Not only has Hiroyuki Sanada become the first Japanese actor to win an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama, the Shōgun star has also warmed fans’ hearts after delivering his acceptance speech at the annual awards show in Japanese. While the actor gave the speech for his individual award in English, Sanada returned to the stage later in the night, along with the rest of the cast, directors, and producers, to celebrate Shōgun winning Best Drama at the 2024 Emmys. Along with Justin Marks, Shōgun‘s co-creator (with Rachel Kondo), the pair accepted the award, with the rest of their colleagues lined up behind them. After Marks gave his own brief speech, Sanada took to the microphone, saying “let me talk in Japanese quickly.”
With Justin Marks ready to translate, Sanada said, “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the crew, directors and masters who have inherited and supported our samurai period dramas up until now.” Taking a brief pause to let Justin Marks translate his words, Sanada returned to the mic, continuing:
“The passion and dreams that we have inherited from you have crossed oceans and borders. Thank you very much!”
Shōgun made history at the 2024 Emmy Awards, winning the most awards for a single season of television in Emmy history, with 18 total wins from 24 nominations. As well as Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai became the first actress of Asian descent to win Lead Actress in a Drama. Sawai was incredibly emotional during her acceptance speech. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight following the presentation, the actress revealed why she became so flustered on stage, saying it had to do with herself and Hiroyuki Sanada making history at the awards:
“I heard also that I was the first Japanese woman to win. So I had looked at [Sanada], wanting to be that. And to know that I am actually changing the next generation, or I don’t know what it is, but that also made me emotional.”
Fans React to Hiroyuki Sanada’s Acceptance Speech
From the moment Shōgun dropped on Hulu, fans knew the series was likely to do well at the Emmys. However, few expected it to win in such dominating fashion. After Hiroyuki Sanada delivered his incredible acceptance speech, Shōgun fans flocked to social media to share their reactions to his speech.
Social media also became obsessed with Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai becoming the first Japanese actors to win in their respective categories. “if any Japanese actor was going to be the first, it certainly would be Hiroyuki Sanada- a f*cken LEGEND” wrote @oscarGosei. Awards shows like the Emmys usually cause intense debate and contention online, as everyone often holds differing opinions about which show deserves to win. However, in the case of Shōgun, opinions appear to be almost entirely unanimous.