Shogun: The True Story of the Brutal War and Conquerors Series
Shōgun is not just any series, it is a huge production that we can compare with Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but that does not remain solely with fiction, among everything it shows, it also allows some characters to fight, situations and real moments that marked the world. The series is based on the novel by James Clave and tells the story of John Blackthorne, a British navigator who, after spending months at sea, arrives with a few men on Japanese shores, to confront his enemies. , the Catholic Portuguese, who had arrived in the territory before and managed to establish a powerful trade route, which also brought their faith to the local population, as another way to gain power and influence.
Much of what we see in Shōgun is completely fictional, but almost everything has a basis in reality and is even inspired by people who existed, it talks about things like the Shōgunate, how the line of succession worked in the Japanese empire of the 1600s, the first Catholic missions and the conflicts in Europe that made it extremely important to conquer more territories and claim them. Shōgun is a story of epic battles, alliances, strategies, and betrayals. It is partly a war series, but in reality, it is much more and that is the reason why it became one of the first series of 2024 to receive a 100% rating. And the reality behind the fiction makes everything more interesting.
Shogun The True Story: What Was the Shōgunate?
The series takes us to the Japanese empire at a time when the Shōgunate had not existed for around 100 years, but which is also a point where the empire might need it again since the ruler died and left a successor who was too young to lead the country, and this causes a conflict between the most powerful clans. The Shōgunate was a type of military monarchy, where the ruler was considered to be chosen by divine command, and his title was weighed from generation to generation of the same family. In the series, Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is one of the powerful leaders fighting for power, and it is he who has an important relationship with the Shōgunate.
The World History Encyclopedia explains it this way: “In medieval Japan, Shōguns were military dictators who ruled the country through a feudal system, in which the military service and loyalty of the vassal were exchanged for the patronage of the lord. Established as an institution by the first official Shōgun, Minamoto no Yoritomo, in 1192, the Shōguns would rule for seven centuries, until the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The office of Shōgun was held by members of certain families who gave their names to two of the three successive Shōgunate (bakufu) governments: the Ashikaga Shōgunate (1338-1573) and the Tokugawa Shōgunate (1603-1868). In the case of the first Shōgunate, it was the capital that gave its name to the government: the Kamakura Shōgunate (1192-1333)”. The Shōgun was the regent and he was in charge of distributing land and power among his followers. In addition, he had a Samurai-dokor or Council of servants, who were in charge of supervising the warriors, servants, and followers of the Shōgun, to guarantee his loyalty and obedience.
Did John Blackthrne Exist?
The series and the novel focus on the character of John Blackthorne, played by Cosmo Jarvis, who is a British navigator who manages to take his crew to the Japanese coast, at a time when only the Spanish and the Portuguese had managed to do so. and they kept the route a secret. Blackthorne’s character does not exist but is inspired by a real man named William Adams, who was the first British navigator to reach Japan in the 1600s. According to Collider, Adams was one of the few survivors of an expedition that sought to reach Japan and managed to reach the island of Kyushu, where he was presented to one of the leaders. Adams shared his knowledge of the sea and shipping routes and helped improve trade with the English and Dutch, but he was eventually prohibited from leaving the country and never managed to return home.
The Conflict Between Protestants and Catholics
Another of the real elements of the series is the conflict between Protestants and Catholics that occurred in Europe since they had certain different positions on faith and even considered each other heretics. This can also be seen in films like Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett, where they talk about how the issue of faith was part of the battles for the crown in England. Many Christian missions were indeed launched to bring the faith to different parts of the world and this had an important impact on political, social, and cultural issues, as we can see in the series, where power in feudal Japan is even divided by issues. religious. We can also see a large number of Japanese traditions, the functioning of succession, the division of power, punishments against traitors, and many other things that enrich the series and make it more powerful and interesting.
