First of all, let me say that “Kurata Yuki” is not his real name. His real name is Kakimoto Tetsuo (かきもとてつお), and Kurata てつを is taken from てつお which has the same sound as Tetsuo. Strictly speaking, there are no Chinese characters, but for the convenience of reading, the Chinese circle is called Kurata Tetsuo. In the early days, some people translated it as Tetsuo, but because the real name is Tetsuo, most of them are Kurata Tetsuo.
For Tokusatsu Kamen Rider fans, he will always be Kotaro Minami! Kamen Rider BLACK RX! Handsome boy~! Before the Internet existed, we had no way of knowing what the future development of these tokusatsu actors would be like. Only when the Internet becomes popular can we find out their current situation.
For ordinary Asian fans, it was only from the 26th episode of DCD that Kotaro Minami was recast, and they had the opportunity to see him again. Then the Yanshang incident happened, and some fans began to hate him.
Although Tetsuo Kurata said in the live broadcast that he actually doesn’t like Kamen Rider very much, in fact everyone knows that his son’s name is Kakimoto Kotaro. For many years, Tetsuo Kurata has maintained Minami Kotaro’s thin figure and hairstyle, which shows that he loves this character deeply. It’s just that Kamen Rider’s identity is a double-sided blade. Tetsuo Kurata relied on it to become famous, which also limited his development in the industry.
We all know that there are so many newcomers debuting in the Japanese entertainment industry, and the old ones will soon be pushed away by the waves behind them. It’s not surprising that Tetsuo Kurata was eliminated silently, but… we all want to know what his development will be after RX ends? With his handsome appearance and good skills, coupled with the popularity of the two seasons of BLACK, his development should not be bad, right?
In this episode, let us know how Tetsuo Kurata met in the entertainment industry.
In June 1987, when I failed the college entrance exam and was thinking about my future, I participated in the “Open Call for the Leading Role of New Kamen Rider” (later renamed Kamen Rider BLACK) on the recommendation of a friend. At the same time, I was attracted by the “winning bonus of 1 million yen” and signed up. At that time, Mr. Shotaro Ishinomori was smoking and staring at Kurata. At that moment, Kurata was secretly happy: “Huh? Could it be that I was chosen?”
Although Takato Horiuchi was the runner-up, he actually had no role in the drama and later retired from the entertainment industry.
However, the prize money of 1 million yen is actually to be shared equally with the runner-up Takato Horiuchi (actor Nobuhiko Akizuki/Shadow Moon). The two of them don’t know who is the protagonist and who is the opponent. Although the plan was for the winner to play the leading role, Horiuchi Takato had a decent appearance and a sense of hero. Kurata once suspected that he might play the villain Shadow Moon.
After that, he was thrown into Toei Training School for training. It took about three months of basic courses before officially filming the drama. In the end, Director Kobayashi said, “Don’t think too much about the role of Kotaro, just play it according to your own freedom.”
What Kurata began to realize was that there had been no new Kamen Rider movies since the end of “SUPER 1” from 1980 to 1981. This time it was a resurrection! Shotaro Ishimori also told Kurata that this is a new beginning for “Kamen Rider Zero”!
Kurata: “Since I have to star in “Kamen Rider” for a whole year, I must succeed and repay everyone who chooses me.” “BLACK” is not a part of the continuation of the series, but a resurrection after being dormant for many years. Teacher Ishinomori, Toei, and many people worked hard for resurrection. Not only children’s magazines came to interview, but even “The Television” came to interview. The theme song was also composed by the golden combination of Uzaki Ryuudo and Amu Yoko. The entire industry has very strong expectations for “BLACK”. Question: It can be seen that resurrection was a big event at that time.
In order to play Kotaro well, such as the line “I can’t forgive you!”, Kurata will use extra force and his transformation postures must be in place. Photographer Fumio Matsumura also praised it and said, “That’s it!” With that momentum, Kotaro’s image stood up, and children began to imitate him.
Kurata was given the same treatment as Hiroshi Fujioka and Hiroshi Miyauchi to sing the theme song himself, and gained great popularity in one fell swoop. In addition, when “BLACK” aired, Tetsuo Kurata was only 19 years old, making him the youngest Kamen Rider star in history at the time.
According to his recollection, when the filming of the first episode began, he himself played the original comic version of the Locust Man. He was suddenly asked to “put this on” that day, and Kurata, as a newcomer, did so. As a result, Director Kobayashi said, “Your jerky movements are realistic, which is great!” The reason why he wore the leather jacket himself was because the scene was a scene where Kotaro, Locust Man, and BLACK were switching between each other continuously. If the height difference was too big, it would be unnatural, and there were no people of the same height as Kurata and Oka Motojiro on set, so he simply asked Kurata to do it himself.
BLACK’s holster actor was Motojiro Oka, who was stationed in the later period. Motojiro Oka even had the same hairstyle as Kurata’s, in order to study whether the acting skills needed to be adjusted when using the actor’s field of vision. According to Kurata’s recollection, he was wearing the same clothes and hairstyle as Motojiro Oka, and he was watching his every move every day, which made him feel a little scared… Later I found out that Oka Motojiro wanted to look like Kurata in every move. Whether before or after his transformation, he wanted the audience to think it was Minami Kotaro himself. This shows that Oka Moto has a strict attitude towards his career.
Motojiro Oka is a natural leather actor in Kurata’s mind. He has good motor skills, handsome movements, and is not afraid of anything. One time, director Kanedaji said, “Jiro, jump down from there.” He jumped onto a small air mattress from a height of 15 meters wearing a mask with poor visibility. It was super scary! Later, Kurata asked him what he thought, and he said, “Of course I’m afraid, but when filming, I have to do what I do.” Oka Motojiro never said “I can’t do it”, and he often taught Kurata safe performances and demonstrated stand-ups at the scene, and he took great care of Kurata.
Since Kurata practiced karate in high school, he sometimes wanted to fight on his own as much as possible. (laugh). Especially doing jumping kicks on a spring bed, Kurata really wants to practice it by himself. However, the spring bed Mr. Jiro used was relatively hard and burdensome on the waist. However, after using it, Kurata found it more useful. Motojiro Oka even said with a smile, “Right?” So Kurata misses the days of working together with Motojiro Oka.
Because of his good looks, Minami Kotaro’s character is very popular among girls. Three months after “BLACK” was broadcast, a large number of fans gathered in front of the photography studio. At that time, Yoshida Eisaku was also filming “Rogue Detective 2”, and the fans on both sides were so crowded that Kurata often had to squeeze in to get in. Children often shout “It’s Kotaro Minami!” when walking on the street. Kurata himself is a smoker. He once said that when he played Kotaro Minami, he happened to be witnessed by a child smoking in private. The other person shouted in shock, “Kotaro Minami is smoking!”. Since then, he has tried not to smoke in front of everyone, and mentioned that it is not easy to manage private life as a hero actor. I feel that I can’t do anything that will damage my image. (According to him, he successfully quit smoking completely in the middle and late stages of RX.) The agency also warned “Don’t ruin Kamen Rider’s image.” Gradually, the producers also began to take the direction of “idolizing Minami Kotaro”.
For example, at the end of the theatrical version, a MV will be broadcast, in which Kurata sings the interlude “My Youth” while walking on the beach. This MV is completely dedicated to Kotaro fans, which is considered the first time in the series. Shotaro Ishimori also specifically told Kurata: “I wrote the lyrics of this song and it will be used in the movie, so look forward to it.” At that time, several photo albums were also published. Ratings have also been on the rise. This is already the most glorious day of Kurata’s life, right?
Female fans were quite pleasantly surprised by the MV “My Youth” that was included at the end of the theatrical version.
The agency also released a photo album for Kurata, intending to take the idolization route.
Mr. Shotaro Ishimori often played the angler in the Kamen Rider series, just like Marvel’s Stan Lee.
Shotaro Ishimori is very fond of Kurata. Because of the hard work of filming action scenes, Kurata lost 10 kilograms. Shotaro Ishimori took Kurata out for barbecue and told him, “Work hard and don’t get hurt” and “It’s great to have you play BLACK.” Kurata, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, was often encouraged by these words. I once tried changing my name from “teacher” to “uncle”, but Ishimori even corrected Kurata, “Don’t call me uncle”~! Ishimori also spoke to Kurata with words of affirmation: “There will probably be no heroes who can surpass Yuki Kurata in the future, right?” This sentence of encouragement made Kurata express his happiness to tears.
Show RX spanning two seasons
After filming “BLACK” ended, Kurata was told “I have to do it for another year.” However, every year in the past, the leading role was replaced by a new knight, and Kurata did not expect to continue acting. It wasn’t until the agency informed me, “You have to play Minami Kotaro for another year,” that I was frightened.
At that time, Kurata thought to himself: “Spare me, why me again?”. “BLACK” has been going all out for Kurata for a year, and he is exhausted. He is not sure whether he can perform for another year. And I’m also afraid of being typecast. Although his agent also supported his idea, Shotaro Ishimori personally came to persuade him, “No one is more suitable than you. I’m sorry, but I hope you can last another year.” Kurata had no choice but to agree…
Kurata has acted in 98 episodes in the past two years from BLACK to RX, which is the same number of episodes as the original Kamen Rider. However, Fujioka and Sasaki did not complete all the episodes, so Kurata has acted in 98 episodes alone and no one has been able to break this record.
When RX finally returned to filming, he was so excited that he almost cried with his co-performers. However, the staff told him, “Kotaro, you can’t cry.” He had no choice but to hold back his emotions and complete the performance.
There is a legend circulating in Kamen Rider that the male protagonist will wear a leather suit himself in the final episode. There has been a photo circulating on the Internet of Kurata wearing an RX leather case. This photo was framed and displayed on the wooden wall in the exhibition BLACK and RX boutiques of Kurata’s steakhouse. As for whether he will personally wear a leather suit to perform and film the last episode, it is unknown…
It turns out that Tetsuo Kurata also personally wore BLACK leather cases?
Fans have a fantasy about whether the male protagonist has personally worn the leather jacket, and they hope that “the person inside is also him!” Romance! Even if I wear it once, when “BLACK” was broadcast, Kurata appeared in “Morita Kazuyoshi’s short segment. Just smile!” “The unit “Good Men’s Rights”. The host Tamori suddenly asked, “The person wearing the Kamen Rider leather suit is not you, right?” This kind of pointed question that would almost destroy a child’s dream was handled by Kurata with a shy smile.
We know that Kurata wears Locust and RX holsters, but in recent years he has revealed that he also wears BLACK holsters. When Kurata was promoting the real bone sculpture, when he touched the texture of the real bone pants, he said it was very similar to the soft material of the past. Then he revealed that he had actually worn a BLACK suit himself. Once he was called into action temporarily. He said that the staff mentioned that the original (No. 1) Fujioka Hiroshi also wore a leather suit in the early stages and performed in person. After getting permission “If it’s simple actions, it’s okay,” he filmed some action scenes. However, he refused to reveal which episode it was. Kurata joked that he would keep it secret until the graveyard.
Although Kurata is widely known as Minami Kotaro, due to the strong character image, he is called “Kamen Rider BLACK” or “Minami Kotaro” wherever he goes, and is almost never called “Kurata Yuki” by his stage name. Kurata himself was actually not satisfied with his acting skills at that time, so he became rebellious against the situation and wanted to throw away his image as a hero. He hoped that everyone could see him as “Kurata Yuki as an actor.”
After “RX” ended, the media still kept mentioning “Kotaro”. Even if he acted in the NHK morning drama “Kun no Name”, the media still used the title “BLACK’s Kurata”. At that time, Kurata was very disgusted and publicly said, “I don’t want to talk about that drama.” Even NHK blocked it for him.
In fact, Kurata’s star career was not bad at the beginning. From 1989 to 1990, he was a regular member of the “Katsute Hands-on” (NTV). During this period, he also acted in many period dramas/mystery dramas.
1991–1992 NHK’s morning drama “Kun no Name” played the male protagonist Haruki Haruki, and the ratings even reached an average of 29%.
Route choice: Go to period dramas and two-hour suspense dramas
Based on the results of “Kun no Name” and the fact that Kamen Rider has been introduced to the market as an idol before, it shouldn’t be difficult for Kurata to become an idol and leading actor based on Kurata’s conditions, right? (From an Asian Chinese perspective) But unfortunately, there is no star trail that follows this route.
Since the 1990s, he has appeared more often in “Mito Yellow Gate”, “Tsuchiyao Douji Theater” and “Housekeeper Hoshimi!” ” and other two-hour unit dramas, as well as TBS’s long-lived family drama “Wataka Sekai no Ghost”. These are Japan’s “stable job-winner” TV resources, but they are suitable for middle-aged and older audiences. They have high exposure rates but are not easy to create a “national idol” effect. Therefore, his career performance is more like “stable green leaf/frequent player”.
There are even some B-level monster films, or films such as Shura no Sparrow Knight, which have protagonists, but are only released on low-cost video tapes.
Is it a lack of acting skills?
During the Showa era, the cruelty of the Japanese entertainment industry was that “from special photography background” often became a label. The industry has fixed this kind of role image, which was especially serious in the 1980s and 1990s, because TV stations and advertisers usually did not consider “tokusatsu heroes” as male leads in romance dramas or orthodox river dramas.
Compared with male stars of the same generation, his performance feels more upright and straight to Japanese people, lacking “the lightness/cynicism required for idol dramas.” In other words, it’s not that he can’t act, but that he lacks the personality charm that makes the audience feel “fascinated with him.” (You can imagine comparing Jet Li and Wu Yunlong with Takeshi Kaneshiro and Aaron Kwok)
Miyauchi Hiroshi is only taken seriously by the tokusatsu community.
If you think Kurata has the ability to be an idol, then you can only say that his agency and managers chose the wrong development path for him. But as mentioned above, in the past, there were few “cross-border developments” in the Japanese entertainment industry. Unlike today, voice actors can also act. Joe Odagiri, Takeru Sato, and Masaki Suga who have done special effects will not affect his future acting development at all… But it wasn’t possible in those days. Tetsuo Kurata’s Kotaro Minami was not the only knight who was handsome and had high ratings. In V3, Shiro Kazami’s Hiro Miyauchi had the best looks. I don’t think he would lose to Kurata. Don’t look at the blue and white costumes he often wears now. Back then, he always dressed very stylishly in V3 and guest appearances. He was definitely a handsome man. However, except for Miyauchi Hiroshi, who is the protagonist in special effects films, he plays supporting roles in other works. Kurata had at least starred in a few movies, so no matter how popular he was in the tokusatsu world, how high his ratings were, or how good-looking he was… at that time, he was just stuck in the industry.
That’s why… Kurata’s office and managers will take on a large number of period dramas and supporting roles for him, so that he can have a “stable job” for a long time. Perhaps seeing his bad luck, Kurata opened a steakhouse in 2000 and focused on the catering business. This also means that he did not go all out to pursue an acting career like other stars.
During the same period, Japanese idol dramas were dominated by Kimura Takuya, Takenouchi Yutaka, and Fukuyama Masaharu. They had multiple exposures in records, advertisements, fashion magazines, etc. In contrast, Kurata lacks the fuel of these star industries, so it is naturally more difficult for him to become a popular idol among the people.
Because the character of Minami Kotaro was so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people that he was called “Kotaro” or “BLACK” wherever he went, he began to resent this situation and even refused to watch those tokusatsu films again.
However, as time went by, that emotion gradually faded away, and he would gradually watch it again with his children. He even shed tears while watching it recalling the past.
After opening the steakhouse, many fans came to the store to chat with him about “BLACK”, share memories, and hope that he would perform BLACK again. After hearing too much, Kurata’s mood changed and he felt that this was fate. 〈BLACK〉 and 〈RX〉 are treasures to him, and he should be proud that he can leave his name in the long history of the “Kamen Rider Series” that continues to this day, and that he is the only one to play the same character for two consecutive years. Playing the Rider for two seasons is a great experience. He once again realized the lifelong impact of this work on him, and decided to pay special attention to physical management in order not to damage Kotaro’s image. (That’s why he always wanted to maintain his hair style and body shape in the BLACK era)
Kurata in the DCD era, although there are obvious traces of time, he is a mature Kotaro.
DRIVE’s Kotaro is Kurata’s most shining moment.
Kurata, who is a real bone carving, may want to be closer to the 19-year-old Kotaro. He is very slim, but his skin seems to be unable to keep up with his age…
Kotaro BLACK RX returns after 20 years
Kurata said that he appeared in “Decade” because he wanted to give back to the fans who have always supported him. Now he has accepted this role as my destiny.
In 2008, Kurata held a “BLACK” and “RX” event at the Ishinomori Hometown Memorial Hall in Miyagi. He wore Kotaro-style clothes that day and the scene was very lively. He held symposiums and autograph sessions as a starring actor. During the meeting, he announced: “When I had a dinner with Toei producers a few days ago, I proposed the idea of producing sequels to “BLACK” and “RX”. To this, Toei responded: If through fans’ signatures and other methods, the company can judge that there is indeed a trend of “anticipation for resurrection” in the current era, then it will actively consider the production of sequels. “
Kurata Kazutakahata Junko private relationship scandal
Kurata also expressed to fans that he is very eager to make a sequel, even if it is just one season in the late night time slot. In subsequent interviews, he also expressed that it is his dream to work with leather suit actor Motojiro Oka as a partner again and play BLACK again. In addition, as a personal wish, he hopes that the role of Maribalon can continue to be played by Junko Takahata.
Later, producer Shinichiro Shirakura came to him and said: “Next year will be the 10th anniversary of Heisei Knights, and I would like to invite you to star in the commemorative film”! Yes, it’s the movie “Kamen Rider Decade the Movie: All Riders VS Overhaul”. Kurata voiced BLACK and RX in the movie. Kotaro actually only appeared for a short time. At the end, RX turned back to Kotaro and talked to DCD’s Kadoya Shi. After finishing the filming, Kurata said: “Is this the end? I really want to play RX for a longer time!” As a result, the staff said: “The TV version will also trouble you!” So in the 26th and 27th episodes of Kamen Rider DCD, Kurata played RX and BLACK’s Kotaro in these two episodes respectively.
These two episodes sparked an enthusiastic response from fans back then. It also resulted in BLACK and RX performing separately. Because BLACK has evolved into RX in the past, although there are no new works for all the knights to gather together, whenever there is a red and white singing competition or stage performance, only RX is on the stage without BLACK. It’s a bit lonely for people who like BLACK…. However, after DCD made BLACK and RX appear on the field at the same time, BLACK also appeared on the field where all the knights gathered later. Toei also assigned BLACK as number 11 and RX as number 12.
Before DCD ALL RIDER, there is no BLACK in the field with RX.
In the subsequent theatrical version of “Super Hero Wars GP Kamen Rider No. 3”, Kurata will play Kotaro again! In this story, BLACK belongs to a world of evil. He passes his heart of justice to Drive and then dies. However, he is resurrected as RX, and the RX’s car “Ridelone” is reproduced with CG, which is super hot-blooded. After the release, Kurata went online to check the reviews. Seeing that the fans were happy, he was also very happy! He thinks this is Kotaro’s best performance.
RX’s car “Ridelone” is recreated with CG
Flaming incident Reito’s disappointment!
In 2019, Tetsuo Kurata attended a fan meeting in Taiwan and told fans that he would soon return as Kotaro. In 2021, on the 50th anniversary of Kamen Rider and the 35th anniversary of BLACK, the Tetsuo Kurata incident occurred! He said in the live broadcast that he actually doesn’t like Kamen Rider very much. Even though he publicly apologized later, some of his fans also disclosed his money-making incidents, which greatly damaged his image. Although he is still invited to meet with fans from all over the world, those who like him naturally do not mention this incident and understand his plight.
Tetsuo Kurata’s live broadcast caused his image to plummet and was commonly known as the “Yan Shang Incident”.
I discussed the topic of Tetsuo Kurata with the Malaysian Internet celebrity “Xunlei Jin” who specializes in special photography. Surprisingly, we both had the same opinion! I feel that Tetsuo Kurata has not at least reached the level of Shunsuke Takasugi who played Okichiya in Kamen Rider SUPER 1. Shunsuke Takasugi went to the point of defrauding money. Although the screen was pixelated, the man who defrauded fans of money and was kneeled down to beg for forgiveness was too damaging to his image! At best, Tetsuo Kurata is just “greedy for money” and has an ugly appearance (if he can’t pay the high tour fee, he will immediately block his fans, and rich fans will be given special treatment). But because of Kotaro’s status, it is difficult for him to survive in the entertainment industry and he can’t make much money! The only way to make money from fans is through the aura of BLACK RX. Even if those things are not authorized by Toei, fans can forgive them. I believe that maybe the production unit “BLACK SUN” didn’t ask him to play the role, and he was disappointed, so he said some negative words…
The ninety-ninth posture of the Red Heart Shaolin Boxing: Tiger Landing Position
But in the Yanshang incident, “Xunleijin” told me that when I was interviewing Tetsuo Kurata, the microphone (that is, the audio and video was turned off) talked to him about some things! He was originally scheduled to star in BLACK’s 35th anniversary, and he also previewed the event in advance at the 2019 Taiwan fan meeting. Toei has contacted him early in 2017 about the whole matter, and there will be a BLACK 35th anniversary plan. According to Tetsuo Kurata, after reading the script, he realized that it was not the original world view of BLACK, and that it was very dark and realistic, which was different from the previous image of Kotaro, so he refused to play the role.
Is this answer true? Or is it a story he made up to save face? In fact, it doesn’t matter anymore… because the Yanshang incident has already happened in 2021…
However, Xunlei Jin told me about the incident in which his fans blocked their money without “tributing” money. Almost all the Kurata family came to the interview that day! Among them, his second son told him that his father, Tetsuo Kurata, is actually a social media idiot, and an agent is responsible for all posting content, but now it has been handed over to his second son. So it’s none of Tetsuo Kurata’s business when those BLOCK people ask fans to “pay tribute”? God knows, it’s up to the official to imagine…
Times are different from the past. Now that the old knights are popular, new special sequels can be released to reward fans.
Now Toei is dealing with old Knights differently. Movies like Ryuki and 555 can get new sequels. It’s not a dream to see the original cast reprise their roles! Of course the Showa actors are very old… and their appearance and figure are all out of shape! They can only voice acting (like No. 2 Sasaki and V3 Hiroshi Miyauchi). If No. 1 Hiroshi Fujioka and No. 5 Ryo Hayami can play Kamen Rider again in their old age, then before Kurata Tetsuo is too old to “out of shape”, let him play RX a few more times, right? RX’s real bone sculptures haven’t been released yet, so I believe Tetsuo Kurata will have a chance to appear again.
Finally, I would like to thank Xunlei Brother for providing some information and corrections. For example, Tetsuo Kurata said in the live broadcast: “I only participated in the interview for 1 million yuan”! He didn’t say this at all during the live broadcast on Yanshang. To be precise, he said in a previous interview that he was “attracted to participate by the 1 million yuan bonus”! After being criticized, someone used words that were said before to heat up the incident.
