The TV show that got Americans hooked on Japanese success is back
The 1980 miniseries Shōgun is credited with making Japan’s history and even sushi popular in the West. Now, a remake is driving renewed interest in the country.
In 1980, when James Clavell’s blockbuster historical novel Shōgun was turned into a TV miniseries, about 33 per cent of American households with a television tuned in. It quickly became one of the most viewed miniseries at that time, second only to Alex Haley’s African-American saga Roots.
I’m a historian of Japan who specialises in the history of the Tokugawa, or early modern era – a period from 1603 to 1868, during which the bulk of the action in Shōgun takes place.
