Blackthorne mentions "his queen", because the real life William Adams AKA "Miura Anjin" served under Sir Francis Drake in Queen Elizabeth I 's Royal Navy and fought against the Spanish Armada, before joining the Dutch Expedition to Japan. ( The Protestant Dutch were allies of England during the war against Spain.) He was a very educated man, a navigator trained in astronomy, math and ship building, who spoke several languages. The real life "Miura Anjin" is a highly regarded historical figure in Japan. The first European who was made Samurai. There are not just one, but several memorials for him & his Japanese wife, a museum & also an annual festival in Ito City, near the natural springs and the bay, where he had build a trading port. The letters he wrote back home are also available and a great historical source about feudal Japan. He writes in detail about the customs and traditions. After Tokugawa took power, Adams negotiated a trade treaty between the Shogunate & the Queen of England and Tokugawa send a suit of Samurai armor as a gift to London. It is now exhibited in the Tower of London museum.
I’m interested if the trade lasted long because it would be have been established almost around the time of Elizabeth I’s death and King James’ accession. We know that there’s the 1635 sakoku-rei but wonder what was traded, extent of the trade and its value over the ~30 years.
@@iamkozzie From what I remember, the Brits imported mostly silk from Japan & Adams also organized some trade expeditions to Vietnam and "Siam" ( today's Thailand). But all this ended after Ieyasu's grandson took over as Shogun and isolated Japan. Adam's letters are available though, if you're interested and he writes in Detail about Japan. I remember in one of them, he describes the legal courts of the Shogun and how their justice system worked.
In history, Togukawa Ieyasu never fought in Korea. In exchange for pledging loyalty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Tokugawa clan was exempted from military service to Hideyoshi for ten years. So after Hideyoshi died, during the reign of the Council of Elders, Ieyasu had the strongest army in Japan.
'Shogun' is based on a novel written by James Clavell, who was an Australian/American writer with a great love for Asian history. He wrote more than just one novel and covered more than just one time period of Japan. If the TV series 'Shogun' does well, I'm confident we'll get a TV show based on 'Gai-Jin' as well. 'Gai-Jin' is Clavell's book about 19th century Japan, the end of the Edo period, the increasing Western influences in Japan and with it the increasing hostilities between Westerners and Japanese people. It is an excellent sequel to 'Shogun'.
Please acknowledge the fantastic book by James Clavell on which this series is based. It is his work that has allowed the series producers to add colour, historical touches and so on, because he did so much research into the historical aspects, people, and roles, then put it together in a terrific story line. Credit where credit is due.
@@iamkozzie Ah, then you should read about Rennyo and the Ikko-Ikki! Very interesting. Rennyo was a very important monk in pureland Buddhism in Japan. The Shogun TV show references the time of the Onin war when he says, "There hasn't been a real Shogun for over a 100 years." He is talking about the Ashikaga Shogunate and how they fell apart during the Onin war. Rennyo was a big figure during that time.
Unfortunately, there was no concept of "Shintoism" in Hideyoshi's time nor before the Meiji period, which was separate from Buddhism, if we want to talk about Shintō or "kami cult" as something vaguely separate we have to go back to the Nara period at the latest, but it is a very complicated topic.Due to the historical context, it cannot be said that one belonged to one religion rather than another, because there was not such a clear distinction. Indeed, for this very reason there are entire schools of thought that maintain that Shintō never existed and that it was only a creation of the militarist government of the Meiji period.
In book, it goes more into the economic problems that the trade ban between China and Japan had caused each party after the disastrous Imjin-war. Japan could never mass-produce enough textiles for its own needs and relied on imports of silk, cotton and linen, at the very least to keep prices down. China had a very different problem in the form of currency-deflation. Gold and Silver currency was constantly being removed from circulation in China, either via foreign trade or as money saved away. This meant that China needed fresh injections of Silver into its economy, or its currency would become so rare that it would no longer be useful for day-to-day activities. Japan had an abundance of silver (at the time) and paid with this. The Portuguese middlemen solved this problem. (Though probably ripped off both parties) This is a similar situation to the rise in the Opium trade in the 19th century. The Chinese would only sell their Tea to foreigners for Gold or Silver. Britain did not have enough Silver for this. So, they sold the Opium to China (illegally) in exchange for Silver and then bought the Tea with this.
The Portuguese were profiting from the slave trade, too. 1587 The Bateren (Padre) Edict Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Taikō, got furious when he found out that the Jesuits were selling Japanese abroad as slaves and breaking down Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. 1596 San Felipe incident On October 19, 1596, the Spanish ship San Felipe was shipwrecked on Urado in Kōchi en route from Manila to Acapulco in the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. The local daimyō Chōsokabe Motochika that ruled Tosa province seized the cargo of the richly laden Manila galleon, and the incident escalated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, ruling Taikō of Japan. The pilot of the ship suggested to Japanese authorities that it was Spanish modus operandi to have missionaries infiltrate a country before an eventual military conquest, as had been done in the Americas and the Philippines. This led to the crucifixion of 26 Catholics in Nagasaki. Six Spanish Franciscan missionaries and 20 Japanese Catholics were captured in Osaka and Kyoto, and sent to Nagasaki where they were executed on February 5, 1597.
I actually enjoy the attention to detail not just within sets but how they use their props and is not afraid to show racist language and behaviors which was mostly common during that time where exploration of other cultures is young. It also tackled social hierarchies without portraying it in a woke agenda (some scenes where changed from the 1980 version which I saw cause I can't contain my hype for more). I was surprised this was streamed in Disney+ to be honest.
As a long time Brit fan of the book and the miniseries, and as an introduction to Toshirô Mifune and Akira Kurosawa I really enjoyed your piece here.. Confirming the 'real' history points. As a side note, I helped build the William Adams Medical Center in Kent, UK.
OF course -- everyone can talk about it , but I would not really say that pronunciation of the Japanese Names is really convincing ! No problem -- after all you are english speaking Korean
Great video. Hope you don't mind me correcting a couple of things, as you're talking about details? The Englishman's name is John Blackthorne, not Blackstone, and his ship is Dutch, not English. Interesting point you bring up about the Japanese pirates, although I thought the main reason that China refused to trade with Japan at the time was because Toyotomi Hideyoshi had recently attempted an invasion of China which involved travelling up through Korea without permission. His Samurai met stiff resistance in Korea (backed by China) though, and this resulted in a very bloody conflict and humiliating defeat for the Japanese.
Hehehe thank you! Yes I realised after rewatching Ep 3 and 4 that his name was Blackthorne and so mentioned it in the video description but thanks for mentioning in the comments too! If we take a look ~60 years before the Imjin Invasion, the Ming government had already imposed maritime trade bans not just with Japan but most foreign nations. Matsuura Akira's 'Chinese Sea Merchants and Pirates' and Peter C. Perdue's '1557: A Year of Some Significance' sorta goes into the context of this ban
@@iamkozzie Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification. Im fascinated by the period now. I have a lot of reading to do :) As for the Blackthorne thing, must admit I didn’t read the video description….my bad.
good distinction as the English ships by then were smaller and speedier and built lower to the water which was a significant reason that the initial thrust of the Spanish Armada was turned away in 1588. The Dutch ships were constructed like the Spanish ships of the time
May I get y our opinion on a movie called 'Yakuza'? It was filmed in the 70s with Ken Takakura and Keiko Kishi. The cast included Robert Mitchum, as an Army Sergeant returning to Japan to find a girl that was kidnapped, and though the girl is found, he finds himself swept up in a gang war. I think what makes it fascinating to me, is that when a sword is drawn, you can really feel the menace behnd it. It is not cartoon like, nor violence done for entertainment value. They opponents approach each other slowly, dilberately, as if one wrong move could bring death. I would love to know you opinion on the Mitchum (film noir detective type character) and his surprize to find he has dishonored the Japanese he cares most about. He was clueless to what his presence in the late 40s caused, and his 70s attempt to restore honor to his friends. It was a Sydney Pollack film. Does it seem real? Is there any truth in how the Asian Characters are protrayed?
One thing for sure if they wants japan game of thrones then make period drama 1. from 1447/ mid 13th century to 1590 upto battle of eastern and weatern front .( But what they made is after this given period😂😂). 2. Genpei war ( hero taira no kiyomori rebel aganist emperor go shirawkawa ... Like the north on the lanisters 😂). 3 . During 1227 mongol invasion in japan like ,.. dorthoroki attack on westoros. 4 . Motohiro / imperial rebellion in 1331 by emperor on shoguns to remove kamakura shogunate system like .... Lanisters on the north during geoffry rule. 5. Onin wars cant compare but huge war . Truly one sad thing is. where is sanada clan or sanada yukimura greatest 3 sumrai of japan who played key in his last battle with ieyasu . Turning point of tokugawa shogunate .😢😢😢 If any of you want real japan history go watch taiga dramas from 2008 to 2024 ongoing . And can anyone suggest some real tv drama based on korean history not 🚫🚫 the drama where emperor and his wife love story .. a true depiction of politics happened in korean history . Love korea from india ( request to be least racist and less accept american /western vulgar culture , now in india we view South Korea and japan as vassals for america )
Hahahahi retesting points there. I sort of enjoyed Goryeo-Khitan War on KBS. It felt as if the story was largely focused on the war rather than the relationship between the king and his queens or concubines
@@iamkozzie One thing that kind of bothers me is that they are trying to make things as authentic as possible and make it obvious they are portraying real life people(with names changed). But the story is 95 percent made up fiction. I think that many Americans will have historical fiction go in one ear and out the other, and think this is actual true history. I'm sure that is a little frustrating to native Japanese people(like my wife). Lol
@@qetoun yesss and had two children. similar to the book he also had two children with his wife in England. So curious about what happened to them, particularly his children with oyuki
performance of the casts are stellar. Like Fuji, even with only her facial expression she can steal some scene!!
Yesssss! In Ep 4-5 her eyes are so expressive, they can just tell you if she’s sad, amused, or smiling
Blackthorne mentions "his queen", because the real life William Adams AKA "Miura Anjin" served under Sir Francis Drake in Queen Elizabeth I 's Royal Navy and fought against the Spanish Armada, before joining the Dutch Expedition to Japan. ( The Protestant Dutch were allies of England during the war against Spain.) He was a very educated man, a navigator trained in astronomy, math and ship building, who spoke several languages.
The real life "Miura Anjin" is a highly regarded historical figure in Japan.
The first European who was made Samurai.
There are not just one, but several memorials for him & his Japanese wife, a museum & also an annual festival in Ito City, near the natural springs and the bay, where he had build a trading port.
The letters he wrote back home are also available and a great historical source about feudal Japan.
He writes in detail about the customs and traditions.
After Tokugawa took power, Adams negotiated a trade treaty between the Shogunate & the Queen of England and Tokugawa send a suit of Samurai armor as a gift to London.
It is now exhibited in the Tower of London museum.
I love the details!!!!!!
I’m interested if the trade lasted long because it would be have been established almost around the time of Elizabeth I’s death and King James’ accession. We know that there’s the 1635 sakoku-rei but wonder what was traded, extent of the trade and its value over the ~30 years.
@@iamkozzie From what I remember, the Brits imported mostly silk from Japan & Adams also organized some trade expeditions to Vietnam and "Siam" ( today's Thailand).
But all this ended after Ieyasu's grandson took over as Shogun and isolated Japan.
Adam's letters are available though, if you're interested and he writes in Detail about Japan.
I remember in one of them, he describes the legal courts of the Shogun and how their justice system worked.
In history, Togukawa Ieyasu never fought in Korea. In exchange for pledging loyalty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Tokugawa clan was exempted from military service to Hideyoshi for ten years. So after Hideyoshi died, during the reign of the Council of Elders, Ieyasu had the strongest army in Japan.
Good point!!! Wonder what could have happened had he fought in the Imjin Invasion (임진왜란)
Excellent breakdown! Added so much historical context and depth! Liked and subscribed!!
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed this breakdown!
So refreshing to hear the Japanese words and names pronounced correctly!
Hahaha hopefully i didn’t mispronounce anything. just listened to a few native speakers and repeated them 😂
You did well. Other reviewers butcher the names so badly, don’t know who they are referring to. Good job!!!
'Shogun' is based on a novel written by James Clavell, who was an Australian/American writer with a great love for Asian history. He wrote more than just one novel and covered more than just one time period of Japan. If the TV series 'Shogun' does well, I'm confident we'll get a TV show based on 'Gai-Jin' as well. 'Gai-Jin' is Clavell's book about 19th century Japan, the end of the Edo period, the increasing Western influences in Japan and with it the increasing hostilities between Westerners and Japanese people. It is an excellent sequel to 'Shogun'.
Gotta have a read of Gai-Jin! Meiji Ishin was one of my favourite periods to study back in school!
Please acknowledge the fantastic book by James Clavell on which this series is based. It is his work that has allowed the series producers to add colour, historical touches and so on, because he did so much research into the historical aspects, people, and roles, then put it together in a terrific story line. Credit where credit is due.
Acknowledged 😁 would be interesting to do a book review perhaps since ppl love the book
I like Hideyoshi's reference to the Pureland. While Hideyoshi was technically Shinto he was also a jodo-shinsu Buddhist.
Ooohhhh never learnt about the purelands, this shall be an interesting read!
@@iamkozzie Ah, then you should read about Rennyo and the Ikko-Ikki! Very interesting. Rennyo was a very important monk in pureland Buddhism in Japan. The Shogun TV show references the time of the Onin war when he says, "There hasn't been a real Shogun for over a 100 years." He is talking about the Ashikaga Shogunate and how they fell apart during the Onin war. Rennyo was a big figure during that time.
Unfortunately, there was no concept of "Shintoism" in Hideyoshi's time nor before the Meiji period, which was separate from Buddhism, if we want to talk about Shintō or "kami cult" as something vaguely separate we have to go back to the Nara period at the latest, but it is a very complicated topic.Due to the historical context, it cannot be said that one belonged to one religion rather than another, because there was not such a clear distinction. Indeed, for this very reason there are entire schools of thought that maintain that Shintō never existed and that it was only a creation of the militarist government of the Meiji period.
@@kuroyurishinobi6367 wowwww this was def not something I knew!
@@kuroyurishinobi6367 You must be a Kuroda fan. 🤔
In book, it goes more into the economic problems that the trade ban between China and Japan had caused each party after the disastrous Imjin-war. Japan could never mass-produce enough textiles for its own needs and relied on imports of silk, cotton and linen, at the very least to keep prices down. China had a very different problem in the form of currency-deflation. Gold and Silver currency was constantly being removed from circulation in China, either via foreign trade or as money saved away. This meant that China needed fresh injections of Silver into its economy, or its currency would become so rare that it would no longer be useful for day-to-day activities. Japan had an abundance of silver (at the time) and paid with this. The Portuguese middlemen solved this problem. (Though probably ripped off both parties) This is a similar situation to the rise in the Opium trade in the 19th century. The Chinese would only sell their Tea to foreigners for Gold or Silver. Britain did not have enough Silver for this. So, they sold the Opium to China (illegally) in exchange for Silver and then bought the Tea with this.
Wowww great analysis! It really goes to show how short-sighted their respective isolationist policies were
@@iamkozzie True, though the science of economics did not exist back then, and both sides probably thought the trade war would break the other first.
@@qetoun “cough cough” and yet we still see countries resort to trade wars 🤦🏻♀️
@@iamkozzie lol, yes, with poorly thought-through consequences. I'm in the UK, and turning off Russian gas hit us twice as hard.
The Portuguese were profiting from the slave trade, too.
1587 The Bateren (Padre) Edict
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Taikō, got furious when he found out that the Jesuits were selling Japanese abroad as slaves and breaking down Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
1596 San Felipe incident
On October 19, 1596, the Spanish ship San Felipe was shipwrecked on Urado in Kōchi en route from Manila to Acapulco in the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. The local daimyō Chōsokabe Motochika that ruled Tosa province seized the cargo of the richly laden Manila galleon, and the incident escalated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, ruling Taikō of Japan. The pilot of the ship suggested to Japanese authorities that it was Spanish modus operandi to have missionaries infiltrate a country before an eventual military conquest, as had been done in the Americas and the Philippines. This led to the crucifixion of 26 Catholics in Nagasaki. Six Spanish Franciscan missionaries and 20 Japanese Catholics were captured in Osaka and Kyoto, and sent to Nagasaki where they were executed on February 5, 1597.
I actually enjoy the attention to detail not just within sets but how they use their props and is not afraid to show racist language and behaviors which was mostly common during that time where exploration of other cultures is young. It also tackled social hierarchies without portraying it in a woke agenda (some scenes where changed from the 1980 version which I saw cause I can't contain my hype for more). I was surprised this was streamed in Disney+ to be honest.
absolutely agree! funnily enough fx is actually a subsidiary of Disney so makes sense that they would stream it
As a long time Brit fan of the book and the miniseries, and as an introduction to Toshirô Mifune and Akira Kurosawa I really enjoyed your piece here.. Confirming the 'real' history points. As a side note, I helped build the William Adams Medical Center in Kent, UK.
Thank you!! Wowwwww no way!!!!!!
OF course -- everyone can talk about it , but I would not really say that pronunciation of the Japanese Names is really convincing ! No problem -- after all you are english speaking Korean
Hahahaha luckily wasn’t trying to be convincing 🤭
Excellent ! minor quibble: You referred to John Blackthorne as "Blackstone"
Indeed I do! I cringe every time I hear it now 😂😂
Great video. Hope you don't mind me correcting a couple of things, as you're talking about details? The Englishman's name is John Blackthorne, not Blackstone, and his ship is Dutch, not English. Interesting point you bring up about the Japanese pirates, although I thought the main reason that China refused to trade with Japan at the time was because Toyotomi Hideyoshi had recently attempted an invasion of China which involved travelling up through Korea without permission. His Samurai met stiff resistance in Korea (backed by China) though, and this resulted in a very bloody conflict and humiliating defeat for the Japanese.
Hehehe thank you! Yes I realised after rewatching Ep 3 and 4 that his name was Blackthorne and so mentioned it in the video description but thanks for mentioning in the comments too!
If we take a look ~60 years before the Imjin Invasion, the Ming government had already imposed maritime trade bans not just with Japan but most foreign nations. Matsuura Akira's 'Chinese Sea Merchants and Pirates' and Peter C. Perdue's '1557: A Year of Some Significance' sorta goes into the context of this ban
@@iamkozzie Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification. Im fascinated by the period now. I have a lot of reading to do :) As for the Blackthorne thing, must admit I didn’t read the video description….my bad.
@@roymorris9682 All ggg! I get the eeks everytime I heard Blackstone now haha
good distinction as the English ships by then were smaller and speedier and built lower to the water which was a significant reason that the initial thrust of the Spanish Armada was turned away in 1588. The Dutch ships were constructed like the Spanish ships of the time
Good video but sound effects are not necessary…..
Hahahaha noted
May I get y our opinion on a movie called 'Yakuza'? It was filmed in the 70s with Ken Takakura and Keiko Kishi. The cast included Robert Mitchum, as an Army Sergeant returning to Japan to find a girl that was kidnapped, and though the girl is found, he finds himself swept up in a gang war. I think what makes it fascinating to me, is that when a sword is drawn, you can really feel the menace behnd it. It is not cartoon like, nor violence done for entertainment value. They opponents approach each other slowly, dilberately, as if one wrong move could bring death. I would love to know you opinion on the Mitchum (film noir detective type character) and his surprize to find he has dishonored the Japanese he cares most about. He was clueless to what his presence in the late 40s caused, and his 70s attempt to restore honor to his friends. It was a Sydney Pollack film. Does it seem real? Is there any truth in how the Asian Characters are protrayed?
I have not but it’s now only weekend to do this for sure! Maybe can come back to you on those questions!
Thank you thank you thank you. These Game of Thrones comparisons are really irritating
Absolutely! GoT is its own thing and so is Shogun
One thing for sure if they wants japan game of thrones then make period drama
1. from 1447/ mid 13th century to 1590 upto battle of eastern and weatern front .( But what they made is after this given period😂😂).
2. Genpei war ( hero taira no kiyomori rebel aganist emperor go shirawkawa ... Like the north on the lanisters 😂).
3 . During 1227 mongol invasion in japan like ,.. dorthoroki attack on westoros.
4 . Motohiro / imperial rebellion in 1331 by emperor on shoguns to remove kamakura shogunate system like .... Lanisters on the north during geoffry rule.
5. Onin wars cant compare but huge war .
Truly one sad thing is. where is sanada clan or sanada yukimura greatest 3 sumrai of japan who played key in his last battle with ieyasu . Turning point of tokugawa shogunate .😢😢😢
If any of you want real japan history go watch taiga dramas from 2008 to 2024 ongoing .
And can anyone suggest some real tv drama based on korean history not 🚫🚫 the drama where emperor and his wife love story .. a true depiction of politics happened in korean history .
Love korea from india ( request to be least racist and less accept american /western vulgar culture , now in india we view South Korea and japan as vassals for america )
Hahahahi retesting points there.
I sort of enjoyed Goryeo-Khitan War on KBS. It felt as if the story was largely focused on the war rather than the relationship between the king and his queens or concubines
Hi fellow Asia here.
😆Heh
hello there
Good video!
Thank you!
It's good, but still has the most important Japanese female character falling for the foreigner. That trope never dies. Lol
hahaha facts. sometimes you just gotta give the audience a romeo and juliet plot 🤭
@@iamkozzie One thing that kind of bothers me is that they are trying to make things as authentic as possible and make it obvious they are portraying real life people(with names changed). But the story is 95 percent made up fiction. I think that many Americans will have historical fiction go in one ear and out the other, and think this is actual true history. I'm sure that is a little frustrating to native Japanese people(like my wife). Lol
@@joeyartk indeed. Period dramas are great for spreading awareness about a culture and history but def need to be wary that some events are fictional
Its in the book, and William Adams did have a Japanese wife, although she was almost certainly appointed to him.
@@qetoun yesss and had two children. similar to the book he also had two children with his wife in England. So curious about what happened to them, particularly his children with oyuki
You're boring me.
still thanks for stopping by mate