Kenji Tanigaki

Kenji Tanigaki (谷垣 健治) is a Japanese action choreographer and film director best known for his works in Hong Kong action cinema, and has expanded his career in Japanese cinema and Hollywood.

Tanigaki won Best Action Choreography in the 55th Golden Horse Awards for Hidden Man and Best Action Choreography in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for Raging Fire.

In addition to his work in Hong Kong, Tanigaki has developed careers in Japan and the United States.

Tanigaki was born on 13 October 1970 in Nara Prefecture, Japan.

He had seizures at a young age and was physically weak, but since he enjoyed playing in the wild, Tanigaki recognized that it developed the physique that would benefit him in his future career as a stuntman.

When he was in primary school, he watched Hong Kong action film Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Project A starring Jackie Chan and became fond of Chan's action stunts and Chinese kung fu.

He joined a shorinji kempo coaching school and began martial arts training while in high school, winning in a prefectural tournament.

He went on a graduation trip to Hong Kong in his third year of high school, and visited Chan's filmmaking company to witness the production of the action film Miracles, sparking his interest in joining the action film industry.

He returned to Japan to continue his studies and later graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University with a Bachelor of Laws.

Tanigaki joined a martial arts club formed by Hong Kong-based Japanese choreographer Yasuaki Kurata to learn karate while studying in university in 1989.

Inspired by Jackie Chan's action films, Tanigaki migrated to Hong Kong in 1993 to pursue a career in action choreography.

He moved to Hong Kong alone to pursue a career in filmmaking in 1993, starting off as a cast extra and volunteered in police identity parades.

Tanigaki was initially rejected by most filmmaking companies when he first came to Hong Kong since he could not speak Cantonese.

He was approached by a talent scout in McDonald's, who offered him to play small parts in a television series.

In 1994, Tanigaki was invited to become a stunt actor by action choreographer Stephen Tung, which included a minor role as an unnamed fighter knocked out by Chen Zhen (portrayed by Jet Li) in the martial arts film Fist of Legend, and joined the ​Hong Kong Stuntman Association in June.

He began his career by collaborating with Donnie Yen in the ATV martial arts drama series Fist of Fury (1995).

In 1995, ATV began production of the martial arts series Fist of Fury.

Due to a shortage of stunt actors, Donnie Yen, the lead actor of the series, invited Tanigaki to join the production and the two became acquainted.

Since then, Tanigaki became a recurring member of the Donnie Yen Stunt Team and appeared in several films starring Yen.

Tanigaki took up the role of stunt coordinator in the 1996 action film Once Upon a Time in Triad Society, a spin-off of the Young and Dangerous film series.

He also joined Yen's newly founded production company in the same year, serving as the stunt coordinator for the action films Legend of the Wolf and Ballistic Kiss, both directed by and starring Yen.

In 1997, he received an invitation from an action director to work as a stunt coordinator in the American sci-fi film The Matrix in Los Angeles.

However, due to lead actor Keanu Reeves' injury and the subsequent rescheduling of filming, both the action director and Tanigaki had to withdraw from the project before Yuen Woo-ping substituted.

In 1998, Yen advised Tanigaki to return to Japan and pursue a parallel career in both Hong Kong and Japanese cinema due to limited opportunities for foreigners in Hong Kong.

Tanigaki followed the advice, and later coordinated the Hong Kong-Japanese co-produced romance film Moonlight Express and action film Tokyo Raiders.

In 1999, RTL Television in Germany produced the action series The Puma, with Yen serving as the action director and Tanigaki was brought on board as part of the crew.

While working on The Puma, RTL was also filming the mystery series SK Kölsch, which had an opening for a Japanese character.

Tanigaki was invited to take up the acting role and was also given the position of action director, marking his action directorial debut.

In 2001, he joined his first Japanese-produced film project after receiving an invitation from Ichiese Taka, the producer of Moonlight Express, and served as a stunt actor in the horror film Gore from Outer Space.

He also took part in Goodbye Mr. Cool, another spin-off film from the Young and Dangerous film series, and the Japanese action film The Princess Blade, in the same year.

He participated in the American superhero film Blade II (2002), the Japanese drama film Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), and the Japanese action film Kamui Gaiden (2009).

In 2002, Donnie Yen served as the action choreographer for the American superhero film Blade II, with Tanigaki once again joining the production as part of Donnie Yen Stunt Team.

He reprised his position as a stunt coordinator in Donnie Yen's 2003 comedy horror film The Twins Effect and 2005 action film SPL: Sha Po Lang.

Individually, Tanigaki took part in several V-Cinema and low-budget Japanese films, which he himself described as "forgettable" due to their lackluster or unknown nature.

Since then, Tanigaki has participated in numerous Hong Kong action films, serving as a stunt coordinator in SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), Flash Point (2007), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009), Wu Xia (2011), Raging Fire (2021), and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), and as an action director in See You Tomorrow (2016), Monster Hunt 2, and Hidden Man (both 2018).

In 2005, he assumed the role of action director in the Japanese drama film Always: Sunset on Third Street, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, which won the Picture of the Year in the 29th Japan Academy Film Prize.

The following year, he made his directorial debut in Japan with the action film Legend of Seven Monks, featuring Sonny Chiba and Yasuaki Kurata in lead roles.

In 2007, Tanigaki joined the production of the Hong Kong action film Flash Point, which was produced by and starred Yen.

He gained international recognition for his work as the action director of the Japanese jidaigeki action film Rurouni Kenshin (2012), and its sequels Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (both 2014), and Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021).

Tanigaki's international action directing credits also include the Japanese comedy film Shinjuku Swan II, the Chinese crime film The Liquidator (both 2017), and the American superhero film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021).