The real-world inspirations behind ‘Shogun’ are a shinkansen away

Editor’s note: This article discusses historical events that may spoil upcoming seasons of the “Shogun” TV series.
Perhaps my favorite shot from the original 1980 “Shogun” miniseries was when a group of samurai foot soldiers is seen entering Himeji Castle, only to round a tight corner within a courtyard of Hikone Castle, located 180 kilometers away — pure Hollywood magic.
I tend not to like Hollywood’s Japan, for they usually get it oh so wrong. Yet the focus of the FX-produced “Shogun” released earlier this year was much more occupied with the politics and history of the period than with the fish-out-of-water antics of main character John Blackthorne. The Japanese characters in the new series are more complete as characters, animated by strong writing and some stunning acting. It’s little wonder that the show racked up Emmys for, among others, outstanding lead actor (Hiroyuki Sanada), outstanding lead actress (Anna Sawai) and outstanding drama series.

“Shogun” was predominantly filmed abroad in Port Moody and Ucluelet, British Columbia, but most of the historic locations still exist, and walking in the proverbial footsteps of Lord Toranaga, Lady Mariko and the rest of the awarding-winning cast of “Shogun” can be as simple as hopping on a shinkansen.
Due to the number of appearances it makes over the show’s 10 episodes, Osaka Castle is surely the star location.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi oversaw construction of Osaka Castle in 1597, building upon the ruined temples of his former enemies, the ikkō-ikki (communities of Buddhist monks and lay peasants that resisted samurai rule). Osaka Castle outlived Hideyoshi after his death in 1598, but it continued to be the base of operations for his son and heir, Hideyori, as well as for the five regents meant to protect him (as can be seen in nearly every “Shogun” episode). One of these regents, Tokugawa Ieyasu (the basis for Toranaga Yoshii in the show), eventually went on to — spoiler alert — destroy the castle in 1615, which signaled the end of the Toyotomi clan and initiated the Tokugawas’ dominance over Japan for the next two centuries plus.

Osaka Castle was rebuilt and destroyed numerous times, perhaps most significantly by American bombers on Aug. 14, 1945, the day before Japan surrendered the Pacific War. The castle’s current form has functioned as a museum since 1997 and is of certain historic interest if you can ignore the crowds of tourists usually queueing at its base, but Japan’s 12 extant castles are far more deserving a visit, namely the aesthetic beauties of Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture (a little more than an hour from Osaka by train) and Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture (about four hours from Tokyo by train). They may not have direct ties to “Shogun,” but a visit to these castles can convey a more authentic sense of the architecture of the period than dodging the crowds at Osaka Castle.
Another castle to appear in the series is Azuchi Castle, which belonged to Hideyoshi’s predecessor, Oda Nobunaga (Kuroda Nobuhisa in “Shogun”).
Built in 1579 as a natural fortress upon a small island on the eastern shoreline of Lake Biwa (modern-day Shiga Prefecture), what remains of Azuchi Castle can be reached by train from Kyoto in less than 90 minutes. The road that ran at its foot was the predecessor to the Nakasendo, one of the five great feudal highways that Tokugawa later developed to lead to his new capital of Edo (modern-day Tokyo). The tenshu (castle keep) was the first of its kind to prefer aesthetics over defensive capabilities and became the model for later castles.

In the TV series, Azuchi Castle is the childhood playground for Mariko (the historical figure of Hosokawa Gracia) and Ruri (Yodo-dono, who in fact was Nobunaga’s niece, rather than daughter, as presented in the show). When Nobunaga was betrayed by one of his retainers, however, both lord and castle were annihilated, leaving only the stone foundation of Azuchi Castle visible today.
A few hours to the south at Mie Prefecture’s Ise Sengoku Village, visitors can see a rebuilt replica of Azuchi Castle, but the actual ruins in Shiga serve as a pleasant hike up 300 steps toward the expansive lake views up top — sweeping views before which to contemplate the momentous historical developments that took place during this tumultuous period in Japanese history.
Another occupant of Azuchi Castle would have been Hosokawa’s father, Akechi Mitsuhide (Akechi Jinsai), who later assassinated Nobunaga at Honno-ji temple, in Kyoto, an event with profound dramatic implications for Mariko. While the location of the Honno-ji Incident occurred not far from Omiya Station, the rebuilt temple now stands at the north end of the Teramachi Shopping arcade, relocated at the time when Hideyoshi gave Kyoto a complete make-over. Important figures from the period often have multiple burial places, with one of Nobunaga’s graves located at Daitoku Temple in northern Kyoto (though Nobunaga’s body was never actually found). Literally around the corner is the resting place of Hosokawa and her husband, Hosokawa Tadaoki (Toda Buntaro), at Koto Temple.

After the assassination of Nobunaga, Akechi and his forces fled to Shoryuji Castle, which fell in a mere two hours to an army led by Hideyoshi in the Battle of Yamazaki. A modest reconstruction of Shoryuji Castle can be found a short train ride from Kyoto in Nagaoka-kyo, the imperial seat of Japan for a mere decade during the 8th century. Upon defeat, Akechi attempted to flee to Sakamoto Castle on the shores of Lake Biwa but was speared to death by bandits allegedly in Hideyoshi’s employ. An obvious fan of castles, Akechi’s Kameyama Castle in Kameoka is still the most picturesque, surrounded by a wide moat and lined with sakura trees. Hikers could start here and attempt the “Akechigoe” course following the mountainous route he and his men took to Kyoto on their way to knock off Nobunaga.
It is around now in the historical timeline that William Adams (John Blackthorne) entered the turmoil.
In the TV series, the character washes ashore at Ajiro Village in Izu (modern-day Shizuoka Prefecture), which exists in name as an onsen (hot spring) town. (Ajiro is in fact close to the city of Ito, where Adams later built ships for Tokugawa.)
In reality, Adams landed on Kuroshima island near Usuki, in what is now Kyushu’s Oita Prefecture. A Christian stronghold at the time, the area is today best known for its Usuki Stone Buddhas, five dozen bas-relief carvings that decorate a valley just outside town. On his fateful voyage, Adams was on the way to the Dutch trading post at Hirado, in today’s northern Nagasaki Prefecture. Relics of this landing still exist, though not as complete in form as at Dejima in Nagasaki, where the Dutch traded after the closing of Japan to foreign visitors in the 1630s. Adams, too, would move to his residence in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi neighborhood and then to Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, his final resting place.
The first season of “Shogun” wraps up just prior to the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, where Tokugawa faced off against Ishida Mitsunari (Ishido Kazunari) to determine the new ruler of Japan. The town of Sekigahara, Gifu Prefecture, is rich with battle sites that are well marked and with good signage in English. Within the realm of a day trip from Kyoto, it is better to overnight in one of the town’s small inns — if only to walk the moody hills and paths at dawn and imagine the clash of samurai armies as they fought their last great battle before the two centuries of relative peace that followed.
Rereading author James Clavell’s novel after two decades in Japan is like deciphering code, and upon watching this year’s “Shogun” series, I also found myself often turning to the internet to read more about the backstory to what I had seen in each episode. It became clear that each character really deserves a series of their own, their collective stories spreading like a tapestry across the Japanese landscape.