Historical epic "Shogun" won the prestigious best drama award at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, and "Hacks" upset favorite "The Bear" to win best comedy as Hollywood celebrated the best of television.

Japanese actors Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada won best actress and actor for "Shogun", while Frederick E. O. Toye won best director for a drama series for his work on the show.

The series also picked up 14 trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys, a precursor event that recognizes guest actors and crafts such as cinematography and production design.

READ: 'Shogun' smashes Emmys record as 'Hacks', 'Baby Reindeer' shine

"I would say the most important thing that I wanted to capture was what I appreciate in storytelling and that is the internal life of characters," E.O. Toye said after the ceremony.

"I was hoping that through the various tumultuous things that happened to the characters in Shogun and the historical context that they're in, that the one thing that you would connect with is the internal dialog of the characters of Blackthorne, of Mariko, of Toranaga, of Yabushige," the director added.

The series has garnered attention for featuring a majority Japanese cast with Japanese being the primary language spoken within the series. Upon winning best drama, Sanada spoke words of thanks in Japanese.

Sanada said he was overwhelmed when he was announced as winner for best actor during the ceremony.

"When they first call my name, it was very unbelievable. But once I got on the stage, I really felt the weight of the moment and what it all means historically and for my cast endure," the actor said.

Sanada added he thought about former teachers and friends during the production of the series and that he hoped the next generation could see a lot of meaning in nominations of Japanese actors and crew.

(Production: Andrea Rodriguez, Eva Weininger)