Biography
Ken Kensei, also credited as Noboru Kataoka or ケン・ケンセイ, is a Japanese actor and martial arts instructor. Born in Kochi, Japan, he began studying kendo and iaido at age 15 and moved to the United States at age 24, where he founded the New York City Kendo Club and became its chief instructor. He holds the rank of 7th dan in kendo and is the 20th-generation Menkyo-Kaiden successor of the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu iaido style.
Kensei entered acting after casting directors noticed his martial arts demonstrations in 1980. He made his film debut in Black Rain (1989) and appeared as Swami in Wind (1992). Other credits include Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) as Maj. General Hayashi, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), The Hunted (1995) and My Sassy Girl (2008). He has also appeared in television series such as 30 Rock and produced one feature film.
