FX announces major update on 'Shōgun' season 2

FX, the network behind Shōgun, announces the shooting of season two of the samurai drama will begin in Vancouver in January.

Along with this, the cast who are returning to the show include  Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays feudal Japanese ruler Lord Toranaga, Cosmo Jarvis as English sailor John Blackthorne, Fumi Nikaidô (as Lady Ochiba, the mother of the former shōgun's only heir), and Shinnosuke Abe (as Mariko's hot-headed husband Buntaro).

Hiroto Kanai (as Yabushige's nephew Omi), Yoriko Dôguchi (as Toranaga's wife Kiri), Tommy Bastow (as Portuguese priest Alvito), Yuko Miyamoto (as brothel proprietor Gin), Eita Okuno (as Toranaga's half-brother Saeki) and Yuka Kouri (as prized courtesan Kiku).

In addition, some new faces have also been added, including Asami Kizukawa as Aya, Masataka Kubota as Hyūga, Sho Kaneta as Hidenobu, Takaaki Enoki as Lord Ito, and Jun Kunimura as Gōda. 

The Shōgun season two synopsis reads, "is set ten years after the events of the first season," per the official synopsis, "and continues the historically-inspired saga of these two men from different worlds whose fates are inextricably entwined."

It is worth noting that the series was initially planned as a miniseries. However, after its debut, the samurai epic became such a breakout success - winning a record 18 Emmys - that it led the network to order two additional seasons.