It shows Japan as a land, ravaged by the cruel mother Earth in the form of typhoons and earthquakes and how it came to shape the mindset involving easy acceptance of death. The book also corrects misconceptions about Japan held by many, in terms of understanding Bushido, Seppuku, the culture of loyalty to the leader and honor and most importantly “Karma” – an Indian word, adopted by the Buddhists and ultimately Japanese. Shogun also is a book which will appeal to feminists with a strong female Samurai in the form of Toda Mariko-san, who serves as Blackthorne’s love interest and Toranaga’s most prized “falcon” who allows Toranaga to take power. Shogun is a book which once you pick up, can’t be put down until you finish. It has an adventurous vibe to it, that makes for a scintillating read. The novel is highly effective in providing a deep insight into Japanese culture without becoming a historical research project. Blackthorne, though initially despising the Japanese for their seemingly barbaric culture, grows to understand Bushido and how to think as a Japanese. Here Blackthorne is the savage, who has landed on a land far-away and unknown to the English and the Dutch, though the Portuguese control the trade to Japan. The book works as it does not indulge in the typical white savior narrative as many other Western novels and movies end up doing. A book which covers the most fascinating aspects of Japan including Ninjas, Samurais, Ronin, the Samurai code of Bushido, Seppuku or ritual suicide, Geishas and cultural aspects such as the Japanese tea ceremony. The plot is highly intricate and not only does the book have all the ingredients for a fast-paced thriller, it involves aspects like war, romance, sex, intrigue, betrayal and legacies. Nakamura – Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598) Kashigi Yabu – Honda Masanobu (1538–1616)

Toda Buntaro – Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1646) Toda Hiro-matsu “Iron Fist” – Hosokawa Fujitaka (1534–1610) Toda Mariko – Hosokawa Gracia (1563–1600) John Blackthorne – Miura Anjin/William Adams (1564–1620) Yoshi Naga – Matsudaira Tadayoshi (1580–1607) Yoshi Sudara – Tokugawa Hidetada (1579–1632) Yoshi Toranaga – Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) Some of the major characters from the book and their real life counterparts include:

The plot involves several characters with different names who participated in Tokugawa Ieyasu’s rise to power and those he vanquished. The tale is told through the eyes of an English sailor called John Blackthorne, who washes up on the shore of Japan and gets embroiled in the internal politics of Japan and influences Tokugawa Ieyasu (called Toranaga in the novel) in his strategy to become Shogun of all Japan. The book is set in feudal Japan, a Japan torn by strife between different Samurai factions, months before the critical battle of Sekigahara in 1600 AD which ushered in the age of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Shogun is a 1975 novel written by James Clavell.

Shogun novel review