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Hiroshi Fujioka

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Icon-krThis 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,) (formerly without a comma), 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 SenkiIcon-crosswiki.

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 to defend himself from bullying. 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.

In 1971 when Fujioka was 25, he gained national attention with his role as Takeshi Hongo in Kamen Rider, a role that would define Japanese pop culture as a whole. At the time, Fujioka's career was during the era where the Five-Company Agreement was active, meaning that major studios could not "borrow" actors or producers from another studio, and actors weren't allowed to audition for roles outside of their contracted studio. However because Fujioka had passed the audition for a drama from NHK, he was forced to temporarily drop Kamen Rider due to him violating the agreement, and his role was voiced by a different actor until Toei was able to renegotiate Fujioka's contract.[1] Fujioka's absence 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.[2][3] During filming of those episodes, Hongo only appears transformed in both episodes and voiced by a different actor.[4] In a later interview, Fujioka acknowledged the incident as a thing of the past and he opted to forget it as a bad memory.[5]

In 1984, Fujioka starred in the American-made film Ghost Warrior, which won the Critics Award at the Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival and prompted Fujioka to join the Screen Actors Guild (known as SAG-AFTRA today), making him the first Japanese actor to do so.

In 1997, Fujioka also portrayed the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro.

Since appearing in Kamen Rider, Fujioka had become a well-known figure in Japanese entertainment. Because of this, Fujioka chose not to reprise his role too often as to avoid people type-casting him. Regardless, he viewed the role as monumental to his career and wished good luck to future actors who took up the main role in his stead.

In 2001, Fujioka had a cameo role in Kamen Rider Agito: Project G4 as the Superintendent General. Though the character was not Takeshi Hongo, his lines included allusions to his role and encouraged Shoichi Tsugami, the main Rider of that time, to continue doing what he himself could no longer do.

In 2005, Fujioka was appointed the Executive Chairman at hero festival event in Fukuoka.[6] In a speech, Fujioka praised today's heroes who have given children the courage to live, dream, and hope, and performed his rendition of "Let's Go!! Rider Kick" live.[7]

In 2011, Fujioka and original Ultraman Susumu Kurobe held a joint interview for the DVD/Blu-Ray release of Ultraman vs. Kamen RiderIcon-crosswiki, a special that originally aired in 1993.

In 2014, Fujioka reprised his role as Takeshi Hongo in Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai, which was his first physical reprisal of the role in 38 years since All Together! Seven Kamen Riders!!. Fujioka spoke fondly about the filming experience, which he found exciting and felt it was easier to get back into character once he began transforming.[8][9] Fujioka reprised the role again two years later in Kamen Rider 1, where at the age of 69, he performed most of his own out-of-suit stunts.[10][11]

In a talk show in 2016, Fujioka was a guest alongside Gaku Sano (Gaim) and Ryoma Takeuchi (Drive), where he told stories about his time filming the original series and imparted the two a message, Never let the fire of Kamen Rider die out (仮面ライダーの火を消すんじゃないぞ, Kamen raidā no hi o kesu n janai zo)

Fujioka reprised his role once again in 2021 for Kamen Rider Saber ＋ Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger: Superhero SenkiIcon-crosswiki. Later that year, Fujioka was on set for Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations as advisor for his son Maito Fujioka's portrayal of a younger version of his character.

Later Career[]

Fujioka has also had some voice-over roles such as the Japanese dub voice of Shan Yu from 1998's Mulan, and Iwao Hazuki in the video game Shenmue, From 2005 forward, he voiced Rashard Zangan in Final Fantasy VII media including Rebirth in 2024.

Personal Life[]

  • Fujioka was married to actress Keiko Torii from 1987 to 1990. Fujioka has been married to a non-celebrity woman since 2001 with five children together, four of whom are part of the entertainment industry. His eldest son, Maito Fujioka portrays a young Takeshi Hongo in Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations.
  • Since starring in Ghost Warrior, due to its critical acclaim which prompted him to join the Screen Actor's Guild, Fujioka began writing his name with an ideographic comma, stating that it's "meant to remind [him] to reconsider [him]self and what it is that [he needs] to achieve. It shows that [he is] not yet finished with [his] tasks and must continue working toward their accomplishment."

Filmography[]

Television[]

Film[]

Video Games[]

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; 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. [12]
  • 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.[13]
  • 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. [14]
  • Fujioka originally performed his own stunts as Kamen Rider 1, but was left heavily injured after he crashed a motorcycle into a construction zone, which shattered his leg. After being hospitalized, he was replaced by Takeshi Sasaki, who was written into the story as Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2 and would take his place until Fujioka's recovery and return, joining 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 professional suit actors.
  • 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[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 大研究 2007, pp. 186–189, 「69 藤岡弘“失踪事件”の意外な結末」
  2. ↑ 『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。
  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。
  4. ↑ https://twitter.com/awanuko2021/status/1069916213860397056
  5. ↑ 仮面ライダー1971-1984 2014, pp. 62–65, 「INTERVIEW 藤岡弘、」
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080224084153/http://www.herofilm.jp/
  7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051117030111/http://www.zakzak.co.jp/gei/2005_09/g2005092707.html
  8. ↑ https://archive.is/90X7k
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140119182309/http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0059718
  10. ↑ https://www.rbbtoday.com/article/2016/01/28/139123.html
  11. ↑ https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/225630
  12. ↑ http://henshinjustice.com/2012/04/15/Fujioka-fujioka-on-shigeru-arakis-passing/
  13. ↑ https://www.famitsu.com/news/201409/21061985.html
  14. ↑ https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2021/08/premium-bandais-special-interview-with-Fujioka-fujioka/
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