The Big Picture
Shōgun
is a historical drama based on James Clavell’s novel, focusing on sailor John Blackthorne’s experiences in Japan and the power struggle among various leaders.
The novel is inspired by the real-life story of William Adams, a sailor who traveled to Japan in the 1600s and played a crucial role in Japan’s overseas trading.
Shōgun
draws upon William Adams’ life for inspiration, assigning details to characters that match their historical counterparts, and has influenced other works, such as video games and films.
FX’s historical drama Shōgun launches this month, marking the second time James Clavell’s novel will be adapted for television. Like its 1980 predecessor, Shōgun will follow the life of sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), who gets caught up in a conflict between various leaders all vying for power in Japan.Shōgun will take a different approach from the source material, however, as it’s slated to give a deeper understanding of characters other than Blackthorne, including Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) — one of the lords vying for ultimate power — and translator Mariko (Anna Sawai), who strikes up a romance with Blackthorne.
What sets Shōgun apart from other historical novels is the inspiration Clavell drew from. After reading about a soldier who had traveled to Japan to become a samurai in one of his daughter’s textbooks, he decided to write a story based on that. But obviously, one line from a textbook can’t be the only basis for a 1200-page doorstopper of a novel. So he decided to research the history of a real-life sailor who traveled to Japan in the 1600s. That sailor was William Adams, whose exploits served as the basis for John Blackthorne.
Shogun (2024)
When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.
Release Date 2024-02-00
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 1
The Man Who Inspired ‘Shōgun’ Also Improved Japan’s Overseas Trade
Image via FX
William Adams was one of the few survivors of an expedition to reach Japan, where he landed on the island of Kyushu. He was brought before the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who wanted to learn more about his knowledge of the sea. Impressed by Adams’ skills, Ieyasu made him a retainer in his court. Adams would continue to gain influence throughout Ieyasu’s reign, especially when it came to Japan’s overseas trading. He helped build ships for trading and wrote letters that convinced the English and Dutch to open their trading routes to Japan. When traders arrived, Adams would even serve as an intermediary between them and Ieyasu.
Despite his influence, Adams was forbidden from leaving Japan; this was further cemented when the next shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, adopted an isolationist policy that cut Japan off from the rest of the world. Adams would spend the rest of his days in Japan until he died in 1620. His influence would continue to grow after his death, particularly with how he inspired Shōgun and other works.
‘Shōgun’ and Other Works Owe a Great Deal to William Adams
While writing Shōgun, Clavell used Adams’ life as inspiration, often assigning details to characters that matched their historical counterparts. Adams, of course, became Blackthorne, while Toranga is heavily inspired by Ieyasu’s rise to power. The biggest link between reality and fiction is the moniker “Muara Anjin,” which translates roughly to “sailor” in Japanese. Blackthorne is given this name in the Shōgun novel, since none of the Japanese natives can pronounce his name correctly. With Adams, it was never really clear if this was the case or if he earned the name due to his knowledge of the sea.
Shōgun has inspired many other works over the years, including a series of video games and a stage musical that was released in 1990. The video game adaptation didn’t fare all that well, according to developer Dave Lebling: “In practice, James Clavell was interested in computers but far too busy to actually make it a collaboration. I had been excited about working with him (and in fact we did spend some time kicking ideas around), but the book is just too huge and too full of carefully-orchestrated plot to adapt into an adventure game.” Lebling even went so far as to call it a “failure.”
Shōgun isn’t the only fictional work that’s drawn from the life of Adams. Other television shows and films have directly or indirectly drawn details from his life, most notably the idea of a foreigner learning the ways of the samurai. Take Heroes, for example. The NBC drama introduced Adam Monroe (David Anders) in its second season, an Englishman who stumbled into the role of legendary hero and then villain when he crossed paths with time traveler Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka). While based on a different historical figure, The Last Samurai also follows a similar story of an Englishman who arrived in Japan and took up its ways. FX’s Shōgun will be the latest series to tackle the legacy of William Adams, but it certainly won’t be the last.
Shogun premieres on FX and Hulu in the U.S. on February 27.
Watch on Hulu