Legendary actor and star of FX’s Shōgun Hiroyuki Sanada made history at the 76th Emmy Awards on Sunday, becoming the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Sanada, who was also a producer on Shōgun, won for his role as warlord Yoshii Toranaga in the epic historical fiction series. He also the second Asian actor to ever win the award, following Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae in 2022 (Lee was also the first to win for a non-English-speaking role).
Shōgun star Anna Sawai also made history on Sunday, becoming the first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Sanada was up against Idris Elba for Hijack, Donald Glover for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Walton Goggins for Fallout, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, and Dominic West for The Crown. In his acceptance speech, he thanked the cast and crew and described what the show meant to him.
“It was an East-meets-West dream project with respect,” said Sanada. “And Shōgun taught me that when people work together, we can make a miracle. We can create a better future together.”
Along with Sanada and Sawai’s wins, Shōgun picked up a total of four awards at Sunday night’s Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. With its wins from the 76th Creative Arts Emmys, that brings Shōgun‘s total up to 18 (an Emmys record).
For more memorable Emmys moments — including Anna Sawai’s moving acceptance speech — and a full list of winners, Mashable’s got you covered.
