorne soon becomes infatuated with Mariko, but she is already married, and their romance is doomed. Ultimately, Mariko is killed saving Blackthorne during an attack by Toranaga's enemies, and Blackthorne's ship under guard is lost (secretly) to arson. In the end, Toranaga prevails and earns the Shogunate.
Shogun concludes with Blackthorne supervising the construction of yet another new ship, determined to return home. He is observed by the soon-to-be triumphant Toranaga. A voiceover reveals the Shogun's thoughts - it was Toranaga who destroyed the Erasmus, as he will destroy the ship Blackthorne is now building, and any more he attempts to create, as well as Mariko's vital, but fateful, role in his triumph. The warlord is convinced that Blackthorne's karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
brought him to Japan, and that he is destined never to leave.
In the conclusion of the miniseries, it is revealed that Toranaga is triumphant at the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, captures and executes his rival Lord Ishido, and takes 40,000 enemy heads.
Episode guide
| Episode | Original US Air Date | Times | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 15 September 1980 | 8 pm - 11 pm Eastern | (3 hr opener) |
| 02 | 16 September 1980 | 8 pm - 10 pm Eastern | |
| 03 | 17 September 1980 | 9 pm - 11 pm Eastern | |
| 04 | 18 September 1980 | 9 pm - 11 pm Eastern | |
| 05 | 19 September 1980 | 8 pm - 11 pm Eastern | (3 hr finale) |
It was also broadcast in repeats as six two-hour parts and sometimes edited for content (particularly the omission of the beheading and urinating scenes in episode 1).
Publicity
As an effort to increase awareness and publicity for the series, weeks before the episodes aired on network television, a replica of the Erasmus was docked in New York City, while hired actors dressed up as samurai roamed the streets near the harbor to promote the tv show.Theatrical release
A 125-minute edit of the miniseries was released to theatrical film markets in Europe in 1980. This version was also the first version of the miniseries to be released to the home video market in North America (a release of the full miniseries did not occur until later). The film version contains additional violence and nudity that had been removed from the NBC version.DVD release
The DVD release has no episode breaks. It is divided over 4 discs with bonus features on disc 5.- DVD Release: September 30, 2003
- Feature length: 547 minutes
- Extras: 13-segment documentary on the making of Shōgun (79:24); Historical Featurettes - The Samurai (5:34), Tea Ceremony (4:35), and Geisha (4:56); audio commentary by Director Jerry London on 7 selected scenes
Cast
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, starred Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne
John Blackthorne
John Blackthorne is the hero of James Clavell's 1975 novel Shōgun, and is loosely based on the life of the 17th century British trader William Adams, who was the first Briton to visit Japan...
(Anjin-san), Toshirō Mifune
Toshiro Mifune
Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
as Lord Toranaga, Yoko Shimada
Yoko Shimada
is a Japanese actress. She is best known to Western audiences for her portrayal of Mariko in the 1980 miniseries Shōgun. She was the only female member of Shogun's massive cast of Japanese actors shown speaking English, for which she relied on a dialogue coach, as she was not fluent in the...
as Lady Toda Mariko, John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
in one of his first major roles as Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
Pilot Vasco Rodrigues, Vladek Sheybal
Vladek Sheybal
Vladek Sheybal , born Władysław Sheybal, was a Polish character actor, whose career lasted from the 1950s into the 1980s. He was probably best known for his portrayal of the chess grandmaster Kronsteen in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love, a role for which he had been personally...
as Captain Ferreira, and Michael Hordern
Michael Hordern
Sir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
as Friar Domingo.
Out of all the Japanese actors hired to be part of the cast, only three spoke English in the entire production: Mariko (Yoko Shimada), Brother Michael (Masumi Okada) and Urano (Takeshi Ôbayashi). At the time the miniseries was made, Shimada knew very little English, and relied on a dialogue coach to correctly deliver her lines phonetically.
Originally, according to the documentary The Making of Shōgun, featured on the North American DVD release, James Clavell wanted Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
to play Blackthorne, but Connery balked at doing television. Other actors considered for the role included Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
and Albert Finney
Albert Finney
Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....
.
- Richard Chamberlain as Pilot-Major John Blackthorne (Anjin-san)
- Toshirō MifuneToshiro MifuneToshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
as Yoshi Toranaga, Lord of the Kwanto - Yôko ShimadaYoko Shimadais a Japanese actress. She is best known to Western audiences for her portrayal of Mariko in the 1980 miniseries Shōgun. She was the only female member of Shogun's massive cast of Japanese actors shown speaking English, for which she relied on a dialogue coach, as she was not fluent in the...
as Lady Toda Mariko - Damien ThomasDamien ThomasDamien Thomas is a British actor noted for his roles in British films and television, such as his role as Richard Mason in the 1983 BBC production of Jane Eyre....
as Father Martin Alvito - John Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
as Portuguese Pilot Vasco Rodrigues - Takeshi Ôbayashi as Urano
- Michael HordernMichael HordernSir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
as Friar Domingo - Yuki Meguro as Omi, Head Samurai of Anjiro
- Frankie SakaiFrankie Sakaiwas a Japanese comedian, actor, and musician.-Career:From his days at Keio University, Sakai worked as a jazz drummer at American Army camps during the Occupation of Japan, often doing comic routines with his music...
as Lord Kasigi Yabu, Daimyo of Izu - Alan BadelAlan BadelAlan Fernand Badel was a distinguished English stage actor who also appeared frequently in the cinema, radio and television and was noted for his richly textured voice which was once described as "the sound of tears".-Early life:...
as Father Dell'Aqua - Leon LissekLeon LissekLeon Lissek is an actor originated from Australia who primarily does work in England. He has appeared in over 80 films in his career, which started with Marat/Sade...
as Father Sebastio - Vladek SheybalVladek SheybalVladek Sheybal , born Władysław Sheybal, was a Polish character actor, whose career lasted from the 1950s into the 1980s. He was probably best known for his portrayal of the chess grandmaster Kronsteen in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love, a role for which he had been personally...
as Captain Ferreira - Hideo Takamatsu as Lord Buntaro
- Nobuo Kaneko as Ishido, Ruler of Osaka Castle
- Hiromi Senno as Fujiko
- George InnesGeorge InnesGeorge Innes is an English actor.-Stage career:He began his career on the stage with the National Theatre of Great Britain under Laurence Olivier. Before that, he trained at Toynbee Hall and evening classes at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , where he was awarded the Shakespeare Cup...
as Johann Vinck - Hiroshi Hasegawa as Galley Captain
- Akira Sera as Old Gardener
- Atsuko Sano as Lady Ochiba
- Miiko TakaMiiko Takais a Japanese American actress best known for co-starring with Marlon Brando as Hana-ogi in the 1957 movie Sayonara.-'Sayonara':Taka was born in Seattle, but raised in Los Angeles, California as a Nisei; her parents had immigrated from Japan. She graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1943...
as Kiri
Reception
The mini-series was one of the highest-rated programs in NBC history and sparked a wave of historical-based miniseries over the next few years (such as North and SouthNorth and South (TV miniseries)
North and South is the title of three American television miniseries broadcast on the ABC network in 1985, 1986, and 1994. Set before, during, and immediately after the American Civil War, they are based on the 1980s trilogy of novels North and South by John Jakes. The 1985 first installment, North...
and The Thorn Birds
The Thorn Birds (TV miniseries)
The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons...
) as networks clamoured to capitalise on the format's success.
The success of the miniseries was credited with increasing awareness of Japanese culture in America. In the documentary The Making of Shōgun, it is stated that the rise of Japanese food establishments in the US (particularly sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
houses) is attributed to Shōgun. It was also noted that during the week of broadcast, many restaurants and movie houses saw a decrease in business. The documentary states many stayed home to watch Shōgun — unprecedented for a television broadcast. (The home VCR was not yet ubiquitous.)
The Japanese characters speak in Japanese throughout, except when translating for Blackthorne. The original broadcast did not use subtitles for the Japanese portions. As the movie was presented from Blackthorne's point of view, the producers felt that "what he doesn't understand, we [shouldn't] understand."
Rotten Tomatoes gives the series a critic rating of 80%.
It was first broadcast in Japan in April, 1981, where it was dubbed into Japanese throughout. Its ratings on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
were similar to those of Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
.
Sexuality and violence
Shōgun broke several taboos and contained several firsts for American broadcast TV.- It was the first network show allowed to use the word "piss" in dialogue and actually to show the act of urination (as a symbolic act of Blackthorne’s subservience to the Japanese ruling class and to punish him for saying "I piss on you and your country," Blackthorne is urinated upon by a nobleman/samurai).
- In the first episode, Blackthorne's stranded shipmates are suspended in a cargo net and dunked, screaming, into boiling water until Blackthorne acquiesces to the Japanese nobility.
- A man is shown beheaded early in the first chapter, another first for network TV (although the film version of the sequence was more bloody).
- Mariko is shown naked in a bath scene, and when Blackthorne is reunited with his men, a woman's breast is visible.
- The miniseries was also noted for its frank discussion of sexuality (e.g., pederastyPederastyPederasty or paederasty is an intimate relationship between an adult and an adolescent boy outside his immediate family. The word pederasty derives from Greek "love of boys", a compound derived from "child, boy" and "lover".Historically, pederasty has existed as a variety of customs and...
), and matters such as Japanese ritual suicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
(seppukuSeppukuis a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
).
Awards
- 1981 Peabody Award
- 1981 Golden Globe, won:
- Best TV-Series - Drama
- Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama: Richard Chamberlain
- Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Drama: Yôko Shimada
- 1981 nominated American Cinema Editors "Eddie" Award, Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series(episode 1): James T. Heckert, Bill Luciano, Donald R. Rode, Benjamin A. Weissman, Jerry Young
- 1981 Emmy, won:
- Outstanding Limited Series: James Clavell (executive producer), Eric Bercovici (producer)
- Outstanding Costume Design for a Series (episode 5): Shin Nishida
- Outstanding Graphic Design and Title Sequences (episode 1): Phill Norman (graphic designer)
- 1981 Emmy, nominated:
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special: Richard Chamberlain
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special: Toshirô Mifune
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special: Yôko Shimada
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special: John Rhys-Davies
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special: Yuki Meguro
- Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing (episode 3): Stanley Paul (supervising sound editor), William Andrews (sound editor), Leonard Corso (sound editor), Denis Dutton (sound editor), Jack A. Finlay (sound editor), Robert Gutknecht (sound editor), Sean Hanley (sound editor), Pierre Jalbert (sound editor), Jack Keath (sound editor), Alan L. Nineberg (sound editor), Lee Osborne (sound editor), Tally Paulos (sound editor)
- Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a Special (episode 5): Joseph R. Jennings (production designer), Yoshinobu Nishioka (art director), Tom Pedigo (set decorator), Shoichi Yasuda (set decorator)
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special (episode 4): Andrew Laszlo
- Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special (episode 5): Jerry London
- Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or a Special (episode 5): Donald R. Rode, Benjamin A. Weissman, Jerry Young, Bill Luciano
- Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special (episode 5): Eric Bercovici (writer)