Hiroyuki Sanada (center right) won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and Anna Sawai (center left) won Best Actress. Los Angeles, September 15. (©Reuters)
At the 76th Emmy Awards on September 16 (JST), the samurai series Shogun made history by sweeping 18 awards, including three major categories: Best Drama, Best Actor for Hiroyuki Sanada, and Best Actress for Anna Sawai.
Set during Japan's Warring States period (1467–1615), Shogun features actors like Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano speaking Japanese. So why has it resonated so strongly in the United States?
Film critic and Golden Globe voter Yoriaki Hyodo explains, "During the pandemic, with theaters closed, people turned to streaming platforms and began watching more foreign-language films and TV series." He adds, "This shift helped Americans get accustomed to watching subtitled content, creating a foundation for Shogun's success."
Diversity in Hollywood
Hyodo also highlights Hollywood's growing focus on diversity. He points to recent Oscar wins for Japanese films such as Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron and Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One. "Hollywood is no longer just looking at China and South Korea. This increased interest in Japan has paved the way for Shogun," he says.
Hyodo further emphasizes Sanada's role in this achievement: "Sanada's relentless efforts and determination over two decades of working in the US have led to this success."
Sanada's Vision
Sanada, who also served as a producer on Shogun, was already a popular actor in Japan. He moved to the US in 2003 after appearing in the American film The Last Samurai.
In a Sankei Shimbun interview in 2022, Sanada shared, "I was concerned about how Japan was being portrayed in foreign productions and wanted to correct those misconceptions. That's what drove me to the US." He continued, "It took 20 years, but Shogun is just the first step in bringing Japanese actors and film crew to the global stage."
This remarkable victory represents the highest honor for Hiroyuki Sanada, a samurai who never gave up.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Takeshi Ishii, The Sankei Shimbun
