Hiroshi Kawashima (Japanese: 川島 郭志; born March 27, 1970) is a former professional boxer. He defended the WBC super…Hiroshi Kawashima (Japanese: 川島 郭志; born March 27, 1970) is a former professional boxer. He defended the WBC super flyweight title six times.
Hisako Sasaki (佐々木 久子, Sasaki Hisako; née Uno (宇野)), (born July 13, 1967) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler…Hisako Sasaki (佐々木 久子, Sasaki Hisako; née Uno (宇野)), (born July 13, 1967) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known as Akira Hokuto (北斗 晶, Hokuto Akira).
Sadaharu Tanikawa (谷川貞治, Tanikawa Sadaharu) (27 September 1961 in Nagoya) is a Japanese combat sports promoter and was…Sadaharu Tanikawa (谷川貞治, Tanikawa Sadaharu) (27 September 1961 in Nagoya) is a Japanese combat sports promoter and was previously the president of Fighting and Entertainment Group.
Akira Maeda (前田 日明, Maeda Akira) (born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed…Akira Maeda (前田 日明, Maeda Akira) (born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Maeda was also known by the ring name Kwik-kik-Lee during his time on the British wrestling's slot on the sports show World of Sport (WoS). Maeda helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s. He founded Fighting Network RINGS in 1991 which would become one of the top MMA promotions before it folded in 2002.
Masayuki Mori (森昌行, Mori Masayuki; born 1953 in Tottori, Japan) is a Japanese film producer. He is best known for…Masayuki Mori (森昌行, Mori Masayuki; born 1953 in Tottori, Japan) is a Japanese film producer. He is best known for collaborating as a producer for films made by actor and filmmaker Takeshi Kitano under Kitano's production company, Office Kitano.
Akihiko Honda (本田 明彦, Honda Akihiko; born September 9, 1947) is a Japanese professional boxing promoter who was…Akihiko Honda (本田 明彦, Honda Akihiko; born September 9, 1947) is a Japanese professional boxing promoter who was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008, and was also selected as an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.
Masahiko Tsugawa (津川 雅彦, Tsugawa Masahiko), born Masahiko Katō (加藤 雅彦 Katō Masahiko; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018)…Masahiko Tsugawa (津川 雅彦, Tsugawa Masahiko), born Masahiko Katō (加藤 雅彦 Katō Masahiko; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor and director.
Shinichi Chiba (Japanese: 千葉 真一, Hepburn: Chiba Shin'ichi; born Sadaho Maeda; 22 January 1939 – 19 August 2021) IPA…Shinichi Chiba (Japanese: 千葉 真一, Hepburn: Chiba Shin'ichi; born Sadaho Maeda; 22 January 1939 – 19 August 2021) IPA: [tɕiꜜba ɕiɰ̃itɕi], known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later to an international audience. Born in Fukuoka, Chiba played a variety of sports in high school, including baseball and volleyball. He also practiced gymnastics and participated at the National Sports Festival of Japan in his third year. When he was a university student, he learned martial arts, earning a black belt in Kyokushin Karate in 1965 and later receiving a fourth degree in 1984. Chiba's career began in the 1960s, when he starred in two tokusatsu superhero shows. In his first role, he replaced Susumu Wajima as the main character Kōtarō Ran/Seven Color Mask in Seven Color Mask (Nana-iro Kamen) in the second half of the series. However, his breakthrough role was in the 1974 film The Street Fighter. Before retiring, Chiba had also appeared in a number of English language American films, including Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). Chiba died of COVID-19 complications at the hospital in Tokyo on 19 August 2021, at the age of 82.
Kazuya Tatekabe (たてかべ和也, Tatekabe Kazuya; July 25, 1934 – June 18, 2015) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and talent…Kazuya Tatekabe (たてかべ和也, Tatekabe Kazuya; July 25, 1934 – June 18, 2015) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and talent manager from Kimobetsu, Hokkaidō. He was represented by Kenyu Horiuchi's Kenyu Office until the time of his death. Until 1977, he performed under his birth name Kazuya Tatekabe (立壁 和也, Tatekabe Kazuya). He is most known for the roles of Takeshi "Gian" Gōda (Doraemon), Warusa (Time Bokan), and Tonzura (Yatterman).
Osamu Noguchi (Japanese: 野口 修, Hepburn: Noguchi Osamu; 24 January 1934 – 9 May 2016) was a Japanese kickboxing…Osamu Noguchi (Japanese: 野口 修, Hepburn: Noguchi Osamu; 24 January 1934 – 9 May 2016) was a Japanese kickboxing promoter. He is often credited for creating the sport and the term kickboxing.
Mie Kitahara (北原三枝, Kitahara Mie; born 23 July 1933) is a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 60 films between…Mie Kitahara (北原三枝, Kitahara Mie; born 23 July 1933) is a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 60 films between 1952 and 1960.
Tetsurō Tamba (Japanese: 丹波 哲郎, Hepburn: Tanba Tetsurō), born Shozaburo Tanba (丹波 正三郎, Tanba Shōzaburō; July 17, 1922 –…Tetsurō Tamba (Japanese: 丹波 哲郎, Hepburn: Tanba Tetsurō), born Shozaburo Tanba (丹波 正三郎, Tanba Shōzaburō; July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006), was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He appeared in nearly 300 film and television productions, both in leading and supporting roles, and was the winner of the 1981 Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Supporting Actor. At the height of his career, he was one of Japan's most esteemed and prolific leading men, and worked with many significant directors including Kinji Fukasaku, Shōhei Imamura, Masaki Kobayashi, Masahiro Shinoda and Takashi Miike. Several of his films were identified with the Japanese New Wave movement. He also appeared in several international films, notably as Japanese secret service chief Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Later in his life, Tamba became known for his well-publicized interest in psychic phenomena, publishing several books on the subject and acting as a spokesperson for the Risshō Kōsei Kai new religious movement. He continued acting until 2006, when he died of pneumonia.