Shogen (actor)
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Shogen Itokazu , known
mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...
as Shogen, is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his role as Nao Tsuchiyama in ''
Gensan Punch ''Gensan Punch'' is a 2021 Philippine-Japanese sports biographical film directed by Brillante Mendoza. Starring Shogen, Ronnie Lazaro and Kaho Minami. It is based on a true story that depicts Nao Tsuyama, a disabled athlete who refuses to let h ...
'', which had a joint win for the
Kim Jiseok award The Kim Jiseok Award () is an annual film award, presented by the Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, ...
with '' The Rapist'' at the
26th Busan International Film Festival The 26th Busan International Film Festival opened on October 6, 2021 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea with the South Korean film '' Heaven: To the Land of Happiness'' by Im Sang-soo. Park So-dam and Song Joong-ki hosted the open ...
.


Career

Shogen originally worked as a model in
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,
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In 2004, he returned to Japan and acted in his debut film, ''Bloody Snake Under the Sun'', which was nominated at the 20th
Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...
. After this experience, he developed an interest in acting and travelled to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
for lessons. In 2018, he pitched a film idea to
Brillante Mendoza Brillante Mendoza (; born July 30, 1960), also known as Dante Mendoza, is a Filipino independent filmmaker. Mendoza is known one of the key members associated with the Philippine New Wave. Career Mendoza was born and raised in San Fernando, ...
at the 31st
Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...
through mutual friend
Eric Khoo Eric Khoo Kim Hai (born 27 March 1965) is a Singaporean film director and producer who is often credited for the revival of the Singapore modern film industry. Early life and education Born on 27 March 1965 in Singapore, Eric Khoo was the younge ...
. The film would later become ''
Gensan Punch ''Gensan Punch'' is a 2021 Philippine-Japanese sports biographical film directed by Brillante Mendoza. Starring Shogen, Ronnie Lazaro and Kaho Minami. It is based on a true story that depicts Nao Tsuyama, a disabled athlete who refuses to let h ...
'', a story inspired by his friend Nao Tsuchiyama, a Japanese boxer with a
prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...
. For the role, Shogen exercised five to six times a week to look like a boxer. He also used tape to tie his ankles and legs, then performed punches to imitate the movements of disabled people. ''Gensan Punch'' later premiered at the
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and
Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
film festivals. The latter of which awarded the film the
Kim Jiseok award The Kim Jiseok Award () is an annual film award, presented by the Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, ...
in a joint win with '' The Rapist''. In 2022, he starred in ''
December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...
'', which was nominated the
Kim Jiseok award The Kim Jiseok Award () is an annual film award, presented by the Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, ...
at the
27th Busan International Film Festival The 27th Busan International Film Festival () was held from October 5 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea till October 14. This year, the festival restarted events and program sections which were not conducted due to COVID-19 for l ...
.


Personal life

In 2022, he married singer May J. and they had a child in 2023.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* profile * at ''
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
'' * 1978 births 21st-century Japanese male actors Living people Actors from Okinawa Prefecture Models from Okinawa Prefecture People from Naha {{Japan-screen-actor-stub