Celebrity kendoka

[AlexM]

I got this idea from e-budo so I thought I'd see what happens to it here.

Does anyone one know of any celebrity kendoka? (ok, even iaidoka, naginataka or jodoka)

The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are :

Ryutaro Hashimoto: former *cough* mediocre *cough* PM of Japan. I think he's now currently in charge of the "Obuchi faction" of the LDP in the Diet.

Yukio Mishima: Author, poet, coup plotter.

Tom Cruise does not count.

I suspect that we'll get a list of mostly famous Japanese people but still, let's see if anyone knows of some fairly famous people that practice kendo (locally famous counts too ).

[orryn]

Angelina Jolie did kendo to get in shape for the last tomb raider flick

[mingshi]

Been there done that:

http://www.isenokami.com/Kendo/new/talent.html

(I am not into J-Pop or anything so I can't really recognize a lot of people... apart from that SMAP guy Kimura Takuya)

Do Jedis count?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Takakura Ken (Black Rain, a bunch of Japanese films) is rokudan, I think.

[AlexM]

Angelina Jolie did kendo to get in shape for the last tomb raider flick

I wouldn't say no to seeing her at my dojo...

Dammit, there's no emoticon for "uncontrolable drooling"?

Come to think about it she was filming something in Montreal during the summer. What a wasted opportunity.

Mingshi,

Was it that you posted? Is it a list of famous Japanese people that do kendo?

[Will]

oh man, get this:

Van Halen and David Lee Roth

[mingshi]

Is it a list of famous Japanese people that do kendo?

Alex, that's the list from Abe Akihiro's site. He did that Kendo Celebrity (Japanese) list a few years ago.

This is Hashimoto in his House of Representive zekken

[Shiro]

Akira Kurosawa did kendo

[aru-ma]

Alex, that's the list from Abe Akihiro's site. He did that Kendo Celebrity (Japanese) list a few years ago.

This is Hashimoto in his House of Representive zekken

do you know if they have that zekken for all house of rep kendoka? just curious. I wonder if they can make a team and compete, just imagine the japanese political party taikai (competition).....maybe not

[GMason]

Not really a Kendoka, but spotted at a Kendo Taikai.

Jenny, should be able to confirm this as well, but the Lidstone Kyu Grade Taikai a year or two ago, Billy Zane was there... I don't think he practices Kendo, I guess he was there to cheer on a friend or family member (not sure which), I seem to remember the lady he was there to watch did quite well.... but that is a close as I can get.

[KhawMengLee]

Billy Zane is the MAN!

[AlexM]

Mingshi,

Thank you. As pertinent as always.

I read that David Lee Roth has some guy come to his house (where he built a "kendo hall") and teach him. I'm going to assume he sucks if that's how he practices...One would think that with so much money he could afford to go to Japan from time to time. I'm not sure I want to be associated with kendo if David Lee Roth does it :s .

WOW! Billy Zane was at a taikai! THE Billy zane! I can't believe it!
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Who's Billy Zane?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Whoops - I had a link to DLR's iaido here but it seems to be gone from his website. There's a few threads discussing it on e-budo - go there if you're curious.

[tango]

Did Toshiro Mifune play kendo?

[mingshi]

do you know if they have that zekken for all house of rep kendoka?

Actually the dojo in that pic is the dojo for the house of rep!
__________________

Argh... well...

***Mingshi's conversation with Billy Zane outside the changing room.

Australian girl (my senpai who was also one of the Jedi extras at Episode II): Hey Jenny this is Billy my boyfriend.
Billy: Hi Jenny. *shake hands*
Mingshi: Ah, Hi. Do you do kendo?
Billy: Yeah. We did some back in Australia.
Mingshi: Cool. Fight me sometime!
*walks off*

Hours later in the Pub.
Senpai A: Hey Jenny did you meet Billy?
Mingshi: erhm... who?