:Kenji Kazama
{{short description|Japanese martial artist and actor}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_date = 1943
| birth_place = Aichi Prefecture, Japan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| birth_name =Minoru Tsutsui
| othername = Ken Kazama, Kenji Kazuma, Ken Kazuma, Kazuma Kenji, Fung Gaan Kin
| occupation = Film actor, fight director
}}
Kenji Kazama is a Japanese (martial artist). He played the henchman Spider who fought Fred Williamson in the 1973 action film That Man Bolt and he played Yokohama a mean and brutal Japanese official who fought Jhoon Rhee in the 1973 martial arts classic When Taekwondo Strikes. In 1974 he played the part of Senkaku Kan in the Sonny Chiba cult classic The Street Fighter.
Background
Ken Kazama was born Minoru Tsutsui in Aichi Prefecture, Japan in 1943. He won the Karate Championship in 1961 and won a Shorinji Kempo Championship in 1963. During the mid-1960s, he established at Shorinji Kempo Nagoya Chuo-doin school. He also established Shorinji Kempo Clubs at the Aichi Gakuin University and the Chukyo Joshi Tanki University. In the late 1960s, he won a middleweight kickboxing championship in South Korea. Also with Shinichi Chiba he founded the Japan Action Club (JAC).Japan-Africa Economic and Culture Association - [http://www.jaeca.or.jp/pdf/ken_kazama_profile_en.pdf KIREN BUSHINDO Pages 1 and 2]
Career
In When Taekwondo Strikes, a 1973 martial arts film that featured Jhoon Rhee, Angela Mao Ying, Carter Wong, Anne Winton and Sammo Hung, Kazama was cast as Yokohama.Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/when-taekwondo-strikes/ When Taekwondo Strikes 1973 ‘跆拳震九州’ Directed by Wong Fung ]British Film Institute - [https://web.archive.org/web/20200203113406/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b788b28f7 WHEN TAEKWONDO STRIKES (1973), Cast & Credits] He had one of climactic fights with the hero's taking him on.Movieo.me - [https://movieo.me/movies/when-taekwondo-strikes-gwbrwb When Taekwondo Strikes]Kung Fu Movie Guide, July 23, 2016 - [http://kungfumovieguide.com/when-taekwondo-strikes/ When Taekwondo Strikes (1973) by Ben Johnson]Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/when-taekwondo-strikes/ When Taekwondo Strikes 1973 ‘跆拳震九州’ Directed by Wong Fung ]
Kazama's role of Spider in That Man Bolt was that of a long time adversary to the main character, Bolt (Played by Fred Williamson) who takes him on in a fight.Black action films: Plots, Critiques, Casts and Credits for 235 Theatrical and made-for-Television Releases, By James Robert Parish, George H. Hill - [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHtZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ken+Kazama%22 Page 304]Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914-1989, By Gene Freese - [https://books.google.com/books?id=D9k1DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Ken+Kazama%22Kick+Boxing+director&pg=PA226 Page 225 FRED WILLIAMSON vs. KEN KAZAMA in That Man Bolt (1973)] Following his role in the 1973 film, he was appearing the following year in Sonny Chiba's film, The Street Fighter.Blaxploitation Films, By Mikel J Koven - [https://books.google.com/books?id=70JsGB96i18C&dq=%22Ken+Kazama%22&pg=PT102 That Man Bolt (1973), Background Information] He also had another role in the film as action director.Far East Films, June 15, 2015 - [https://www.fareastfilms.com/?review_post_type=the-street-fighter The Street Fighter, ACTION]Kung Fu Movie Guide, January 22, 2013 - [http://kungfumovieguide.com/the-street-fighter/ The Street Fighter (1974) by Ben Johnson] In the sequel to the film, Return of the Street Fighter, he was credited as kick boxing director.WorldCat - [http://libcat.calacademy.org/title/return-of-the-street-fighter-satsujin-ken-2/oclc/742056199?referer=di&ht=edition#details-allauthors Return of the Street Fighter = Satsujin ken 2 Details, All Authors / Contributors:]{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
In 1976 he had the lead role in a film called Karate From Shaolin Temple which also featured Henry Yu Yung, Fung Ngai, Henry Yu Yung and Bill Lake.HKMDB - [http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=11181 Karate from Shaolin Temple (1976)]Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/karate-from-shaolin-temple/ Karate from Shaolin Temple 1976 ‘少林寺拳法 ムサシ香港に現わる’ Directed by Hideo Nanbu]
Also in the 70s, Kazama recorded a song, "Forever Bruce Lee" and released on a 45 RPM single, Tam YT-1081.Discogs - [https://www.discogs.com/Ken-Kazama-Forever-Bruce-Lee/release/4155400 Ken Kazama* – Forever Bruce Lee]45Cat - [http://www.45cat.com/artist/ken-kazama Ken Kazama - Discography]
Film Work
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Film roles as actor |
| scope="col" class="unsortable" | Title
! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" | Director ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes # |
|---|
| scope="row" | Gangster Cop aka Yakuza deka | Kazamaki | Yukio Noda | 1970 | as Ken Kazama |
| scope="row" | When Taekwondo Strikes aka Tai quan zhen jiu zhou | Yokohama | 1973 | as Kenji Kazama |
| scope="row" | That Man Bolt
| Spider | David Lowell Rich, Henry Levin | 1974 | as Ken Kazama |
| scope="row" | The Street Fighter aka Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken | Senkaku Kan | 1974 | as Ken Kazama |
| scope="row" | Karate from Shaolin Temple aka Shorinji Kempo: Musashi Hong Kong ni arawaru (少林寺拳法 ムサシ香港に現わる) | Musashi Yamanaka | Hideo Nanbu | 1976 | Lead role |
| scope="row" | Angel Guts aka Jokôsei: tenshi no harawata | Yakuza | 1978 | as Ken Kazama |
| scope="row" | Sûpâ gun redei Wani Bunsho
| Shimokawa | Chûsei Sone | 1979 | as Ken Kazama |
| scope="row" | Station akaEki | | 1981 | as Ken Kazama |
| scope="row" | Kill Devil
| | Yuichi Onuma | 2004 | as Ken Kazama |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Television shows |
| scope="col" class="unsortable" | Title
! scope="col" | Episode ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" | Director ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes # |
|---|
| scope="row" | Daitokai - Tatakai no hibi
| "Episode #2.52" | | Jun Iwasaki | 1978 | |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Other work |
| scope="col" class="unsortable" | Title
! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" | Director ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes # |
|---|
| scope="row" | The Streetfighter
| Kickboxing direction | Shigehiro Ozawa | 1974 | |
| scope="row" | Return of the Street Fighter
| Kickboxing direction | 1974 | |
| scope="row" | The Real Miyagi
| Himself | Kevin Derek | 2015 |
References
{{reflist}}
Info
- [http://www.netflix.com/RoleDisplay/Ken_Kazama/30011461 Kill devil info]
External links
- Wikipedia Japan: Ken Kazama
- [http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=8531 Kong Kong Cinemagic: Kenji Kazuma]
- [http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=21521 Kazuma Kenji HKMDB 風間健]
- {{IMDb name|0443558}} as Ken Kazama
- {{IMDb name|0443557}} as Kenji Kazama
- [https://www.yeclo.com/telemiroir/people/198997/ken-kazama YECLO.com: Ken Kazama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203113407/https://www.yeclo.com/telemiroir/people/198997/ken-kazama |date=2020-02-03 }}
- [https://www.google.com/search?q=%E5%B0%91%E6%9E%97%E5%AF%BA%E6%8B%B3%E6%B3%95%E3%80%80%E3%83%A0%E3%82%B5%E3%82%B7%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E3%81%AB%E7%8F%BE%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8B&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBxbXYqbXnAhWVIbcAHW0RCAcQ_AUoAXoECAsQAw&biw=1920&bih=933#imgrc=wFS5nttDTF_v1M 少林寺拳法 ムサシ香港に現わる ''Karate from Shaolin Temple]
- [https://www.budo.co.jp/ Budo.jp: Kazama Ken]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazama, Kenji}}
Category:Japanese male pop singers
Category:Japanese male rock singers
Category:Japanese male karateka