Koyamada Shin is a Japanese people
As producer, Koyamada develops and produces numerous content through his production company Shinobi Pictures and multimedia company Laizen Studios.
Early life
Koyamada was born in
Okayama, Japan, and hails from the
Koyamada clan. In his youth, he was an avid athlete, training in the 100m sprint,
basketball as well as long-distance cycling.
During his high school years in Okayama, he also excelled in
gymnastics, eventually becoming the team captain and competing in local competitions.
He also received basic
Judo training as part of his physical education classes and graduated in 2000.
At the age of 16, Koyamada began training in traditional Japanese
karate, and by 18, he had earned
black belts, distinguishing himself in national championships.
2000: Moving to the U.S.A
In 2000, Koyamada moved to the United States to further his studies as an international student, enrolling in the
ESL program at the University of California, Riverside. Later that year, he moved to
Los Angeles alone, without speaking English, having no friends, and with no place to stay.
Acting career
2001-2002: Early roles
In 2001 and 2002, Koyamada attended Los Angeles City College, where he received general education and began taking
acting lessons
In 2001, Koyamada landed his first acting role in a national commercial for Apple, filmed in
Philadelphia. Shortly afterward, he appeared in back-to-back commercials for
JC Penney and
Disneyland.
The Disneyland commercial was filmed at the theme park, marking his first visit to Disneyland. In 2002, Koyamada's first acting roles in television included a brief guest appearance in
Power Rangers Wild Force as an agent and a co-starring role in the award-winning short film
A Ninja Pays Half My Rent as Black Ninja.
2003-2005: The Last Samurai and breakthrough
His debut film role was co-starring with
Tom Cruise in the Warner Bros. blockbuster feature film
The Last Samurai (2003), as Nobutada. The film grossed $456 million at the box office and was nominated for several
Academy Awards,
Golden Globes, and National Board of Review Awards.
In 2004, he had a guest starring role in the CBS television series
Jake 2.0 as Shinji Makito.
2006-2009: Disney movie, shows and Japan
In 2006, Koyamada co-starred with
Brenda Song in the Disney Channel's
, which become one of the highest-rated Disney original television movies.
It also received the highest rating in the history of Disney Channel Japan.
The film also broke records in the United Kingdom and Europe, making
Disney Channel the highest rated kids’ channel in Europe.
In 2006, Koyamada starred in and executive produced the Japanese documentary film
Wine Road of the Samurai, which was broadcast by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. nationwide in Japan.
In 2007, Koyamada starred in and produced the short film Good Soil, which is based on the historical event about Christianity in Japan.
2010-2022: Starring in stage, series, movie in Japan
In 2010, Koyamada starred in the Japanese stage production
Ai No Shizuku, which was the opening ceremony of the National Cultural Festival of Japan, the hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Okayama Prefectural Government and broadcast nationwide by the
NHK in Japan. The production was attended by Then-Crown Prince of Japan
Naruhito, who is now the Emperor of Japan.
In 2013, he also starred in and produced the action short film
Heart of the Dragon.
In 2014, Koyamada starred in and produced the independent television series
The Yokai King, which was entirely filmed in Okinawa, Japan, and is based on famous Japanese folklore characters.
In 2022, he starred in and produced an independent American film
The Yokai King: The Movie, a remake of the 2014 television series.
Producing career
Movies, series
Koyamada co-founded an independent production company
Shinobi Pictures in Los Angeles in 2005.
In 2006, Koyamada executive produced a Japanese feature documentary film
Wine Road of the Samurai, produced by the Sanyo Broadcasting and broadcast by the Japan News Network (JNN) nationwide in Japan. In 2007, Koyamada produced a 20-minute short action drama film
Good Soil, written and directed by Craig Shimahara and released by R.A.G.E. Media on
home video.
The movie was screened at a theater in Downtown Los Angeles.
Koyamada produced a multi-part television and web series through Shinobi Pictures, comprising Spirit Fashion Show (2013), Spirit Art Show (2013), Spirit Music Show (2013), Spirit Love Show (2013) and Spirit Earth Show (2014), distributed by Spirit Show Network.
Comics, digital stickers, games
Koyamada co-founded
Laizen Studios in 2019. That same year, he created and produced the American comic book series
The Dreamhoppers, which was published and distributed by Laizen Studios in the United States through independent comic book stores.
In 2011, Koyamada developed and produced the original digital stickers
Kolala, which were published on the
Line app, a platform for instant messaging and social networking.
In 2013, it was announced that Koyamada joined as an executive producer for a
cyberpunk RPG video game based on the historic legendary
samurai Miyamoto Musashi.
Anime and manga
Koyamada co-founded several
anime and
manga companies, including Laizen Studios, Arabime Studios and Holy Entertainment.
Philanthropic career
Early efforts
In 2004, Koyamada began his support for youth empowerment by teaching karate at a local Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Burbank. The following year, during a martial arts event at the Sportsmen's Lodge in
Los Angeles, he was invited to a charity event for
Kickstart Kids, a nonprofit organization founded by actor
Chuck Norris with the help of former American President George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) in
Houston,
Texas. Koyamada begun supporting the program by participating in the annual charity event alongside Chuck Norris and President Bush, and by inspiring youth at the middle schools they worked with. In earlier years, Koyamada has supported various charitable organizations across the United States, including Japan-America Societies, National Cherry Blossom Parade, Los Angeles Mission and others.
Global efforts
Koyamada has also been involved with various global philanthropic efforts through Koyamada International Foundation (KIF), an international non-governmental organization, which was founded by Koyamada and his wife in 2008, with its mission to improve quality of people's lives by providing
humanitarian aid to promote
world peace and sustainable development.
KIF's global programs address a broad range of topics including
youth leadership, women's empowerment,
cross-cultural,
disaster relief, educational in emergencies, natural conservation and
space.
KIF is a
confederation of eleven KIF national chapter members, each governed independently as a nonprofit non-governmental organization in its respective country. Additionally, it includes three affiliate members: Guardian Girls International (GGI), StarAngel International (SAI), and Anime Week International (AWI).
In early 2011, KIF has established the first National Chapter in Japan in response to the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, which fundraised with fashion show.
Gender equality
In 2019, Koyamada pledged to create Guardian Girls, a global program to prevent violence against women through sports and martial arts as part of the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF).
This pledge was made while he was participating as a speaker at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), hosted by the
UNFPA and the governments of
Denmark and
Kenya in
Nairobi, Kenya.
A month later, KIF and UNFPA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as strategic partners for the program.
In 2022, KIF signed another MoU with the World Karate Federation (WKF) and launched the new
Guardian Girls Karate (GGK) project in 13 countries in 2023.
In 2024, Koyamada and his wife founded Guardian Girls International (GGI), an independent non-governmental organization (
NGO) affiliated with KIF, to oversee all Guardian Girls programs and projects worldwide.
Later that year, GGI launched the
Guardian Girls Aikido (GGA) project in collaboration with the International Aikido Federation (IAF) in
Latin America.
People to people exchanges
In 2017, Koyamada and his wife first participated the 60th anniversary of the San Jose-
Okayama Sister City in San Jose, California to support his hometown Okayama, Japan and the friendship between the cities where he met the Chairman of the Sister Cities International (SCI).
Later that year, he was elected as the first Japan-born Board of Directors of the SCI since its founding of 1956, with then-Chair
Ron Nirenberg, the Mayor of
San Antonio, Texas.
In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Koyamada received the Chairman's Awards by the SCI.
In March 2019, Koyamada created the first-ever Japan-Texas Leadership Symposium, hosted by SCI, KIF USA, and the City of San Antonio, and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
In 2020, Koyamada completed his term and left the SCI Board. Later that year, and continuing into 2021, he created the Japan-United States Subnational Young Professional Forum, an online event aimed at strengthening economic ties between the next generation in Japan and the United States and promoting the Subnational diplomacy, involving participants from six different sister cities.
Personal life
Koyamada is married to Carolina Manrique (known professionally as Nia Lyte), a Colombian-born producer. They have a son who was born in the United States.
Martial arts
In 1998, Koyamada began training in traditional Japanese karate under a karate instructor in Okayama, Japan, on weekends.
After just a few months of training, he competed in the high school division of a national karate championship in Nagano. In 2000, before moving to Los Angeles, he earned his first-degree black belt in karate in Okayama. In high school, he took
Judo as part of the school's physical education classes.
In 2000, shortly after moving to the United States, Koyamada began training in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu in Los Angeles six days a week. After six months of training, he started competing in local kung fu championships, winning first place and earning gold medals at several national martial arts championships in San Diego, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.
In 2004, Koyamada was featured on the cover of the Black Belt magazine.
In 2008, Koyamada began training in Kung Jung Mu Sul, the Korean Royal Court Martial Arts, under a Korean grand master in San Francisco. After a year of training, he earned a brown belt and eventually earned his first-degree black belt after two years of dedicated practice.
In 2010, Koyamada created the first-ever United States Martial Arts Festival (USMAF), an international martial arts event hosted by KIF USA.
Awards and honors
Awards
-
Chairman's Awards (2018, 2019, 2020) - Chairman of Sister Cities International
-
Community Leadership Awards (2024) - Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Goodwill ambassadors
-
Special Ambassador (2010) - President of Japan-America Society of Southern California
-
International Goodwill Ambassador (2010) - Governor of Okayama Prefecture
-
Kyoto Tourism Ambassador (2011) - Mayor of Kyoto
-
2020 Tokyo Olympics Karate Ambassador (2016) - President of Japan Karate Federation.
-
Cultural Envoy (2022) - Foreign Minister of Mongolia
-
Ambassador (2023) - President of World Karate Federation
Filmography
Film
|
|
| Black Ninja | Short film |
| |
| 2006 | Documentary; also exec. producer |
| |
| Short film; also producer |
| Also producer |
Television
|
|
| 2002 | Episode: "Identity Crisis" |
| Episode: "Upgrade" |
| TV movie |
| TV special |
| 2007 | Disney Channel Games 2007 |
| Disney Channel Games 2008 |
| Seinen Makibi |
| Also producer |
External links
