“Anna Sawai Was A Good Student”: How Shogun’s Stunt Team Got Ep 9’s Spear Fight So Right Explained After Samurai Expert Gave The Scene A High Accuracy Grade

Shōgun assistant stunt coordinator Sharlene Royer breaks down how the show pulled off Anna Sawai’s spear fight. Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, the hit FX historical drama premiered earlier this year, chronicling Lord Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) quest for power in Feudal Japan. Sawai’s Lady Mariko is a crucial figure in Shōgun‘s cast of characters, and she gets one major fight sequence in episode 9 as she attempts to leave Osaka. A real-life martial arts expert subsequently awarded Mariko’s fight scene an eight out of 10 in terms of accuracy in a video for Insider.




During a recent interview with Screen Rant, Royer reveals that Sawai was actually sent to train with martial artists in Japan for Mariko’s Shōgun episode 9 fight. The stunt coordinator explains that Sawai herself was a “good student” when it came to learning the techniques, and that a major focus was put on making sure the sequence felt as realistic and grounded as possible. Check out Royer’s comment below:

There were a few consultants. We had a sensei, Demura, who passed away. It was the sensei of my boss, Lauro [Chartrand-DelValle]. And Lauro managed to have her trained way back in Japan with other stunt martial artists over there that were involved in the show. So we trained her over there.

When she came to shoot the piece, he did the choreography, had the consultant, and made sure it was by the book. You know how all the fight scenes are being done now with acrobatic moves and all those special things. We did none of this because, at that time period, it was pure and simple basic martial artists. So we had to contain all the stunt performers, the choreographer, to tone it down, and keep it to the basics, so it would look authentic.

There was a lot of research involved. And, of course, Lauro is a martial artist himself, so he did his own research and made sure that everything was contained. Anna Sawai was a good student. She was really, really, really good. To the tee, she learned everything, and repetition is what makes it great. So a lot of repetition and consulting and advising.



What Shōgun’s Realism Meant For The Show’s Reception

The FX Show Was A Major Success

Shōgun released to glowing reviews in February, with praise aimed at the show’s performances, writing, and recreation of Feudal Japan. As of writing, the show enjoys a stunning 99% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score not far behind at 90%. Historical accuracy means little without a compelling story with interesting characters, but Shōgun‘s approach to history is evidently emblematic of showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo’s detailed and thoughtful approach to the show as a whole.

Custom image of Anna Sawai in Shogun against a backdrop of stars.

Related

7 Reasons Reviews For FX’s New Historical Drama Are So Great

Early reviews of FX’s limited series, Shōgun, have been widely positive, as the series currently holds a 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.


This approach translated to major success in terms of viewership. Shōgun premiered to nine million views globally across Hulu, Disney+, and Star+, making it the biggest premiere for any title under the larger Disney General Entertainment umbrella. The show was such a hit that Shōgun season 2 and season 3 are now confirmed to be in development, despite season 1 adapting the entirety of Clavell’s book.

Shōgun
VFX supervisor
Michael Cliett told
Screen Rant

earlier this year that they had a ”
900-page research bible
” to ensure the show was historically accurate.

Our Take On Anna Sawai’s Shōgun Fight Scene

Sawai Was A Highlight Of The FX Historical Drama


With Shōgun and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+, Sawai has announced herself as a major presence in the entertainment landscape. Her performance throughout the FX historical epic was a highlight, but episode 9, in particular, shows off her immense range as a performer. After maintaining Mariko’s quiet poise and inner conflict throughout previous episodes, episode 9 sees Sawai showing off her physicality in an entirely new way.

Episode 9 is also the episode that ended Mariko’s journey on the show. Though John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Lord Toranaga will seemingly return for seasons 2 and 3, Mariko’s death means future episodes will be without a key ingredient to season 1’s success. Though Kondo and Marks have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to future seasons of Shōgun, it’s certainly a shame that Sawai seemingly won’t be returning.