Feburary 4 - しょうがない (Japanese Word Origins vol. 4)

This is the fourth in a five-part series exploring the origins of Japanese phrases.

しょうがない (shouganai) - It can't be helped

The French have Jerry Lewis.
The Germans have David Hasselhoff.
The Japanese have Richard Chamberlain.
Although his star has faded in the United States, the King of the Miniseries still enjoys and always has enjoyed an almost otherworldly popularity in Japan. There are internet fansites devoted to Mr. Chamberlain, of course, as well as fanzines and lookalike contests. Stand-up comedians regularly crash variety shows dressed like Richard Chamberlain and there have been no less than seven biopics about his life. Richard Chamberlain is like the Coca Cola Classic of Japanese celebrity worship. Other stars may come and go, but Richard Chamberlain is a constant.
It all started with Shogun, the miniseries adaptation of James Clavell's best selling novel about an English sailor who integrates into Japanese feudal culture in the 1600s. When it was first broadcast in Japan in 1981, it was Must See TV before there was a name for such a thing; however, rather than showing a new part every night for a week like what was done in the United States, its broadcast was stretched out longer in Japan. Every Sunday for five weeks a new episode would air.
Missing it was out of the question. In fact, during the time when it was aired, any suggestions for dinner, movies, nights out on the town, or any other plans for a Sunday were met with a simple reply: A shake of the head and the phrase, "Shogun night." As if to say, Sorry. My hands are tied. It's Shogun night and I have to watch it. It's beyond my control.
Over time, the words blended together into one (shogunnai) and its use extended to any situation for which there is no solution and it can't be helped.

For example:

Hiro: So, you're saying the meeting time can't be changed?
Maki (shrugging and resigned): Sorry. Shogunnai.