Gosha's pessimistic HUNTER IN THE DARK (Yami-no Karyudo). Shelf who have their own Sonny Chiba resource. Henshin! Online. SHINICHI . STUDIED SEISHIN- KAI & GOSHIN- BUDO UNDER SHOGO KUNIBALevels Obtained: 2. ND- DAN GOJURYU - 2.
ND- DAN BLACKBELT IN JUDO - 4. TH- DAN BLACKBELT IN NINJUTSU - 1. ST DAN BLACKBELT IN KENDO - 1. ST- DAN BLACKBELT IN SHORINJI KEMPO (as previously stated, . Download Avalanche express 1979 english subtitles subtitles from. See Avalanche express 1979 english subtitles. Hunter in the Dark aka Yami no karyudo. You have to express yourself with your whole body. Japanese actors don't normally do this. What I'm doing as an action star is what every actor should be doing. If we cannot make the audience laugh, smile or cry with us, we are not actors. That may be idealistic - - but it's true. He is one of the most intense action film stars of all time. Whereas Bruce Lee's persona was that of a sleek and deadly cat, Chiba's is that of a hyperactive (but nonetheless lethal), pitbull. Let's get real here: Chiba's martial art skills are brutish opposed to Lee's, but they are nonetheless precise and powerful - - his skill seems more enraged, more brutal. You may not ever want to get into a fight with Lee, but you would NEVER dare cross Chiba. Even when he plays amiable good guys - - watch out - - because you don't envy the villains a bit once they piss Chiba off. Nobody does it quite as badass as Chiba. He later adopted the name . He aspired to enter the 1. Tokyo Olympics as a gymnast, by enrolling in the Physical Education Department of Nihon Taiku University. Everyone predicted a bright future for him as a contender for the Japanese Olympic Gymnastics Team, but he had taken on a part- time construction job, where he injured his hip bone - - forfeiting his Olympic chances. Greatly disappointed, he nonetheless continued with his martial arts training at the university, then World Karate Grand Master and Kyokushinken Karate founder, Masatatsu Oyama. In his senior year, he was given the honor of coaching at the university. Where would he go and what would he do? It was then that he auditioned and won the Toei Studios' 1. This was a rather non- conventional path, and one that greatly concerned his family - - especially his very traditionally minded father. The two subsequently had many arguments about the young Chiba's future. He was signed to take over senior action star Susumu Wajima's part as . The series combined elements of the masked avenger genre popularized by Kawauchi's . Interestingly, this series featured another turbaned hero like Moonlight Mask, but was set in the deserts of the Middle East - - with an all- Japanese cast. The main characters were all named after products sold by the show's sponsor, a Kabaya Confections. Both of these shows were more in line with the American superhero serials of the 1. Japanese superhero teleseries to follow. Toei Tokyo's short- lived action film division - - New Toei (created to compete with Nikkatsu's contemporary action films) - - began priming Chiba as an action star. After supporting roles in a pair of METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT STORY (Keishicho Monogatari) films and the classic THE GAMBLER (Osho), starring the venerable Rentaro Mikuni - - his debut starring vehicle was entitled THE DRIFTING DETECTIVE (Furaibo Tantei). The two B- Movies were the first films from seminal director Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royal). Later that same year, Chiba returned to a superhero role with Koji Ota's big- screen juvenile adventure THE SUPERSONIC SPACESHIP (Uchu Kaisoku- sen aka . His salary back then was around . He became the sensation of the long- running hit NET network series JNR INSPECTOR #3. JNR stands for . During the hectic production of the show, which was shot all over the Japanese Islands, Toei found time to squeeze him into another teleseries: 5th LEVEL DARKNESS (Kurayami Go- Dan), with Chiba playing a blind judo master - - but, this did not slow Toei Studios down from casting him in as many films as possible. His card for the 1. SHINTO BOSS (Shinto- no Sacho) series, as well as heavy handfuls of Crime, Judo, War, Youth and Dramatic films: FOR LOVE THE SUN AND THE GANG (Koi- to Taiyo- to Gangu), THE JUDO GENERATION (Judo Ichidai), GANG VS. G- MEN (Gangu tai G- Men), THE YAKUZA'S SONG (Yakuza- no Uta), THE VIOLENT UNDERWORLD (Boryokugai), ESCAPE: THE 2/2. INCIDENT (Ni- niroku Jiken Dashutsu), THE TERRIFYING WITCH (Kyofu- no Majo) and HIGHER THAN THE STARS IN THE SKY (Ano Sora- no Hate- ni Hoshi- wa Mattaku). These included director Hajime Sato's BATTLE BENEATH THE SEA (Kaitei Dai- Senso, aka . This strange juxtaposition of Art and Pulp would seem to be a recurring pattern throughout Chiba's long film career. The next year he found himself jet- propelled into . This dream cast included Tetsuro Tamba (YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE), Hayato Tani, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Eiko Ogawa, and Chiba's future ex- wife, Yoko Nogiwa. He had been featured in scores of films but none paid him the kind of salary he was longing for until this series came along. I desperately wanted my own series, and KEY HUNTER turned out to be a gem. He put a great deal of time and effort into each episode. During the five- year production of KEY HUNTER, Chiba continued to appear in no less than 1. WOLF YAKUZA (Okami Yakuza), YAKUZA COP (Yakuza Deka) and BODYGUARD KIBA (Bodeigarudo Kiba aka . Mas Oyama made guest appearances in the pair of BODYGUARD KIBA films, which were based on a popular adult manga by Ikki Kawajiri. Oyama was cut from the US version of the first entry, which was edited for release as THE BODYGUARD. In reality, it is a brilliant seriocomic action showcase for Chiba's sense of humor. Leading him to found what would become the Japan Action Club in 1. Based in the Ebisu Ward of Tokyo, JAC was created to provide able- bodied stuntmen/martial artists for any studio who was able to hire them. At its height, the organization employed over 1. JAC and Sonny Chiba Enterprises were able to launch a number of stuntmen and women into superstardom as actors, singers and action- heroes throughout the 1. JAC Alumni include: Etsuko . It also became apparent to me, that if things continued this way, I was going to end up looking like a clown - - because the other actors wouldn't be able to keep up with me. Actually, I created JAC so that Shinichi Chiba could be successful! These shows include THE BODYGUARDS (Za Bodeigarudo), THE GORILLA- 7 (Za Gorira Sebun), BLAZING DRAGNET (Moero Sosamo), EMERGENCY LINE (Dai- Hijosen) and the drama NANAIRO TONGARASHI. It was also during this period that JAC was influential to the . Chiba would from time to time, make a special appearance in some of these programs (or launch his proteges in them), such as 1. ROBOT DETECTIVE (Robotto Keiji) and 1. SPACE SHERIFF GAVAN (Uchu Keiji Gyaban). Chiba was well known in Hong Kong due to KEY HUNTER, and through their mutual friend, the two met to discuss a joint film project. Unfortunately, the film was put off due to Chiba's tough TV schedule. Eventually, Chiba agreed to appear in the Hong Kong/Japanese production: TOKYO- SEOUL- BANGKOK: TRUE STORY OF THE NARCOTICS ZONE (Tokio- Souru- Bankoku Jitsuroku Mayaku Chitai) in 1. He had to postpone his arrival in Hong Kong by ten days and soon after his plane landed, he was shocked to hear the news that Bruce Lee had suddenly passed away. Toei Studios was inspired by the enormous profits garnered by Toho- Towa's release of . Shigehiro Ozawa's THE STREETFIGHTER (Gekitotsu! Satsujin- Ken), RETURN OF THE STREETFIGHTER (Satsujin- Ken 2), THE STREETFIGHTER'S LAST REVENGE (Gyakushu! Satsujin- Ken); Teruo Ishii's THE EXECUTIONER (Chokugeki! Jigoku- Ken); THE KILLING MACHINE (Shorinji Kempo), KARATE INFERNO (Chokugeki! Jigoku- Ken Dai- Gyakuten), and KARATE WARRIORS (Kozure Satsujin- Ken) ) - - are among the martial art films produced in Japan during the blur that was the '7. Chiba also was a memorable presence in non- starring roles in SISTER STREETFIGHTER (Onna Hissatsu- Ken), DRAGON PRINCESS (Hissatsu Onna Kenshi), SUDDEN ATTACK! Aikido), THE 1. 3 STEPS (Wakai Kizoku- tachi: Jusan Kaidan- no Maki). Chiba also squeezed in some films for other Asian studios, such as THE JAPAN CONNECTION (allegedly with Kareem Abdul Jabar!) and the abysmal THE SOUL OF CHIBA (aka . Toei Studios was inspired by the enormous profits garnered by Toho- Towa's release of . Shigehiro Ozawa's VIOLENT CLASH! KILLING FIST (Gekitotsu! KILLING FIST 2 (Satsujin- Ken 2 aka ! KILLING FIST (Gyakushu! HELL FIST: THE BIG UPSET (Chokugeki! Jigoku- Ken Dai- Gyakuten aka . Aikido) and THE 1. STEPS OF MAKI: THE YOUNG ARISTOCRATS (Wakai Kizoku- tachi: Jusan Kaidan- no Maki aka . WAY OF THE EVIL FIST (Gekisatsu! At the time, Yamashita was quoted as saying, . Also, we used Lo Ching, who was a technical advisor on all of Jimmy Wang Yu's movies. Etsuko Shiomi is in it, too, and she's the number one actress in Thailand right now. Too bad, it would have been awesome to see Chiba and Yamashita busting their way out of a Mexican jail ala BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID - - in a flurry of fists and feet, instead of bullets. Of at least hooking himself up to his outlandish electrical muscle- contraction device once again! KILLING FIST by New Line Cinema in 1. American distributors were eager to capitalize on both the Kung Fu Craze and the boxoffice success of Warner Brothers' . Dubbed THE STREETFIGHTER for North American release, it was the first film ever to receive an . The sensation that followed the release of THE STREETFIGHTER caused a bit of negative and inaccurate tabloid publicity - - can you believe it? It was also falsely reported that Chiba was the result of a mixed- marriage between an American GI and a Japanese dancer, growing up on the mean streets of postwar Tokyo, where he was the leader of a dangerous youth gang called the ! Other such reports noted that Chiba went into seclusion as a Shinto monk, living somewhere in the foothills of Mount Fuji (!), all because of the overwhelming pubic attention following the release of THE STREETFIGHTER. Yeah, he was hiding out with Lee, Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison. Who the hell makes up this garbage? One such project was a trilogy of films (very) loosely based on the life of his mentor Masatatsu Oyama (who passed away in 1.
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