Chapter VI
Timeline
History, Novel, Author, and Adaptation · 1467–2024
Ōnin War Begins
The Ōnin War erupts in Kyoto, triggering the Sengoku Jidai — the Warring States period that will last for over a century.
Portuguese Arrive in Japan
Portuguese traders land at Tanegashima, bringing firearms and Christianity to Japan for the first time. First contact between Japan and Europe.
Oda Nobunaga Begins Unification
Nobunaga defeats a vastly larger army at Okehazama and begins the long process of unifying Japan.
Nobunaga Assassinated
Betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnō-ji temple, Nobunaga is forced to commit seppuku. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, his peasant-born general, avenges him and continues the unification.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi Dies
The Taikō dies, leaving a five-year-old heir. A Council of Five Regents is established to govern. Tokugawa Ieyasu is the most powerful of the five.
Events of the Novel Take Place
The fictionalized version of the year 1600: Blackthorne arrives in Japan, Toranaga maneuvers against Ishido, and the stage is set for the decisive confrontation.
Battle of Sekigahara
Tokugawa Ieyasu decisively defeats Ishida Mitsunari in the largest battle ever fought on Japanese soil. This victory makes Ieyasu the undisputed master of Japan.
Tokugawa Named Shōgun
Emperor Go-Yōzei names Tokugawa Ieyasu Shōgun. The Tokugawa shogunate begins — it will rule Japan for the next 268 years.
William Adams Completes Western Ships
The real-life John Blackthorne — Adams — completes the construction of Japan's first Western-style sailing ships for Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Ieyasu Dies; Adams Falls from Favor
Tokugawa Ieyasu dies. Without his patron, William Adams loses influence at court, though he remains in Japan.
James Clavell Born
James Clavell is born in Sydney, Australia, the son of a British Royal Navy officer.
Clavell Captured by Japanese
Japanese forces capture Clavell in Java. He is sent to Changi prison camp in Singapore, where he will spend the next three and a half years.
King Rat Published
Clavell's first novel, based on his experiences at Changi, is published. It becomes the first volume of the Asian Saga.
Shōgun Published
After years of research and writing, Shōgun is published. It becomes an immediate worldwide bestseller — 15 million copies sold. It spends 32 weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
NBC Miniseries Adaptation
The television adaptation stars Richard Chamberlain as Blackthorne and Toshirō Mifune as Toranaga. It becomes one of the most-watched television events of the decade.
Clavell Dies in Switzerland
James Clavell dies in Vevey, Switzerland, at the age of 72. His novels remain in print worldwide.
FX/Hulu Adaptation
A new adaptation premieres, starring Hiroyuki Sanada as Toranaga and Cosmo Jarvis as Blackthorne. It is critically acclaimed for its authentic Japanese representation and won multiple Emmy Awards.