“Shōgun” was first a novel, then a hit 1980 miniseries, but the new series from FX Networks is an amplified historical fiction that offers viewers an entertaining education in medieval Japanese society and its elaborate attire. The production also became a sort of cultural exchange for the crew, including costume designer Carlos Rosario. “I had never done anything that required designing Japanese clothing of any period,” Rosario said on video conference from France.
The show spans 10 episodes, each an hour long, that gave Rosario plenty of opportunities to depict characters in the proper environment by matching their clothing to their rank, geography, clan loyalty and even their shifting psychological state. Awards The actor-producer was keenly aware of telling the story through a Japanese lens, unlike the 1980s miniseries. It’s a good start, he says, toward introducing his culture to the world.
May 28, 2024 Unlike the 1975 James Clavell novel or miniseries, this “Shōgun” relies less on the point of view of John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), the English navigator who is blown ashore in the foreign world of Japan. Instead, it brings the 17th century society vividly to life through a historically accurate spoken and visual language, which includes thousands of costumes for warlords, armies, peasants, courtesans and a bunch of shipwrecked European sailors. The series and the era are so dense with history that the FX network created an online viewer’s guide and,.