VOA文化艺术2024--Japan Celebrates Historic Emmy Award Wins for 'Shogun'

Japan is celebrating the record-breaking Emmy Award wins of the American television series Shogun. Many Japanese, however, say they have not watched the series.

Shogun is a historical fiction that explores the country's warring dynasties in the feudal¹ period. It crushed all-time records at the television awards ceremony on Sunday in Los Angeles, California. The series won 18 Emmys in all. And it became the first non-English-language winner of the highly sought award for best drama series.

Lead actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who played Lord Toranaga, became the first Japanese man to win an Emmy for acting². Anna Sawai became the first woman of Asian ancestry³ to win an Emmy for acting. She played Lady Mariko.

"As a Japanese, I'm happy Sanada won," Kiyoko Kanda, a 70-year-old retiree, told the news group Agence France-Presse in Tokyo. "He worked so hard since he moved to Los Angeles," she said. But she admitted that she has only watched the show's trailer.

'Groundbreaking' realism key to 'Shogun' success

Shogun is available only on Disney's streaming platform, which is relatively⁴ new in Japan.

"I want to watch it. I'm curious to know how Japan is portrayed," Kanda said.

Otsuka, who chose not to give her first name, said she, too, has not watched the show. "But I saw the news and I'm happy he won."

The 63-year-old Sanada began acting at the age of five in Tokyo. He moved to Los Angeles after appearing in Last Samurai in 2003.

Yusuke Takizawa, age 41, also saw only the trailer for Shogun. But he said he could tell the show was a high-quality production.

"I was impressed by the high-spirited acting, the attention to detail and the film technology," Takizawa told AFP outside Osaka Castle, a major historical site where some of the story is set.

"I think many young people will want to try their hand in Hollywood after watching Sanada," he said.

From page to film, again...

Shogun was adapted from a popular 1975 book of the same name by writer James Clavell. The series, filmed in Canada, tells the story of Lord Toranaga, who fights for his life against his enemies alongside Mariko and British sailor John Blackthorne.

A first television production of Shogun came out in 1980 and centered on Blackthorne.

The new Shogun is not. It also breaks away from years of prejudiced representations of Japan in Western entertainment media. Notably⁶, the 2024 production is mostly in Japanese, not English.

Sanada, who also co-produced the series, is credited with bringing a new level of cultural and historical understanding to Shogun.

Words in This Story

fiction- n. something invented by the imagination

dynasty - n. a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time

feudal - adj. of, or relating to, the system of political organization prevailing⁷ in Europe from the 9th to about the 15th centuries having as its basis the relation of lord to vassal⁸

drama - n. a movie or television production with characteristics (such as conflict) of a serious play

trailer - n. a chosen group of scenes that are shown to advertise a movie

portray⁵ - v. to play the role of

1 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

6 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

7 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

8 vassal   

n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的

参考例句：

• Wales was a vassal kingdom at that time.那时威尔士是个附庸国。
• The vassal swore that he would be loyal to the king forever.这位封臣宣誓他将永远忠诚于国王。