Shōgun

Overall this is an incredible story. Even though it takes 1300 pages for the author to tell us that all Toranaga wanted was a friend. Great history blended with heated emotions, loss, betrayal and lots of daring do.

A 17th century English sailor is shipwrecked upon the shors of Feudal Japan and soon caught in a game of political cat and mouse with the warring lords who roam the land. War, Love, intrigue, religious persecution and friendship ensue in this epic tale of Japan. Considering the size of this book it moves quickly and keeps the reader engaged. The characters all exude massive personality and really give you something to cling to as you turn the pages.

Epic is as good a description as any to describe this novel--not just for its length, but for its scope. There are moments of real beauty in the scenic descriptions and the cultural tapestry woven by Clavell. It is an art to reveal culture and history through fiction with finesse, and Clavell excelled at this. Blackthorne is a most excellent figure in that the reader learns as he learns, and we realize that in some sense, we are Clavell's pawn much as Blackthorne is the pawn in a larger game. Some of the political strategy and inner-thinking can feel long-winded, and if you are looking for a book full of action and plot, this book may not give you wa.

Quite frankly, one of the best histfic books I have ever read, even though the ending disappointed me because it felt rushed. If you like stories where a stranger has to adapt to a different culture to survive and even thrive, this is a worthy read because of Blackthorne's immersion into Japanese society as he tries to figure his way around and learn as much as he can and overcome his disadvantages as a foreigner and (initially) not knowing the native language.

I also recommend the 2024's Shogun series that can be found on streaming, as of this date.

It was by luck that I came to read this book. I had a book club going at my workplace and this book was randomly picked after few others. The book club is no more, but this book I have finished and I am so happy that I did and happy that this book found its way into my life. One of the if not THE greatest reads of my life. Full of intrigue , tension, betrayal but also full of honour , beauty and the joy of life. I do not posses the words to describe the gravity of this book in few words and I don't want this to be too long. If you are on the edge about reading this please do yourself a favour and read it. I myself took way longer than average to read it, but in the end I am very happy that I took my time to savour it. Every day not show more reading I was thinking about the ideas this book explores and what loyalty, love, family , money and morality means to me. So many great questions. Masterpiece. show less

Shogun (Book Review)


‘A man’s fate is a man’s fate and life is but an illusion.’


Shōgun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel of the author's Asian Saga (this is the only one I've read).

The story is based in feudal Japan some months before the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Shōgun gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" (based upon the actual Tokugawa Ieyasu). Toranaga's rise to the Shogunate is seen through the eyes of the English sailor John Blackthorne, called Anjin ("Pilot") by the Japanese, whose fictional heroics are loosely based on the historical exploits of William Adams.

Shogun is expansive, clever, exciting and enlightening. Written from both the perspective of an Englishman and Japanese show more Samurai, you truly understand the Japanese point of view of the "barbarian" Blackthorne (a name they can't pronounce, so they simply call him Anjin (Pilot)).

The Japanese have never seen a blonde haired blue eyed "giant". He smells, he has lice, scurvy, and refuses to bathe! From Blackthorne's perspective he experiences people getting their heads chopped off (and subsequently cut to pieces) because they haven't bowed properly (Honour is a BIG thing to the Samurai). He's given food that disgusts him and has an ever increasing fear for his life as he becomes a pawn in the feud of the tribal lords (Daimyos).

Only when he meets the beautiful Mariko - an interpreter for Lord Toranaga - does he begin to learn the great honor of the Japanese people and what defines them. This is what makes Shogun a great novel!

The story is really a chess game where Toranaga moves the pieces he has to gain him the ultimate power in the land - The Shogunate.


“Patience means restraining yourself. There are seven emotions, neh? Joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate. If a man doesn’t give way to these, he’s patient."


Religious hatred also plays a part in the novel; Catholics against Christians, Christian's against Buddhism, Catholics again Spanish Monks.

There is a lot of action and intrigue in this book but none of that is as interesting as the "quiet moments" where you learn how the characters/people think. You find yourself thinking how refined and honourable the Japanese are and how - certainly back then - vermin-like the British/European's were.

Be aware that there are many characters in this book, so if you're going to read it I'd recommend taking notes. The political machinations of fuedal Japan are sometimes confusing, but that doesn't detract from the story. It only makes it more interesting.

I bought Shogun from Amazon as a Kindle book, and one of the great things Kindle has (both the Paperwhite and iOS applications) is "X-Ray" which allows the reader to see each characters name in the book and who they are. I often found myself bringing up "X-Ray" to remind myself who was being talked about and how they related to the story.


‘Only by living at the edge of death can you understand the indescribable joy of life.’


I strongly recommend Shogun. It's certainly one of the most enlightening books I've read and makes me want to travel to Japan.



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Pre nego sto izlozim svoje utiske o ovom fenomenalnom romanu, rec-dve o nacinu citanja Klejvelovih romana koji su specificni po tome da ne nude standardno centralizovane karaktere, heroje i heroine sa kojima se citalac moze poistovetiti i u koje se moze lako projektovati. Klejvelovi romani su pozornica kojom defiluje izuzetno veliki broj likova koji se naizmenicno smenjuju i svima je podjednako dodeljena pisceva paznja. Posto citalac ne moze tako lako projektovati sebe u Klejvelove likove, sveden je na meru posmatraca dogadjaja epskih razmera, ali mu je ostavljeno da izabere svoje favorite.

Prica Soguna pocinje nekoliko stotina godina nakon sto su se o obale Japana slomile mongolske horde pod vodjstvom Kublaj Kana kada je njihove brodove show more unistio kamikaze - bozanski vetar ili kako ga mi danas zovemo - tajfun. Nekih 60 godina pred sam pocetak price Japan su otkrili Portugalci koji su po svom tadasnjem obicaju odmah po iskrcavanju poceli da sire hriscanstvo - katolicizam. Ostatak sveta jos uvek ne zna za Japan, za njih je to neka daleka po mnogima izmisljena zemlja.

Godine 1600-te Japan je bure baruta, izdeljen na brojne male pokrajine kojima vladaju Daimjoi. Njih je na stotine ali dva najznacajnija Daimjoa su Toranaga i Isido. Toranaga je ratno-politicki genije, nikada pobedjeni general koga se svi pribojavaju. Isido nastoji da ujedini sve japanske Daimjoe protiv Toranage jer u njemu vidi najvecu prepreku na svom putu da postane Sogun, gospodar celog Japana. Toranaga je citavog svog zivota igrao sah i postao je gospodar te igre. No u ovoj igri za titulu soguna on je sam protiv svih i polako mu ponestaju figure, a broj preostalih poteza je sve manji. Tada se na japanske obale nasuce prvi engleski ratni brod Erazmus pod vodjstvom surovog gusara Kapetana Blektorna i njihove sudbine ce se zauvek ukrstiti.

Kapetan Blektorn dolazi iz srednjevekovne Evrope i njegov prvi susret sa japanskom civilizacijom je katastrofalan, ali pametan i nadasve lukav i prepreden on ce ubrzo poceti da uci o japanskoj kulturi i tradiciji koja zagovara busido. U Toranaginim rukama Blektorn ce postati jedna od najmocnijih sahovskih figura i kada Toranaga pocne da povlaci poteze, sirom Japana ce padati glave ali ko ce izvojevati pobedu, koje ce figure preziveti do kraja partije a koje ce biti zrtvovane ostaje na citaocu da vidi.

Pored ova dva prominentna lika, roman svojom pojavom krase i Mariko, nezna i krhka devojka, Blektornova ljubav koja je u Toranaginim rukama oruzje masovnog unistenja, potom tu je Jabu toboze veran Toranagi ali uvek na granici izdaje, Omi njegov sestric sa sopstvenim zeljama i interesima i brojni drugi nista manje znacajni.

Za kraj ne bih zeleo da otkrivam nista vise o ovom romanu kako buducim citaocima ne bih pokvario ugodjaj, ali vredi objasniti u par reci sta je to busido. Busido ili kodeks casti ili kako su ga neki zvali put samuraja je zapravo pandan hriscanskih deset bozijih zapovesti i zagovarao je ljubav, postovanje, cast itd. Poput hriscana koji se uglavnom ne pridrzavaju svog kodeksa, tako se ni Japanci nisu pridrzavali busida. Neki ostaci filozofije busida se danas mogu naci u borilackim sportovima poput aikida ili karatea.

Kapetan Blektorn zapravo predstavlja Vilijam Adamsa, prvog Engleza koji se iskrcao na obale Japana. Dobar deo romana je istorijska fikcija i podatke iz njega ne treba uzimati zdravo za gotovo bez prethodne provere. show less

Xógum é uma fascinante saga sobre o universo mítico dos samurais e das gueixas, numa trama ágil que une política, religião, guerra e romance. Ambientado nos anos 1600, época das grandes navegações e das conquistas de novos mundos, o livro narra a trajetória do piloto inglês John Blackthorne que, depois de quase dois anos embarcado no navio Erasmus, aporta na costa de um Japão dividido pela disputa pela posição de Xógum, mais importante autoridade militar do país. Em meio a intrigas e traições, Blackthorne se aproxima do poderoso senhor feudal Toranaga, passando a fazer parte de um intrincado jogo de poder entre as forças conflitantes da época: daimios, samurais, jesuítas e comerciantes. Com o tempo, uma estranha show more relação de confiança se estabelece entre os dois homens e uma paixão proibida nasce entre o inglês e sua intérprete, Mariko. Casada com um dos mais cruéis capitães do feudo, ela se vê dividida entre suas obrigações, suas crenças e seus sentimentos. Tentando manter-se vivo apesar da hostilidade dos nativos, Blackthorne vai pouco a pouco se envolvendo com as tradições locais, enquanto o próprio Japão começa a perder sua identidade com a invasão dos jesuítas e a abertura ao mundo ocidental. Com notável habilidade narrativa, James Clavell leva o leitor através de um emocionante épico que expõe as terríveis implicações por trás das palavras amor, poder, virtude e honra na milenar cultura japonesa. **** "Pessoas, costumes, paisagens, necessidades, desejos – tudo se torna tão envolvente que até nos esquecemos de quem somos e onde estamos." - The New York Times Book Review Com a pretensão de ser o primeiro inglês a circunavegar o mundo passando pelo estreito de Magalhães, John Blackthorne enfrentou a morte e a tormenta durante os dois anos em que esteve a bordo do navio Erasmus. Alcançando a costa do Japão após naufragar durante uma tempestade, Blackthorne e os poucos tripulantes sobreviventes são capturados e envolvidos numa teia de interesses opostos, incluindo o poder político, a supremacia militar e a dominação religiosa. Ao saber da existência do forasteiro, o senhor feudal Toranaga mantém Blackthorne sob sua proteção e destaca a bela Mariko para tornar-se tradutora e mestra do navegador no aprendizado da cultura, da língua e das tradições japonesas. Em troca, Blackthorne oferece importantes noções de geografia, cartografia e história a Toranaga, que usa tais conhecimentos como nova arma para alcançar seu objetivo de conquistar o xogunato. Procurando encontrar seu lugar no meio do fogo cruzado entre a guerra política, os jogos de poder e os interesses religiosos, Blackthorne vai aprendendo a língua e absorvendo os costumes locais, enquanto lentamente passa a abrir mão de suas próprias crenças. Numa terra dominada pela cultura da espada, em que a honra fala mais alto que o amor, Blakthorne vive um conflito permanente entre sua lealdade a Toranaga, sua paixão por Mariko e suas ambições como explorador. Misturando guerra, religião, romance, história e política, Xógum flerta com a realidade em muitos momentos, retratando em detalhes acontecimentos e personagens que marcaram a história do Japão. Neste épico oriental, James Clavell leva o leitor a descobrir um mundo onde vida e morte, desejo e repressão, coragem e submissão andam lado a lado numa muda conformidade. show less