Sho Kosugi (小杉 正一, Kosugi Shōichi, born June
17, 1948 in Minato, Tokyo) is a Japanese martial artist with training in
ninjutsu who gained popularity as an actor during the 1980s, usually
playing ninja. He is the father of Kane Kosugi and Shane Kosugi.
Once there was a man who created a huge
Ninja sensation throughout the world. Born in Tokyo, Japan, he began his
Martial Arts training at the age of 5 1/2 years old. By the time he
reached 18, he held the prestigious title of All-Japan Karate Champion
as well as many others. However in 1968, he left Japan to pursue his
real dream which was to become an actor. After 8 determined years of
doing stunt and extra work in films, he landed his 1st major role and
there began his success story. He is the 1st and only Japanese actor to
ever reach the prestigious plateau of "the billion dollar star." His
name is Sho Kosugi.
His Ninja success instantly spread worldwide. Within a matter of years,
he played the leading roles in films such as: Enter the Ninja(1981),
Revenge of the Ninja(1982), Ninja 3: The Domination (1983), Nine Deaths
of the Ninja(1984), Pray for Death(1985), Rage of Honor (1986), Master
Class(1985) and Ninja Theater(1986). The Ninja sensation was so big that
when Pat Rod, of the Hollywood Reporter, was in countries like Greece
and Turkey she said, "Movie enthusiasts there never asked me about
Stallone, Cruise, or Harrison Ford; it was always, 'Have you ever met
Sho Kosugi?'"
Realizing that the big Ninja revolution would one day end, he made the
decision to diversify his acting to achieve a new status, not as a Ninja
but as an action hero in films like Black Eagle(1987), Blind Fury(1988)
and Journey of Honor: Shogun Mayeda (which he also produced,1990). After
a while, he began teaching young people, helping make their dreams come
true, by establishing the Sho Kosugi Institute(SKI) in Hollywood in
1998, where he is the principle as well as a frequent instructor. Since
then, schools in Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka have been opened, and Fukuoka
is next on the list. SKI is an academy where prospective young talents
can learn Gymnastics, Acting, Dance, Singing, Martial Arts, English, and
Taiko (Japanese Drums). In the SKI brochure, Sho Kosugi says, "There are
many young people who seek their dreams on the streets of Hollywood.
Looking back on my 22 years as a Hollywood star, not all my time was as
productive as it could have been. But as a result of my experience, I am
confident that my time here will not have been wasted if I am able to
help you find success in Hollywood. Your dream is to become a star and
my dream is to help you become one." He has also devoted himself to the
education of children, broadening their horizons physically, mentally,
and spiritually. He highly values discipline and respect as seen very
clearly through his children, two sons and a daughter. Utilizing his
experience, he now guides more than 500 young lives and teaches them not
to give up on their dreams.
Although currently a retired Ninja in black
himself, he continues to encourage others about his brand new style of
Ninjas. In 1998, he created ‘Ninja Taiko’from amongst his SKI members, a
combination of traditional Japanese Taiko with Martial Arts and
Acrobatic movements. Most of the members were new to the Taiko drums but
became proficient at the SKI school in Hollywood.
‘Ninja Taiko’ has been performing in LA for
various public events, one of which caught the eye of a director which
landed them a role in the movie "The Scorpion King. "‘Ninja Taiko’also
became a stage play in Japan entitled, "The Ninjas from Hollywood-Japan
Tour 2001" The show starred his second son, Shane Kosugi as well as Sho
Kosugi himself. Currently, "The Ninjas from Hollywood-Japan Tour 2002"is
in preparations, because people love revivals of old TV shows and
movies, especially of action heroes. Recently, we have seen the
Re-emergence of Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, Charlie’s Angels, and many
more are soon to follow. It is the action heroes that give us hopes and
dreams that encourage us to try harder in our every day lives.
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From Official Sho Kosugi Website
Official Sho Kosugi Website
