, a.k.a David Kurata, is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 specializing in action movies. An accomplished martial artist

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

, he has dan rank

Dan rank

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

s in karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 (5th degree), judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 (3rd degree), and aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

 (2nd degree). He is perhaps best known for his extended battle against Jet Li

Jet Li

The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...

 in Fist of Legend

Fist of Legend

Fist of Legend is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Gordon Chan and features action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping, and also produced by and starring Jet Li. It is a remake of the 1972 film Fist of Fury, which starred Bruce Lee as the lead character...

and for his villainous role in So Close

So Close

*So Close* is a 2002 action film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Shu Qi, Karen Mok and Zhao Wei. The English title is derived from The Carpenters' song Close to You, which has a prominent role in the film.-Plot:...

. He is fluent in Cantonese. He also met Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...

 during his career.

Kurata's home town is Sakura-mura, Niihari District, Ibaraki

Niihari District, Ibaraki

Niihari was a district located in Ibaraki, Japan. The district was dissolved on March 27, 2006.The district has only one village before dissolution.* Tamari-Timeline :...

 (now part of Tsukuba

Tsukuba, Ibaraki

is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is known as the location of the , a planned city developed in the 1960s.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 207,394 and a population density of 730 persons per km². Its total area is 284.07 km².Mount Tsukuba, particularly well-known...

). Having studied performing arts at Nihon University

Nihon University

Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....

 and Toei

Toei Company

is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...

 Theater School, he began to work as an actor in the late 1960s. In 1971, Kurata made his Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 debut in the Shaw Brothers Studio

Shaw Brothers Studio

The Shaw Brothers Studio , owned by Shaw Brothers Ltd., was the foremost and the largest movie production company of Hong Kong movies.From their distribution base in Singapore where they founded parent company Shaw Organization in 1924, and as a strategic development of their movie distribution...

 kung-fu movie Angry Guest

Angry Guest

The Angry Guest or E ke is a 1972 Shaw Brothers film directed by Chang Cheh from Hong Kong, starring David Chiang and Ti Lung, it is a sequel to Duel of Fists.- Plot :...

(悪客). Since then he has appeared in numerous other films and TV series within the genre.

In addition to his work as an actor, Kurata runs the stunt agency Kurata Promotion (established 1976 under the name Kurata Action Club), teaches at a private college (the University of Creation, Art, Music & Social Work), is chief advisor to the All Japan Nunchaku League, and in 2004 published a book, .

Future Fighters (pre-production)
Mikoto

2010 Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen is a 2010 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Andrew Lau. The film is a continuation of the 1994 film Fist of Legend starring Jet Li, with Donnie Yen as Chen Zhen, a role made famous by Bruce Lee in the 1972 film Fist of Fury...

Chikaraishi's father

2009 Blood: The Last Vampire

Blood: The Last Vampire

Blood: The Last Vampire is a 2000 anime film produced by Production I.G and SPE Visual Works and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The film premiered in theaters in Japan on November 18, 2000...

Kato Takatora

2009 Shinjuku Incident

Shinjuku Incident

Shinjuku Incident is a 2009 Hong Kong action crime drama film written and directed by Derek Yee, and also produced by and starring Jackie Chan...

Taro Watagawa

2006 Gôgô sentai Bôkenger the Movie: The Greatest Precious
Kouichi Akashi

2006 Legend of Seven Monks
Santoku a bonze

2003 On loh yue miu lam

2003 Yellow Dragon
Gouzaburo "Go" Azuma

2002 So Close

So Close

*So Close* is a 2002 action film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Shu Qi, Karen Mok and Zhao Wei. The English title is derived from The Carpenters' song Close to You, which has a prominent role in the film.-Plot:...

Master

2002 Samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

Commissaire Fujiwara Morio

2001 An dou
Chang

2000 Chung wa diy hap
Tetsuo

1998 Hero of Shanghai (TV series)
Samurai Leader

1995 Yami gorufâ 2: Ougon no patâ (video)

1994 Fist of Legend
Fuimo Funakoshi

1993 The Fighting King
Tachibana

1993 My Home Yakuza

1992 Shizukanaru Don 2 (video)
Koshiro Inokubi

1991 Ji dao zhui zong
Ishikawa (Guest star)

1991 Shizukanaru Don (video)
Koshiro Inokubi

1989 Final Fight
Masahiro Kai

1988 Bokura no nanoka-kan sensô
Sakai

1988 Jin zhuang da jiu dian
Tomohara

1987 Deadly Life of a Ninja
Ninja leader (as Chong Ti Bo-Chu)

1987 Eastern Condors
General's elite soldier

1987 A Book of Heroes
Shoji Karada (as Kurata Yoshiaki)

1986 Lost in the Wilderness
Hirayama

1986 Foo gwai lit che
Samurai

1986 Yuan Zhen-Xia yu Wei Si-Li
Captain Ho

1985 Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars

Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars

Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film directed and co-written by Sammo Hung. It is the third instalment in the Lucky Stars series, following Winners and Sinners and My Lucky Stars...

Japanese Assassin

1985 Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is an American/Japanese film co-written and directed by Paul Schrader in 1985. It was co-produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas....

Takei (segment "Kyoko's House")

1984 Part 2, Mad Mission: Aces Go Places
Bull

1984 Ninja Thunderbolt

1983 Hei mei gui

1982 Fei yan zou bi

1982 Huo Yuan-Jia
Chiang Ho-Shan

1981 Shanghai Massacre

1981 Mao tou ying
Chong Tin - Knight's master

1981 Shaolin Fighters vs. Ninja
The Lonely Winner (as Y. Kurata)

1981 Eijanaika
Hanjiro

1981 Shu shi shen chuan
Shi Ping-Wei, the Ninja Leader (as Tsang Tyan)

1980 Qing jie

1978 Heroes of the East

Heroes of the East

Heroes Of The East , also known as Challenge Of The Ninja and Shaolin VS. Ninja and Shaolin Challenges Ninja is a martial arts film produced in 1978. It starred Gordon Liu and was directed by Lau Kar-Leung. Lau Kar-Leung has a cameo role as a master of Drunken Kung Fu...

Takeno, Japanese ninjutsu expert

1978 Lao gu lao nu lao shang lao
Mr. King

1977 Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari kôen mae hashutsujo

1977 Prodigal Boxer 2
Tiger Lei (as Shoji Kurada)

1977 G-Men '75

G-Men '75

was a long-running prime-time television detective series in Japan. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:54 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from May 24, 1975 to April 3, 1982. A sequel, G-Men '82, followed, as did various specials. With several updates and cast...

 (TV series)
– Episode #1.104 (1977)

1977 The Mad, the Mean, and the Deadly

1976 Sonny Chiba's Dragon Princess
Masahiko Okizaki

1976 Enter the Whirlwind Boxer

1975 The Golden Triangle

1975 The Return of the Sister Street Fighter

The Return of the Sister Street Fighter

The Return of the Sister Street Fighter is a 1975 Japanese martial arts film sequel to Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread.- External links :...

Go Kurosaki

1975 Challenge Me Dragon

1974 Executioner

Executioner

A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...

Karate teacher

1974 Fight! Dragon (TV series)
Dragon

1974 The Godfather Squad

1974 The Fists of Vengeance

The Fists Of Vengeance

The Fists of Vengeance is a 1972 Hong Kong film. It was produced under the Shaw Studios banner.-Cast:*Chan Shen*Chen Yan Yan*Cheng Li*Cheng Miu*Goo Man Chung*Lily Li Li Li*Ling Yun*Dean Shek*Chan Wai Lau*Cho Kin...

Kiro-san

1974 Fists for Revenge
Fan Te (as Cang Tian Bao Zhao)

1974 Call Me Dragon (as Kurata)

1974 Fatal Strike

1974 Fang Shi Yu
Iron Fist Tan (as Tung Choi-Po)

1974 Lady Whirlwind Against the Rangers
Chang Piao

1974 Kung Fu Inferno

1974 Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread is a Japanese martial arts film sequel to Sister Street Fighter....

Shunsuke Tsubaki

1973 Hu quan
Fang Ming

1973 The Black Panther
Chang Hui-Feng

1973 Win Them All

1973 Nu ying xiong fei che duo bao
Ling Chien

1973 Gan jin sha jue

1973 Bruce Lee and I

Bruce Lee and I

Bruce Lee and I , also known as Lei Siu Lung yi ngo and Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His Last Nights Danny Lee stars as Bruce Lee and Betty Ting Pei stars as herself in this movie that is based on Bruce Lee's last days leading up to his death in Pei's apartment in Hong Kong in July...

Sun

1973 Knight Errant
Tetsuro

1973 Meng hu xia shan
Taka (as Kurata)

1973 A Girl Called Tigress
Chiau Kung

1973 Unsubdued Furies

1973 Flash Challenger

1973 Si dui tou
Tiger

1972 Si qi shi
Lei Tai (as Akira Kurata)

1972 Kung Fu, the Invincible Fist
Captain Jai Tai (as Cang Tian Bao Zhao)

1972 E ke
Katsu (as Kurata Yasuaki)

1972 Pa shan hu

1971 Xiao quan wang
Tu Pien (as Chaua Tieng Pao Chao)

1962 Chûgakusei nikki (TV series)