Shogun, the FX adaptation of James Clavell’s hugely popular novel, was filmed primarily in Canada despite depicting a convincingly realized Feudal Japan. Some establishing shots were captured in the Land of the Rising Sun, and a scene was shot in London so that FX could retain the rights to the production, but the majority of this sweeping epic was brought to life in Ucluelet.
Where was Shogun filmed?
Ucluelet, British Columbia
An article on CTV News reveals that filming for the series had wrapped in Ucluelet, located Northwest of Victoria, on the outer coast of Vancouver Island. The article explains that areas such as the Tofino airport and Wya Point were used in the production.
“They searched the world to do this show,” says producer Erin Smith. “It had several starts and stops at several places and the timing was right for us and they brought it here.” The producer would go on to say:
“We wanted to open the show with the beautiful scenery of the Wya Point Beach in Ucluelet. It’s a very beautiful place. We have a lot of cast and crew from Japan that were quite fascinated and blown away by the resemblance of that spot to Japan.”
Japan
Although the original 1980 series would be allowed to film in Japan, this FX adaptation would only use some early production establishing shots. This may have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic that cut short production in Japan.
London, UK
A scene of Shogun had to be filmed in London to allow FX to retain the rights to the production after various obstacles, including the Covid-19 pandemic, kept relaying the production.
“We shot just myself on the horse in front of the fire,” he [screenwriter Justin Marks] says in an interview with Variety. “And then we kept the rights to the novel, then waited for the next chance.”
Where does the series take place?
Shogun takes place in Japan in 1600 against the backdrop of a civil war, and a culture clash between the main protagonists. The era is known as the Sengoku or “Warring States” period, in which civil wars and social upheavals were almost continuous. Toranaga is based on the real-life Tokugawa Ieyasu, and English sailor John Blackthorne’s heroics are loosely based on those of William Adams.
Who produced the series?
There is a list of named producers and executive producers on the show but notably, Hiroyuki Sanada, who also stars in the series, is on board as a producer. You will remember him from roles in other adventures such as 47 Ronin, The Wolverine, and The Twilight Samurai. Other producers include Erin Smith, Eriko Miyagawa, Jamie Vega Wheeler, and Tom Winchester.
Production Timeline
Here’s a brief timeline of how Shogun gradually made its way to FX:
- As far back as 2018, the go-ahead for the series was given at the Television Critics Association annual Summer press tour.
- Principal photography was slated for 2019, but it was felt that the show needed more work, so a single day of filming was done in the UK, so that FX could retain the rights to the show.
- In 2020, a reshuffle would see new writers brought on board to get the show into shape.
- In September 2021, principal photography was done in various locations, running over schedule.
- Principle photography ended on June 30th, 2022, and post-production would subsequently commence. and
- Shogun debuted on FX on February 27th, 2024.
Is Shogun a true story?
Shogun is not a true story, but it’s understandable that people think it might be given the series uses real events as a backdrop to the story. The character of John Blackthorne is based on a real English navigator William Adams, who would become a samurai in the early 1600s after surviving a shipwreck, but the actual narrative is a work of fiction. The show is based on James Clavell’s series of novels, and he is famously quoted as saying that inspiration for the books came from a line in a children’s story that says, “In 1600, an Englishman went to Japan and became a Samurai.”
RELATED:
