, known professionally as , is a Japanese

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

singer restaurator and model. He is best known for portraying Kotaro Minami, the main character in the

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

television series '' Kamen Rider Black'' and its sequel, '' Kamen Rider Black RX''. At the age of 19, Kurata made his acting debut in ''Black'', and has since appeared in many other television series and Japanese

dorama , also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. Format All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...

s. He was Playgirl Magazine's Man of the Year for its September 1988 issue. His centerfold was photographed by Naoko Yamaguchi

Biography

Kurata auditioned for the role of Kotaro Minami in January 1987, when he had just graduated from

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. In a 2006 interview, Kurata had stated that, during the audition, he had not been able to portray the character appropriately, and did not think he would get the role. To his surprise, he was chosen by

Shōtarō Ishinomori , né , was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, writer and director. Known as the "King of Manga" (漫画の帝王 (''Manga no Teiou)'' or 漫画の王様 (''Manga no Ousama)''), he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential mang ...

himself to play the lead role, beating some 8,000 other contestants. During this period, Kurata underwent intense training that included

stage combat Stage combat, fight craft or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet pr ...

techniques,

physical exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

sessions and acting and singing lessons. On October 4, 1987, ''Kamen Rider Black'' premiered on TBS to public and critical acclaim. The success of the series, which ran for 51 episodes, generated enough interest from

Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...

executives to persuade them to produce a sequel, something unprecedented in the

Kamen Rider Series The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until '' Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Ka ...

franchise. After finishing his work on ''Black'', Kurata was approached by Toei and renewed his contract for one more year in exchange for a

salary A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. ...

raise to work on ''Black''s sequel, ''Kamen Rider Black RX''. This second series was less successful than its predecessor due to its witty and comical style, which differed deeply from the shadowy, darker tone of the original. In a 1989 magazine interview, Kurata said that although he preferred ''Black'' over ''Black RX'' (labeling the humor in the latter as "excessive"), he was glad the character enjoyed a positive and happy turn of events after ''Black''s sad ending. However, it is rumored that Kurata declined later invitations to reprise the role in fear of being

typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

, as his stigma as a Kamen Rider was almost as strong as

Hiroshi Fujioka , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for playing the hero Takeshi Hongo in the tokusatsu superhero series ''Kamen Rider'', and later the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro (jokingly revealed to be Takeshi Hongo hi ...

's Takeshi Hongo in the

first series First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, but such rumors remain unconfirmed. In 2009, Kurata returned as Kotaro Minami in the movie '' Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker'' and also made a guest appearance in ''

Kamen Rider Decade is a Japanese television show and the 2009 installment of the long-running ''Kamen Rider'' series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth anniversary series of ''Kamen Rider''s Heisei era, and the final installment ...

''. He further reprised his role in 2015 for '' Super Hero Taisen GP''. Following the end of ''Black RX'', Kurata has appeared in various television series and dramas as supporting characters. He has apparently been out of the public spotlight after taking a hiatus from the entertainment industry, but came back to voice Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black in ''Kamen Rider: Seigi No Keifu'', as well as appearing in Battle of the Cooking Iron ''(Ore Gohan)'', pitting himself against Takayuki Tsubaki, known for his role as the title character of ''

Kamen Rider Blade is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the fourteenth installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It aired on TV Asahi from January 25, 2004 to January 23, 2005. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toe ...

''. As model is Man of Month For Playgirl magazine her half-naked body in only jeans photographed by Naoko Yamaguchi

TV shows and Movies appearances

*'' Kamen Rider Black'' (1987–1988) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black *'' Kamen Rider Black RX'' (1988–1989) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black RX *'' Ranpo Edogawa: The Dark Light'' (1990) *'' Kimi no Na Wa'' (1991) *''

Men Who Fight A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the father ...

'' (1992) – Syoji Matsuoka *''

Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi was a network prime-time television ''jidaigeki'' series in Japan from 1991 to 1994. It starred Teruhiko Saigō. The series began in 1991 in the 9:00 p.m. time slot on the TV Tokyo network. Saigō created the role of Tōdō Heihachirō. The c ...

'' (1992) *''

Wataru Seken wa oni Bakari (Making It Through) is a Japanese television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama ...

'' (Season 3~) (1996~) – Akiba Kazuo *'' Kamen Rider: Seigi no Keifu'' (2003) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black *'' Nogaremono Orin'' (2007) – Tokugawa Munetake *''

'' (2009) – Kotaro Minami(RX)/Kamen Rider Black RX, Kotaro Minami(Black)/Kamen Rider Black *'' Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker'' (2009) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black RX (cameo) *'' Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3'' (2015) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black/Kamen Rider Black RX *'' Satria Garuda BIMA-X'' (2015) – Ko/Satria Naga (Episodes 40 & 41) *'' Kamen Rider: Battride War'' (2016) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black/Kamen Rider Black RX *'' Kamen Rider: Climax'' (2017–2018) – Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black

Tokusatsu Songs

(1987) '' Kamen Rider Black'' *''Kamen Rider Black'' Opening Theme *''Ore no Seishun'' Insert Theme/ closing Theme Only Spain Dub. 1st Movie Closing Theme (1988) '' Kamen Rider Black RX'' *''Kuroi Yuusha'' Insert Theme

References

External links

*
Official websiteBilly the Kid Steakhouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurata, Tetsuo 1968 births Living people Japanese male actors Kamen Rider