As the samurai series “Shogun” won a record 18 Emmys for its first season, Japan exploded in celebration on Monday.
Star and co-producer Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a dramatic series, and the show took home awards including Outstanding Drama Series. Best actress in a dramatic series went to co-star Anna Sawai, who also made history for Japan.
“You succeeded. You succeeded. “Godzilla Minus One” director Takashi Yamazaki congratulated everyone on social media.
As the winners made headlines across the country, people watched the awards live. Entertainment publication Oricon was thrilled to announce that a piece that “made Emmy history” had spoken lines that were primarily in Japanese.
“The cooperation between the Japanese professional team, led by producer Sanada, and the local production team; the acting that delivered a strong sense of reality; and the grand scale of Hollywood combined with the high quality of the production, including costuming, props, and mannerisms, all came together,” the report stated.
Star of the 2024 television series “Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” actor Kento Kaku expressed his inspiration to strive after his Hollywood goals.
He posted on X, saying, “Who wouldn’t want to take up the challenge after seeing how cool that was?”
Tomoko Mariya, an actress, claimed that she started crying as soon as Sanada’s victory was revealed.
“What hardships you must have endured, choosing to leave your entire career behind in Japan and going to America alone. But it has borne fruit,” she wrote, referring to Sanada’s move to Los Angeles 20 years ago.
The awards for “Shogun” are a testament to the tradition of Japan’s “jidaigeki” samurai films, which have impacted filmmakers all over the world, as well as the increasing diversity of American entertainment.
Lee Jung-jae, who starred in the popular Korean series “Squid Game” in 2022, became the first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series.
Only a few Japanese actors have landed prominent Hollywood parts; Sanada’s credits include “The Last Samurai,” which debuted in 2003, and “The 47 Ronin,” which starred Keanu Reeves and was published in 2013.
Toshiro Mifune originally played the part that Sanada portrays in “Shogun” in the 1980s.
In his victory speech, Sanada—who previously acted in Yoji Yamada’s 2002 film “Twilight Samurai”—made reference to his predecessors.
“I want to thank everyone who supported and kept the legacy of jidaigeki alive,” he said in his speech in Japanese, clutching his trophy.
“The passion and dreams we inherited traveled across the seas and crossed borders.”
(AP)
