Hiroyuki Sanada’s “Commitment to Authenticity” from his 20s in “SHOUGUN Shogun,” which has won 18 Emmy Awards, the most in its history.

The 10-episode drama series “Shogun Shogun” (produced by Pay TV FX), for which Hiroyuki Sanada served as the lead actor and producer, won a record 18 Emmy Awards at the 76th Emmy Awards held in Los Angeles on September 15 (local time), which is known as the Academy Awards of American television.

Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Best Actor award. He also won Best Picture, Best Actress for Anna Sawai, and Best Director.

Hollywood scale with a production cost of 10 billion yen.

This is FX’s most expensive series to date, with a production cost said to be over 10 billion yen, a huge amount of money only Hollywood can spend. In “SHOGUN Shogun,” an authentic warring states period drama depicting the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara, Sanada plays Toranaga Yoshii, who is modeled after Ieyasu Tokugawa, with an overwhelming presence and gravitas.

Furthermore, as a producer, he insists on “authenticity” and uses mostly Japanese actors. The film was produced by a staff from Japan with extensive experience in period dramas, paying close attention to historical facts, samurai behavior, dialogue, and other details. 70% of the dialogue is in Japanese (with English subtitles in the U.S.), resulting in a period drama of grand scale with high quality for Japanese viewers.

Originally planned to be a limited series (complete one season), the series became a huge hit, recording 9 million views in the first six days of distribution of episodes 1 and 2 in February, and production of seasons 2 and 3 was announced in May. Sanada will continue as the lead actor and producer, and Kozmo Jarvis, who played Anjin Miura, will also continue.

Sanada moved his base to Hollywood in 2005 after appearing in the Hollywood movie “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise in 2003. He has also appeared in “Rush Hour 3” starring Jackie Chan (’07), “47 Ronin” starring Keanu Reeves (’13), “Minamata” starring Johnny Depp （The culmination of his 20-year career in Hollywood can be seen in “SHOGUN Shogun.

Although the old “Fujiyama, Geisha” portrayal of strange Japan has improved, Sanada’s stoic attitude and commitment to authenticity, which he has been trying to dispel, can be said to have been cultivated during his time as an action star from the late 1970s to the 1980s. Sanada’s stoic attitude and commitment to authenticity were cultivated during his career as an action star in the late 70s and 80s.

After joining the Himawari Theater Company at the age of five as a child actor, he joined the Japan Action Club (JAC), which was led by Shinichi Chiba, in 1973 when he entered junior high school. In 1974, he appeared in “Jigoken” (1974), starring Chiba in the lead role! In 1978, he passed an audition for “The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy” and resumed his career as Hiroyuki Sanada under Chiba’s name.

In 1980, he became popular as an action star in his first starring role in a film, “Ninja Bugeicho: Hyakuchi Santayu,” in which he jumped from the castle keep of Momoyama Castle, and in “Howlero Tekken” (1981), in which he performed stunts on the rocks at Tojinbo in Fukui Prefecture and jumped from a helicopter into the sea without using a voiceover. At the time, he was an idol favorite, competing with Toshihiko Tahara for first and second place in bromide sales.

The truth behind his comment, “I’m always scared.

In July 1981, just before the release of the movie “Howlero Tekken,” I interviewed Sanada at a restaurant in Roppongi, Tokyo. Sanada was 20 years old at the time.

About the intense action scenes without a stuntman

He said, “Karate fight scenes and action scenes on a running double-decker bus. There is also a scene where he jumps off a helicopter into the ocean 25 meters below.

He also revealed that he was “obsessed with the real thing.

When asked if he felt any fear, he replied

I am always afraid. That’s why I am very careful. I can be bold only after I have checked the safety of the scene and sorted out everything before doing it. That’s why I don’t get hurt in dangerous scenes. But if I get careless in a light scene, I can get hurt.

It was impressive that he showed his stoicism and professionalism.

The following year, in 1982, he co-starred with Keiko Matsuzaka in “Dotonbori River,” and his love scene with Hiroko Yakushimaru in “Satomi Hakkenden” (1983) attracted a lot of attention. He acted in numerous films and dramas, including “Mahjong Rambo” (1984), before taking off for Hollywood.

It can be said that his commitment to the “real thing” in stunts and acting, which he had cultivated since his days as an action star in his 20s, and his sincere approach paved the way for his success in Hollywood, leading to this historic accomplishment. We look forward to Sanada’s further advancement.