- George Chung
- Jan 19, 2024
- 2 min read
We have high hopes for the new FX Shōgun series. Set in a time when guns weren’t widespread (firearms didn’t make their way to Japan until 1543), we expect plenty of swordplay and unique weapon selection like the Japanese longbow. With that, we have great expectations for the fight scenes and choreography that would accompany a story about samurais. Ahead of its February 27, 2024 premiere, we are giving you 5 things you need to know before watching the series.
1.
Fans may already know that Shōgun is an upcoming historical drama series based on the 1975 novel Shōgun by James Clavell. Some diehards may ever remember that the novel was previously adapted into a 1980 television miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune. We’ll see how it compares!
2.
Shōgun follows "the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai; 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.”
3.
Clavell's Shōgun is a fictionalized version of real events and history. The character of John Blackthorne is loosely based on the historical English navigator William Adam who, while in Japan, rose through the ranks to become a samurai under Tokugawa Ieyasu (whom the character Yoshii Toranaga is based on). Ieyasu was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until 1868. He was known as one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan.
Tokugawa Ieyasu via Wikipedia Commons
4.
Shōgun (or simply “shogun”) was the commander-in-chief title for military dictators in Japan between 1185 and 1868. These were often leaders appointed by the Emperor, but in some cases, they were the de facto rulers and figureheads of the country. The series takes place in the year 1600.
5.
Initial production of the remake was halted for more than a year as they scrapped the original premise to make way for a better story and team. From the trailer, it looks like they might have made the right call!
For more, visit: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/shogun
