English
The History behind Shōgun
- Posting date:
- 2024/03/07
The History behind Shōgun
My work with Shōgun as a historical consultant lasted three years. In the beginning, they were still working on the story and the scripts. I started by reading the scripts and pointing out the historical inaccuracies. I also suggested a lot of ideas and most of them ended up in the script. I also wrote the Japanese poems and letters, with help from my wife Keiko, who is also a historian. But the most important part of my work with the scripts was to teach Justin Marks and the writers how people of the samurai class would react in certain situations. I think that’s one of the most fascinating aspects of the show, that the characters actually behave and react the way I encountered them in their letters and diaries. In most historical dramas, you see modern people playing the roles of historical figures, but when you watch Shōgun, it feels like you’re going back in time. So the show really portrays Japan in the Sengoku period, which was very different from today’s Japan.
However, my work didn’t end with the revision of the script, far from it. Originally, Shōgun was supposed to be filmed in Japan. But because of the pandemic, it wasn’t logistically possible to film in Japan, so it was decided to film in Canada. This meant that everything had to be built from scratch. I worked with Helen and the art department to recreate Osaka Castle and the city around it, the fishing village of Ajiro, Edo Castle and the city, Azuchi Castle and so on. I worked with Carlos and the costume department to create historically accurate costumes and armour, with Sanna for the hairstyles, with Michael for the visual effects, with Dean to find the most appropriate props and weapons, and with the translators to recreate the Japanese language of the Sengoku period. I also advised on the period-specific movements of the actors, the introduction of various elements such as the koshos and ladies-in-waiting and what they would do, the setting of the interior, and so on. Finally, I also worked with the marketing department. What I have to say is that I’ve had excellent students. It’s one thing to be taught and another to absorb all the information, and they had a lot to absorb. Their whole perception of samurai culture had to be changed, because that culture was very different from the modern perception. I must say they all did a wonderful job.
Below are links to some selected articles on the historical aspects of Shōgun (some articles may require registration to read).
Christopher Harding, Ritual suicide and crucifixion: the bizarre, blood-soaked reality of Disney’s Shogun, in: The Telegraph (2024.2.26)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2024/02/26/disney-plus-shogun-james-clavell/
Meilan Solly, The Real History Behind FX’s ‘Shogun’, in: Smithsonian Magazine (2024.2.27)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-behind-fxs-shogun-180983848/
Kev Lochun, Is Shōgun a true story? The real history behind the feudal Japan drama in: History Extra (2024.2.27)
https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/shogun-true-story-real-history/
Kev Lochun, The real John Blackthorne in Shōgun: the true story of samurai William Adams, the first Englishman in Japan, in: History Extra (2024.2.27)
https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/william-adams-real-john-blackthorne-english-samurai/
Emily Piper,“Shōgun” tells a story of power and treachery”, in: Technique (2024.2.27)
https://nique.net/entertainment/2024/02/27/shogun-tells-a-story-of-power-and-treachery/
Kev Lochun, What is a shōgunate in Japanese history? in: History Extra (2024.2.28)
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/what-is-a-shogun-first-shogunate/
David West, Rise of the Shogun, in: Neo Magazine, no. 238, pp. 70-72 (2024.2.29)
Chelsey Sanchez, Shōgun’s Costumes Are an Epic Ode to Japan’s Sengoku Period, in: Harper’s Bazaar (2024.3.6)
Navya Netan, Shogun’s Historical Connections and Time Periods Explained in: Epic Dope (2024.3.6)
https://www.epicdope.com/shoguns-historical-connections-and-time-periods-explained/
(Frederik Cryns)