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Shin Koyamada

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Shin Koyamada
小山田 真
Koyamada in 2015
Born (1982-03-10) March 10, 1982 (age 42)
Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Alma materUniversity of California, Riverside (ESL)
Los Angeles City College
Occupation(s)Actor
producer
entrepreneur
philanthropist
Organization(s)Shinobi Pictures
Koyamada International Foundation
Guardian Girls International
SpouseNia Lyte
Children1
Japanese name
Kanji小山田 真
Hiraganaこやまだ しん
Transcriptions
RomanizationKoyamada Shin
Websitehttp://shinkoyamada.com

Shin Koyamada (小山田 真, Koyamada Shin, born March 10, 1982) is a Japanese[1] actor, producer, philanthropist, and martial artist.[2] He is best known to the international audience for his co-starring roles in The Last Samurai (2003) as Nobutada[3] and the Disney's Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006) as Shen.[4]

As producer, Koyamada develops and produces numerous content through his production company Shinobi Pictures, anime company N LITE Japan and multimedia company Laizen Studios.[5] In philanthropy, Koyamada serves as Board Chairs of the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF),[6] Guardian Girls International (GGI),[7] StarAngel International,[8] and the Japan United States Sister City Association (JUSSCA).[9] Koyamada holds black belts in Karate and Tae Kwon Do and won gold medals in Shaolin Kung Fu at the U.S. National Championships.[10]

Early life

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Koyamada was born in Okayama, Japan, and hails from the Koyamada samurai clan. In his youth, he was an avid athlete, training in the 100m sprint, basketball as well as long-distance cycling.[11] During his high school years in Okayama, he also excelled in gymnastics, eventually becoming the team captain and competing in local competitions.[12] He also received basic Judo training as part of his physical education classes and graduated in 2000.[13] At the age of 16, Koyamada began training in traditional Japanese karate, and by 18, he had earned black belts, distinguishing himself in national championships.[14][15]

2000: Moving to the U.S.A

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In 2000, Koyamada moved to the United States to further his studies as an international student, enrolling in the ESL program at the University of California, Riverside.[16] Later that year, he moved to Los Angeles alone, without speaking English, having no friends, and with no place to stay.

Acting career

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2001-2002: Early roles

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In 2001 and 2002, Koyamada attended Los Angeles City College, where he received general education and began taking acting lessons [17] In 2001, Koyamada landed his first acting role in a national commercial for Apple, filmed in Philadelphia. Shortly afterward, he appeared in back-to-back commercials for JC Penney and Disneyland.[18] The Disneyland commercial was filmed at the theme park, marking his first visit to Disneyland. In 2002, Koyamada's first acting roles in television included a brief guest appearance in Power Rangers Wild Force as an agent and a co-starring role in the award-winning short film A Ninja Pays Half My Rent as Black Ninja.[19]

2003-2005: The Last Samurai and breakthrough

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His debut film role was co-starring with Tom Cruise in the Warner Bros. blockbuster feature film The Last Samurai (2003), as Nobutada. The film grossed $456 million at the box office and was nominated for several Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and National Board of Review Awards.[20] In 2004, he had a guest starring role in the CBS television series Jake 2.0 as Shinji Makito.[21]

2006-2009: Disney movie, shows and Japan

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In 2006, Koyamada co-starred with Brenda Song in the Disney Channel's Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, which become one of the highest-rated Disney original television movies.[22] It also received the highest rating in the history of Disney Channel Japan.[23] The film also broke records in the United Kingdom and Europe, making Disney Channel the highest rated kids’ channel in Europe.[24] In 2006, Koyamada starred in and executive produced the Japanese documentary film Wine Road of the Samurai, which was broadcast by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. nationwide in Japan.[25]

In 2007, Koyamada starred in and produced the short film Good Soil, which is based on the historical event about Christianity in Japan.[26] Koyamada next appeared in the 20th Century Fox drama Constellation (2007), with Zoe Saldana, Billy Dee Williams and Hill Harper.[27] From 2006 to 2008, Koyamada was a regular in the Disney Channel Games, appearing with Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Cole Sprouse and others.[28]

2010-2022: Starring in stage, series, movie in Japan

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In 2010, Koyamada starred in the Japanese stage production Ai No Shizuku, which was the opening ceremony of the National Cultural Festival of Japan, the hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Okayama Prefectural Government and broadcast nationwide by the NHK in Japan. The production was attended by Then-Crown Prince of Japan Naruhito, who is now the Emperor of Japan.[29] In 2013, he also starred in and produced the action short film Heart of the Dragon.[30] In 2014, Koyamada starred in and produced the independent television series The Yokai King, which was entirely filmed in Okinawa, Japan, and is based on famous Japanese folklore characters.[31] In 2022, he starred in and produced an independent American film The Yokai King: The Movie, a remake of the 2014 television series.

Producing career

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Movies, series

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Koyamada co-founded an independent production company Shinobi Pictures in Los Angeles in 2005.[32] In 2006, Koyamada executive produced a Japanese feature documentary film Wine Road of the Samurai, produced by the Sanyo Broadcasting and broadcast by the Japan News Network (JNN) nationwide in Japan. In 2007, Koyamada produced a 20-minute short action drama film Good Soil, written and directed by Craig Shimahara and released by R.A.G.E. Media on home video.[33] The movie was screened at a theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

Koyamada produced a multi-part television and web series through Shinobi Pictures, comprising Spirit Fashion Show (2013), Spirit Art Show (2013), Spirit Music Show (2013), Spirit Love Show (2013) and Spirit Earth Show (2014), distributed by Spirit Show Network.[34] In 2014, Koyamada executive produced an American television series The Yokai King, directed by Yuji Makino, in Okinawa, Japan.[35] Later in the year, Koyamada produced a short film Heart of the Dragon, written and directed by Jeff McDonald. In 2022, Koyamada produced an award-winning American short film Shadow Glass, written and directed by Jay Lee. The movie won the Los Angeles Film Awards,

Comics, digital stickers, games

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Koyamada co-founded Laizen Studios in 2019. That same year, he created and produced the American comic book series The Dreamhoppers, which was published and distributed by Laizen Studios in the United States through independent comic book stores.[36][37] In 2011, Koyamada developed and produced the original digital stickers Kolala, which were published on the Line app, a platform for instant messaging and social networking.[38] In 2013, it was announced that Koyamada joined as an executive producer for a cyberpunk RPG video game based on the historic legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi.[39]

Anime

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Koyamada joined the anime multimedia studio N LITE Media Corp, founded by CEO Christiano Terry, in 2022 and co-founded its Japanese anime and manga studio, N LITE Japan, in Tokyo.[40] He is attached as a producer for its first afro-anime feature film Mfinda, working alongside producers Christiano Terry, Masao Maruyama, a famous Japanese anime producer and founder of Madhouse, MAPPA, and Studio M2, and executive producers Viola Davis and Eric Beckman from GKIDS.[41] In 2023, he appeared as a main guest at the Anime Expo and announced that he is developing and producing an anime series titled Zan, based on artwork by Yoshitaka Amano, a renowned character designer for the Final Fantasy video game franchise, through N LITE Japan in Japan.[42]

Philanthropic career

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Early efforts

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In 2004, Koyamada began his support for youth empowerment by teaching karate at a local Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Burbank. The following year, during a martial arts event at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Los Angeles, he was invited to a charity event for Kickstart Kids, a nonprofit organization founded by actor Chuck Norris with the help of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush in Houston, Texas.[43] Koyamada begun supporting the program by participating in the annual charity event alongside Chuck Norris and President Bush, and by inspiring youth at the middle schools they worked with. In earlier years, Koyamada has supported various charitable organizations across the United States, including the Japan-America Societies, National Cherry Blossom Parade, Los Angeles Mission and others.[44][45]

Global efforts

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Main article: Koyamada International Foundation

Koyamada has also been involved with various global philanthropic efforts through Koyamada International Foundation (KIF), an international non-governmental organization, which was founded by Koyamada and his wife in 2008, with its mission to improve quality of people's lives by providing humanitarian aid to promote world peace and sustainable development.[46] KIF's global programs address a broad range of topics including youth leadership, women's empowerment, cross-cultural, disaster relief, educational in emergencies, natural conservation and space.[47][48] KIF is a confederation of eleven KIF national chapter members, each governed independently as a nonprofit non-governmental organization in its respective country. Additionally, it includes three affiliate members: Guardian Girls International (GGI), StarAngel International (SAI), and Anime Week International (AWI).[49]

Gender-based violence

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Main article: Guardian Girls International

In 2019, Koyamada pledged to create Guardian Girls, a global gender-based violence prevention program that empowers women through sports and martial arts as part of the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF).[50] This pledge was made while he was participating as a speaker at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), hosted by the UNFPA and the governments of Denmark and Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya.[51][52] A month later, KIF and UNFPA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as strategic partners for the program.[53] In 2022, KIF signed another MoU with the World Karate Federation (WKF) and launched the new Guardian Girls Karate (GGK) project in 13 countries in 2023.[54][55] In 2024, Koyamada and his wife founded Guardian Girls International (GGI), an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) affiliated with KIF, to oversee all Guardian Girls programs and projects worldwide.[56] Later that year, GGI launched the Guardian Girls Aikido (GGA) project in collaboration with the International Aikido Federation (IAF) in Latin America.[57]

Sister cities

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In 2017, Koyamada and his wife first participated the 60th anniversary of the San Jose-Okayama Sister City in San Jose, California to support his hometown Okayama, Japan and the friendship between the cities where he met the Chairman of the Sister Cities International (SCI).[58][59] Later that year, he was elected as the first Japan-born Board of Directors of the SCI since its founding of 1956, with then-Chair Ron Nirenberg, the Mayor of San Antonio, Texas.[60] In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Koyamada received the Chairman's Awards by the SCI.[61]

In March 2019, Koyamada created the first-ever Japan-Texas Leadership Symposium, hosted by SCI, KIF USA, and the City of San Antonio, and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.[62] The event aimed to foster friendships between the people of Japan and the United States through sister cities, with a focus on business, culture, and education in San Antonio, Texas.[63] Then-Vice President Mike Pense's wife, Karen Pence, attended the event, and then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife, Akie Abe, sent a greeting letter.[64]

In 2020, Koyamada completed his term and left the SCI Board. Later that year, and continuing into 2021, he created the Japan-United States Subnational Young Professional Forum, an online event aimed at strengthening economic ties between the next generation in Japan and the United States and promoting the Subnational diplomacy, involving participants from six different sister cities.[65] Later in 2021, Koyamada founded the Japan United States Sister City Association (JUSSCA) in Tokyo, Japan, where he serves as chair, to foster and strengthen the existing sister city relationships between the two countries.[66]

Personal life

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Koyamada is married to Carolina Manrique (known professionally as Nia Lyte), a Colombian-American producer. They have a son.

Martial arts

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In 1998, Koyamada began training in traditional Japanese karate under a karate instructor in Okayama, Japan, on weekends.[67] After just a few months of training, he competed in the high school division of a national karate championship in Nagano. In 2000, before moving to Los Angeles, he earned his first-degree black belt in karate in Okayama. In high school, he took Judo as part of the school's physical education classes.

In 2000, shortly after moving to the United States, Koyamada began training in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu in Los Angeles six days a week. After six months of training, he started competing in local kung fu championships, winning first place and earning gold medals at several national martial arts championships in San Diego, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.[68] In 2002, during the filming of The Last Samurai, Koyamada trained daily in horseback riding and Kyudo for nine months in Los Angeles, Japan, and New Zealand to eventually master Yabusame.[69][70]

In 2004, Koyamada was featured on the cover of the Black Belt magazine.[71] Later, he began training in Tae Kwon Do at a studio inside the CBS Studios lot under a traditional Korean instructor in Los Angeles, practicing every other morning.[72] He earned his black belt in 2005. His classmate included an American bassist and composer Stanley Clarke. In 2005, Koyamada trained under Tadashi Yamashita for Iaido and Aikido at the Aikido Center of Los Angeles under a Japanese American Aikido instructor in Downtown Los Angeles.[73]

In 2008, Koyamada began training in Kung Jung Mu Sul, the Korean Royal Court Martial Arts, under a Korean grand master in San Francisco. After a year of training, he earned a brown belt and eventually earned his first-degree black belt after two years of dedicated practice.[74] In 2009, Koyamada was invited to perform Japanese Iaido at the first-ever Martial Arts Tour, a national martial arts festival in Nettuno, Italy, which was broadcast nationally across Italy.[75]

In 2010, Koyamada created the first-ever United States Martial Arts Festival (USMAF), an international martial arts event hosted by KIF USA.[76] The festival aimed to bring together various martial arts disciplines from countries where these arts originated, held at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach, California.[77] The event attracted over 1,000 participants, including grandmasters, masters, instructors, students, MMA fighters, celebrities and supporters.[78] In 2011, the event was co-hosted by the Japan Foundation and sponsored by the City of Kyoto to promote traditional Japanese culture, including flower arrangement, Japanese calligraphy, and tea ceremony.[79]

Awards and honors

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Awards

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Goodwill ambassadors

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 A Ninja Pays Half My Rent Black Ninja Short film
2003 The Last Samurai Nobutada
2006 Wine Road of the Samurai Narrator Documentary; also exec. producer
2007 Constellation Yoshito
Good Soil Jinbei Masuda Short film; also producer
2022 The Yokai King Ippei Also producer

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 Power Rangers Wild Force Agent Episode: "Identity Crisis"
2004 Jake 2.0 Shinji Makito Episode: "Upgrade"
2006 Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior Shen TV movie
Disney Channel Games 2006 Himself TV special
2007 Disney Channel Games 2007
2008 Disney Channel Games 2008
2010 Ai No Shizuku Seinen Makibi
2014 Heart of the Dragon John Watanabe Also producer

References

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  1. ^ "Actor and Philanthropist Shin Koyamada is Guest Speaker at Shinnen Enkai Event, Jan. 23 | Maui Now". | Actor and Philanthropist Shin Koyamada is Guest Speaker at Shinnen Enkai Event, Jan. 23. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Sister Cities International @ SisterCities.org - Shin Koyamada".
  3. ^ "CBS News - The Last Samurai". CBS News.
  4. ^ "Disney.com - Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior".
  5. ^ "Variety.com - Gkids, N Lite Set to Unveil First Afro-Anime Pic 'Mfinda' at Annecy".
  6. ^ "Sister Cities International Elects Shin Koyamada, Actor and Philanthropist, to Board of Directors".
  7. ^ "FBI Director Honors Shin Koyamada in Washington D.C." kifglobal.org.
  8. ^ "glogion.com - Our Social Impact".
  9. ^ "jusfc.gov - U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) CULCON 30" (PDF).
  10. ^ "JAS Ambassadors Circle". jas-socal.org.
  11. ^ "Teens Idol 4 You".
  12. ^ "命をかけてトムクルーズを救ったハリウッドアクション俳優、小山田真".
  13. ^ "日本という国をハリウッド映画として作るのが夢".
  14. ^ "Action's Back". Archived from the original on January 6, 2008.
  15. ^ "WKF appoints Shin Koyamada as Karate's Ambassador in Los Angeles". wkf.net. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "89 Notable alumni of University of California - Riverside".
  17. ^ "LACC: Other Notable Alumni". lacc.edu.
  18. ^ "imdb.com - Shin Koyamada". IMDB.
  19. ^ "Reelgood.com - Shin Koyamada Movies and TV Shows Streaming Online".
  20. ^ ""The Last Samurai" Premiere: Interviews with Ken Watanabe and Shin Koyamada".
  21. ^ "moviefone - Shin Koyamada Movies". moviefone.com.
  22. ^ Steinberg, Jacques (June 15, 2006). "Brenda Song Turns Warrior in Disney's 'Wendy Wu'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  23. ^ Jacques Steinberg (June 15, 2006). "Brenda Song Turns Warrior in Disney's 'Wendy Wu'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  24. ^ "Live-Action Fare Gives Disney Channel U.K. a Boost". Archived from the original on December 23, 2008.
  25. ^ "Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) official website".
  26. ^ "Good Soil - Christian Movie, Christian Film, DVD Shin Koyamada". Christian Movie/Film Database.
  27. ^ "Constellation Movie Trailers". Movie-List.com.
  28. ^ "whyville.net - Review: The Disney Channel Games".
  29. ^ "Shin Koyamada in Japan's largest National Cultural Festival, Okayama 2010（おかやま国文祭".
  30. ^ "Heart of the Dragon at IMDB.com". IMDb.
  31. ^ "The Yokai King". filmaffinity.com.
  32. ^ "SisterCities.org - Shin Koyamada".
  33. ^ "New Christian Samurai Movie 'Good Soil' Available on DVD". christiannewswire.com.
  34. ^ "Spirit series at the official site of the Spirit Show Network".
  35. ^ "米ドラマ「妖怪キング」県内撮影　県出身者も出演へ". ryukyushimpo.jp.
  36. ^ "comics.org: The Dreamhoppers #1/2009".
  37. ^ "Former Disney Actor Shin Koyamada Becomes a Manga Comic Book Character".
  38. ^ "LINE Store - KoLaLa". store.line.me.
  39. ^ "A Cyberpunk RPG With Miyamoto Musashi For PS4 And PS3 Hopes To Be Reborn". siliconera.com.
  40. ^ "Exclusive: N LITE Produces 'Afro-Anime' Film MFINDA in Japan". animenewsnetwork.com.
  41. ^ "Gkids, N Lite Set to Unveil First Afro-Anime Pic 'Mfinda' at Annecy (EXCLUSIVE)". siliconera.com.
  42. ^ "Yoshitaka Amano's ZAN Anime Debuts in 2026 or Later". animenewsnetwork.com.
  43. ^ "Hollywood/Japanese Actor Shin Koyamada Ebbs the Tide of Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami Victims with Fashion Show Fundraiser". the-filmfiles.com.
  44. ^ "National Cherry Blossom Festival 17" (PDF). nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
  45. ^ "Houston Japan Festival". houstonpress.com.
  46. ^ "Leveling the Playing Field - Sports for Inclusion and Equality". unfpa.org.
  47. ^ "Relief funds for Japan's flooding victims". jasdfw.org.
  48. ^ ""Changing Focus: From Myth to Reality" addressing the issue of sexual violence in Japan". telljp.com.
  49. ^ "GGI- WHO WE ARE About Guardian Girls". guardiangirls.org.
  50. ^ "Nairobi Summit - Speaker". nairobisummiticpd.org.
  51. ^ "Innovative Partnerships: Harnessing Creative Industries to Tackle Stigma and Taboo". nairobisummiticpd.org.
  52. ^ "Kenya joins 'The Last Samurai' movie star's global foundation". nation.africa.
  53. ^ "Signing MOU between KIF and UNFPA as Strategic Partners". guardiangirls.org.
  54. ^ "Guardian Girls Global Karate Project". theworldgames.org.
  55. ^ "UNFPA launches Guardian Girls with Koyamada International Foundation, World Karate Federation". egypt.unfpa.org.
  56. ^ "Shin Koyamada: artes marciales desarrollan el carácter y mejoran autoestima de la mujer". andina.pe.
  57. ^ "Autodefensa para prevenir la violencia hacia la mujer". peru.un.org.
  58. ^ "San Jose, Okayama celebrate 60 years as sister cities". mercurynews.com.
  59. ^ "Sister Cities International Elects Shin Koyamada, Actor and Philanthropist, to Board of Directors". sistercities.org.
  60. ^ "Sister Cities International Elects Shin Koyamada, Actor and Philanthropist, to Board of Directors". sistercities.org.
  61. ^ "Shin Koyamada Receives Chairman's Award". sistercities.org.
  62. ^ "San Antonio to host Japan-Texas Leadership Symposium". bizjournals.com.
  63. ^ "San Antonio Chamber of Commerce: San Antonio hosts Japan-Texas Leadership Symposium". sachamber.org.
  64. ^ "Consul-General Fukushima attended the Japan-Texas Leadership Symposium". houston.us.emb-japan.go.jp.
  65. ^ "Japan-United States SubnaSan Jose Okayama Sister Citiestional Young Professional Forum: Subnational Global Young Professionals Forum". sanjoseokayamasistercities.com.
  66. ^ "Board of Directors". Japan-United States Sister City Association. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  67. ^ "JAS Ambassadors Circle". jas-socal.org.
  68. ^ Reid, Craig. "SHIN KOYOMADA: LAST SAMURAI TO LAST MONK IN WENDY WU". Kung Fu Magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  69. ^ "JAS Ambassadors Circle". jas-socal.org.
  70. ^ "ハリウッド俳優の小山田真さんが美浜に参上". okinawaindex.com.
  71. ^ "MA-Mags: shin koyamada". ma-mags.com.
  72. ^ "Shin Koyamada". appletv.com.
  73. ^ "Shin Koyamada & RSK Sanyo Broadcasting Company, From Okayama, Japan" (PDF). squarespace.com.
  74. ^ "Teen Idols: Shin Koyamada". teenidols4you.com.
  75. ^ "Martial Arts Tour L'evento dell'anno". ilguerriero.it.
  76. ^ "Hosting 2010 United States Martial Arts Festival in L.A." kifglobal.org.
  77. ^ "SHIN KOYAMADA'S INAUGURAL UNITED STATES MARTIAL ARTS FESTIVAL". the-filmfiles.com.
  78. ^ "United States Martial Arts Festival 2010 Celebrated In Los Angeles". kungfumagazine.com.
  79. ^ "BUDO: United States Martial Arts Festival 2011". jas-socal.org.
  80. ^ "Shin Koyamada Receives Chairman's Award". sistercities.org.
  81. ^ "2023 Director's Community Leadership Award Recipient". fbi.gov.
  82. ^ "JAS Ambassadors Circle". jas-socal.org.
  83. ^ "Shin Koyamada Appointed as an International Goodwill Ambassador". prlog.org.
  84. ^ "活動日記". kyoto-daisakusen.jp.
  85. ^ "空手アンバサダーに小山田 真さんが新たに就任". www.jkf.ne.jp.
  86. ^ "Shin Koyamada appointed as Mongolia's cultural envoy". MONTSAME News Agency. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  87. ^ "WKF appoints Shin Koyamada as Karate's Ambassador in Los Angeles". wkf.net.
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