Japanese actor, comedian, emcee, and martial artist
Yoshi Amao (ヨシ 天尾) is a Japanese actor, comedian, MC, and martial artist based in
Early life and career
Amao was born in
Nara. While a student at
Osaka City University, he started to learn acting and traditional Japanese dance. His career as an emcee also started while a college student. After graduating from college, Yoshi Amao worked in computer sales for four years while concurrently worked as a radio personality at
MBS Radio in
Osaka.
Yoshi Amao is well known as the feature host of the highly rated TV series Versus). On this show, Yoshi is seen trying American traditional outdoor sports, such as bass fishing, duck hunting, axe throwing, off-road biking and rodeo (bareback riding, bull riding, and steer wrestling). At the same time, Yoshi teaches his samurai spirit and sword technique to each of the outdoor experts he worked with. In 2004, Amao was invited as a guest on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien on
NBC
In 1999, he started to assist a samurai sword fighting workshop for
, where he is the emcee.
Yoshi Amao's other credits include the
Budweiser commercial (Wasabi Version), which was selected as "Best Commercial of the Year" in 2000; principal character and sword fighting choreographer for the play
Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon (Kozue Ookami) at
Japan Society in 2005, Philadelphia in 2006, and at La Mama theater in 2013; and main samurai for the Monday Night Football promo on
ESPN in 2006.
On April 1, 2009, as an
.
Amao is a member of Amaterasu Za, a Japanese language theatre company in New York City founded by
Shōgun
.
References
External links
