May 29 (Kings and generals) – Now that FX’s Shogun has received critical acclaim, this is a good time for the team at Kings and Generals to give a final verdict on the series as a representation of history.
Critics and viewers alike have praised this one-season wonder, but as the History Channel, judging the series’ cinematography is beyond our reach. Therefore, we will focus instead on whether medieval Japan is depicted historically accurately and what historical inaccuracies can be found in it. his world.
Shogun is based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, which itself is loosely based on real history. Many of the main characters, such as Yoshii Toranaga, John Blackthorne and Toda Mariko, are based on real people: Tokugawa Ieyasu, William Adams and Hosokawa Gracia respectively. That said, most of the events in the story are either completely fictional or inspired by real ones, but significantly altered. This isn’t a problem, however, as the series never attempts to present history with 1:1 accuracy and makes itself clear that it is historical fiction and not historical fact. On the other hand, the show does an exceptional job of portraying Sengoku-era Japan, generally portraying clothing, equipment, ideas, and customs faithfully.
As the first episode opens, we are greeted with Blackthorne’s arrival in Japan aboard the Dutch ship ‘Erasmus’, the show’s counterpart to William Adam’s ship, the ‘Liefde’. A team of samurai and ashigaru welcome the Erasmus, and we’re more than happy to see them carrying firearms, which by then had become a staple of Japanese warfare, no matter how many times movies will tell you that the samurai found them dishonorable. Their armor is painted blue, and we see this later on the soldiers of other clans as well. During the Sengoku period, some clans, such as the Takeda and Ii, had their troops dress in a certain color to distinguish themselves from the enemy, instill fear, or promote a sense of camaraderie within their ranks. The show cleverly uses this, perhaps to a greater extent than in real life, to help viewers distinguish which soldiers belong to which clan.
We are then also introduced to the character of Yoshii Toranaga and the political background of the story: the council of regents. As in history, the council rules the country until Taiko’s son comes of age, but the show deviates from real history in terms of who is on the council. The show features real-life counterparts Otani Yoshitsugu, Konishi Yukinaga, and of course Ishida Mitsunari, who goes by the name Ishido in the show and is the main antagonist of the story. During this first council meeting, the show introduces us to one of the big themes: honor. Tadayoshi, sensing that his lord Toranaga has been insulted by Ishido, draws his knife, but after realizing his mistake, he offers to commit seppuku and end his bloodline as an apology. This is historically authentic because there was a law in Japan that forbade anyone from drawing a sword in Edo Castle or in the presence of emissaries of the Shogunal, and for show’s sake the same law appears to apply in Osaka Castle.
Source: Kings and generals
