Shogen (actor)

In this Japanese name, the surname is Itokazu.

Shogen Itokazu (尚玄; born 20 June 1978), known mononymously as Shogen, is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his role as Nao Tsuchiyama in Gensan Punch (2021), which had a joint win for the Kim Jiseok award with The Rapist (2021) at the 26th Busan International Film Festival.

Shogen
尚玄
Shogen at the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2022
Born	Shogen Itokazu (1978-06-20) 20 June 1978 (age 47) Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Occupations	Actor model
Spouse	May J. ​ (m. 2022)​
Children	1
Website	www.shogenism.com

Career

Shogen originally worked as a model in Paris, Milan, and London. In 2004, he returned to Japan and acted in his debut film, Bloody Snake Under the Sun (2005), which was nominated at the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival. After this experience, he developed an interest in acting after meeting a method actor, and travelled to New York for lessons in 2009.^[1] He studied under Susan Batson and Roberta Wallch, actress Nicole Kidman's private coaches. In 2010, Shogen was chosen by CNN for its Tokyo Hot List: 20 people to watch in 2010.^[2][1]

In 2018, he starred in Tsukasa Kishimoto's Kokoro, Odoru (2018) as Yuhi. Before this, he had a role in a Malaysian television show.^[2] That same year, he pitched a film idea to Brillante Mendoza at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival through mutual friend Eric Khoo. The film would later become Gensan Punch (2021), a story inspired by his friend Nao Tsuchiyama, a Japanese boxer with a prosthetic leg.^[3][4] For the role, Shogen exercised five to six times a week to look like a boxer. He also used tape to tie his ankles and legs, then performed punches to imitate the movements of disabled people.^[5]

Gensan Punch later premiered at the Tokyo and Busan film festivals;^[6] the latter of which awarded the film the Kim Jiseok award, in a joint win with The Rapist (2021).^[7] In 2022, he starred in Anshul Chauhan's December (2022), which was nominated for the Kim Jiseok award at the 27th Busan International Film Festival. That same year, he also starred in Lighting Over the Beyond (2022).^[8][9] In 2024, he starred in Yosep Anggi Noen's horror film Redemption of Sin (2024).^[10]

Personal life

In 2022, he married singer May J. and they had a child in 2023.^[11]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2007	Bloody Snake Under the Sun	Ryo Yonaha	Lead role	[1]
2009	Kafoo: Waiting For Happiness	Shunichi Teruya		[12]
2021	Gensan Punch	Nao Tsuchiyama		[3]
2022	December	Katsu		[8]
	Lightning Over the Beyond			[9]
2023	One Last Bloom			[13]
2024	A Day Begins			[14]
	Redemption of Sin	Tetsuya		[15]
2025	Army on the Tree	Lieutenant Matsuo		[16]
	Hero's Island	Taira		[17]
	Majimu: Island Dreamer	Eiichi Gima		[18]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2013	Yae's Sakura	Unnamed role	1 episode; Taiga drama	[19]
2015	Death Note	Raye Penber	3 episodes	[20]