Shōgun and Osaka Castle

Above, Osaka Castle in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in the 1980s, there was a mini-series based on James Clavell's book, Shōgun. It was basically a soap opera set in feudal Japan. 

It was an enjoyable mini-series and, in 1977, I met James Clavell in Sacramento at a birthday party at the Capitol.

Above, James Clavell is at right in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Shōgun is now back in the form of a new FX mini-series. It is seeing rave reviews.

One place that the new mini-series is set at is Osaka Castle. I visited Osaka Castle twice. The first was in 2004 with G-TOUR and then in 2015.

Screen Rant has posted an article on the significance of Osaka Castle in Shōgun.

They begin it with:

The new FX hit series Shōgun features Osaka Castle as a setting, and there's prominent real-world history and information that's fascinating to know about the location. Based on the 1975 novel of the same name, written by James Clavell, the 2024 TV series has been met with astounding acclaim, with critics even drawing comparisons to Game of Thrones in the show's scale and production value excellence. Set in the year 1600, Shōgun may be based on a novel, but its narrative is rooted in fascinating history.

To read more, go here. 

"Shōgun" Author James Clavell In 1978 Party

Above, James Clavell at right in the background at Assemblyman Mike Antonovich's birthday party in Sacramento. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While thumbing through some photo albums (I now have plenty of space where I have easy access to my older albums), I came across some photos I took in 1978 at the California State Capitol office of then-Assemblyman Michael D. Antonovich in Sacramento.

The occasion was a birthday party for Antonovich. One of the guests of the party was Shōgun author James Clavell.

From Wikipedia:

James Clavell (10 October 1921 – 6 September 1994), born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell, was an Australian-born British (and later naturalized American) novelist, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best known as a writer for his The Asian Saga series of novels and their televised adaptations. Clavell also authored screenplays, such as The Great Escape (1963) and To Sir, with Love (1967). Clavell wrote science fiction as well, including an episode of the early sci-fi TV series Men Into Space in 1959, titled "First Woman on the Moon", as well as the film script for the original (1958) version of the sci-fi/horror classic The Fly, starring Vincent Price.

I had met Clavell a few days before at a banquet for Assemblyman Paul Bannai.

The Shōgun television mini-series starring Richard Chamberlain was one of the top-rated television programs of all time. The show got a lot of people interested in Japanese culture and history.