They said no one would ever say jidai-geki on the Emmys telecast, but they were wrong! ShÅgun won 18 Emmy Awards for its first season — including Outstanding Drama Series. The Japan-American-Canadian collab has broken the record for most Emmy wins for one season of television. The previous record holder, HBO’s miniseries John Adams, had 13 wins. ShÅgun already had Giamatti & Co. beat last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys. During the prime-time Emmys on September 15, the show added Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Drama Series.
While accepting her award for Outstanding Lead Actress, Anna Sawai said she was crying before her name was even announced. She thanked her mother for showing her stoicism, which helped her to portray eternally stoic Mariko-sama. Hiroyuki Sanada gave part of the acceptance for Outstanding Drama Series in Japanese, embodying the cross-culturalism of the show. Translation and interpretation were at the heart of the series, both thematically and logistically. Co-creator and showrunner Justin Marks translated for Sanada: “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the crew, directors, and masters who have inherited our samurai period dramas up until now. The passion and dreams that we have inherited from you have crossed oceans and borders. Arigato gozaima.â€