Kunishiro Hayashi, Japanese sword fighting arranger, Died at 76

  Sports

Japanese sword fighting arranger Kunishiro Hayashi passed away in 2015 from pancreatic cancer.

Kunishiro began his career as the youngest sword fighter choreographer at Age 24 in the crew of “Taikouki” in 1965, the third LinkIconTaiga drama(the name Japan Broadcasting Corporation gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan).

Since then, Kunishiro has been involved in the swordfight choreography of numerous NHK Taiga dramas, including latest “Kou – Himetachi no Sengoku” (2011).

In addition to overseeing swordfight choreography, he has appeared in a number of TV dramas and films as an actor.

Kunishiro is both an active practitioner and a renowned researcher of a number of martial arts, including Kenjutsu, Judo, Aikido, Karate, Ryukyu Kobujutsu, and Chinese martial arts.

Cultivating the talent of young swordfight choreographers is another area in which Hayashi focuses his energies.

Many of his students have gone on to become well-known swordfight choreographers, including Masahiro Kunii, Eiji Takakura, Takashi Okamoto, Hidenobu Togo, Kunihide Kuruma, Minoru Arata, Hisao Takeda, and Toshishiro Obata, who mainly works in the USA.

Kunishiro has received praise for his lengthy research on Japanese traditional martial arts and samurai culture.

His rich knowledge, experiences and precise skills form the basis for his philosophy of “swordfight choreography for more lively acting”.

In 1975, Kunishiro created “Bugeki”, a stage performance showcasing swordfight choreography, acting and traditional Japanese martial arts.

Kunishiro actively continues to perform “Bugeki”, with the aim of providing exposure for great legacy and tradition of Japanese martial arts and to passing that tradition on to future generations intact.

Kunishiro Hayashi passed away at age 76 in 2015.