As someone who has always been interested in Japanese history, James Clavell’s 1975 novel general is one of my all time favorite books. It’s a tantalizing premise: the story of the first Englishman to arrive in Japan and his experiences there. The fight for survival brings about a truly important character, and our adventure protagonist ends up rubbing shoulders with some of Japan’s most important and elite historical figures.
It’s a fun adventure masquerading as a history book – or maybe it’s the other way around?
The truth is, Clavell played pretty fast, but lost in actual history. Shogun’s protagonist, John Blackthorne, is directly based on William Adams, the first Englishman to reach Japan. Adams was an important figure, but Clavell went further.
Adams did become one of the first Westerners to be awarded the title of samurai, and became an indispensable ally and advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who brought massive peace to Japan. Clavell’s novel and many of the interactions in the play are based directly on Adams’ own diaries. But Adams was not really part of the larger events, and certainly not a key figure in reversing events in 17th-century Japan.
Clavell wisely didn’t care. He plays with history in the best way an entertaining novel can. This is true “historical fiction” – emphasis on two words, not just one. Clavell kept the general strokes correct, but invented and tweaked around the edges.
Serving as a Westerner’s window into this very different world, The Black Throne is more directly implicated in the major events of history than his inspiration, while remaining fascinatingly devoid of power or agency to be embroiled in events greater than himself. Even with the changes, it can be said that the atmosphere remains historic.
One has to imagine that if Clavell were still alive, he would approve of this approach to adaptation. It treats his novels similarly to how his novels treat history—as a rough overview, worthy of respect, but not exactly 100% sacred. The result is a different show than the TV version of Shogun that Clavier was directly involved with in the 1980s – but it’s better.
The 1980s television miniseries is in a unique position. It was well received in the West and remains popular, but in Japan it received a lot of criticism for superficially reflecting an important period in the country’s history.Forty years later, we live in a more cosmopolitan world – so modern representations are just right really More appropriately incorporate Japanese perspectives. A large number of Japanese creative st aff were recruited, with Hiroyuki Sanada serving as the main actor and producer. The results are tangible on the screen.
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Clavell described his original work as “passionately pro-Japanese,” but that may not match the Eighties adaptation. Here, it feels like this: real, down to earth, respectful – but also unhesitatingly depicting some of the sordid elements of Japanese society during that period. Much of the show’s dialogue is only in Japanese subtitles, and the cast includes actors who may not be familiar to us Westerners but are regulars in Japanese productions. Clavell’s passion comes through even more clearly in this adaptation, which should be clear to everyone, even those who haven’t read the original book or seen the eighties TV retelling.
But perhaps what struck me most about Shogun 2024 was its sense of restraint. Having expressed a willingness to make some pretty significant changes to the book, it might have gone crazy – but it didn’t. In fact, the contents of the books are often changed to bring them closer to true history—the opposite of bombast.
Let me give you a clear and obvious example: this is not a show about battles and fighting. Violence breaks out and lives are brutally taken away – but this isn’t an action movie, even though the poster depicts Sanada’s powerful Lord Toranaga (the shogun’s version of the historical Tokugawa) on horseback, Holding a katana. Honestly, these posters kind of lie.
The real-life version of these events culminated in the Battle of Sekigahara, an epic showdown that decided the fate of Japan. In our bombastic-obsessed day, it would be easy to accept this and run with it, ending the series with a giant, endless battle in which waves of CG-replicated stuntmen crash into each other. But, no: this is a show about characters.
In fact, the battle was glossed over – that was the destination. The show correctly surmised that the domino-like chain of events leading up to the fight was more interesting than the fight itself. In fact, the point is that when these fights begin, they are already a fait accompli. Their results have been determined. It’s not really a spoiler to say the outcome of that fateful battle is revealed in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. This is retained in the book.
But it’s not just a show about characters.Specifically, this is a question about Character. About their power, their importance. Toranaga’s natural state is to observe and think – before acting, before fighting, even before speaking. Much of Cosmo Jarvis’s performance depicts a brilliant undercurrent of frustration and confusion – everyone around him speaks in Japanese and his understanding is limited. As the series progresses and his understanding grows, the mood begins to change. His performance took a subtle turn. He knows better; so do we.
With that in mind, the show’s breakout star is Anna Sawai and her portrayal of Mariko Toda – the de facto translator of Blackthorne, but there’s more to it than that. Her performance is a masterpiece and should win many awards – in the sense that the beating heart of the show is one that most poignantly spans real history and the show weaves it in a particularly captivating way fictional characters. .
A slow burn that gets better and better with each episode, Shogun is a triumph. Although the name has changed, this is a relatively good historical primer that outlines the rise to power of one of Japan’s greatest leaders.
Ultimately, it’s one of the best TV shows in years. It makes me a little sad that there isn’t more to adapt – Clavell’s novel ended at the end of the show, and as Stephen has said elsewhere on the site, it continues from here without his involvement It just doesn’t feel right to start adapting real history. . But at the same time, sometimes less is more – and in ten all-too-brief episodes, Shogun proves that rule. Look at it.
“Shogun” is now available to watch in full on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in many other territories around the world.
