Kenji Tanigaki | |
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谷垣健治 | |
 Tanigaki in November 2018 | |
| Born | Tanigaki Kenji 13 October 1970 Nara Prefecture, Japan |
| Alma mater | Kwansei Gakuin University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
Kenji Tanigaki (谷垣 健治, Tanigaki Kenji, born 13 October 1970) is a Japanese action choreographer and film director best known for his works in Hong Kong action cinema and has expanded his career in Japanese cinema and Hollywood.
Inspired by Jackie Chan's action films, Tanigaki migrated to Hong Kong in 1993 and began his career in action choreography by collaborating with Donnie Yen in the ATV martial arts drama series Fist of Fury (1995). Since then, Tanigaki has participated in numerous Hong Kong action films, serving as a stunt coordinator in SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), Flash Point (2007), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009), Raging Fire (2021), and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), and as an action director in See You Tomorrow (2016), Hidden Man (2018), and Sakra (2023). Tanigaki won a Golden Horse Award for Hidden Man and a Hong Kong Film Award for Raging Fire.
In addition to his work in Hong Kong, Tanigaki has developed careers in Japan and the United States. He had participated in the American film Blade II (2002), the Japanese films Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), and Kamui Gaiden (2009). He gained international recognition for his work as the action director of Rurouni Kenshin (2012), and its sequels Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (both 2014), and Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021). Tanigaki's international action directing credits also include the Japanese film Shinjuku Swan II (2017) and the American film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021).