Chiaki Kuriyama

Chiaki Kuriyama (栗山 千明, Kuriyama Chiaki, born October 10, 1984) is a Japanese actress, singer, and model. She is best known in the West for her roles as Takako Chigusa in Kinji Fukasaku's 2000 film Battle Royale and Gogo Yubari in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film Kill Bill: Volume 1.

She was born in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki. Kuriyama was a popular model during Japan's child model boom in the mid-1990s. In 1997, she appeared in the photobooks Shinwa-Shōjo (Girl of Myth) and Shōjokan (Girl's Residence), photographed by Kishin Shinoyama. Shinwa-Shōjo became a best-seller but, as it contained some nudity, was discontinued by the publisher in 1999 after the institution of new anti–child pornography laws. She also posed as a model for the child fashion magazines Nicola (1997–2001) and Pichi Lemon (1996–2001).

She first achieved widespread recognition as an actress in Japan for her starring roles in the horror films Shikoku (1999) and Ju-on (2000). Chiaki also appeared in the 2000 action film Battle Royale as Takako Chigusa.

Following feature appearances on several notable Japanese television programs (including Rokubanme no Sayoko), Kuriyama made her Hollywood debut in director Quentin Tarantino's 2004 film Kill Bill: Volume 1 as Gogo Yubari, the schoolgirl bodyguard of yakuza boss O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu). Kuriyama's other film appearances include major roles in the ninja drama Azumi 2: Death or Love and Takashi Miike's Yōkai Daisensō.

In 2010, she released the CD single "Ryūsei no Namida" on DefStar Records under the artist name "CHiAKi KURiYAMA". The song was used as the first ending theme for Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. This single was followed by three others under her name as traditionally written in Japanese: "Kanōsei Girl", "Cold Finger Girl", and "Oishii Kisetsu" / "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan"; "Kanōsei Girl" was used as the third opening theme for Yorinuki Gin Tama-san and "Cold Finger Girl" was used as the opening for the anime adaptation of Level E. She followed the singles with an album, Circus, in 2011.

Album

Singles

Kuriyama at an event in 2010

TV series

• Nacchan Ka (1998)
• Kowai Dowa - Oyayubihime (1999) as Sayako
• Rokubanme no Sayoko (2000) as Sayoko Tsumura
• MPD Psycho as Mao Tōju (2000)
• Himitsu Kurabu o-daiba.com (2000) as Kazumi Naruse
• Kabushiki Kaisha o-daiba.com (2000) as Kazumi Naruse
• R-17 (2001) as Saori Maruyama
• Jyooubachi (2006) as Tomoko/Kotoe Daidoji
• Woman's Island (2006) as Rei Fujishima
• Haru, Barneys de (2006) as Sakurai Sae
• Kakure Karakuri (2006) as Karin Hanayama
• Hagetaka (2007) (TV) as Yuka Mishima
• Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go (2007) as Terumi Meguro
• Ashita no Kita Yoshio (2008) as Rika Hasegawa
• Loss Time Life (2008) as Ayaka Kurosaki
• Sirius no Michi (2008) as Yuka Hirano
• Atami no Sosakan (2010) as Sae Kitajima
• Rebound (2011) as Hitomi Mimura
• Tsukahara Bokuden (2010) as Mahiro
• Himitsu Chohoin Erika (2011) as Erika Takahashi
• Carnation (2011–2012) as Natsu Yoshida
• Ataru (2012) as Maiko Ebina
• Jikken Keiji Totori (2012) as Makorin
• Ataru Special: New York kara no Chōsenjō (2013) as Maiko Ebina
• Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi (2013) as Yu Okue
• Kaibutsu (2013) as Emi Ishikawa
• Jikken Keiji Totori 2 (2013) as Makorin
• Shikeidai no 72 Jikan (2013) as Tōko Natsuki
• Team Batista 4: Rasen Meikyū (2014) as Sumire Sakuranomiya
• Alice no Toge (2014) as Miwa Hoshino
• Satsujin Hensachi 70 (2014) as Sana Nishiura
• Dr. Nâsu eido (2014) as Kotomi Hayashi
• Time Taxi (2014) as Misora Shibayama
• Algernon ni Hanataba wo (2015) as Haruka Mochizuki
• HEAT (2015) as Sakura Azumi
• Nobunaga Moyu (2016) as Kajūji Haruko
• Fukigen na Kajitsu (2016) as Mayako Mizukoshi
• Copy Face (2016)

Films

• Toire no Hanako-san (1995) as Little Child
• Gonin (1995) as Ogiwara's daughter
• Shikoku (1999) as Sayori Hiura
• Kamen Gakuen (2000) as Reika Dojima
• Ju-on: The Curse (2000) as Mizuho Tamura
• Battle Royale (2000) as Takako Chigusa - Girl #13
• Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) as Gogo Yubari
• Itsuka 'A' Torein ni Notte (2003) as Yuki Noguchi
• Kagen no Tsuki (2004) as Mizuki Mochizuki
• Mail (2005) as Mikoto
• Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005) as Kozue
• Into the Sun (2005) as Ayako
• The Great Yokai War (2005) as Agi
• Scrap Heaven (2005) as Saki Fujimura
• Kisarazu Cats Eye: World Series (2006) as Ayako Sugimoto
• Exte (エクステ, Ekusute) (2007) as Yuko Mizushima
• Tengu Gaiden (2007) as Amaya
• Kids (2008) as Shiho
• GS Wonderland (2008) as Miku Ono
• Komori Seikatsu Kojo Club (2008) as Shizue
• Kamogawa Horumo (2009) as Fumi Kusunoki
• Hagetaka: The Movie (2009) as Yuka Mishima
• Neck (2010) as Eiko Akasaka
• Ghostwriter Hotel (2012) as Naoko Utsumi
• Gekijouban SPEC: Ten (2012) as Satoko Aoike
• Toshokan Sensō (2013) as Asako Shibasaki
• Gekijouban SPEC: Kurôzu - Zen no hen (2013) as Satoko Aoike
• Gekijouban SPEC: Kurôzu - Kou no hen (2013) as Satoko Aoike
• Ataru the First Love & the Last Kill (2013) as Maiko Ebina
• Team Batista Final: Kerberos no Shōzō (2014) as Sumire Sakuranomiya
• Tanemaku tabibito: Kuni umi no sato (2015) as Keiko Kanno
• Himitsu – Top Secret (2016) as Yukiko Miyoshi
• Blade of the Immortal (2017) as Hyakurin

Voice roles

• Eden's Bowy (1999) as Konyako Persia
• The Sky Crawlers (2008) (voice) as Midori Mitsuya
• Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker (2012) as Cassandra Pentaghast
• The Expendables 2 (Japanese dub) (2012) as Maggie Chan (Yu Nan)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (Japanese dub) (2013) as Uhura (Zoe Saldana)

Video games

• Ryū ga Gotoku of the End (2011) as Misuzu Asagi
• Shadows of the Damned (2011) as Paula

• "Library War Live-Action Film's Promo Aired (Updated)". Anime News Network. 2013-02-11. Retrieved 2012-02-11. 
• http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-07/battle-royale/kill-bill-kuriyama-gackt-star-in-dragon-age
• http://www.famitsu.com/news/201106/23045661.html

• Namaiki! Photo: Kishin Shinoyama.Text:Akio Nakamori. (ISBN 4-10-326205-2,1996)
• Tenshi/angel (天使) Photo: Mitsuo Kawamoto. (ISBN 4-09-680821-0,1996).
• Sinwa-Shoujo (神話少女）Photo: Kishin Shinoyama. Text:Akio Nakamori.(ISBN 4-10-326207-9,1997)
• Shoujokan (少女館)Photo: Kishin Shinoyama. (ISBN 4-10-326209-5,1997)
• Shikoku nite (死国にて)(ISBN 4-04-904318-1,1999)
• Kuriyama Chiaki ACCESS BOOK (栗山千明ACCESS BOOK)(ISBN 4-04-853047-X,1999)
• Princess (プリンセス 栗山千明×蜷川実花）Photo: Mika Ninagawa. (ISBN 4-06-352725-5,2004)
• digi+KISHIN DVD:Chiaki Kuriyama. Image Film by Kishin Shinoyama. (ASIN B0001LNO7O,2004)
• digi+Girls kishin NO.4 Kuriyama Chiaki (digi+Girls kishin NO.4 栗山 千明) Photo: Kishin Shinoyama. (ASIN: 4255002797, 2004)
• Car girl Photo: Kishin Shinoyama. (ISBN 4-584-17094-0,2004)
• Emergence Uka (羽化) Photo: Chikashi Kasai. (ISBN 4-02-331332-7,2014)