Japan celebrates record Emmy wins for 'Shogun'

TOKYO -- Japan erupted with joy Monday as the samurai series “Shogun” won a record 18 Emmys for its first season.

It took home prizes including Outstanding Drama Series, as star and co-producer Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for best lead actor in a dramatic series. Co-star Anna Sawai won best actress in a dramatic series, also a first for Japan.

“You did it. You did it. Congratulations,” Takashi Yamazaki, director of ” Godzilla Minus One,” wrote on social media.

People followed the awards live as the wins made national headlines. Entertainment media Oricon proudly reported that a work whose spoken lines were mostly in the Japanese language “made Emmy history.”

“The grand scale of Hollywood combined with the high quality of the production, including costuming, props and mannerisms; the collaboration between the Japanese professional team, headed by producer Sanada, and the local production team; as well as the acting that delivered a strong sense of reality, all came together,” the report said.

Actor Kento Kaku, who starred in the 2024 series "Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” said he was feeling inspired to pursue Hollywood dreams.

“After seeing how cool that was, who’s not going to want to take up the challenge,” he wrote on X.

Actress Tomoko Mariya said she broke into tears the moment Sanada’s win was announced.

“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 accolades for “Shogun” reflect not only the growing diversity in American entertainment, but also the legacy of Japan's “jidaigeki” samurai films, which have influenced directors worldwide.

The first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series was Lee Jung-jae, for the hit 2022 Korean series “Squid Game.”

Sanada is one of a handful of Japanese actors to land major Hollywood roles, including “The Last Samurai,” released in 2003, and “The 47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves in 2013.

The role Sanada plays in “Shogun” was first portrayed by Toshiro Mifune in the 1980s.

Sanada, who also starred in Yoji Yamada ’s 2002 “Twilight Samurai,” alluded to those who went before him in his acceptance speech.

“I thank all those 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.”

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Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://x.com/yurikageyama