After twenty years of playing the most badass Japanese characters in Hollywood, actor Hiroyuki Sanada has finally gotten his due recognition when he won the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for Shōgun. The actor also served as a producer on the series and ensured the historic drama had era-appropriate elements.
The ending of the series saw Sanada’s Lord Toranaga finally triumph over his enemies and be on the path towards the future of Japan he envisioned. However, Toranaga has also lost many people, including Anna Sawai’s Lady Mariko and it may seem like he had to sacrifice his closest to achieve his dream. Sanada mentioned that this was a happy ending.
Hiroyuki Sanada Believed The Ending Of Shōgun Is A Happy One
James Clavell’s iconic novel Shōgun chronicles the events preceding the Edo period in Japan, where a new Shōgun was finally established after years of in-fighting. Actor Hiroyuki Sanada took an active role as a producer in the series adaptation, making sure the show was historically accurate and had his own creative input.
The result was FX/Hulu’s Shōgun being one of the most-watched series of the previous year and winning a record 18 Emmy awards for a single season. Sanada, who played the lead Lord Yoshii Toranaga, won the award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.
By the end of Shōgun, Lord Toranaga loses many of his closest allies. He loses his eldest son, Nagakado, his aide Yabushige, and his translator Lady Mariko, played by Anna Sawai. However, he vanquishes his enemies and as the season closes, he is set to be ready for battle, leading to the Edo period in Japan. Sanada said to THR that it was a happy ending.
I think it’s kind of a happy ending. There are some sad notes, but the ending reveals Toranaga’s dream — what he’s been wanting this whole time and what he will create for the future of Japan. If people know the history, they already know what Toranaga creates.
And that was the most important thing for me about this story: Toranaga ended [the Warring States period] and created a peaceful era in Japan that lasted for about 260 years until the country opened to the world.
Despite the tragic losses faced by Lord Toranaga, the series sees him finally become the Shōgun of Japan and work towards building a peaceful era.
Hiroyuki Sanada Felt Lord Toranaga’s Journey Was Similar To His While Making Shōgun
For over twenty years, actor Hiroyuki Sanada has played multiple Japanese characters in Hollywood blockbusters. While he was already a star in Japan, he got his Hollywood breakthrough with Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai and he went on to play a number of roles in films like Avengers: Endgame, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mortal Kombat, and more.
With Shōgun, the actor also became a producer and guided the team in achieving a historically accurate Japan. When asked about the character of Lord Toranaga, Sanada mentioned that he was a man who did not want to be the Shōgun but was compelled by circumstances to be so, which he related to his own journey as a producer.
I felt myself relating to this because it kind of overlapped with my position on this production…Right away, I felt a big difference between having this title and not having it. I could share my views right away. Everyone would listen, and the production would move forward. Having this title allowed me to help make a much better show. So maybe it was the same for Toranaga. He didn’t really want it. But at some point, he realized the only way to create a peaceful era was to become Shōgun himself.
The actor mentioned that he never wanted the title on other productions he had worked on, and though he had ideas on how to make the show better, he would never say it out of fear. But with Shōgun, he could finally have his creative input.
Shōgun is currently available to stream on Hulu.
