Just who is this Chuck Johnson fellow Mr. Shimomura?

by Matthew Hardstaff

What’s it like being a foreign stunt man working in Japan? What does Yuji Shimomura think about action directing? And what moral boundaries are you willing to push to realize your dream?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions and more, then look no further! After covering the online martial art short film sensation "Yassy" over the past few months, always finding interest in the collaborative efforts of people like Yuji Shimomura, the kind people over at Kung Fu Cinema have turned us on to a gentleman by the name of Chuck Johnson. Who is this Chuck Johnson fellow you may ask?

Chuck is an American martial artist who has been living in Japan for the past few years, struggling to establish a career as a martial artist and stuntman. He has a role in Yassy, as well as Yuji Shimomura's Death Trance. If you wander over to his blog, he's even posted an interview with Shimomura about his thoughts on fight directing, as well as other articles about martial arts and film in general. But one of the most interesting things about Chuck is that he's part of an upcoming 13 part documentary called The Art of Fighting by Robert Clyne. Watch his segment below, which may or may not also be from a TV show, also by Clyne, called Fight! Japan, and prepare to be amazed how a foreigner in Japan, living many a martial artists dream of working in the Japanese film industry with the likes of Tak Sakaguchi, has to survive so that he can continue on his journey.