Shogun is a series featuring Hiroyuki Sanada as the lead, which has been available on Hotstar since February 27, 2024. The synopsis of the series Shogun tells the story of political conflict in Japan in the 17th century. Shogun is based on real events and history, but presented in the form of fiction.
The series, which adapts the famous novel of the same name by James Clavell, has just received the Outstanding Drama Series award at the 2024 Emmy Awards.
This historical drama is magnificently produced by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. In addition, the main cast of the series is a combination of Western and Japanese actors.
1. Shogun Series Synopsis
The story begins when John Blackthorne’s (Cosmo Jarvis) ship is stuck on the shore of a fishing village in Japan. John Blackthorne is a mysterious British sailor who is carrying a cargo of weapons for delivery.
However, problems arose on the way and their ship became trapped. The presence of the ship in the fishing village raised the suspicion of the authorities against Blackthorne and the crew, leading to their arrest.
Meanwhile, the fishing village is facing its own problems. The political situation in the village becomes unstable when a shogun leader named Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is under threat of being overthrown by the Board of Regents in the central government.
Realizing the situation at hand, Blackthorne then seized the opportunity by making an offer of help and reaching an agreement with Toranaga. He promised to support Toranaga and his allies to defeat their dangerous political enemies. In return, Blackthorne requested that Toranaga release him and the crew from the village.
Finally, Blackthorne fights back using ships and weaponry that are the key to his action. In carrying out his plan, Blackthorne gets help from a woman named Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai). In addition to serving as a translator for Blackthorne, Mariko is also skilled in using a katana.
2. Cast List
The Shogun series consists of 10 episodes and is directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, with scripts written by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. Shogun’s story adapts the famous novel of the same name by James Clavell, which was published in 1975. The novel was previously adapted into a mini-series in 1980.
Both the novel and the series are inspired by famous historical figures. Therefore, Shogun selects main stars that match the country background of the characters in the series.
This Japanese series features well-known actors and actresses from Japan and abroad. Here is the list of the cast:
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga
- Cosmo Jarvis as Pilot Major John Blackthorne
- Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko
- Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige
- Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi
- Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari
- Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji
- Shinnosuke Abe as Toda Buntaro
- Tokuma Nishioka as Toda “Iron Fist” Hiromatsu
- Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji
Shogun is available on Disney+ Hotstar. This top-notch Japanese series will present many majestic and mesmerizing battle scenes. Be sure not to miss it!
