Hiroyuki Sanada Receives Enthusiastic Offer for TBS’s “VIVANT” Planned for Sequel in 2026
On September 15 (Japan time September 16), Hiroyuki Sanada, an actor active in the United States, won the Best Actor award at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first Japanese actor to achieve this honor.
He was crowned for his role in the American streaming drama “SHOGUN,” which depicts Japan’s Warring States period. The drama won a total of 18 awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
“SHOGUN” is based on the bestselling novel by James Clavell. Set in Japan on the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara, Sanada portrayed the warlord Yoshii Toranaga, modeled after Tokugawa Ieyasu, and also served as a producer.
The movie “Aegis of the Exiled,” released in 2005, was the last.
The Warring States period is meticulously portrayed, with most of the dialogue in Japanese. Americans, who generally dislike subtitles, have praised it, and it can be said that it adds a historic page to Japanese period dramas.
In his speech, Sanada expressed his joy, saying,
“I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has supported and preserved period dramas until now, including the directors and various teachers. The passion and dreams I inherited from you have crossed the ocean and transcended borders.”
With this achievement, many would like to see his brave figure in Japan, but Sanada made his full-fledged Hollywood debut with the 2003 film “The Last Samurai” (starring Tom Cruise). He has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years and has not appeared as an actor in Japanese visual works since the 2005 film “The Last Sentinel” (his only role in the 2012 film “The Amazing” was as a narrator).
