Shin Koyamada
Shin Koyamada is a Japanese-American actor, producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur and martial artist.
Koyamada is best known for his roles in The Last Samurai and the Disney Channel original movie . He has also produced numerous movies, shows, comics and video games through his production company Shinca Entertainment..
In addition to his acting work, Koyamada is also known for his philanthropic efforts in youth leadership, humanitarian aid, gender equality, subnational diplomacy and SDGs, through Koyamada International Foundation. Koyamada is the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Ambassador for Karate.
Koyamada holds black belts in Japanese and Korean martial arts, and has also won U.S. national championships in Chinese martial arts. Koyamada immigrated from Japan to the United States in June 2000.
Early life
Koyamada was born in Okayama, Japan. His family is descended from Kagenori Koyamada of the Koyamada clan, a Samurai clan. Koyamada's dad cultivated in him a love for American and Hong Kong action movies, which they would watch together. In high school, he was team captain in gymnastics and competed in the Okayama Prefecture tournament for three years. In addition, he enrolled in a Karate school, his first martial arts experience. He trained every weekend to hone his skills with the desire to be a Hollywood actor. He graduated from Ichinomiya high school in Okayama in March 2000.Moving to the United States
On June 11, 2000, Koyamada moved to the United States to further his studies. To improve his English, he enrolled in the ESL program at the University of California, Riverside. Later that year, he enrolled at Los Angeles City College as a full-time international student, and also began taking intensive acting lessons.Hollywood career
2000-2001: Early work
To gain his acting experience in the beginning, Koyamada begun auditioning for many commercials and working in student films and music videos. In 2000, Koyamada booked national commercials for Disneyland, Apple Computer and JC Penney. In 2001, Koyamada choreographed and performed martial arts forms and stage combat in a production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus for the Knightsbridge Theater in Pasadena. Koyamada also made a brief guest appearance in Power Rangers Wild Force and co-starred in the award-winning American short comedy film A Ninja Pays Half My Rent.2002-2004: The Last Samurai and breakthrough
Koyamada's debut feature film role was in the Warner Bros. blockbuster epic film The Last Samurai, co-starring as Nobutada, a son of Ken Watanabe's character Katsumoto and a young Samurai who befriends Algren, played by Tom Cruise. His character became known for the iconic lines "Jolly Good" and "No Mind". Koyamada was ranked number 1 under age 25 on the Internet Movie Database's Star Meter when the film was just released. The film grossed a total of $456 million at the box office and was nominated for several Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and National Board of Review Awards. While filming, he added Kyūdō and Yabusame to his repertoire. In mid 2002, Koyamada had accidentally found the casting call for the movie online, submitted himself to a casting director in Los Angeles, auditioned twice and eventually landed the role.2005-2009: Engaging youth on Disney and producing
In early 2005, Koyamada auditioned for Disney Channel executives, with Koyamada performing backflips and Shaolin Kung Fu double broadsword, his U.S. national championship winning form, to them on the top floor of the Disney Channel building in Burbank, California. The following day, Koyamada was offered the starring role in Disney Channel's opposite Brenda Song, which become one of the highest rated original movies on the channel. It also received the highest rating in the history of Disney Channel Japan. The film also broke records in the United Kingdom and Europe. From 2006 to 2008, Koyamada was a regular in the Disney Channel Games for three seasons. The series was filmed at Disney World in Florida and supported various charities.In late 2005, Koyamada and his wife Nia Lyte formed a production company Shinca Entertainment. Shinca has developed and produced a television and live streaming talk show named The Nia Lyte Show. In Japan, Koyamada starred in and executive produced the Japanese documentary film Wine Road of the Samurai, nationally distributed by Tokyo Broadcasting System.
In 2007, Koyamada starred in and produced the short film Good Soil, in which he portrayed a Christian Samurai leader who stood for his faith. Koyamada next appeared in the 20th Century Fox drama Constellation, directed by Jordan Walker-Pearlman.
In 2009, Koyamada partnered with Travis Moore and Nia Lyte to form comics company Laizen Comics. Koyamada, Moore and Lyte created The Dreamhoppers, an action adventure about the supernatural powers given to certain people known as Dreamhoppers. The comics was published and distributed by Laizen Comics to independent comic book stores throughout the United States.
2010-present: Exploring Asia and production expansion
Koyamada continued to explore working in Japan and starred in the Japanese stage production Ai No Shizuku, hosted by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Okayama Prefecture government during the 25th National Cultural Festival in his hometown of Okayama. The play was attended by then-Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and nationally televised.Koyamada starred in and produced the film Heart of the Dragon, directed by Jeff McDonald and written by James West II. Koyamada also produced a multi-part television and web series comprising Spirit Fashion Show, Spirit Art Show, Spirit Music Show, Spirit Love Show and Spirit Earth Show, with producers Claudia Hallowell and Nia Lyte and distributed by Spirit Show Network.
Upcoming projects
Koyamada has starred in and produced an American feature film The Yokai King based on Japanese supernatural folklore characters. The film was entirely shot in Okinawa, Japan and expected to be released internationally in 2021.Through Shinca Entertainment, Koyamada and his partners have developed and produced a number of other original comic book series and digital stickers for a mobile chatting system. In addition, he has been in ongoing development of numerous action films, Japanese-style animation and mobile games, some of which are based on his original comic book series.
Philanthropic work
Koyamada is known for various philanthropic efforts across the globe. At age 22, he began supporting a number of American nonprofit organizations focusing on cross-cultural, after-school programs and humanitarian aid. To expand his efforts, Koyamada and his wife founded an international non-governmental organization Koyamada International Foundation, headquartered in Los Angeles in March 2008, to improve quality of people's lives by empowering global youth and women to reach their full potential and by providing humanitarian aid to promote global peace and sustainable development.Ambassadorships
In the United States, Koyamada has been appointed as an U.S. Department of State Cultural Envoy and a Japan-America Society Southern California Special Ambassador. In Japan, Koyamada has been appointed to several goodwill ambassadorships by multiple local governments and NGOs, including Tourism Ambassador by Okayama Prefecture then-Governor Masahiro Ishii in 2010, Tourism Ambassador by Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa in 2012 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics Karate Ambassador by Japan Karate Federation Chairman Takashi Sasagawa in 2016.Youth leadership and international education
Having a background as an international student in the United States, Koyamada is committed to cultivating youth leaderships and inspiring students to study abroad. Through Koyamada International Foundation, his first speaker's engagement was at California State University, Monterey Bay in 2008.In Japan, Koyamada first was invited by the U.S. Embassy Tokyo in 2011 to lecture to hundreds of Japanese youth students in five different cities to promote international education. Following the educational tour, Koyamada continued his efforts to empower Japanese high school and undergraduate students to cultivate their global mindsets and leaderships through KIF Japan in partnerships with a number of embassies, local governments, universities, high schools, board of education and nonprofit organizations. With his friends Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Koyamada visited 10 different prefectures of Japan in 10 days for KIF Japan's US-Japan Discovery Tour to promote youth leaderships, the importance of pursuing a higher education and mutual understanding among young people of Japan and the United States through a series of lectures and cross-cultural events. During the tour, they shared their activities to millions of followers and fans through their social media. Since 2015, Koyamada has given lectures at both private and national universities in Japan, including Kansai University, Ritsumeikan University, Kindai University, Seinan Gakuin University, Okayama University, Okinawa International University and Miyazaki Municipal University.
In late 2019, Mount Kenya University, a top private university in Nairobi, Kenya, in partnership with KIF Kenya has organized his lecture event for their undergraduate students. In February 2020, Embassy of the United States, Moscow and its consulates invited Koyamada to speak to over 3,000 Russian students and youth as a main keynote speaker to empower them to pursue their dreams and shared his story and experience studying in the United States.
Humanitarian aid
Since 2008, Koyamada has been assisting homeless people in Los Angeles through KIF's program in providing foods and drinks. In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Koyamada raised substantial funds through fundraising efforts in California and donated them all to three affected Prefectures of Japan through KIF to aid the victims. In addition, Koyamada shipped 20-foot containers filled with basic necessities directly to the victims. Since then, he has assisted a number of natural disasters, including the 2018 Japan floods.Subnational diplomacy
In July 2017, Koyamada became the first Japanese National Board of Directors of Sister Cities International, the oldest and largest global network of volunteer citizen diplomats, comprising over 2,000 communities in 145 countries. As an At-Large National Board member, he has led global initiatives on engaging global youth, bringing Cultural diversity, growing visibility, fostering bilateral relationships with Asian countries, cultivating sustainable partnerships with United Nations, governments and international NGOs, supporting local sister city exchanges and promoting world peace through citizen diplomacy. In 2019, he created the Japan-Texas Leaderships Symposium, a bilateral business and cultural event hosted by SCI, Koyamada International Foundation and the City of San Antonio.Martial arts community
Koyamada is not only a well trained martial artist in a number of different styles, but also well known in the international martial arts community for supporting martial arts organizations and activities. His passions in martial arts became stronger as he grew up watching many Hollywood and Hong Kong action films and Japanese anime. His first martial arts experience was when he took physical education class in Judo in middle school.1998-2000: Early development
By 16, Koyamada began to study Keishinkan Karate every weekend in Okayama, Japan. After six months of training in 1998, he was asked by his Sensei Yoshii to compete at a national Karate Championship in Nagano, where he was the only beginner holding a rank of White Belt in a high school division and had to fight against Black belt competitors. In the following year, he fought again at the same championship and unexpectedly won against a winner from the previous year who participated from the United States, but lost in the following match. Right after the championship, he was awarded to his first Degree Black Belt skipped directly from a White Belt with only a year and half training.2000-2004: Training in Kung Fu and national champion
After relocating to Los Angeles in September 2000, he used to give private lessons in Karate to college students for a few months. In the meanwhile, he began training in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu with the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association, commuting a long distance bicycling for an hour each way to its school and coming back home midnight for five days a week. Koyamada specialized in the empty hand form Bot Bo and double broadsword among other 18 Chinese classical weapons in Northern Shaolin. After nine months of training, Koyamada began competing in six U.S national martial arts competitions in several major cities, including San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and won gold medals in most of them in 2001 and 2002. In 2004, Koyamada was featured on the cover of Black Belt Magazine, one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States.2005-2015: Further studies and martial arts festival
In 2005, Koyamada earned san-dan Black Belt in traditional Keishinkan Karate in Japan. Under Sensei Tadashi Yamashita in Los Angeles, he also begun studying Iaijutsu, a Japanese combative quick-draw sword technique, an art of drawing the Japanese sword, katana, and one of the Japanese koryū martial art disciplines in the education of the Samurai.In the same year, Koyamada was introduced to train in Korean martial arts Tae Kwon Do under a well known Korean Grandmaster inside the CBS Studio Center lot, where he trained with Stanley Clarke and other classmates from the entertainment industry. After a year of training, he earned a first degree black belt, and eventually a second degree black belt. In 2007, Koyamada began studying in Korea's Royal Court Martial Arts, for which he was certified as a 1st Degree Black Belt after two years in 2009. In 2009, he was invited as a main guest to perform a traditional Japanese swordsmanship at one of the largest Italian martial arts exhibitions Martial Arts Tour held in Nettuno, Italy, with over 2,000 live Italian audience members and Italian national television stations broadcasting the event.
In 2010 and 2011, he founded an international martial arts event, United States Martial Arts Festival, held in Redondo Beach, California, to promote the arts and help educate the next generation to develop self-discipline, self-determination, self-affirmation, self-assertion, self-discovery and self-confidence through martial arts. At USMAF, over 1,000 supporters and fans packed the auditorium to cheer up martial arts performances by different world renowned martial arts masters and youth performers representing different styles such as Karate, Shaolin Kung Fu, Krav Maga, Capoera, MMA, Tae Kwon Do, Shorinji Kempo, American Kenpo, Boxing, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and others that are originated from the United States, Israel, Japan, South Korea, China, Egypt, Brazil, Thailand and Taiwan. All of the proceeds funded itself and martial arts scholarship program that provides youth and children the necessary funds.
2016-present: Karate for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
In early 2016, Koyamada was appointed by theJapan Karate Federation, an affiliated World Karate Federation that has more than ten million members in 191 countries, as Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Karate Ambassador as part of an ongoing efforts to include Karate into the additional Olympics Games and to promote Karate internationally. In August 2016, the International Olympic Committee approved Karate as an Olympic sport for the first time in its history, beginning at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2017, he attended as a special guest for the first Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup All Japan Karate Championship at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, where then-Emperor Akihito also attended.Entrepreneurship
Production company
In 2005, Koyamada formed Shinca Entertainment in Burbank, California, a production company that produces films, shows, American comic books, anime, video games and digital stickers. Since its founding, the company has produced numerous content, including the comic book series The Dreamhoppers under various brands.International consulting
In 2012, Koyamada established Shinca Enterprise, a consulting firm to initially bridge American startup companies in Japan and South America in various areas. In 2017, the company's clients include American startup companies to Japanese Fortune Global 500 companies in a wide range of businesses such as agriculture, technology, retail, energy, mining, sports, foods and entertainment industries in the United States, Asia and Latin America.Personal life
Koyamada is married to Nia Lyte, a Colombian-American producer, whom he met while he was visiting Huntsville, Alabama.Filmography
As actor| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 2002 | ' | Black Ninja | Steven Tsuchida | Lead |
| 2003 | ' | Nobutada Moritsugu | Ed Zwick | Lead |
| 2006 | ' | Shen | John Laing | Starring |
| 2007 | Constellation | Yoshito | Jordan Walker-Pearlman | Supporting |
| 2007 | Good Soil | Jinbei Masuda | Craig Shimahara | Starring |
| 2013 | Heart of the Dragon | John Watanabe | Jeff McDonald | Starring |
| 2018 | Ticker | Sam Goldman | James Fargo | Starring |
| 2018 | Zero | Ken Endo | TBA | Starring |
As producer'
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 2006 | Wine Road of the Samurai | Executive Producer | Documentary film |
| 2007 | Good Soil | Executive Producer | Short Film |
| 2009 | The Dreamhoppers | Creator, Executive Producer | Comic book series |
| 2012 | Spirit Fashion Show | Creator, Executive Producer | Miniseries |
| 2013 | Spirit Earth Show | Creator, Executive Producer | Miniseries |
| 2013 | Spirit Love Show | Creator, Executive Producer | Miniseries |
| 2013 | Spirit Music Show | Creator, Executive Producer | Miniseries |
| 2013 | Spirit Art Show | Creator, Executive Producer | Miniseries |
| 2013 | Heart of the Dragon | Creator, Producer | Short Film |
| 2020 | Reborn | Associate Producer | Console game |
| 2020 | Ticker | Producer | Feature Film |
| 2020 | Zero'' | Producer | Feature Film |