Sho Kosugi

Sho Kosugi is, in my view, a genuine pioneer who is easy to underrate today. Long before martial-arts cinema went mainstream, this Tokyo-born former All Japan Karate Champion carried the entire 1980s ninja craze almost single-handedly. What impresses me is the substance behind the screen image: real training across karate, kendo, judo, aikido and ninjutsu, not choreography faked for the camera. At 183 cm he moved with a credibility that CGI could never replicate. I see him as one of the first Japanese performers to sell physical action to a global audience, and he deserves far more respect than nostalgia alone affords him.

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Name (English)

Sho Kosugi

Name (Japanese)

ショー・コスギ

Reading

しょー・こすぎ

Born

June 17, 1948 (age 78)

Origin

Tokyo, Japan

Height

183 cm

Occupation

karateka / film actor

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Gemini / Rat

Blood type

AB

Active years

1974 -

University

California State University, Los Angeles

Works summary

Appearances

34 (1976–2009)

By year (titles with a known year)

1976: 1, 1978: 1, 1981: 1, 1983: 1, 1984: 2, 1985: 1, 1986: 2, 1987: 2, 1988: 2, 1989: 1, 1991: 1, 1993: 3, 1994: 3, 1996: 2, 1999: 1, 2000: 3, 2001: 1, 2006: 1, 2007: 2, 2009: 1, year unknown: 2

Debut work

秘録ブルース･リー物語 / en / Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave 아메리카訪問客 Visitor of America

Filmography / notable works

• Official sitehttp://shokosugi.net/shopro
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sho%20Kosugi
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AE
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q535906

Tags

• Tokyo
• karateka
• film actor

Last updated

September 24, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.