1980 American television miniseries
Sh?gun
is a 1980 American
historical drama
television miniseries
based on
James Clavell
's
1975 novel of the same name
. The series was produced by
Paramount Television
and first broadcast in the United States on
NBC
over five nights between September 15 and September 19, 1980. It was written by
Eric Bercovici
and directed by
Jerry London
, and stars
Richard Chamberlain
,
Toshiro Mifune
, and
Yoko Shimada
, with a large supporting cast. Clavell served as
executive producer
. To date
[update]
, it is the only American television production to be filmed on-location entirely in Japan,
[
citation needed
]
with additional
soundstage
filming also occurring in Japan at the
Toho
studio.
The miniseries is loosely based on the adventures of English navigator
William Adams
, who journeyed to Japan in 1600 and rose to high rank in the service of the
sh?gun
. It follows fictional Englishman John Blackthorne's (Chamberlain) transforming experiences and political intrigues in feudal Japan in the early 17th century.
Sh?gun
received generally positive reviews from critics and won several accolades, including the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series
, the
Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series ? Drama
, and a 1981
Peabody Award
.
A
second series
adapting the book was released by
FX
in 2024.
[2]
Plot
[
edit
]
After his
Dutch
trading ship
Erasmus
and its surviving crew is blown ashore by a violent storm at Anjiro on the east coast of Japan, Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, the ship's English navigator, is taken prisoner by
samurai
warriors. When he is later temporarily released, he must relinquish his English identity, while adapting to the alien Japanese culture in order to survive. Being an Englishman, Blackthorne is at both religious and political odds with his enemy, the Portuguese traders, and the
Catholic Church
's
Jesuit
order. The Catholic foothold in Japan puts Blackthorne, a
Protestant
and therefore a
heretic
, at a political disadvantage. This same situation, however, also brings him under the scrutiny of the influential Lord Toranaga, who mistrusts this foreign religion now spreading throughout Japan. He is competing with other samurai warlords of similar high-born rank, among them Catholic converts, for the very powerful position of
sh?gun
, the military governor of Japan.
Through an interpreter, Blackthorne later reveals certain surprising details about the Portuguese traders and their Jesuit overlords. He explains to Lord Toranaga about the terms of the
Treaty of Tordesillas
which was signed between Portugal and Spain in 1494, forcing Toranaga to trust him; they forge a tenuous alliance, much to the chagrin of the Jesuits. To help the Englishman learn their language and to assimilate to Japanese culture, Toranaga assigns a teacher and interpreter to him, the beautiful Lady Mariko, a Catholic convert and one of Toranaga's most trusted retainers. Blackthorne soon becomes infatuated with her, but Mariko is already married, and their budding romance is ultimately doomed by future circumstances. Blackthorne also ends up saving the life of a Portuguese counterpart, Pilot Vasco Rodrigues, who becomes his friend despite their being on opposite sides.
Blackthorne saves Toranaga's life by audaciously helping him escape from
Osaka Castle
and the clutches of his longtime enemy, Lord Ishido. To reward the Englishman, and to forever bind him to his service, Toranaga makes Blackthorne
hatamoto
, a personal retainer, and gifts him with a European
flintlock
pistol. Later, Blackthorne again saves Toranaga's life during an earthquake by pulling him from a fissure that opened and swallowed the warlord, nearly killing him. Having proved his worth and loyalty to the warlord, during a night ceremony held before a host of his assembled vassals and samurai, Lord Toranaga makes Blackthorne a samurai; he awards him
the two swords
, 20
kimono
, 200 of his own samurai, and an income-producing
fief
, the fishing village Anjiro, where Blackthorne was first blown ashore with his ship and crew. Blackthorne's repaired ship
Erasmus
, under guard by Toranaga's samurai and anchored near Kyoto, is lost to a fire, which quickly spread when the ships' night lamps are knocked over by a storm
tidal surge
. During a later attack on Osaka Castle by the secretive Amida Tong (
ninja
assassins), secretly paid for by Lord Ishido, Mariko is killed while saving Blackthorne's life, who is temporarily blinded by the
black powder
explosion that kills her. Lord Yabu is forced to commit seppuku for his involvement with the ninja attack, into which he was coerced by Ishido. Right before he dies, Yabu gives Blackthorne his
katana
, and Yabu's nephew, Omi, becomes the daimy? of Izu.
Blackthorne supervises the construction of a new ship,
The Lady
, using funds Mariko left to him in her will for this very purpose. Blackthorne is observed at a distance by Lord Toranaga; in a
voice-over
he reveals his inner thoughts, observing that Blackthorne still has much to teach him. It was Toranaga who ordered the
Erasmus
destroyed by fire to keep Blackthorne safe from his Portuguese enemies, who feared his hostile actions with the ship (and, if need be, the warlord will also destroy the new ship Blackthorne is currently building). He also discloses Mariko's secret but vital role in the grand deception of his enemies, and, as a result, how she was destined to die, helping to assure his coming final victory. The warlord knows that Blackthorne's
karma
brought him to Japan and that the Englishman, now his trusted retainer and samurai, is destined never to leave. Toranaga also knows it is his karma to become sh?gun.
In a voice-over
epilogue
, it is revealed that Toranaga and his army are triumphant at the
Battle of Sekigahara
; he captures and then disgraces his old rival, Lord Ishido, burying him up to his neck to die slowly. The narrator concludes that when the Emperor of Japan offered Toranaga the position of sh?gun, he "reluctantly agreed".
Cast
[
edit
]
Only three of the Japanese actors spoke English in the entire production: Shimada, Obayashi, and Okada. At the time of filming, Shimada knew very little English, and heavily relied on her dialogue coach to deliver her lines phonetically. The English words that she could not pronounce were substituted or overdubbed in post-production.
Episodes
[
edit
]
Episode
|
Original US air date
|
Times
|
Notes
|
Household
rating
[3]
|
Household
viewers
(millions)
[3]
|
01
|
15 September 1980
|
8 pm ? 11 pm Eastern
|
(3 hr opener)
|
29.5
|
23.0
|
02
|
16 September 1980
|
8 pm ? 10 pm Eastern
|
|
31.7
|
24.7
|
03
|
17 September 1980
|
9 pm ? 11 pm Eastern
|
|
36.9
|
28.7
|
04
|
18 September 1980
|
9 pm ? 11 pm Eastern
|
|
35.6
|
27.7
|
05
|
19 September 1980
|
8 pm ? 11 pm Eastern
|
(3 hr finale)
|
31.5
|
24.5
|
Production
[
edit
]
Clavell and NBC wanted
Sean Connery
to play Blackthorne, but Connery reportedly laughed at the idea of working for months in Japan, as he had disliked filming
You Only Live Twice
there.
[4]
According to the documentary
The Making of Sh?gun
, other actors considered for the role included
Roger Moore
and
Albert Finney
.
Clavell said he was originally opposed to Richard Chamberlain's casting, wanting Albert Finney. However he was extremely happy with Chamberlain's performance: "He's marvelous", said Clavell.
[5]
The 16th-century European sailing ship used in the series was
Golden Hinde
, a replica of
Sir Francis Drake
's
Golden Hind
. It was built in the early 1970s to mark the 400th anniversary of Drake's circumnavigation. After it underwent a restoration programme, the ship remains as an exhibit located at
St Mary Overie Dock
, Cathedral Street, London, SE1 9DE, United Kingdom.
[6]
Shots of Toranaga's castle used
Hikone Castle
in Shiga Prefecture.
Reception
[
edit
]
Sh?gun
was produced after the success of the television miniseries
Roots
(1977) that had aired on the
ABC Network
in 1977. The success of
Roots
, as well as
Jesus of Nazareth
(1977), resulted in many other miniseries during the 1980s.
Sh?gun
, which first aired in 1980, also became a highly rated program and continued the wave of miniseries over the next few years (such as
North and South
and
The Thorn Birds
) as networks clamored to capitalize on the format's success.
NBC had the highest weekly
Nielsen ratings
in its history with
Sh?gun
. Its 26.3 average rating was the second highest in television history after ABC's with
Roots
. An average of 32.9% of all television households watched at least part of the series.
[7]
The miniseries' success was credited with causing the
mass-market paperback
edition of Clavell's novel to become the best-selling paperback in the United States, with 2.1 million copies in print during 1980,
[8]
and increased awareness of Japanese culture in America. In the documentary
The Making of 'Sh?gun'
it is stated that the rise of Japanese food establishments in the United States (particularly
sushi
houses) is attributed to
Sh?gun
. 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
Sh?gun
?unprecedented for a television broadcast. (The home
VCR
was not yet ubiquitous and still expensive in 1980.)
The Japanese characters speak in Japanese throughout, except when translating for Blackthorne; the original broadcast did not use subtitles for the Japanese dialog. As the movie was presented from Blackthorne's point of view, the producers felt that "what he doesn't understand, we [shouldn't] understand".
[9]
Sexuality and violence
[
edit
]
Sh?gun
broke several broadcast taboos and contained several firsts for American television.
- 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 Kasigi Omi, a local leading samurai.
[10]
- In the first episode, Blackthorne's stranded shipmates are to be suspended in a
cargo net
into a boiling vat of soy sauce and water; one of them, Pieterzoon,
is killed that way
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).
- Men are shown wearing
fundoshi
.
- Mariko is shown naked in a bath scene, and when Blackthorne is reunited with his men, a woman's breast is visible.
- Sh?gun
was also noted for its frank discussion of sexuality (e.g.,
pederasty
), and matters such as Japanese ritual
suicide
(
seppuku
).
Reception in Japan
[
edit
]
The miniseries was reported to have been negatively received in Japan, where it was broadcast in 1981 on
TV Asahi
, as the series' fictionalization of events in the 16th century seemed frivolous and trivial.
[11]
Many Japanese viewers were already accustomed to historical drama series such as
NHK
's annual
taiga dramas
, which were considered more faithful towards the history they are depicting than the miniseries.
[11]
Theatrical release
[
edit
]
In Japan,
Sh?gun
was cut to a 159-minute version and released theatrically on November 9, 1980.
Stuart Galbraith IV
described this version of the film as "fatally cut to ribbons".
It was later restored to its full length for a home video release in Japan.
A heavily truncated 125-minute edit of the miniseries was released in 1980 to European theatrical film markets. This was also the first version of
Sh?gun
to be released to the North American home video market (a release of the full miniseries did not occur until later). The theatrical version contains additional violence and nudity that had been removed from the NBC broadcast version.
DVD release
[
edit
]
The five-disc DVD release has no episode breaks and bonus features on disc 5.
- DVD release: September 30, 2003
- Feature length: 547 minutes
- Extras: 13-segment documentary on the making of
Sh?gun
(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
[14]
The 125-minute version has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray.
Blu-ray release
[
edit
]
CBS Home Entertainment's
Blu-ray
release of
Sh?gun
on three discs was on July 22, 2014, and featured a
1080p
remastered video presentation, a
DTS-HD
Master Audio
5.1
surround sound mix, and a restored
Dolby Digital
mono track; the special features are exactly the same as on the original 2003 DVD release.
Syndicated version
[
edit
]
A version of the miniseries edited into one-hour episodes has been broadcast in North America.
Accolades
[
edit
]
Year
|
Award
|
Category
|
Nominee(s)
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
1980
|
Peabody Awards
|
?
|
NBC
and
Paramount Television
|
Won
|
[15]
|
1981
|
American Cinema Editors Awards
|
Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series
|
James T. Heckert, Bill Luciano, Donald R. Rode,
Benjamin A. Weissman, and Jerry Young
(for "Episode 1")
|
Nominated
|
[16]
|
Golden Globe Awards
|
Best Television Series ? Drama
|
Won
|
[17]
|
Best Actor in a Television Series ? Drama
|
Richard Chamberlain
|
Won
|
Best Actress in a Television Series ? Drama
|
Yoko Shimada
|
Won
|
People's Choice Awards
|
Favorite TV Mini-Series
|
Won
|
[18]
|
Primetime Emmy Awards
|
Outstanding Limited Series
|
James Clavell
and
Eric Bercovici
|
Won
|
[19]
|
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special
|
Richard Chamberlain
|
Nominated
|
Toshiro Mifune
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special
|
Yoko Shimada
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special
|
Y?ki Meguro
|
Nominated
|
John Rhys-Davies
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special
|
Jerry London
(for "Episode 5")
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special
|
Eric Bercovici
(for "Episode 5")
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a Special
|
Joseph R. Jennings
,
Yoshinobu Nishioka
,
Tom Pedigo
, and Shoichi Yasuda
(for "Episode 5")
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special
|
Andrew Laszlo
(for "Episode 4")
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Costumes for a Series
|
Shin Nishida
(for "Episode 5")
|
Won
|
Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or a Special
|
Donald R. Rode, Benjamin A. Weissman,
Jerry Young, and Bill Luciano
(for "Episode 5")
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing
|
Stanley Paul, William M. Andrews, Leonard Corso,
Denis Dutton, Jack A. Finlay, Robert Gutknecht,
Sean Hanley,
Pierre Jalbert
, Jack Keath, Alan L. Nineberg,
Lee Osborne, and Tally Paulos
(for "Episode 3")
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Graphic Design and Title Sequences
|
Phill Norman
(for "Episode 1")
|
Won
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Hollywood Flashback: One in Three TV Sets Tuned In to 'Shogun' in 1980"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. June 24, 2020
. Retrieved
March 7,
2024
.
- ^
"FX Shogun | on Hulu and FX"
.
- ^
a
b
"The Nielsen ratings"
.
The Southeast Missourian
. September 26, 1980. p. 14
. Retrieved
June 22,
2015
.
- ^
Mavis, Paul (2011-03-14).
"Shogun ? 30th Anniversary Edition"
. DVDTalk
. Retrieved
1 January
2015
.
- ^
"CLAVELL: CHEERS FOR CHAMBERLAIN'S CRAFT: CHAMBERLAIN".
Los Angeles Times
. Feb 12, 1980. p. g1.
- ^
Stabler, Simon (June 2023).
"The Gold Standard"
.
Best of British
. p. 52.
Archived
from the original on 2024-01-05
. Retrieved
2024-01-04
.
- ^
"
'Shogun' Tops Nielsens"
.
Cornell Daily Sun
. Associated Press. 1980-09-24. p. 17
. Retrieved
1 January
2015
.
- ^
Walters, Ray (1980-10-12). "Paperback Talk".
New York Times
. pp. A47.
- ^
Whitesell, Paul (June 26, 1980). "Graphic scenes are reportedly intact in 'Sh?gun' series for TV".
Toledo Blade
.
- ^
Sh?gun. Dir. Jerry London. Paramount Home Video, 1994.
OCLC
53026518
ISBN
978-0-7921-9332-6
(2003).
- ^
a
b
Clements, Jonathan; Tamamuro, Motoko (2003). "Introduction".
The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953
.
Berkeley, California
:
Stone Bridge Press
. p. xxiv.
ISBN
1-880656-81-7
. Retrieved
7 August
2019
.
- ^
James Clavell's Sh?gun
http://www.genreonline.net/Shogun_DVD.html
Retrieved 2009-08-15
- ^
"Sh?gun"
.
Peabody Awards
. Retrieved
October 15,
2023
.
- ^
"Nominees/Winners"
.
IMDb
. Retrieved
April 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Sh?gun"
.
Golden Globe Awards
. Retrieved
October 15,
2023
.
- ^
"1981 Nominees & Winners"
.
People's Choice Awards
. Archived from
the original
on Apr 5, 2016.
- ^
"Sh?gun"
.
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
. Retrieved
October 15,
2023
.
Sources
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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