Sonny Chiba

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.

Sonny Chiba studied at Nippon Sport Science University and Chiba Prefectural Kisarazu High School. The recorded working language is Japanese. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are kayōkyoku. Employment is recorded with Kyoto University of the Arts and Design, Toei Company and Japan Action Enterprise. Positions recorded include full professor. Distinctions recorded are Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year and American Choreography Awards.

• Name — Sonny Chiba • Native Name — 千葉 真一 • Birth Name — Sadaho Maeda • Born — 22 January 1939 • Birthplace — Fukuoka, Japan • Died — 19 August 2021 • Place of death — Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan • Other Names — Shinichi Chiba JJ Sonny Chiba Rindō Wachinaga • Height — 176cm • Education — Nippon Sport Science University • Occupation — Actor, martial artist • Years Active — 1960–2021 • Children — * Juri Manase • Mackenyu • Gordon Maeda • Relatives — Jirō Yabuki (brother) • Website — chibashinichi.com born Sadaho Maeda; 22 January 1939 – 19 August 2021, 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.

Born Sadaho Maeda, he used the stage name "Chiba Shinichi" throughout his professional career. When New Line Cinema released the film Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken in the United States in 1974, they retitled it The Street Fighter and billed its star as Sonny Chiba. Later, Chiba modified the name to "JJ Sonny Chiba", wherein the initials stood for "Justice Japan". After appearing in the taiga drama Fūrin Kazan in November 2007, he announced the retirement of the stage name "Shinichi Chiba"; henceforth he was billed "JJ Sonny Chiba" as an actor and Rindō Wachinaga as a film director.

• Illustration — Chiba in Drifting Detective: Tragedy in the Red Valley, 1961 Chiba was born in Fukuoka, the third of five children. His father was a pilot for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service; his mother, originally from Kumamoto Prefecture, had competed in track and field in her youth. When he was four years old, his father was transferred to Kisarazu, Chiba, and the family moved to Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture. After Chiba went to junior high school in Kimitsu, the physical education teacher advised him to do artistic gymnastics. He also was passionate about track and field sports, baseball, and volleyball. He participated in those four sports championships of Chiba Prefecture. In high school, Chiba dedicated himself to artistic gymnastics and won the National Sports Festival of Japan while in his third year. He enjoyed watching movies, including Western movies such as Shane and High Noon. Chiba went to the Nippon Sport Science University in 1957. He was a serious candidate for a place in the Japanese Olympic team in his late teens until he was sidelined by a back injury. While he was a university student, he began studying martial arts with the renowned Kyokushin Karate master Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama (whom he later portrayed in a trilogy of films), which led to a first-degree black belt on 15 October 1965, later receiving a fourth-degree on 20 January 1984.

• Illustration — Chiba in Invasion of the Neptune Men, 1961 Sometime around 1960, he was discovered in a talent search (called "New Face") by the Toei film studio, and he began his screen career soon after. The CEO of Toei at the time gave him the stage name "Shinichi Chiba". His acting career began on television, starring in two tokusatsu superhero shows, first replacing 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 and then starring as Gorō Narumi/Messenger of Allah in Messenger of Allah (Allah no Shisha). He starred in the 1961 science fiction movie Invasion of the Neptune Men and the first Kinji Fukasaku film, Drifting Detective: Tragedy in the Red Valley, which marked the beginning of a long series of collaborations for the two. Over the next decade, he was cast primarily in crime thrillers. By 1970, Chiba had started his own training school for aspiring martial arts film actors and stunt performers known as JAC (Japan Action Club), in order to develop the level of martial arts techniques and sequences used in Japanese film and television. Today the organization is known as Japan Action Enterprise (JAE). He starred in Karate Kiba (Bodyguard Kiba) in 1973, which was his first martial arts movie. Chiba's breakthrough international hit was The Street Fighter (1974) which was brought to Western audiences (dubbed in English) by New Line Cinema. The film and its sequels established him as the reigning Japanese martial arts actor in international cinema for the next two decades. It was New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye who gave Chiba the English name "Sonny", which Chiba would adopt as his own (mostly for non-Japanese projects) from that point on. Chiba's subsequent projects included such pictures as The Bullet Train (1975), Karate Warriors (1976), Doberman Cop (1977), Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977), and The Assassin (1977). He also occasionally returned to the science fiction genre, in movies such as Message from Space (1978). He also began to star on some jidaigeki such as Shogun's Samurai (1978), The Fall of Ako Castle (1978), G.I. Samurai (1979), Shadow Warriors (1980), and Samurai Reincarnation (1981). He was not only actor in but also stunt coordinator for G.I. Samurai, Burning Brave (1981), and Shogun's Shadow (1989). He was executive producer and director for Yellow Fangs (1990) and also directed and starred in Oyaji (2007). Chiba portrayed Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi multiple times, first in the 1978 film Shogun's Samurai and in its TV series remake The Yagyu Conspiracy, which aired from 1978 to 1979. He then appeared as Jūbei in the TV series Yagyū Abaretabi, which aired from 1980 to 1981 and in the 1981 film Samurai Reincarnation (Makai Tensho) and its theatrical musical version Yagyu Jubei Makai Tensho. He then reprised his role as Jūbei in the second season of Yagyū Abaretabi, this time entitled Yagyū Jūbei Abaretabi, which aired from 1982 to 1983. A few years later he returned to play Jūbei in Iemitsu, Hikoza, and Isshin Tasuke: A National Crisis, a TV movie that aired in 1989. His final appearance as Jūbei was in 2 direct-to-DVD films entitled Sarutobi Sasuke and the Army of Darkness 3: Wind Chapter and Sarutobi Sasuke and the Army of Darkness 4: Fire Chapter in 2005. Other notable Japanese television roles for Chiba were the ninja leaders Hattori Hanzō III, Tsuge Shinpachi, Tarao Hanzō, and Hattori Hanzō XV across multiple seasons of the Shadow Warriors TV series and Hattori Hanzō I in the 2003 direct-to-DVD series follow-up Shin Kage no Gundan (New Shadow Warriors). Chiba was even busier in the 1980s, doing dozens of movies as well as making forays into television, and with roles in such high-profile adventures as the popular Hong Kong comic-based movie The Storm Riders (1998), starring alongside Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok. His fame in Japan remained unabated into the 1990s. In his fifties, the actor resumed working as a choreographer of martial arts sequences. At the dawn of the 21st century, Chiba was as busy as ever in feature films and also starring in his own series in Japan. Roles in Takashi Miike's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and his work with directors Kenta and Kinji Fukasaku in Battle Royale II effectively bridged the gap between modern day and yesteryear cinematic cult legends. Chiba's enduring onscreen career received a tribute when he appeared in a key role as Hattori Hanzo, the owner of a sushi restaurant and retired samurai sword craftsman, in director Quentin Tarantino's bloody revenge epic Kill Bill: Volume I in 2003. Chiba starred in more than 125 films for Toei Studios and has won numerous awards in Japan for his acting.

• Illustration — Chiba at the GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019 In 1994 Chiba divorced his first wife, actress Yōko Nogiwa. Their daughter Juri Manase is also an actress. He married Tamami Chiba in 1996, with whom he had a 28-year age difference. They had two sons, Mackenyu Arata and Gordon Maeda, who are both actors. Chiba and Tamami Chiba divorced in 2015. Also in 2015, Weekly Shincho reported that Chiba was romantically involved with a 22-year old female university student. At the time, his divorce with Tamami Chiba was in the process of being finalized. His younger brother, Jirō Yabuki (also known as Jiro Chiba), was also an actor.

In early August 2021, Chiba contracted COVID-19 (due to the highly contagious Delta variant). Initially, he was treated at home, but was hospitalized a few days later on 8 August when he developed pneumonia. He died at the hospital in Kisarazu, Chiba, on 19 August 2021, at the age of 82. He had not received double or triple vaccination, according to his agency. His body was cremated on 20 August after a private funeral.

The protagonist, Clarence Worley (Christian Slater), in the Quentin Tarantino-written True Romance (1993) is a fan of Chiba. In a pivotal early scene, he watches a Chiba triple feature. A modified version of the opening scroll to the English dub of Karate Kiba (1973, English: The Bodyguard) was used in the script of Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Tarantino's script changed the Ezekiel 25:17 speech, swapping out "I am Chiba the Bodyguard" for "my name is the Lord". Tarantino worked with Chiba in 2003 with Kill Bill: Volume I, in which Chiba portrays Katana master maker Hattori Hanzō in a vignette that combines comical interaction with his assistant (Kenji Ohba), with sombre references to traditional Japanese sword making. The character Takayuki Chiba from the shōnen manga series Kengan Ashura is based on Chiba and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Chiba held black belts in the following martial arts: • Kyokushin Karate: 4th Dan • Togakure-ryū Ninpō Taijutsu: 4th Dan • Goju-ryu karate: 2nd Dan • Shorinji Kempo: 2nd Dan • Judo: 2nd Dan • Kendo: 1st Dan

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1960 — Seven Color Mask (新七色仮面) — Seven Color Mask II/Kōtarō Ran — 26 episodes • Messenger of Allah (アラーの使者) — Gorō Narumi — 26 episodes • Wanted: Demon Fire (指名手配 悪魔の火) — 1 episode • 1963 — The Light of Asakusa (浅草の灯) — TV film • 1964 — JNR Inspector No. 36 (鉄道公安36号) — Railway Inspector Hayakawa — 4 episodes • 1965 — Flag of Glory (栄光の旗) — Lieutenant Yamanaka — Part 1 • 1965–1966 — Blind Black Belt (くらやみ五段) — Tatsuya Kurami • 1965 — Special Tactical Police (特別機動捜査隊) — Detective Komatsu — 1 episode • 1965–1966 — Kiiroi Fūdo (黄色い風土) • 1968–1973 — Key Hunter (キイハンター) — Yōsuke Kazama • 1969 — Special Investigation Office (特命捜査室) — 1 episode • 1970 — Judo Straight Line (柔道一直線) — Washio — 3 episodes • 1972–1974 — The Young Detective (刑事くん) — Detective Yabuki — 3 episodes • 1973 — Robot Detective (ロボット刑事) — Keitarō Shinjō — 2 episodes • Suspense Series: Modern Witch Tale Murderous Love (サスペンスシリーズ 現代鬼婆考 殺愛) — Shige — 1 episode • 1974 — The Bodyguard (ザ・ボディガード) — Shūsuke Washimi — 26 episodes • 1975 — The Gorilla Seven (ザ★ゴリラ7) — Daisuke Kazami — 26 episodes • 1975–1976 — Blazing Dragnet (燃える捜査網) — Shirō Ōgami — 14 episodes • 1976 — Emergency Line (大非常線) — Masahiro Godai — 10 episodes • Nanairo Tongarashi (七色とんがらし) — Tetsuo Samejima • 1977 — Shingo Tondeke Torimonochō (新伍とんでけ捕物帳) • 1978 — Crossroads (十字路) — Junzō Kihara — 3 parts • Omoide no Umibe Papa, Boku Shinitakunai!! (想い出の海辺 パパ、ぼく死にたくない!!) — TV film • 1978–1979 — The Yagyu Conspiracy (柳生一族の陰謀) — Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi — 39 episodes • 1978 — Yukiyama Sanka Aru Seishun: Tateta! Subereta! (雪山讃歌・ある青春 〜 立てた! 滑れた!) — TV film • Southern Cross (南十字星 コルネリアお雪異聞 わたしの山田長政) — Miyamoto Musashi — TV film • 1980 — Shadow Warriors (服部半蔵 影の軍団) — Hattori Hanzō III — 27 episodes • Tokyo Great Earthquake Magnitude 8.1 (東京大地震マグニチュード8.1) — Kobayashi — TV film • 1980–1981 — Yagyu Abaretabi (柳生あばれ旅) — Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi — 26 episodes • 1981 — Keishichō Satsujin-ka (警視庁殺人課) — 1 episode • 1981–1982 — Shadow Warriors II (影の軍団II) — Tsuge Shinpachi — 26 episodes • 1982–1983 — Space Sheriff Gavan (宇宙刑事ギャバン) — Voicer — 6 episodes, uncredited • 1982 — Shadow Warriors III (影の軍団III) — Tarao Hanzō — 26 episodes • 1982–1983 — Yagyu Jubei Abaretabi (柳生十兵衛あばれ旅) — Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi — 26 episodes • 1983 — Space Sheriff Sharivan (宇宙刑事シャリバン) — Voicer — 1 episode, uncredited • 1984 — Wonderful Circus Guy (素晴らしきサーカス野郎) — Daigaku Maejima — TV film Planning • 1985 — Shadow Warriors IV (影の軍団IV) — Hattori Hanzō XV — 27 episodes • Shadow Warriors: The End of an Era (影の軍団 幕末編) — Hattori Hanzō XV — 13 episodes • 1986 — Shinya ni Yōkoso (深夜にようこそ) — Kōzō Murata — 4 parts • 1987 — Taikoki (太閤記) — Akechi Mitsuhide — TV film • Tomorrow's Snow (雪の朝に) — Dr. Sakamoto — TV film • A Traveling Girl (旅少女) — Takeshi Ishikawa • Autumn Scenario (秋のシナリオ) — Tatsumi — TV film • 1988 — Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康) — Ishikawa Kazumasa — TV film • Ryokō keba Renzoku Satsujin (旅行けば連続殺人) — Tetsuya Nanjō — TV film • 1989 — Oda Nobunaga (織田信長) — Oda Nobuhide — TV film • Iemitsu, Hikoza, and Isshin Tasuke: A National Crisis (家光と彦左と一心太助 天下の一大事) — Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi — TV film • OL Sennyū! Nippon Fūzoku Meisho (OL潜入! ニッポン風俗名所) — Iwata — TV film • The Days I Saw in My Dreams (夢に見た日々) — Shinsaku Sekimoto — 10 episodes • 1990 — Minamoto Yoshitsune (源義経) — Zenrinbō Kakunichi — TV film • Shingo's Ten Duels (新吾十番勝負) — Umei Tamon — TV film • Ashi de Miru-yama (足で見る山) — Kurahashi — TV film • Seventeen Ninja (十七人の忍者) — Iga no Jingoza — TV film, assistant director • 1991 — Takeda Shingen (武田信玄) — Takeda Nobutora — TV film • Saito Dosan: Rage of Power (戦国乱世の暴れん坊 斎藤道三 怒涛の天下取り) — Akechi Mitsutsuna — TV film • 1992 — Tokugawa Buraichō (徳川無頼帳) — Matsudaira Tadateru — 24 episodes • 1993 — Mori Ranmaru: Sengoku o Kake Nuketa Waka Jishi (森蘭丸〜戦国を駆け抜けた若獅子〜) — Mori Sanzaemon Yoshinari — TV film • 1996 — Legend of St. Dragon (聖龍伝説) — Yūji Saeki — 1 episode • 1997–1998 — Terakoya Yume Shinan (寺子屋ゆめ指南) — Matajūrō Sensui — 23 episodes • 2001 — Shotgun-Marriage (できちゃった結婚) — Ittetsu Kotani — 11 episode • 2002 — Wind and Cloud (風雲) — Lord Conqueror • 2005 — Legendary Sword fights of Yagyu Jubei (柳生十兵衛七番勝負) — Miyamoto Musashi — 1 episode • Team Astro (アストロ球団) — J. Shuro • 2007 — Fūrin Kazan (風林火山) — Itagaki Nobukata — 30 episodes • 2011 — Secret Agent Erika (秘密諜報員 エリカ) — Pastor of St. Francisco Church — 1 episode • 2014 — Owakon TV (おわこんTV) — Genjirō Aramaki — 8 episodes

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2013 — Ninja Theory (ニンジャセオリー) — Ninja master — Voice • 2018 — Shakespeare in Tokyo — Calligrapher

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1981 — Yagyu Jubei Makai Tensho (柳生十兵衛 魔界転生) — Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi • Stuntman Story (スタントマン物語) • 1982–1984 — The Big Adventure of The Fantastic Pirates (ゆかいな海賊大冒険) — Captain Daedalus — Director • 1985 — The Drunken Duke (酔いどれ公爵) — Duke Robert — Director Planning Original idea • 1986 — Adventure Youth Departure (アドベンチャー 青春の出発) — Planning Supervision • Stuntman Love Story (スタントマン 愛の物語) — Planning Supervision • 1987 — Shinichi Chiba's Shadow Warriors (千葉真一奮闘公演 影の軍団) • 2008 — Furin Kazan: Harunobu Burning (風林火山 晴信燃ゆ) — Itagaki Nobukata • 2015 — Biohazard: The Stage — Ezra Sennett

Sonny Chiba was recorded at birth as 前田 禎穂. The authorities additionally record the headings Shinichi Chiba, JJ Sonny Chiba, Sadaho Maeda and 千葉真一. His recorded language was Japanese. He married Yōko Nogiwa. 3 children are recorded: Juri Manase, Mackenyu and Gordon Maeda.