Shōgun

Name: Shōgun
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, War & Politics
Rating: 8
Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Toshirō Mifune, Yoko Shimada, John Rhys-Davies, Damien Thomas

A nation of violence, Samurai warriors ... and forbidden love.

Shōgun (1980)

Seasons: 1, episodes: 5

Average rating: 8/10 44 072

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All about the series

Video 1

Photo 35

Actors and characters

Video for the series Shōgun — RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN - SHOGUN 1980 TRAILER

1:07

Photo 35

Premiere

1980-09-15

Last episode

1980-09-19

Status

Ended

Country

Hong Kong, Japan, United States

Network

NBC

Production

TOHO, Paramount Television Studios, Jardine Matheson, TV Asahi Holdings Corporation

Genre

Action & Adventure, Drama, War & Politics

Creators

James Clavell

Actors

Richard Chamberlain, Toshirō Mifune, Yoko Shimada, John Rhys-Davies, Damien Thomas, Frankie Sakai, Yūki Meguro, Hiromi Senno, Alan Badel, Miiko Taka
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Eric Bercovici

Producer

Eric Bercovici, James Clavell

Operator

Andrew Laszlo

Composer

Maurice Jarre

Editing

Bill Luciano, James T. Heckert, Donald R. Rode
All team (15)

Short description

An English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in complex political games in feudal Japan.

Seasons

Season	Episodes	Release date	Rating
Miniseries John Blackthorne, an English ship pilot, whose vessel wrecked upon the Japanese coast in the early 17th century is forced to deal with the two most powerful men in Japan in these days. He is thrown in the midst of a war between Toranaga and Ishido, who struggle for the title of Shogun which will …	5	1980-09-15	6.4

What's left behind the scenes

The English actors were signed for the planned six months of filming. This proved impossible with the Japanese actors, especially Toshiro Mifune, with whom they had to constantly consult regarding scheduling conflicts.
On the evening of the final day of filming, a sudden hurricane destroyed all the sets.
Yoko Shimada's speech coach was Luca Berkovich, the son of screenwriter Eric Berkovich. There were some words in Shimada's lines that she could not pronounce, so they had to be rephrased.
A week before filming began, the actress cast as Mariko suddenly left the project. She was a singer and left for a concert tour. Yoko Shimada was not found for the role until a month later.
The village sets were built on a beach near a fishing settlement; to build the road to the filming location, trees had to be cut down, which were then replanted after filming ended.
The novel's author, James Clavell, based John Blackthorne on William Adams, an English navigator and trader.
Damien Thomas did not know Japanese when he was cast as Alvito's father, who is written to speak Japanese fluently. When production began, the actor amazed the crew and his co-stars with his nearly perfect command of the language.
During the filming of the scenes with horses, a stuntman was injured, and due to an incorrectly given signal, the filming of the night sea battle was disrupted.
The Japanese vessel was an exact replica of ancient Japanese ships. It was so heavy that it moved with great difficulty. Director Jerry London and the producers (Eric Berkovich, Ben Chapman, James Clavell, and Kerry Felton) later repeatedly expressed regret that they had not installed an engine on board.
The clans in the miniseries are distinguished by the colors of their kimono and hakama. This color difference was introduced into the plot for Western audiences. In feudal Japan, colors were not used in this way; instead, clans were distinguished by kamon (family crests) and banners.