Taku Sakaguchi
is a Japanese actor, director, fight choreographer, stuntman and martial artist. He is best known for his role in Ryuhei Kitamura's cult film, '' Versus''. Since his debut, Sakaguchi has worked with Kitamura several times, often appearing alongside fellow Kitamura staple Hideo Sakaki. He has also worked with frequent Kitamura collaborators Yudai Yamaguchi and Yuji Shimomura. Sakaguchi is a talented martial artist, and most often appears in films featuring copious fight scenes, usually performing all of his own stunts. He is purportedly skilled in Bajiquan, Shorinji Kempo, Boxing, Kickboxing, and while recently filming Re:Born learned the tactical martial art Zero Range Combat developed by Yoshitaka Inagawa. Biography Before entering into the film industry, Sakaguchi was an underground street fighter who was well known for his skill in the martial arts. He was discovered by then-unknown director Ryuhei Kitamura, who recruited Sakaguchi for a lead role in ''Versus''. Since ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,140,573 (31 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the east, Gifu Prefecture to the southeast, and Fukui Prefecture to the south. Kanazawa is the capital and largest city of Ishikawa Prefecture, with other major cities including Hakusan, Komatsu, and Kaga. Ishikawa is located on the Sea of Japan coast and features the most of the Noto Peninsula which forms Toyama Bay, one of the largest bays in Japan. Ishikawa Prefecture is part of the historic Hokuriku region and formerly an important populated center that contained some of the wealthiest ''han'' (domains) of the Japanese feudal era. Ishikawa Prefecture is home to Kanazawa Castle, Kenroku-en one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Nyotaimori ("body sushi"), and Kutani ware. History Ishikawa was formed in 1872 from the merger ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Street Fighting
Street fighting is hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g. a street) and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or occasionally even death. Some street fights can be gang-related. A typical situation might involve two men arguing in a bar, then one suggests stepping outside, where the fight commences. Thus, it is often possible to avoid the fight by backing off, while in self-defense, a person is actively trying to escape the situation, using force if necessary to ensure their own safety. In some martial arts communities, street fighting and self-defense are often considered synonymous. __TOC__ History Evidence for human fighting goes back 430,000 years ago in Spain, where a fossil skull was found with two fractures apparently caused by the same object, implying an intentional lethal attack. Another record of early human fighting is one that happened 9500 to 10,500 years ago in Natar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yoshihiro Nishimura
is a Japanese film director, special effects and makeup effects artist, and a screenwriter who has worked predominantly in the horror genre. Nishimura has been described as "a legendary director and effects artist" and "the Tom Savini of Japan" with "talent to burn". Life and career Nishimura, born on April 1, 1967, had been interested in film from childhood but a major influence on his career was a painting by Salvador Dalí with distorted human bodies that he saw when in elementary school. He majored in law in college. Nishimura has said that he doesn't watch much television or movies but reads horror magazines and gets much of his inspiration from his dreams. He started making films while in junior high school by teaching himself about filming, lighting, special effects and modeling. In 1995 with a small crew he made the independently produced movie ''Anatomia Extinction'' (Genkai jinkō keisū). Nishimura wrote the screenplay, directed, and did the special effects. The film ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Be A Man! Samurai School
is a Japanese film released in 2008. It is written, directed by and starring Tak Sakaguchi. This is the first film he has directed. It is based on Akira Miyashita's manga series ''Sakigake!! Otokojuku''. The film's ending theme is by The Back Horn. It premiered at the Fantasia Festival in 2008, and was subsequently screened at the New York Asian Film Festival in 2009. Plot Genji Togashi ( Shōei) visits his brother's grave and informs him that he too will be enrolling in Otokojuku. Young Yakuza successor Hidemaro Gokukouji (Hiroyuki Onoue) runs into thugs from Kanto Gogakuren while partying, but is saved by Momotaro Tsurugi (Tak Sakaguchi). As it turns out, Hidemaro's mother (Tomoko Nakajima) already decided to send him to Otokojuku for him to become a man. At the enrollment ceremony, Hidemaro is assaulted by the head instructor Oni-Hige (Shun Sugata) for not getting into line properly. After he finds Momo and meets Togashi, Oni-Hige introduces the principal, Heihachi Edajima ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sakigake!! Otokojuku
, also known as simply ''Otokojuku'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Miyashita. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991. It is staged in an all-boys school that teaches how to be true men. The students are trained to "revive the Spirit of Japan" and mainly engage in events where they will polish their manhood and push through with their guts. Plot The genius principal of the private school, Heihachi Edajima, was a war hero during World War II. He trained his students to play an active role in politics, economics and industries in Japan and all over the world, though the way of training is highly anachronistic. The martial arts depicted in this series are also highly choreographed using various forms of martial arts. Story Early Gag Manga Arc The strongest of the Otokojuku first years, Momotaro Tsurugi, while enduring and overcoming the strict training of the malicious instructors and the seco ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kamen Rider Kabuto
is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the sixteenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi. The first episode aired on January 29, 2006, and with the final episode airing on January 21, 2007, completing the series with 49 episodes. Super Hero Time with alongside ''GoGo Sentai Boukenger''. The series represents the 35th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, as indicated by a notice at the beginning of the pilot episode reading, in Japanese, "Kamen Rider 35th Anniversary Production." ''Kamen Rider Kabuto'' is the first Kamen Rider Series to be broadcast in a high-definition format. Story Seven years before the series, a meteorite struck the Shibuya district in Tokyo. An alien lifeform, known as the Worms, emerged from the meteorite and became a threat to humanity. Souji Tendo has been trained for seven years while waiting ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such technology but is sometimes dubbed a genre itself. The most popular subgenres of include ''kaiju'' such as the ''Godzilla (film series), Godzilla'' and ''Gamera'' series; superhero such as the ''Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider'' and ''Metal Hero Series, Metal Hero'' series; and mecha like ''Giant Robo (tokusatsu), Giant Robo'' and ''Super Robot Red Baron''. Some television programs combine several of these subgenres, for example the ''Ultra Series, Ultraman'' and ''Super Sentai'' series. is one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment, but only a small proportion of films and television programs are widely known outside of Japan. Nevertheless, certain properties have attained popularity outside of Japan; ''Godzilla'' is featu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Death Trance
''Death Trance'' ( ja, デス・トランス) is a 2005 Japanese action/fantasy film based on the manga of the same name by Kana Takeuchi. It stars Tak Sakaguchi of '' Versus'' fame, alongside Kentaro Seagal (son of actor Steven Seagal) and Takamasa Suga. The film is the directorial debut of Yuji Shimomura, best known for his work as an action director, stuntman, and frequent collaborator of Ryuhei Kitamura. The film's soundtrack features several tracks by the rock band Dir en grey. Plot In an unknown place at an unknown time, a swordsman named Grave ( Sakaguchi) yearns for the ultimate battle. Legend tells of a black coffin kept at the Tougan Temple which has the power to grant any man's deepest desire. Hoping to utilize the coffin's ability to fulfill his wish, Grave infiltrates the temple and steals it. Accompanied by a mysterious young girl (Asada), Grave travels across the land towards a desert oasis, a place the tales indicate as being linked to the coffin's power. Contra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Heart Under Blade
The heart is a muscular organ found in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs. In humans, the heart is approximately the size of a closed fist and is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest, called the mediastinum. In humans, other mammals, and birds, the heart is divided into four chambers: upper left and right atria and lower left and right ventricles. Commonly, the right atrium and ventricle are referred together as the right heart and their left counterparts as the left heart. Fish, in contrast, have two chambers, an atrium and a ventricle, while most reptiles have three chambers. In a healthy heart, blood flows one way through the heart due to heart valves, which prevent backflow. The heart is enclosed in a protective sac, the pericardium, which also conta ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yashamaru (Basilisk)
In the ''Basilisk (manga), Basilisk'' universe, there are three main groups of characters, the Kouga Ninja, the Iga Ninja and others that are associated with the shogun. In the second season, ''The Ōka Ninja Scrolls'', a number of new characters are introduced. Kouga Ninja The Kouga specialize in stealth and assassination with techniques that, for the most part, rely on subterfuge. Even abilities designed for battle, such as Gennosuke's Dojutsu, tend to be defensive in nature. In the second season, ''The Ōka Ninja Scrolls'', a number of new characters are introduced. Gennosuke Kouga : (Japanese); Troy Baker (English) Gennosuke Kouga (甲賀 弦之介 ''Kōga Gennosuke'') the heir of Kouga Danjou who assumes leadership of the clan following his grandfather's death. An idealist and scholar who believes in looking to the future instead of being dominated by the past, Gennosuke views the pursuit of any grudge to be an ultimately pointless and self-destructive practice. He adheres to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Battlefield Baseball
is a 2003 Japanese film directed by Yūdai Yamaguchi. The film is written by Gatarō Man, based on his manga series of the same name, and stars Tak Sakaguchi, Atsushi Itō, and Hideo Sakaki. It was produced by Ryuhei Kitamura. The film is a combination of several genres, mixing martial arts action with the clichés of the sports film—particularly skewering baseball, one of Japan's most popular high school sports—and the violence and brutality of a horror film. The film's bizarre—sometimes almost incoherent—plot, blood and gore, and unique comedy have given it something of a "cult" popularity in the West. Though the film is ostensibly about high school baseball rivalries, the amount of actual baseball in the film is fairly light. There are many scenes involving bats and balls, however. The film was released on Region 1 DVD by Subversive Cinema. Plot Every high school baseball team's dream is to go to the legendary Koshien Stadium Tournament. For the first time i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alive (2002 Film)
is a 2002 Japanese science fiction film directed and co-written by Ryuhei Kitamura. It is based on the manga of the same name by Tsutomu Takahashi and stars Hideo Sakaki, Ryo, Koyuki, Jun Kunimura, and Tak Sakaguchi. In the film, two death row inmates are confined to an isolation cell with an alien organism that surges the violent nature of its host. ''Alive'' was theatrically released in Japan on June 21, 2003. Cast Production Crew * Ryuhei Kitamura – director, co-writer * Keishiro Shin – assistant producer * Manabu Shinoda – technical producer * Fumihiko Tamura – lighting director * Yuji Hayashida – production designer * Takeshi Shin – visual effects supervisor * Kenji Shibazaki – sound effects * Jun Nakamura – mixing engineer * Yuji Shimomura – action choreographer * Yūdai Yamaguchi – second unit director Development Technical producer Manabu Shinoda expressed interest in working with director Ryuhei Kitamura after being impressed with '' Versus''. K ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |