This article is about an actor in the Kamen Rider Series. |
Kunihiro Fujioka (藤岡 邦弘, Fujioka Kunihiro), better known by his stage name Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡 弘、, Fujioka Hiroshi), is a Japanese actor and martial artist who portrayed Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 in Kamen Rider, with his most recent reprisal of the role in Saber + Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki.
He also sung the original version of Let's go!! Rider Kick, during the opening of the first 13 episodes of Kamen Rider.
Biography[]
Fujioka was born in 1946 and began his martial arts training at the age of six. At the age of 19, Fujioka began his acting career and joined an acting troupe, starring in his first movie and later his first drama.
Kamen Rider[]
In 1971, he gained national attention with his role as Takeshi Hongo in Kamen Rider, a role that would define Japanese pop culture as a whole. He originally performed his own stunts as Kamen Rider 1, and took all of it for granted, thinking that as a martial artist, he could handle it. However as he was filming on a motorcycle and turned into a road that he didn't know was under construction, the bike went out of control and Fujioka's leg got stuck on a utility wire. The bike comes around and hits Fujioka, sending him several meters across the street, shattering his leg and knocking him out. The incident caused a severe bone fracture, which required Fujioka to get long-term bed rest, while he was replaced by Takeshi Sasaki, who was written into the story as Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2. Eventually, Fujioka recovered and returned to the show, joining his co-star Sasaki as the Double Riders. From that point going forward, Fujioka did not continue to perform in-suit due to the risks it posed to production, which set a precedence for suit actors.
Temporary Disappearance[]
In 1972, he passed the audition to appear in the NHK drama Akahige, but trouble occurred because it was done without permission from Toei. Thus, he was forced to drop out of the role and Fujioka temporarily disappeared from public sight. This had affected the filming of episodes 66 and 67 of Kamen Rider, and especially the production for the movie Kamen Rider vs. Jigoku Taishi which was underway.[1][2] During filming of those episodes, Hongo only appears transformed in both episodes and voiced by a different actor.[3]
After the incident, Fujioka was found and subsequently returned to filming. Toei would adjust Fujioka's schedule so as to allow him to participate in other programs outside of Kamen Rider. It is said that Fujioka received a series of requests for appearances from broadcasters. His story was published in an article and a large number of fans felt sympathy for him. Fujioka himself launched a "Takeshi Hongo Fan Club" to thank his supporters for encouraging him.[4] In a later interview, Fujioka acknowledged the incident as a thing of the past and he opted to forget the incident as a bad memory.[5]
Fujioka also portrayed the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro.
Personal Life[]
- Fujioka has five children, four of whom are part of the entertainment industry. His eldest son, Maito Fujioka portrays a young Takeshi Hongo in Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations.
- Fujioka writes his name with the ideographic comma at the end of his first name, stating that it's "meant to remind me to reconsider myself and what it is that I need to achieve. It shows that I am not yet finished with my tasks and must continue working toward their accomplishment."
Filmography[]
Television[]
- Kamen Rider (1971) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Kamen Rider V3 (1973) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Kamen Rider Stronger (1975) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- All Together! 7 Kamen Riders!! (1976) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Sega Saturn (1998-1999) - Segata Sanshiro
- Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire (2009) - Reiji Osakabe
Film[]
- Kamen Rider vs. Shocker (1972) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Kamen Rider vs. Jigoku Taishi (1972) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants (1974) - Kamen Rider 1 (voice only)
- Five Riders vs. Kingdark (1974) - Kamen Rider 1 (voice only)
- Kamen Rider Agito: Project G4 (2001) - Superintendent General (cameo)
- Tomica Hero: Rescue Force Explosive Movie: Rescue the Mach Train! (2008) - Reiji Osakabe
- OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders (2011) - Kamen Rider 1 (voice only)
- Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai (2014) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Kamen Rider 1 (film) (2016) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
- Kamen Rider Saber + Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki (2021) - Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
Video Games[]
- Kamen Rider: Seigi No Keifu (2003) - Kamen Rider 1 (voice)
- Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing - Kamen Rider 1 (voice)
YouTube Channel[]
Hiroshi Fujioka Family Channel (藤岡弘、ファミリーChannel ) is a YouTube Channel operated by the Fujioka family and consists primarily of interview-style videos conducted by Fujioka's children. Each video opens with an original song performed acoustically by Maito Fujioka. Since April of 2021, many of the interview videos uploaded have been about Fujioka's time on Kamen Rider and his thoughts on the franchise's 50th anniversary, while each his children interviewees will give their thoughts on such as well.
Notes[]
- Like Takeshi Hongo, Fujioka himself is also a cultural icon in Japan, as the minor planet 12408 Fujioka is named in his honor.
- In 2012, Fujioka commented on the passing of Shigeru Araki, who played Kamen Rider Stronger. [6]
- Tetsu Inada, his successor in several of Kamen Rider 1's subsequent voice acting, was present during Fujioka's dubbing of his character in Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai, having watched the actor in the recording booth.[7]
- In an interview, Fujioka stated that his iconic transformation pose was inspired by a combination of his karate training, kabuki theater posturing and the sword stances of the Full Moon style used by samurai in the Nemuri Kyoshiro novels. The poses were created by choreographer Kazutoshi Takahashi, who was a performer of the Ohno Kennyu-kai performance troupe. [8]
- During filming of Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations, Fujioka was on set to support his son playing the younger version of his iconic role.
Social Media[]
External Links[]
- Japanese Wikipedia
- English Wikipedia
- Hiroshi Fujioka at Wikizilla
References[]
- ↑ 『テレビマガジン特別編集 劇場版シリーズ第10作「仮面ライダーZO」公開記念 仮面ライダー映画大全集』講談社、1993年6月10日。ISBN 4-06-178415-3。
- ↑ 『仮面ライダー1971-1984 秘蔵写真と初公開資料で蘇る昭和ライダー10人』講談社、2014年11月20日。ISBN 978-4-06-218566-0。
- ↑ https://twitter.com/awanuko2021/status/1069916213860397056
- ↑ 大研究 2007, pp. 186–189, 「69 藤岡弘“失踪事件”の意外な結末」
- ↑ 仮面ライダー1971-1984 2014, pp. 62–65, 「INTERVIEW 藤岡弘、」
- ↑ http://henshinjustice.com/2012/04/15/Fujioka-fujioka-on-shigeru-arakis-passing/
- ↑ https://www.famitsu.com/news/201409/21061985.html
- ↑ https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2021/08/premium-bandais-special-interview-with-Fujioka-fujioka/