Ivan Radford | On 28, Jul 2024

“I don’t control the wind. I only study it.” Those are the words of the sage Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) in Shōgun, FX’s sweeping period epic that invites us to do the same for 1600 Japan.

Our window into this world is John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), a pilot – an “anjin” – who is serving on the Dutch ship Erasmus on a voyage to establish trade with Japan, at a time when the country is already closely tied to traders from Portugal. He’s a Protestant, the Portuguese are Catholics, but the tension between them is nothing compared to the country where the Erasmus washes up – Japan is on the verge of civil war, following the death of its supreme ruler. Vying for control are five lords appointed to a council of regents. Toranaga is targeted by the other four, as he’s the wisest of the bunch, and Blackthorne becomes caught up in the web of the ensuing political skullduggery, his presence as much a source of division for some as it is a helpful distraction for others.

Blackthorne’s fascination, dismay and hostility with a culture that’s foreign to him is the backbone of the show’s first half, and Cosmo Jarvis is a superb surrogate for viewers who are dropped into a vast, dizzying sea of characters. From the off, the show presents a brave mix of subtitles and languages that expects audiences to be paying full attention. Jarvis is funny, brutal, ruthless, canny and kind-hearted, and he oscillates between all those things depending on who he’s in the room with, bringing humour and hard-hitting gore in equal measure.

But Blackthorne is also just the starter for a meaty main course that builds and builds over 10 episodes with impeccable mastery. Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, the patiently paced drama expands and expands into a handsome, huge exploration of war, loyalty, honour, love and, perhaps most of all, death. These things loom over all of the superb ensemble cast, who view Blackthorne with as much suspicion and strangeness as he does them. Anna Sawai brings a stoic heart to the story as the conflicted translator between him and Toranaga, while Takehiro Hira brings glowering threat as Toranaga’s rival, Lord Ishido. Tadanobu Asano introduces complexities as a cunning lord in service of Toranaga, while Yuki Kura raises thought-provoking questions of legacy as Toranaga’s impetuous son, Nagakado. There’s also strong support from Tokuma Nishioka Tokuma Nishioka as the fiersome general Hiromatsu and Tommy Bastow as the endearingly sincere Portuguese priest, Father Martin.

As the tides of fate and calculating plans ebb and flow with literary nuance, Shōgun ponders what it means to rule and what it takes to have power. It’s a saga of loss and revenge as much as reconciliation and patience, and there’s no guarantee that the noble-hearted will survive the backstabbing unscathed. Director Jonathan van Tulleken leads a team of helmers who expertly balance thoughtful conversations with impressive action sequences, always finding the human cost of every blow, explosion, boiled cauldron of water and unsheathed sword. All the while, we see Blackthorne move from being driving by self-preservation to appreciating the value of self-sacrifice. But his charismatic presence is nothing compared to the understated magnetism of Hiroyuki Sanada as the tactically shrewd and imperious Toranaga, whose vision of a peaceful future simmers under an enthralling, violent surface. The more you study it, the more you’re swept away in all its fascinating, ambitious layers. What an astonishing feat of TV this is.

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