Photo/Illutration Hiroyuki Sanada and the cast and crew of "Shogun" accept the award for Best Drama Series at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 15. (REUTERS)

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada’s long effort to combat stereotypes in Western media and authentically present Japan to global audiences culminated in the massively successful historical drama series “Shogun.”

The drama, which Sanada both produced and starred in, won 18 Emmys at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, the most ever by a TV series in a single year.

“I believe this will have a significant impact on the next generation of actors and production teams,” said Sanada, 63. 

“Shogun” is set in Japan during the Sengoku (Warring States) Period (1467-1568) and features a Japanese daimyo lord played by Sanada and a British navigator who becomes his subordinate.

For the past 20 years, Sanada has been fighting to correct the bizarre and stereotypical depictions of Japan often seen in Hollywood films, striving to bring more accurate portrayals to global audiences.

He debuted as a child actor in Japan and quickly rose to become a top action star.

Later, Sanada's performances in films such as “Mahjong Horoki,” a 1984 gambling drama, and “Sharaku,” a 1995 historical drama, earned him recognition as one of Japan’s leading actors.

His career reached a turning point in 2003, when he appeared in the U.S. action drama “The Last Samurai,” which was set in Japan during the Meiji Restoration and starred Tom Cruise. It became a global box-office hit.

Sanada said at the time, “I want my generation to be the one that dispels the strange stereotypes of Japanese characters.”

During the production of “The Last Samurai,” Sanada voiced his opinions on a wide range of details, from handling swords to wearing kimono correctly. Although the portrayal of Japan in that film was better than in some previous Hollywood depictions, some inconsistencies remained.

Sanada left his fame in Japan behind and moved to Los Angeles in 2005.

He continuously worked to portray more authentic Japanese characters in Hollywood films, including “The Wolverine,” a 2013 superhero movie, and “47 Ronin,” a 2013 historical fantasy action film.

In 2020, Sanada portrayed a man fighting against the company responsible for Minamata disease in the biographical drama “Minamata,“ which starred Johnny Depp.

He checked everything from the set to the props at the film location in Serbia, which stood in for the Japanese city of Minamata in Kumamoto Prefecture, saying, “inaccurate portrayals of Japan could end up insulting such a sensitive subject.”

In “Shogun,” Sanada not only starred but also served as a producer.

He brought in period drama experts from Japan to collaborate with the Hollywood staff. The drama finally delivered exactly what he had long envisioned.

“After 20 years of working in Hollywood, I have been fighting on my own in various films. The knowledge and techniques I accumulated over that time were applied to this drama,” he said in an interview in February.

“I’m deeply grateful to every film I’ve been part of,” he said.

Dialogue in the 10-episode series is mostly in Japanese.

Although “Shogun” is a U.S. production, Sanada expressed his hope during the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony that, “I would like this to serve as a steppingstone for creating something from Japan that can succeed on a global scale.”

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