LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- The U.S. television drama "Shogun" and its star cast members have been nominated for top awards at the Golden Globes, the event organizer said Monday, in further recognition of the success of the series set in feudal Japan.

Hiroyuki Sanada, 64, was among the nominees for the best performance by a male actor in a TV drama series, while Anna Sawai, 32, was among those up for the award in the corresponding female category.

Shogun is also in the running for the best TV drama series. It collected a total of 18 Emmy awards earlier this year.

Set on the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Sanada, who also produced the program, plays a fictitious military commander modeled after shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Sawai acts as an interpreter to a British navigator in Sanada's samurai clan.

Tadanobu Asano, 51, who plays a samurai in the drama, was nominated for the supporting male TV actor award.

The Golden Globe Awards ceremony will take place on Jan. 5 in California's Beverly Hills.