Famous Japanese Martial Artists

Sixteenth-century Japanese swordsman Sasaki Kojirō was known as the Demon of the Western Provinces because of his skill with the nodachi, a sword that demons used. Known for his signature move, Tsubame Gaeshi, he died fighting Miyamoto Musashi, his arch rival, at what is now known as Ganryu island.

Sadao Maeda, better known as Sonny Chiba, was initially a talented gymnast, aspiring to be part of the Japanese Olympic team, though a back injury ended his sports career. Trained in martial arts, he later soared to fame with movies such as The Street Fighter. He died of COVID-19 at age 82.

Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist. Referred to as the Great Teacher, Ueshiba is credited with founding aikido, a martial art which is now practiced around the world. During the course of his career, Ueshiba set up many dojos, including the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, and taught several students, many of whom are celebrated martial artists in their own right.

Legendary Japanese karate master Mas Oyama, who founded Kyokushin Karate, was known by his fans as The God Hand. Known as someone who had fought bears and bulls with his bare hands, he was also an actor and author. Following his death, he was declared a God by a Japanese religion.

Legendary Japanese athlete Jigoro Kano is remembered as the founder of judo. A fine educator, he had also had a 23-year stint as the principal of 2 schools, which later became the University of Tsukuba. He was also the first Asian to be part of the International Olympic Committee.

Apart from being a martial artist, Sho Kosugi was also one of the best actors of the Japanese ninja craze of the 1980s. The son of a fisherman, he had begun learning martial arts at age 5. Nicknamed The Visible Ninja, he later impressed audiences in films such as the Cannon ninja trilogy.

Proficient in karate, judo, and aikido, Yasuaki Kurata is not just a skilled martial artist but also an actor, with memorable performances in Hong Kong movies such as Fist of Legend and So Close. He debuted in acting with the Japanese series Marude Dameo. He also teaches and runs the agency Kurata Promotion.

While he initially specialized in judo, Hatsumi Masaaki, the 34th sōke head of the Togakure school of ninpō, later taught students his own brand of ninjutsu. Apart from heading the Bujinkan Organization, he has also advised the martial arts teams of films such as You Only Live Twice.

Legendary Okinawan martial artist Chōjun Miyagi is best known as the founder of the Gōjū-ryū school of karate. He inspired the iconic character of Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, in the Hollywood film franchise The Karate Kid. On his death-bed, he named his student Gogen Yamaguchi his successor.

Born to a Japanese father and a Danish mother, David Sakurai moved from Denmark to Japan at 18, to train in acting. After working in small-time films such as Tokyo G.P., he moved back to Denmark, and worked in films such as Liza, The Fox-Fairy and in series such as Iron Fist.

Remembered as the founder of the Ki Society and Ki-Aikido, Koichi Tohei had developed his own brand of training the mind, while recovering from pleurisy in his younger days. He thus merged the elements of the mind with martial arts and its physicality to form his own signature style of combat.

Apart from being a trained martial artist, who studied under judo founder Kanō Jigorō and aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, Yoshio Sugino was also a film choreographer. After losing his home in World War II bombing raids, he tended to the injured. He later directed sword-fight sequences in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.