Parts of Shōgun feels like it is based on historical fact in the plot line and in the characters. This would be because the real-life power struggle that it depicted. In his 1975 novel Shōgun, James Clavell used appropriated many of the historic figures from the seventeenth century, even if he greatly dramatized the story of the Tokugawa shogunate and the first Englishman to sail to Japan. In 1980, it was made into a popular miniseries—the show was so successful that numerous cultural observers have mentioned ever since that the show was responsible for the sushi boom.

Nevertheless, while Clavell greatly embellished the tale of John Blackthorne’s entry into Japan and his contribution to Tokugawa rise to power, many of the people and happenings seen in Shogun are based on real-life characters. The planned FX limited series, which has just completed its first four episodes, has already been popular with audiences and critics. Shogun stars Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Tokugawa’s counterpart and Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne. Based on the most recent adaptation, including what is true and what is falsehood.

The series of events were opened with the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japan’s second Great Unifier. He is known as the Taikō in ShoGun, the honorary title of the retired advisor to an emperor of old. Hideyoshi completed the dreams of Oda Nabunaga, Japan’s first Great Unifier after almost a century of civil war. When the Taikō died, there was a new path in Japan’s future — the shōgunate was open to seizure. Five great daimyos struggled to become the shōgun, Japan’s real general.

The death of Taikō made Japan afraid of another underground century and so he created the five elders that would rule instead. One of the five, by order of significance, was Ieyasu Tokugawa, or as he was named in the book Shogun Yoshii Toranaga was given to life by Sanada. In two years, he was able to get the power and with his close relationship with the dying, the Taikō became the new shogun. Gathering up his power, he has taken Osaka Castle and easily won the battle of the river of blood, Sekigahara—one of the most important to this day.

It was around this time when Tokugawa met William Adams, the first Englishman to reach Japan. He would later become one of Tokugawa’s most trusted advisors, and even served as the intermediary for the shōgun of Ieyasu. His colleague was replaced by a shōgun, the Jesuit Padre João Rodrigues as his official interpreter. However, in the miniseries his point of view, John Blackthorne, depicted by Jarvis, will have a far greater influence on Tokugawa Ieyasu ascendancy as shōgun. But what allowed their lord to win the shogunate, after all? It wasn’t his cleverness.

By using Blackthorne’s Protestant predilections, he can draw dissent and acrimony between the Five Elders, several of whom made fortunes during the preceding reign of Venus’ offspring and ultimately benefitted from the nation’s Christian fascist oppressors. Okay, the scenario of the Five Elders asking for the persecution of one heretic inside Tokugawa’s castle may be implausible. But, as shown before, Blackthorne acts as the story’s gunpowder, so we don’t have to look too deep into Japanese politics. Clavell also devised a romantic relationship between Blackthorne and Toda Mariko, even though the character’s real-life counterpart had never even met Adams.

It is not to say that Tokugawa and Adams were not friends in real life. Smithsonian Magazine informs that they both wrote numerous letters to each other, and the powerful daimyo was especially moved by Adams’s knowledge of the globe. Tokugawa even met the Englishman in person during his visits to Japan, and this was before Adams became shogun. The country’s future ruler bestowed the honorary title of samurai upon the lithographer. Tokugawa himself decommissioned only in 1616 – he passed away. By that time, he had far built the great Edo Castle – the biggest in all Japan. From 1603, his shogunate would dominate the country for the next 250 years.