, known professionally as , is a Japanese actor and film director.

Career

Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Sabu studied at an Osaka

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

school before deciding to go to Tokyo to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in ''

Sorobanzuku is a 1986 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita. Awards 8th Yokohama Film Festival *Won: Best Screenplay - Yoshimitsu Morita *Won: Best Actress - Narumi Yasuda is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 8th Yokoh ...

''. He earned his first starring role in the 1991 ''

World Apartment Horror is a 1991 Japanese comedy horror film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, with a screenplay by Otomo and Keiko Nobumoto from a story by Satoshi Kon. The film stars Sabu (credited as Hiroki Tanaka) as a yakuza , also known as , are members of ...

'', a live-action film directed by

Katsuhiro Ōtomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of '' Akira'', in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a ''Chevalier'' of t ...

of '' Akira'' fame. Working from a script he wrote himself, he made his directorial debut with the 1996 '' Dangan Runner'', a film that set his early style of "quirky action-comedies propelled by characters who hurtle headlong though squirming narratives steered more by the forces of incidence and coincidence than the actions of the protagonists themselves." Shin'ichi Tsutsumi played the lead in Sabu's first five films. '' Blessing Bell'', starring

Susumu Terajima is a Japanese actor. Though he has played a wide range of characters, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of ''yakuza'' figures, most notably in the films of Takeshi Kitano. Terajima made his acting debut in 1986's ''A Homansu''. He ...

(who has played minor roles in nearly all of Sabu's films), was a turn away from his kinetic, parodic, and black comedy narratives, and earned the NETPAC Award at the 2003

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. Later films featured the J-pop band V6. In 2009, he directed ''

The Crab Cannery Ship ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'', a modern adaptation of a classic of Japanese

proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is ...

written by Takiji Kobayashi. He has continued to work as an actor, such as in Takashi Miike's '' Ichi the Killer'' (2001). His film ''

Chasuke's Journey is a 2015 Japanese comedy film directed by Sabu. It was screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Ken'ichi Matsuyama as Chasuke * Ito Ohno as Yuri * Ren Ôsugi as Taneda * Yūsuke Iseya a ...

'' was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

Selected filmography

Director

* '' Dangan Runner'' (1996) * ''

Postman Blues is a 1997 Japanese criminal action comedy-drama film directed and written by Hiroyuki Tanaka under the name Sabu. The film features Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Keisuke Horibe, Ren Ohsugi and Kyōko Tōyama in the lead roles. It tells the story of a post ...

'' (1997) * ''

Unlucky Monkey Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

'' (1998) * '' Monday'' (2000) * ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...

'' (2002) * '' Blessing Bell'' (2002) * ''

A1012K A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

'' (2003 - short film) * ''

Hard Luck Hero is a 2003 Japanese film written and directed by Japanese film director Sabu to showcase the Japanese boy band V6. The film involves usual Sabu elements such as high-speed car chases and yakuza. Plot The story follows three pairs of characters ...

'' (2003) * ''

Hold-Up Down Hold Up, hold up, or Hold-Up may refer to: Film * ''Hold-Up'' (1974 film), an Italian film * ''Hold-Up'' (1985 film), Franco-Canadian crime comedy * ''Hold-Up'' (2000 film), Austrian film * ''Hold-Up!'' (2012 film) (Spanish ''¡Atraco!''), Spa ...

'' (2005) * '' Dead Run'' ( Shisso) (2005) * ''

'' ( Kanikōsen, 2009) * '' Troubleman'' (2010) TV Series * '' Usagi Drop'' (2011) * '' Miss ZOMBIE'' (2013) * ''

'' (2015) * ''Happiness'' (2016) * ''

Mr. Long ''Mr. Long'' is a 2017 internationally co-produced crime drama film directed by Sabu. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Chang Chen as Long * Sho ...

'' (2017) * ''Jam'' (2018) * ''Dancing Mary'' (2020) * ''My Blood & Bones in a Flowing Galaxy'' (2021)

Actor

* ''

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1991) * '' Zeiram 2'' (1994) * ''

800 Two Lap Runners ''800 Two Lap Runners'' is a 1994 Japanese film directed by Ryūichi Hiroki starring Shunsuke Matsuoka and Eugene Nomura. For director Hiroki, the film marks a transition from his early work in ''pink film'' to mainstream cinema. Plot This coming ...

'' (1994) * '' Dangan Runner'' (1996) * ''

Katte ni Shiyagare!! Gyakuten Keikaku Katte is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adriaan Katte (1900–1991), Dutch field hockey player * Hans Hermann von Katte (1704–1730), Prussian Army lieutenant * Walter Katte Colonel Walter Katte (November 14, 1830 – Mar ...

'' (1996) * ''

Ghost Actress A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Ichi the Killer'' (2001) * ''

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is a 1984 Japanese short story by author Seiko Tanabe. It was first published in the June 1984 issue of ''Monthly Kadokawa''. It was later included alongside various stories in the short story collection ''Josee, the Tiger and the Fish'', whi ...

'' (2003) * '' Silence'' (2016)

References

External links

*
Sabu's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabu Living people 1964 births People from Wakayama (city) Actors from Wakayama Prefecture Japanese male film actors Japanese film directors Yakuza film directors