Kenji Kazama

Kenji Kazama (風間 健, Kazama Kenji) is a Japanese martial artist. He played the henchman Spider who fought Fred Williamson in the 1973 action film That Man Bolt and he played Yokohama a mean and brutal Japanese official who fought Jhoon Rhee in the 1973 martial arts classic When Taekwondo Strikes. In 1974 he played the part of Senkaku Kan in the Sonny Chiba cult classic The Street Fighter.

Kenji Kazama
Born
Minoru Tsutsui

1943
Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Other namesKen Kazama, Kenji Kazuma, Ken Kazuma, Kazuma Kenji, Fung Gaan Kin
OccupationFilm actor, fight director

Background

Ken Kazama was born Minoru Tsutsui in Aichi Prefecture, Japan in 1943. He won the Comprehensive Karate Championship in 1961 and won a Shorinji Kempo Championship in 1963. During the mid-1960s, he established at Shorinji Kempo Nagoya Chuo-doin school. He also established Shorinji Kempo Clubs at the Aichi Gakuin University and the Chukyo Joshi Tanki University. In the late 1960s, he won a middleweight kickboxing championship in South Korea. Also with Shinichi Chiba he founded the Japan Action Club (JAC).[1]

Career

In When Taekwondo Strikes, a 1973 martial arts film that featured Jhoon Rhee, Angela Mao Ying, Carter Wong, Anne Winton and Sammo Hung, Kazama was cast as Yokohama.[2][3] He had one of climatic fights with the hero's taking him on.[4][5][6] Kazama's role of Spider in That Man Bolt was that of a long time adversary to the main character, Bolt (Played by Fred Williamson) who takes him on in a fight.[7][8] Following his role in the 1973 film, he was appearing the following year in Sonny Chiba's film, The Street Fighter.[9] He also had another role in the film as action director.[10][11] In the sequel to the film, Return of the Street Fighter, he was credited as kick boxing director.[12] In 1976 he had the lead role in a film called Karate From Shaolin Temple which also featured Henry Yu Yung, Fung Ngai, Henry Yu Yung and Bill Lake.[13][14]

Also in the 70s, Kazama recorded a song, "Forever Bruce Lee" and released on a 45 RPM single, Tam YT-1081.[15][16]

Film Work
Film roles as actor
Title Role Director Year Notes #
Gangster Cop
aka Yakuza deka		 Kazamaki Yukio Noda 1970 as Ken Kazama
When Taekwondo Strikes
aka Tai quan zhen jiu zhou		 Yokohama Feng Huang 1973 as Kenji Kazama
That Man Bolt Spider David Lowell Rich, Henry Levin 1974 as Ken Kazama
The Street Fighter
aka Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken		 Senkaku Kan Shigehiro Ozawa 1974 as Ken Kazama
Karate from Shaolin Temple
aka Shorinji Kempo: Musashi Hong Kong ni arawaru
(少林寺拳法　ムサシ香港に現わる)		 Musashi Yamanaka Hideo Nanbu 1976 Lead role
as Ken Kazama
Angel Guts
aka Jokôsei: tenshi no harawata		 Yakuza Chûsei Sone 1978 as Ken Kazama
Sûpâ gun redei Wani Bunsho Shimokawa Chûsei Sone 1979 as Ken Kazama
Station
akaEki 		Yasuo Furuhata 1981 as Ken Kazama
Kill Devil Yuichi Onuma 2004 as Ken Kazama
Television shows
Title Episode Role Director Year Notes #
Daitokai - Tatakai no hibi "Episode #2.52" Jun Iwasaki 1978
Other work
Title Role Director Year Notes #
The Streetfighter Kickboxing direction Shigehiro Ozawa 1974
Return of the Street Fighter Kickboxing direction Shigehiro Ozawa 1974
The Real Miyagi Himself Kevin Derek 2015 [17]

References
  1. Japan-Africa Economic and Culture Association - KIREN BUSHINDO Pages 1 and 2
  2. Letterboxd - When Taekwondo Strikes 1973 ‘跆拳震九州’ Directed by Wong Fung
  3. British Film Institute - WHEN TAEKWONDO STRIKES (1973), Cast & Credits
  4. Movieo.me - When Taekwondo Strikes
  5. Kung Fu Movie Guide, July 23, 2016 - When Taekwondo Strikes (1973) by Ben Johnson
  6. Letterboxd - When Taekwondo Strikes 1973 ‘跆拳震九州’ Directed by Wong Fung
  7. Black action films: Plots, Critiques, Casts and Credits for 235 Theatrical and made-for-Television Releases, By James Robert Parish, George H. Hill - Page 304
  8. Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914-1989, By Gene Freese - Page 225 FRED WILLIAMSON vs. KEN KAZAMA in That Man Bolt (1973)
  9. Blaxploitation Films, By Mikel J Koven - That Man Bolt (1973), Background Information
  10. Far East Films, June 15, 2015 - The Street Fighter, ACTION
  11. Kung Fu Movie Guide, January 22, 2013 - The Street Fighter (1974) by Ben Johnson
  12. WorldCat - Return of the Street Fighter = Satsujin ken 2 Details, All Authors / Contributors:
  13. HKMDB - Karate from Shaolin Temple (1976)
  14. Letterboxd - Karate from Shaolin Temple 1976 ‘少林寺拳法　ムサシ香港に現わる’ Directed by Hideo Nanbu
  15. Discogs - Ken Kazama* – Forever Bruce Lee
  16. 45Cat - Ken Kazama - Discography
  17. Imdb - Ken Kazama

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