Remembering Sonny Chiba

It’s incredibly sad to hear that the legendary Sonny Chiba has passed away at the age of 82. It marks the end of an era, both in film history and even “tough guy” movie culture.

A gifted athlete from his teenage years, he was said to be a strong candidate for the Japanese Olympic team in his younger days, a dream cut short by an injury. Yet he would go on to pursue a passion for martial arts and was one of the first people known for breaking into film owing to his physical skillset, a blueprint for many today working in this industry and across the action and martial arts film genres.

In his lifetime, the six-time black belt [Kyokushin Karate, Goju-ryu karate, Shorinji Kempo, Judo, Kendo] shot over 125 films for Toei Studios, becoming one of Japan's most popular and enduring action stars, and played a well-loved cameo in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. This was yet another fine example of the famed filmmaker-cinephile bringing one of his movie idols back into popular culture and paying homage. I’ve always been torn in choosing favouries, but whether you nurture a special place for The Street Fighter, Shogun's Samurai or Yakuza deka, from such a rich tapestry of work, these are all iconic works of genre cinema, and his output has been enormous which is rare by today’s standards. Anywhere in the world, the old time studio actors worked to an incredibly high volume and their energy and stamina was on another level.

He has left an amazing legacy and body of work for future generations. RIP Chiba Shin'ichi (1939-2021).