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Shōgun (1980 miniseries)

Shōgun 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, it is the only American television production to be filmed on-location entirely in Japan, with additional soundstage filming also occurring in Japan at the Toho studio.

Shōgun

Historical drama

Shōgun
by James Clavell

Eric Bercovici

Jerry London

Maurice Jarre

United States

  • English
  • Japanese

5 (list of episodes)

James Clavell

Eric Bercovici

Andrew Laszlo

Multi-camera

  • 180 minutes (premiere/finale)
  • 120 minutes (episodes 2–4)
  • 159 minutes (theatrical version, Japan)
  • 125 minutes (theatrical version, Europe)

Paramount Television

$22 million[1]
($69 million in 2020)[1]

NBC

September 15 (1980-09-15) –
September 19, 1980 (1980-09-19)

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 shōgun. It follows fictional Englishman John Blackthorne's (Chamberlain) transforming experiences and political intrigues in feudal Japan in the early 17th century.


Shōgun 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 remake series was released by FX in 2024.[2]

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 Shōgun, 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.

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 into a boiling vat of soy sauce and water; one of them, Pieterzoon, is killed that way until Blackthorne acquiesces to the Japanese nobility.

cargo net

A man is shown early in the first chapter, another first for network TV (although the film version of the sequence was more bloody).

beheaded

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.

Shōgun was also noted for its frank discussion of sexuality (e.g., ), and matters such as Japanese ritual suicide (seppuku).

pederasty

List of historical drama films of Asia

, 1983 taiga drama about the life of Ieyasu, the basis for Lord Toranaga, aired two years after Shōgun's Japan release.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

at IMDb

Shōgun