Kyokushin Karate 'Choi Baedal's Disciple' Japanese Actor Shinichi Chiba Passes Away Due to COVID-19

▲Shinichi Jiba

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japanese actor Chiba Shinichi, a disciple of Choi Bae-dal (real name Choi Young-ui), a Zainichi Korean who dominated the Japanese martial arts world, has passed away at the age of 82.

On the 19th (local time), the American entertainment media Variety reported, citing Chiba's agent, that Chiba died of pneumonia related to COVID-19 at a hospital near Tokyo. Chiba's agent stated that he had not been vaccinated.

He contracted COVID-19 at the end of last month and stayed at home, but as his condition worsened, he was admitted to a hospital in Chiba Prefecture on the 8th of this month and died while receiving treatment on an oxygen respirator.

Born in 1939 in Fukuoka, he was a legendary Japanese action actor well known in Korea as well, having appeared in numerous American Hollywood films such as "Kill Bill" (2003) and three films in the "Fast and Furious" series, including "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006).

His real name was Maeda Sadaho, and he was active in the U.S. under the name Chiba Sonny.

Originally, he entered the Japan Sports University aiming to compete in Olympic gymnastics but was unable to fulfill his dream due to injury. His life took a turning point when he became a disciple of Choi Bae-dal, the founder of Kyokushin Karate.

Choi Bae-dal was a martial artist revered as the "God's Hand" in Japan, having traveled across the country defeating masters of all martial arts styles such as judo, kendo, and hapkido. He was also famous for a story where he fought a bull with his bare hands and broke the bull's horns, which were said to be harder than rocks.

Having honed his martial arts skills under Choi Bae-dal, Chiba entered the Japanese film industry as an action actor in the 1960s. Variety reported that in the late 1970s, he starred as the protagonist Oyama Masutatsu in a trilogy of films depicting the life of his master Choi Bae-dal.

Oyama Masutatsu, when read in Chinese characters, means "Daesan Baedal," a Japanese name given to Choi Bae-dal after settling in Japan, symbolizing his intention not to forget that he was a Korean of the Baedal people.

Having established himself as an action star in Japan, Chiba also expanded overseas, gaining recognition in the American Hollywood film industry by appearing in "The Street Fighter" (1974), distributed by New Line Cinema.

He also left a strong impression on movie fans by playing the role of "Hattori Hanzo," who forges a sword to help the heroine (played by Uma Thurman) seek revenge in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.