Hiroyuki Sanada is gearing up to return as Lord Yoshii Toranaga in FX’s massively acclaimed Shōgun, with season 2 set to push the feudal epic into even more intense territory.
Speaking with Variety, the Emmy-winning actor and producer revealed that the story will leap forward a decade, bringing new conflicts, deeper family drama, and an unrelenting struggle for control in 17th-century Japan.
“I’m getting older but still, we don’t have any peace yet,” Sanada says. “So we have to do some fights to make peace in Japan. A lot of action and strategy, and then more family drama coming in than Season 1.”
Season 1 became a phenomenon, sweeping the Emmys with 18 wins — including Best Actor for Sanada — and earning praise for its richly textured portrayal of political power plays. Sanada credits the team’s meticulous commitment to cultural and historical authenticity as the show’s defining strength.
"We have a model from the history, but it’s very original entertainment. That’s why we have to make it authentic,” he explains. “We got a great reaction from the audience and from the critics.”
Production on season 2 begins in January, once again in Vancouver. While Japan now offers competitive filming incentives, Sanada notes that Vancouver provides an ideal backdrop with fewer modern structures that require digital removal. Authentic Japanese locations may still appear, but most of the shoot will stay in Canada.
Sanada also believes Shōgun has had a meaningful cultural impact. The global success of a series told primarily in Japanese — nearly 70% subtitled — demonstrates changing viewer habits and an appetite for international storytelling.
“The pandemic trained the audience to read the subtitles and see another culture,” he says. “The time has changed.”
Looking forward, Sanada hopes the Shōgun effect will continue to open doors for East-West collaboration in entertainment. He’s also returning in Mortal Kombat 2 as Scorpion, joining an APAC-dominant cast he praises for further elevating Asian representation on screen.
With filming set to start soon, Shōgun season 2 is shaping up to deliver even more scale, remaining a fitting continuation of one of television’s most celebrated modern epics and a show that complements the hardcover novel I have sitting on my bookshelf.