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Japanese swordsman, martial artist, and actor (b. 1948) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toshishiro Obata (小幡 利城, Obata Toshishiro; born Obata Toshiji, 小幡 利二; October 20, 1948) is a Japanese swordsman, martial artist, actor, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer, author, and researcher.[1] He is the founder and head instructor of the Japanese swordsmanship style Shinkendō and Japanese martial art Aikibujutsu.[1][2] Obata is recognized for his film and television roles in Japan and the United States, including Hollywood martial arts action films such as Showdown in Little Tokyo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[1][3]
Toshishiro Obata | |
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Born | Obata Toshiji (小幡 利二) (1948-10-20)October 20, 1948 Gunma Prefecture, Japan |
Native name | 小幡 利城 |
Nationality | Japanese |
Style | Shinkendō, Aikidō, Aikibujutsu, Toyama-ryū Battōdō, Bōjutsu, Ryūkyū Kobudō |
Teacher(s) | Shioda Gōzō, Yagyū Nobuharu, Uchida Tesshinsai, Inoue Motokatsu, Tanaka Shigeho [ja], Nawa Yumio [ja], Nakamura Taizaburō [ja] |
Occupation |
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Spouse |
Obata Michiyo (m. 1976) |
Children |
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Website | www |
Obata studied aikidō for seven years as a live-in disciple of Shioda Gōzō, a pre-war student of aikidō founder Ueshiba Morihei.[4] He trained in various modern and classical martial arts and styles of swordsmanship, including Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, Kashima Shinryū, Ryūkyū Kobudō, and Toyama-ryū, and earned a total of 75 dan (black belt) ranks, as well as shihan and menkyo kaiden licenses.[1][5] Obata is noted for winning seven tameshigiri (test-cutting) championships in Japan,[6] as well as introducing the now widespread use of rolled tatami-omote mats as a test-cutting medium.[7] Earning a livelihood as a professional martial artist, Obata worked in the Japanese film and television industry as a member of the stunt and martial artist troupe Wakakoma Pro [ja], where he trained actors, performed stunts, and acted in various on-screen roles in a number of films and programs, including the annual NHK taiga drama series.[1][2] His role as martial arts instructor to actors and fight choreographers led to the popularization of aikidō techniques in the Japanese film industry.[4][8]
After moving to the United States to pursue a career in Hollywood, Obata synthesized his martial arts research and founded the Shinkendō school of swordsmanship (眞劍道) and the Japanese martial art Aikibujutsu (合気武術).[1][6] He has collaborated with swordsmiths in Japan and the United States as a professional sword-tester,[9] and he holds the world record for kabutowari (兜割), a traditional test of cutting a samurai helmet with a sword.[2] Obata has published a number of books on the martial arts, as well as Modern Bushidō, a modern adaptation of samurai philosophy, and a translation of Heihō Okugisho, one of the earliest Japanese martial arts treatises, compiled by one of his samurai ancestors.[1][10] In parallel to his martial arts career, Obata has also found success in Hollywood, appearing in nearly twenty Hollywood films opposite actors such as Michael Douglas, Dolph Lundgren, and Brandon Lee, including his breakout role as Master Tatsu in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[1][11]