The way of the samurai awaits in ‘Shōgun’

James Clavell’s Shōgun is an utter masterwork of fiction, and audiences have been waiting with baited breath for the arrival of a first look at this very promising series. Well now we have it, and this first trailer promises a series that is magnificently epic in every possible way.

Watch the full trailer for Shōgun below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, and he soon recruits English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) to his cause, in what becomes a life-changing event for Blackthorne as he walks the path to become a samurai.

FX is bringing Shōgun to audiences in a new limioted series, and it’s clear that the network and showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks have spared no expense in recreating the Japanese samurai culture of the 1600s. The detail and style of this work is utterly immense, and Kondo and Marks have captured the intensity and passion of this masterwork of fiction.

Not only does the trailer showcase an incredible samurai world filled with classes of courage, honour and death, but it also highlights an incredible principle cast. Leading the series is reknown Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshi Toranaga, a cunning and calculating daimyo who sees his destiny to become the absolute ruler of Japan, and his strength of character is felt in the presence of the new trailer. British actor Cosmo Jarvis makes for a spot on presence as the series lead viewpoint character, Pilot Major John Blackthorne, an intrepid English sailor who finds himself stranded in Japan, and who is called into service by Toranaga and begins to walk the way of the samurai warrior. Finally actress Anna Sawai steals the attention of your focus as Toda Mariko, a woman in service to Toranaga and who eventually becomes a lover to Blackthorne, and his teacher and confident in the ways of the Japanese culture, but who cannot escape her destiny or service to Toranaga. It’s just utterly epic stuff, and FX’s Shōgun is packed full of everything you could want it to have.

Dashing political intrigue, violent battles, sensual loves and an epic sense of loyalty and honour are deeply present in Shōgun, and this is a series that audiences are really going to want to get behind. It’s clear that this is far and away going to be one of 2024’s biggest television events and you won’t want to miss it when Shōgun arrives in Disney+ in February 2024.