FX is bolstering the cast of its Emmy-winning drama series Shōgun ahead of its upcoming second season, adding newcomer Risei Kukihara, Ryô Satô (Silence), Seishiro Nishida (Atsuhime), Mantaro Koichi (Emergency Room 24 Hours) and Takashi Yamaguchi (Pachinko). Production is underway in Vancouver.
They join previously announced Emmy winner Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Fumi Nikaidô, Ren Meguro, Asami Mizukawa, Shinnosuke Abe, Hiroto Kanai, Masataka Kubota, Sho Kaneta, Yûko Miyamoto, Yuka Kouri, Tommy Bastow, Jun Kunimura, Yoriko Dôguchi, Eita Okuno and Takaaki Enoki.
In the first season of Shōgun, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Sanada) fought for his survival as his enemies in the Council of Regents united against him. When a mysterious European ship was found marooned in a nearby village, its English pilot John Blackthorne (Jarvis) shared vital strategic secrets with Toranaga that tipped the scales of power in his favor to win a century-defining civil war.
Kukihara will play Gabriel, Satô will portray Rin, Nishida will play Jōshin, Koichi is Saitō and Yamaguchi will portray Kanō.
Shōgun, an original adaptation of James Clavell’s bestselling novel, is created for television by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks and produced by FX Productions. Kondo and Marks are executive producers alongside Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca and Sanada. The series is produced by FX Productions.
Season 2 casting has been handled by Kei Kawamura and Laura Schiff, whose work on the first season won the Emmy for Outstanding Casting in a Drama Series.
The first season of the series won 18 Emmy Awards, setting the record for the most Emmys by a series in a single season. It was FX’s first series to win Outstanding Drama Series. Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and Anna Sawai made history as the first actress of Asian descent to win Lead Actress in the same category. Other awards include the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama, AFI TV Program of the Year, and top honors from SAG, WGA, DGA, PGA, TCA and the Independent Spirit Awards, among others.
Season 2 of Shōgun will stream on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally and air on the FX channel.
Kukihara is represented by 42 and CAA. Satô is repped by Theatre de Poche in Japan. Koichi is repped by Clione Co. in Japan. Yamaguchi is repped by Park Artists Group and Energy Talent Management.
