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Sho Kosugi
Sho Kosugi in 2018
Born	小杉 正一 (Shōichi Kosugi) (1948-06-17) June 17, 1948 (age 76) Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation(s)	Actor, martial artist, writer
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Shook Gim Chan ​ ​(m. 1973; div. 2009)​
Children	Kane Kosugi, Shane Kosugi, Ayeesha Kosugi

Sho Kosugi (ショー・コスギ, Shō Kosugi, born Shōichi Kosugi (小杉 正一, Kosugi Shōichi) on June 17, 1948) is a Japanese actor, martial artist and writer with extensive training in Shindō jinen-ryū Karate, Kendo, Judo, Iaido, Kobudo, Aikido and Ninjutsu. A former All Japan Karate Champion, he gained popularity as an actor during the 1980s, often playing ninjas. He starred in a trilogy of martial arts ninja films produced by Cannon Films (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination), before starring in the primetime television series The Master. His work helped establish ninjas in popular culture, leading to a "ninja boom" or "ninjamania" during the early-to-mid-1980s.

Life and career

At the age of 19, Kosugi left Japan to study and reside in Los Angeles where he earned a bachelor's degree in Economics at CSULA. At the same time, he consistently improved his martial arts skills while learning a wide variety of styles, such as Chinese xingyiquan, Korean taekwondo and Japanese Shitō-ryū and Shotokan-ryū karate.

He is the father of Kane Kosugi and Shane Kosugi, who are both actors and martial artists, and Ayeesha Kosugi, a former senior member of the women's golf team at the University of Las Vegas. After taking a hiatus from film, he started a taiko group in California. In Japan, he also ran an internationally oriented group of martial arts acting schools known as the Sho Kosugi Institute. He currently resides in Los Angeles. Films in which Kosugi's sons perform alongside their father include Revenge of the Ninja, Pray for Death, Black Eagle and Journey of Honor (A.K.A. Kabuto, Shogun Mayeda and Shogun Warrior).

In 2009, Sho made a comeback to films playing the lead villain of Ozunu in the action thriller Ninja Assassin opposite K-pop star and actor Rain.

Filmography

Films

Television

Home videos

Stage

Video games

Bibliography

Non-Fiction

Fiction

Notes

1. Sho Kosugi's Let's Towelcise is a follow-up to Anytime Anywhere! Sho Kosugi's Towel Exercise.

References

1. "Sho Kosugi Vs Shook Gim Kosugi - Marriage Dissolution/Divorce Case". Retrieved May 30, 2018.
2. "'Ninja' Knockin' 'Em Dead". Chicago Tribune. May 15, 1986. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
3. Beale, Lewis (April 20, 1986). "Martial Arts Pics—packing A Hard Punch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
4. "'Ninja' Knockin' 'Em Dead". Chicago Tribune. May 15, 1986. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
5. Vandehey, Tim (May 1989). "The Ninja Phenomenon". Black Belt. Vol. 27, no. 5. Active Interest Media, Inc. pp. 36–40. ISSN 0277-3066.
6. Donovan, Barna William (September 17, 2014). The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films. McFarland & Company. pp. 133–4. ISBN 978-1-4766-0770-2.
7. "'Sho Kosugi Profile". Retrieved August 13, 2015.
8. "Interview with Sho Kosugi" ZigZag Asia, January 1, 2001
9. "Honda Hurricane - "Hiding Ninja"". YouTube. 1986. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
10. "11 PM「USA最新情報・忍者ブーム」ショー・コスギ氏ゲスト出演 1987年". YouTube. March 17, 1987. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
11. "スーパージョッキー ガンバルマン". nicovideo.jp. 1991. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
12. "Yin-Yang Code Novels". Retrieved May 2, 2019.
13. "Yin-Yang Code Novels". Retrieved May 2, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Sho Kosugi at IMDb
• Sho Kosugi: The Ninja (archived)
• Find me a Ninja

• 1948 births
• Living people
• 20th-century Japanese male actors
• 21st-century Japanese male actors
• American male actors of Japanese descent
• American male film actors
• American male karateka
• California State University, Los Angeles alumni
• Japanese emigrants to the United States
• Japanese male film actors
• Japanese male karateka
• Male actors from Tokyo
• Male actors from Los Angeles
• Xingyiquan practitioners
• Taiko players
• 20th-century American sportsmen
• 20th-century Japanese sportsmen