How ‘Shogun’ pulled off that wild episode 5 earthquake

Shōgun Episode 5 “Broken to the Fist” features one of the show’s most jaw-dropping moments of horror yet. After Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) tires of listening to Mariko (Anna Sawai) and Blackthorne’s (Cosmo Jarvis) latest lovers’ spat that harps on the very profound differences between Japanese and English approaches to life, he walks away from the group’s meeting spot atop a hill to survey the nature around him. Suddenly a huge flock of birds hurry away over the mountains and an earthquake hits Ajiro. Landslides crash over the landscape and Toranaga becomes one of countless men sucked into the earth. Blackthorne is the first person to rush after their lord and eventually not only saves Toranaga’s life, but gifts him the great honor of offering the same swords Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) gave him in Episode 4. It’s a pivotal moment in the story. Blackthorne has proven his loyalty to Toranaga at a moment when the Japanese daimyo is literally at rock bottom. After recovering from being trapped underground, Toranaga falls to his knees in despair watching the earthquake destroy his army.

But how did the FX show even manage to capture this epic disaster? Shōgun Producer Eriko Miyagawa revealed to Decider during an interview at Winter 2024 TCA that they captured this intense moment through “really rigorous planning” and a combination of “great visual effects and stunts.” Both she and Shōgun star and Executive Producer Hiroyuki Sanada credited an incredible amount of teamwork on the complex sequence that simply could not be cut from the story.

“It has to be an earthquake,” Miyagawa said. “Not, you know, another natural disaster. It has to look and feel like [an] earthquake.”

We’ve already experienced small earthquakes on Shōgun and learned from Mariko that the Japanese designed their architecture to be easily built whenever fate (and Mother Nature) chooses to tear their homes down. Earthquakes also perfectly encapsulate the culture’s interest in karma, what will be will be.

Hiroyuki Sanada also credited the production designers for making his character’s harrowing near-death experience feel so realistic.

“They created the cliff perfectly. I was under the ground,” Shōgun star and Executive Producer Hiroyuki Sanada said with a nervous chuckle. “It looks real and then made us feel more natural to react.”

The earthquake has instantaneously changed both Toranaga and Blackthorne’s fortunes. Toranaga no longer has the formidable army he was depending upon to take on the remaining regents. Blackthorne, on the other hand, has made himself seem even more gallant and loyal with his actions.

Something tells us Blackthorne’s going to be asked to help Toranaga more than ever in the weeks ahead…