Akira Koieyama is a famed Japanese martial artist and actor who has played in films like "The Last Samurai", "47 Ronin", "Rush" and in the web series "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist".
We talk to him about his career, life, martial arts and many other topics.
How did you first enter the martial arts? What kind of training did you receive?
I started karate practice when I was a kid, particularly Shurite Ryu karate. When I started, the students went to the dojo twice a week. We practiced Makiwara, Kata, Kumite, we trained from basic to sparring. I got hurt and injured sometimes but I liked training. I remember doing a lot of practice before the tournament. I started tae kwon do practice last year. I also love Japanese sword training (iaido).
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I went to Toho's contemporary acting studio for 3 years in Japan, then I started my career, initially on theatre. After that, step by step into television and movies.
You have been part of blockbusters like "The Last Samurai", "Rush" and "47 Ronin". Can you describe your experiences in them?
These are all special experiences for me. What i remember most, though, are the big fight scenes in "The Last Samurai", which were shot in New Zealand. More than 500 Japanese people stayed in Taranaki during filming. The final battle scene was powerful: horses were running, everyone screaming and attacking. It was like a blow of two big waves. It was a very strong experience and I am honored to have been part of that team.
Byung Hun-lee was quite vocal recently about racism issues in Hollywood. Have you experienced similar behaviors?
Fortunately, I have not experienced any racial discrimination. I do not really know about Hollywood, but I hope that more Asian actors will have more opportunities.
You have played an iconic role as Gouken in the web-series "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist." Can you tell us a bit about the
In The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, a young man is thrown from his established world, left in a new, confusing realm that holds more than meets the eye. In the midst of a violent and ferocious war between the Chinese and Japanese in mid 1937, this young man, Stephen, contracts tuberculosis, and is sent to his family’s summer house in Japan. There he meets the house’s caretaker, Matsu, a simple and reserved man who holds back all but the most necessary speech. This meeting will come to define many of Stephen’s interactions with others throughout the novel: reserved and limited. In this odd land filled with subtle secrets and unspoken uncomfortability, Stephen is prepared for a very quiet and restful period, marked with healing and growth.
Have you ever thought that the Samurai warriors and the Medieval Knights had something in common? The Samurai and Knights fought in war, and they had to honor their code of conduct. So do samurai warriors and Medieval Knights have anything in common? The similarities between Samurai and Knights were greater than the differences. This can be seen from three important areas; social position, training and armour, and honor and death.
Akira Kurosawa, legendary Japanese filmmaker who directed films like The Hidden Fortress which was a major inspiration for Star Wars, Yojimbo, Rashomon and many more, but his most well known film, The Seven Samurai is his best movie, it is rank 19 of Top Rated Movies in IMDB, so of course after the release of the film in America, Hollywood remade the film and titled it The Magnificent Seven. Because it is a remake The Magnificent Seven and The Seven Samurai both have many similarities in terms of the plot, characters, and theme. Ultimately, due to having more originality and better characters, The Seven Samurai is the better film than The Magnificent Seven. The Seven Samurai takes place in 1586, at that period, there was a lot of conflicts between the civilian and the emperor because the Emperor was the leader and had problem keeping peace, the
The Last Samurai is a film that is often used to teach history in classes. The last Samurai represents the end of an era. The film does a good job of teaching many parts of Japanese History. This movie teaches us about the way of the Samurai, and their beliefs and traditions. The movie also expresses what life was like during the Meiji Restoration. You can see in the movie that technology started to advance, gradually decreasing the amount of Samurais. The Satsuma Rebellion, which lasted for 6 months, was shown in the movie as a battle between tradition and modernisation. Even though this film is not entirely accurate, it has some key historical events which are good for learning about this historic period.
The samurai were the feudal warriors of ancient Japan. For thousands of years they upheld the code of bushido, the way of the warrior. Samurai were around for thousands of years, but when did they disappear? Does the code of bushido still exist to this day? Exploring the history of the samurai will give an explanation to what has happened to these formidable warriors.
Japan has a very rich history on the view of suicide. It is even discussed in two main Japanese history narratives. The first major writing I will be discussing is Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (1716) by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. The second was written in 1899 by Nitobe Inazō and it was called Bushido: The soul of Japan. It is important to point out some differences about the two books. On the one hand Hagakure’s book is written to explain bushido (the way of the Samurai) to people from the age of the Samurai. On the other hand, Bushido was written and based off of Hagakure, however it is written in the context of the late nineteenth century, well after European context. Furthermore, Inazō wrote Bushido in America while Japan was in the midst
This film had spectacular performances from the actors, especially Takashi Shimura, who plays Kanbei. Kanbei is a seasoned samurai and he was first chosen by the elders of the village. Toshiro Mifune’s plays Kikuchiyo who is an abrasive samurai who bridges the gap between the warriors and the people who live in the village.
When I started, it took months of private lessons, from multiple international coaches who were here for school at OSU, and practicing all
Perhaps the only thing in this world that is certain is death. It is a concept that is universal among the world and likewise is feared by many. Many have qualms regarding the questions that surround death. Due to the complexity of these questions and the mystery that surrounds its possible answers, fear arises within people. It is said that the number one fear is public speaking, but one must wonder if death was one of the choices. Although death is frightening for many, there were particular individuals in Japanese history that were believed to be fearless in the face of death, they were the samurai.
The Japanese warrior, known as the samurai, has played a significant role in Japan's history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced back to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their evolution to today. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most famous group of warriors of all times.
My father taught me to fight. He took to Camp Lejeune with him and had me watch the Marines training for hand to hand combat. He taught me how to fight with a knife, to shoot a gun and to find the weakness in any opponent I might have. The skills I learned helped me defend myself and my friends from the perils that awaited us.
The film demonstrates the long-lasting martial arts through the sword fight between the warriors. Chinese martial arts are a unique mixture of self-defense, exercise, meditation, harmony, and self-discipline. Additionally, it uses the strength of body and brain. Each battle scene in the movie depicts that martial arts virtue peace instead of violence. It is shown in the scene, where nameless (Jet Li) is fighting with broken sword while floating on the lake and drawing a pattern with their sword. The martial arts define the styles of Chinese tradition and life of the warriors. It is one of the important aspects of Chinese culture as it is deeply imbedded in China, and it serves as a representative of the culture. It has enhanced my understanding on importance of martial arts in Chinese culture.
The movie, The Last Samurai, filled the theatres in 2003 with its suspenseful plot, exciting battle sequences and historical reference within the script. In the film, The Last Samurai, Americans were portrayed as an influential world power. Thus, a troubled American, Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is hired to teach the Japanese, American war tactics in order to fight in combat against the Samurai. Through a brutal journey of battle and strife, Nathan is faced with the life or death situation of fighting for his new home and for the last of the Samurai or battle for the land, he is not proud to call his own. The film makes use of the time period, politics, technology, and violence to illustrate the horrors of the real, America.
Once upon a time, I qualified for the Tae Kwon Do State Championships, to go to the Tae Kwon Do Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. It was my second year at the Jr. Olympics, and I was competing in two events. Sparring and forms. Forms has always been my favorite, partly because I was pretty good at doing them. Sparring was okay. I guess.
From the start of the research essay assignment, Seven Samurai was my first pick as my research topic. I watched the film for the first time earlier this year when the spring semester began. I was aware of Akira Kurosawa and his legacy, but I had never seen any of his films before. As I watched, I could see the influence the movie had the narrative elements of prominent films that followed. From there, coming back around to the research assignment, I knew such a prominent Kurosawa film would have an abundance of scholarly articles and analyses from reliable sources for me to take advantage of.