ArticleKey #16: Shogun, the Character

Shogun's title character is named Yoshi Toranaga, and he is portrayed as a perfect leader. An invincible general who hasn't lost even a single battle over almost 50 years of his military career; a wise statesman who unified Japan and created a “Legacy” - a law code that helped his heirs to ensure that the country would remain peaceful and prosperous for decades and even centuries; an accomplished actor of the Noh theatre; an astute psychologist possessing an almost uncanny ability to anticipate people's behaviour and use them in his calculations as if they were chess pieces. Last but not least, a just ruler taking a good care of his vassals and amply rewarding loyalty, while necessarily punishing treason, in accordance with mores of the time.

While James Clavell turned Yoshi Toranaga into a living and breathing picture of perfection, the actual person, Toranaga was based upon, must have been seen in a very different light - at least, judging by historical documents. The real shogun's name was Tokugawa Ieyasu, and both he and his main political rival, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (General Ishido Kazunari in the book) seem to have been almost the exact opposites of their respective literary alter-egos. The following poem might be a somewhat better representation of historical truth:

                                                     Ronin

Oh, Toyotomi, a mighty clan
Whose name was famed throughout Japan.
The blessed builders of the land
Who filled it with wonders from end to end.
Whoever listened to the Kyoto big bell,
Would never wish to break its spell.
The Osaka castle was flying high,
Its turrets challenging the sky.

Oh, month of April, a magic time
When Mother-Nature is at her prime.
The trees are blooming, strong and fair,
The sakura fragrance fills the air,
The air itself is full of light,
The earth is painted pink and white. 
It’s so beautiful – and yet
HE crossed the land to paint it red.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Beast from the East.
Tokugawa Ieyasu brought vultures to feast,
He craved to be Shogun and for his heart’s desire
He didn’t think twice to set the castle on fire.
He killed my master, kith and kin –
He spared me – to be ronin!
He left my whole world aflame
And bid me live – in pain and shame!

Oh, Land of Gods, my sacred land – 
Who could predict this morbid end?! 
 

While “Shogun” is a literary wonder in its own right, there is nothing particularly wondrous in a likely misrepresentation of a historical figure - that's a rather common phenomenon facilitated by the concept of so-called “creative license”. Yet, James Clavell's choice to gloss over the winner is remarkable because it results in "history being written not by but about the victor". Considering that “Shogun” was written more than a century after the end of the shogunate rule - and by a foreigner who could possibly have no personal allegiances within Japan - the only comprehensible reason for such a choice must have been the author's personal belief that the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate had achieved something really important. Unifying Japan and securing 265 years of peace would likely fit the bill - and create a paradox, since the only way to enforce peace in a war-torn country is through a lot of bloodshed necessary to defeat every opposition. In that respect, the person of a successful unifier doesn't matter, only the mission. That realization is, arguably, the historic wonder associated with “Shogun” - both the book and the character.