Top 10 Facts about Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada during the 2013 Syfy Channel Press Day photo by Keith McDuffee – Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Facts about Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese martial artist and actor. Hiroyuki Sanada, born on October 12, 1960, in Tokyo, has appeared in several films and dramas to date. He is best known for his roles in martial arts films, but he has also appeared in theatre and also in television.

In the Japanese entertainment world, Sanada Hiroyuki is a rare breed: an actor who can act. Perhaps the greatest compliment an actor can receive in Japan, however insignificant it may appear elsewhere. And Sanada is one of the few who has dared to demonstrate this outside of Japan cementing his name as one of the most popular actors from Japan. Here are the top 10 facts about him.

1. His birth name is Hiroyuki Shimosawa

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor who was originally called Shimosawa Hiroyuki. After finishing the tryout for the film ‘Shogun’s Samurai’ in 1978, he resumed his acting career in full. He changed his last name from Shimosawa to Sanada around this time.

2. He has trained in a variety of martial arts styles

Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash

He began training in martial arts at the age of eight. Sanada trained in many different styles of martial arts because his primary goal was to become an action actor and play roles in martial arts movies. He initially trained in Shorinji Kempo. Doshin So founded this Japanese martial art in 1947, a modified form of Shaolin Kung Fu. Later, he started practising Kyokushin kaikan karate. This style of full-contact karate was developed in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama. 

Sanada had already appeared on screen at that point. He was five years old when he appeared in Game of Chance in 1965. He once stated that he started practising martial arts as a child to feel stronger rather than to become an action star. Still, Sanada was raised on Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, and Hong Kong martial arts films, and he aspired to do his stunts if he ever returned to the screen.

So he began practising karate, as well as dancing and horseback riding. Later, he attended Japan’s first stunt school. He improved his abilities by learning several other martial arts, and as a result, he had a good all-around ability.

3. He made his film debut at the age of 5

While playing with the son of actor Kokichi Takada, who lived in the same condominium, he was scouted by an entertainer. He worked as a model for a magazine for young children before joining the Himawari Theatre Group at the age of five.

He made his film debut in 1966 a few months shy of his sixth birthday in the ninkyo yakuza film Game of Chance, starring Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba, and returned the following year as Chiba’s character’s son in two sequels.

4. He is an apprentice of Shinichi Chiba

Shinichi Chiba at the Hawaii Int’l Film Festival photo by Christian Razukas – Wikimedia commons

His skills and abilities are primarily the results of his apprenticeship with Shin’ichi Chiba, also known as Sonny Chiba. Sanada began training with Chiba when he was only 11 years old. Sonny Chiba, also known as Shinichi Chiba, was a famous Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to become famous because of his martial arts prowess, first in Japan and then in front of a global audience.

5. He graduated from Nihon University with a Bachelor of Arts degree

Nihon University photo by Abasaa – Wikimedia commons

Hiroyuki Sanada attended Nihon University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in arts. He graduated in Film Science from the arts college of Nihon University in 1982.

6. He married Satomi Tezuka

Sanada wed Satomi Tezuka, a well-known Japanese actress, in 1990. She was born on June 7, 1961, in Tokyo. She is best known for her roles in “The Taste of Tea,” “Prodigy,” and “Fuzoroi no Ringotachi.” Before getting divorced in 1997 after seven years of marriage, the couple had two sons together. Both of their sons were in Tezuka’s custody.

7. He received an MBE

Sanada received an Honorary Member of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2002 in recognition of his efforts to promote British culture in Japan. This came after two years of working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in the years 1999 to 2000.

He performed in their international tour of “King Lear,” which included Japan. While it is frequently claimed that he was the first Japanese actor to tour with the RSC, this is untrue. Togo Igawa, an actor, who joined the group in 1986 after making his debut with them in 1985, is given this honour.

8. His first U.S. hit was with Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise at the London premiere of Knight and Day photo by Ian Morris – Wikimedia commons

Sanada has appeared in several samurai films that have been seen by Japanese audiences. Before 2003, however, he was virtually unknown to the majority of Americans. It was therefore fitting (if not a little typecasting) that Sanada made his Hollywood debut with The Last Samurai. However, Sanada has stated that he is pleased to have reintroduced samurai films to the public.

The Last Samurai is a 2003 epic period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz based on Logan’s story. Ken Watanabe plays the title character, with Tom Cruise (who also co-produced) playing a soldier-turned-samurai who befriends him, and Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki, and Shin Koyamada in supporting roles.

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9. He is fluent in three languages

Sanada’s first language is Japanese for he grew up in Japan. He learned English to play roles in American and British films, and he is fluent in it. He also had to learn Mandarin for his role in Mo Gik (The Promise).

10. He has won numerous awards throughout his career

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada at Toronto International Film Festival for the movie The Railway Man photo by Peter Kudlacz – Wikimedia commons

Hiroyuki Sanada received the Japan Academy Award for Newcomer of the Year for his work in The Twilight Samurai (2002), three Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actor (1994, 1996, 2006), two Hochi Film Awards for Best Actor (1988, 1995), four Kinema Junpo Awards for Best Actor (1989, 1994, 1996, 2003), a Mainichi Film Concours for Best Actor (2003), two Nikkan Sports Film Awards for Best Actor (1995, 2002), and two Yokohama Film Festival Awards for Best Act (1989, 1994).