Where Are the Black People in Shogun?
Any Time We Saw Europeans, There Would Likely Have Been Black People In Their Midst
The 2024 version of “Shogun” begins in 1600, as did the 1980 version, both based on the novel by James Clavell. I watched the 1980 version when it came out, hailed by many as a cinematic wonder providing great insight into feudal Japan. It came out three years after Roots and, to many Americans, was their introduction to the history of Japan, though presented from a European viewpoint. 1980 Shogun, starring Richard Chamberlain, also reinforced the white savior trope, far too common in film, television, and history books.
The 2024 version focuses far more on the Japanese perspective. The white characters appearing in the first episodes representing Portugal, Spain, England, and Holland could hardly be deemed heroic. However, the character John Blackthorne, now played by Cosmo Jarvis, is already a pivotal figure and will be a hero, along with several Japanese characters. Others are already praising the new 10-part series as a cultural sea change from the 1980 version. I ask the question now that I naively didn’t ask in 1980. Where are the Black people?
I don’t ask out of a desire to see representation when it wasn’t historically accurate. I inquire because there were Black people in Japan in…
