Toma Ikuta

Toma Ikuta
生田 斗真
Born	Toma Ikuta (1984-10-07) October 7, 1984 (age 40) Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
Other names	Toma-chan, Tomasu
Occupations	Actor singer dancer
Years active	1996–present
Spouse	Nana Seino ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	1

Toma Ikuta (生田 斗真, Ikuta Tōma, born October 7, 1984) is a Japanese actor. Ikuta is known for his roles in Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Honey & Clover, Sensei!, Maō and Ouroboros. He also stars in feature films, notably Hanamizuki, Ningen Shikkaku and Brain Man.

Career

Ikuta entered Johnny and Associates in 1996, when he was 11. He made his debut as an actor in 1997, after realizing that he would not go on as a singer in a group, like his friends around him.^[1]

The 2007, Fuji TV summer drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, controversial in its gender-bending nature, was perhaps Ikuta's biggest break in Japanese Entertainment.^[2][3] Following his successful portrayal in Hana Kimi, Ikuta was on stage again as he starred in the Shakespearean play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona.^[4] While working on this play, Toma was also slated to star in one of Fuji TV's winter dramas for 2008, the live adaptation of Chika Umino's popular manga, Hachimitsu to Kuroba.^[5] He took on the role of Yūta Takemoto, a struggling Architecture student in an art school who had mediocre talent and who fell in love at first sight with his professor's niece, Hagumi Hanamoto (played by Riko Narumi). His role as the silent but constant observer that uncovers the events of the drama to the audience earned him another Best Supporting Actor award.^[6] Due to the popularity of Hana Kimi, Fuji TV decided to air a special two-hour episode, announcing it in early 2008.^[7]

Ikuta's rise to fame brought about another project; this time a double-lead with Arashi's leader Satoshi Ohno, in the Japanese adaptation of the Korean drama Mawang. The drama, called Maō, is about a lawyer, Ryo Naruse (played by Ohno) who seeks to avenge the death of his younger brother several years ago. On the other hand, Serizawa Naoto is the brash and impulsive detective (played by Ikuta), who is atoning for the grave, juvenile crime he had committed in the past.^[8] In October 2008, Ikuta was back on stage again, playing the role of Danny in the Japanese version of the musical "Grease".^[9] January 2009 marked Ikuta's first ever appearance in Fuji TV's peak slot for dramas, Ishimatsu Ryosuke, an intern forensics specialist in the serial drama Voice, along with Eita and Satomi Ishihara.^[10] Following his streak of solo projects, Ikuta was again named to star in a Fuji TV drama even while Voice was airing, this time a lead role in the timely jury drama Majo Saiban: The Witch Trial, for the TV station's spring 2009 late night Saturday drama. He plays Yoshioka Tōru, a freeter who was chosen as one of the members of the jury that will participate in the trial of a woman accused of killing her husband. Foul play comes into the picture as the members of the jury begin to be threatened. When the life of one of the jury members, a housewife (played by Ai Kato) is also endangered, Tooru tries to help. This raises suspicions with his girlfriend (played by Manami Higa) who becomes afraid Tooru might be cheating on her. Thus begins Tōru's lone search for the truth. The drama aired on April 25, 2009, a month before the jury system was to be implemented in Japan.^[11]

Ikuta finally made his silver screen debut with Ningen Shikkaku, a spring 2010 movie adaptation of Dazai Osamu's masterpiece of the same title. Considered a semi-autobiographical novel, Ikuta plays the role of Oba Yozo, a troubled soul who is forced to keep up a facade of hollow jocularity in his everyday life.^[12] The book cover of the novel published by Kadokawa was renewed in October, and since then featured a photo of Ikuta. After the cover was revised, the book sold over 100,000 copies. In response to those sales figures, Kadokawa decided that for a limited time period, all 10 Dazai novels would feature Ikuta on the covers; the campaign started on December 15, 2009. It was the first time that the lead actor of a film adaptation of a novel appeared on the covers of all the works written by the author.^[13]

He also appeared in Hanamizuki, co-starring Yui Aragaki, and Seaside Motel. Ikuta played the role of Honjo Sadame, a failure of an actor in the drama Unubore Deka along with Johnny senior, Tokio's Tomoya Nagase. In 2010, Ikuta appeared on the documentary TV program Jōnetsu Tairiku (情熱大陸, lit. The Passion Continent).^[14] Ikuta was the male lead role for the manga Bokura Ga Ita, where he played Yano, and has a relationship with Yoshitaka Yuriko (Takahashi). The shoot for the movie started in May 2011, and was released as a two-part film in spring 2012.^[15]

On July 27, 2010, Ikuta appeared in Tokio's music video for the song NaNaNa.^[16] In 2016, he appeared in the music video of the song Fukkatsu Love by Arashi, from which he had been teamed up as juniors with the three youngest members, as the group MAIN.^[17][18][19]

Ikuta has his own mobile diary J-web named Tomagoto (Toma's words). Then temporary, the J-web went by the names Tomagoto, Tomagoto Hyper, and Tomagoto Neo, before officially becoming a permanent J-web on December 15, 2007. Aside from the J-web, he also has his own corner on Wink Up Magazine titled Ikuta Toma no Ikita Kotoba (Toma Ikuta's Words to Live By). On this corner, he writes a one-page essay about things that interest him, as well as his daily experiences. Pictures taken from his own camera are included on the page.^[20]

Ikuta announced on November 7, 2023 he would be leaving Johnny and Associates on November 20, to work as a freelance actor.^[21]

Ikuta faced severe criticism after a "Question and Answer" session on his Instagram on May 5, 2024. A fan commented that she was 9 months pregnant and she was scared to give birth, to what Ikuta answered: "Do you want to beg your husband to be painless?". Many of the comments were referring to his use of the word おねだり (Japanese for 'beg') instead of something like お願い (Japanese for 'ask (please)'), or just wishing her well. Gynecologists and Obstetricians also participated in the criticism, citing that childbirth is not only painful, but also life-threatening.^[22][23][24] His apology 2 days later didn't help him either, having people consider his choice of words as old-fashioned, and questioning if the former Johnny idol as well as the artists still in the agency, which for most of its history banned SNS for their artists, are really prepared for using them.^[25]

Personal life

Ikuta has a younger sibling, 4 years his junior, Fuji TV's announcer Ryūsei Ikuta.^[26]

Ikuta married actress Nana Seino on June 1, 2020.^[27] They welcomed their first child on March 9, 2022.^[28]

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1997	Agri	Young Junnosuke	Asadora	[29]
1998	Love & Peace	Yohei Horiguchi
2001	Neverland	Osamu Seto
2002	Be Nice to People	Yusuke	Episode 5
	Acting by	Hachida	Lead role
2004	Yesterday's Enemy Is Today's Friend	Yasuhiko Hidaka	Miniseries
2005	Funny Roppongi Squad	Yukio Ochi
	To Asuka and to the Unseen Child	Sawamura Kazuya
	Sleeping Corpse	Eiji/Yamazaki
2006	Akihabara@Deep	Box
2007	Boys Over Flowers 2	Junpei Oribe
	Hana-Kimi	Shuichi Nakatsu		[29]
2008	Honey & Clover	Yūta Takemoto
	Devil	Naoto Serizawa	Lead role
2009	Voice	Ryōsuke Ishimatsu
	The Witch Trial	Toru Yoshioka
	Tales of the Unusual: Autumn 2009: "The Law of Recycling Suicides"	Mikio	Lead role; short drama
2010	Conceited Detective	Sadame Honjo
	Spherical Wilderness	Shoichi Soeda	Miniseries
2012	Late Blooming Sunflower: My Life Renewed	Jotaro Kodaira	Lead role	[30]
2014	Gunshi Kanbei	Dom Justo Takayama	Taiga drama	[31]
2015	Ouroboros	Ikuo Ryuzaki	Lead role	[29]
2019	Idaten	Yahiko Mishima	Taiga drama	[32]
	If Talking Paid	Mitsuru Kishibe	Lead role	[29]
2020	The Man Who Stood for Autonomy of Japan: Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru	Jirō Shirasu	Television film	[33]
2022	My Ex-Boyfriend's Last Will	Eiji Morikawa / Tomiharu Morikawa	Special appearance	[34]
	The 13 Lords of the Shogun	Minamoto no Nakaakira	Taiga drama	[35]
2023	Taiga Drama ga Umareta Hi	Yamaoka	Lead role; television film	[36]
2024	Beyond Goodbye	Yūsuke Nakamachi		[37]
2025	Unbound	Hitotsubashi Harusada	Taiga drama	[38]

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2010	Hanamizuki	Kohei Kiuchi	Lead role
	Seaside Motel	Masayaki Kameda	Lead role
	No Longer Human	Ōba Yōzō	Lead role
2011	Genji Monogatari: Sennen no Nazo	Hikaru Genji	Lead role
2012	We Were There: First Love	Motoharu Yano	Lead role
	We Were There: True Love	Motoharu Yano	Lead role
2013	Brain Man	Ichiro Suzuki	Lead role
2014	The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji	Reiji Kikukawa	Lead role	[39]
	Miracle Debikuro-kun no Koi to Mahou	Kitayama
2015	Grasshopper	Suzuki	Lead role
	Prophecy	Geitsu / Hiroaki Okuda	Lead role
2016	The Top Secret: Murder in Mind	Tsuyoshi Maki	Lead role
	The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio	Reiji Kikukawa	Lead role	[39]
2017	Close-Knit	Rinko	Lead role	[29]
	My Teacher	Kōsaku Itō	Lead role	[29]
2018	My Friend "A"	Masuda	Lead role	[29]
2021	The Mole Song: Final	Reiji Kikukawa	Lead role	[39]
2022	Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta	Self	Documentary	[40]
2023	The Dry Spell	Shunsaku Iwakiri	Lead role	[41]
	Yudo: The Way of the Bath	Shirō Miura	Lead role	[42]
2024	Confession	Keisuke Asai	Lead role	[43]
2025	Demon City	Shuhei Sakata	Lead role	[44]

Musicals

• Stand By Me
• Kyo-To-Kyo
• Shock is Millennium Shock
• Susanoh
• Another (Kansai Jr.2002 version)
• Shock is Real Shock
• Vacation (Shonentai Playzone 2003)
• Edogah-san Yukuefumei
• Mama Loves Mambo III
• West Side Story 2004 (Shonentai version)
• West Side Story 2005 (Arashi version)
• Azumi on Stage (2005)
• Azumi Returns (Azumi 2) (2006)
• Cat in the Red Boots (Shinkansen Nexus Volume 2) (2006)
• Shock – Endless Shock 2007
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona – October 2007
• Grease – 2008^[45]
• My Friend Hitler and Madame de Sade (Mishima Double)^[46]- February 2011
• Kamome(The Seagull)- September 2013
• Vamp Bamboo Burn – 2016

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work(s)	Result	Ref.
2007	11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix	Best Supporting Actor	Hana-Kimi	Won	[47]
2011	84th Kinema Junpo Awards	Best New Actor	No Longer Human	Won	[48]
	53rd Blue Ribbon Awards	Rookie of the Year		Won	[49]
2020	13th Tokyo Drama Awards	Best Actor	If Talking Paid	Won	[50]

References

1. "デビュー20年、異色ジャニーズ・生田斗真が「俳優でいく」決意をした瞬間". Oricon (in Japanese). October 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
2. Sankei Sports Archived September 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese), 21 May 2007.
3. "Tokyograph.com". tokyograph.com.
4. Ikuta to star as Valentine in "Verona" 3 August 2007.
5. Narumi, Ikuta to star in "Honey and Clover" drama 6 November 2007.
6. 鹿男あをによし」が３部門で１位を獲得 (in Japanese), 12 March 2008.
7. Hana Kimi SP confirmed 12 March 2008.
8. Satoshi Ohno's First Starring Role 9 May 2008.
9. ミュージカル舞台「グリース」主演に斗真 (1/3ページ) Archived July 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese), 7 June 2008.
10. 今度の月９は「法医学」　生田＆さとみ出演 Archived January 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese), 4 December 2008.
11. Ikuta Stars in jury drama series.
12. Ikuta leads adaptation of Dazai's "No Longer Human".
13. Ikuta Toma Appears on All Book Covers of Dazai Osamu Novels from Kadokawa!.
14. "Ikuta Toma on The Passion Continent". Jōnetsu Tairiku. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
15. ""Bokura ga Ita" to get film adaptation starring Ikuta Toma & Yoshitaka Yuriko". tokyohive.com.
16. Ikuta Toma is Tokio's new single "NaNaNa (I Iranee Sun)" Video Clip appeared! (in Japanese).
17. "嵐「復活LOVE」MVに生田斗真　"旧知の仲"の共演でオフショット登場も？". Real Sound (in Japanese). February 13, 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
18. "「嵐」連37張單曲奪冠 好友生田斗真現身「復活LOVE」". Yahoo (in Chinese). March 17, 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
19. "生田斗真、TOKIOも驚愕のエリート経歴を披露　「"第2のキムタク"って書かれたんですよ」". Real Sound (in Japanese). May 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
20. "WiNK UPオフィシャルサイト -時代を動かすアイドル情報の宝庫!-". wani.co.jp.
21. "退所報告の生田斗真、ファンの支えに感謝「計り知れないご支援と愛情をいただきました」". Oricon (in Japanese). November 7, 2023. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
22. "生田斗真の「無痛おねだり」炎上発言　産婦人科医らが批判「出産は命懸けなんよ」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). May 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
23. "「最低な返し」「キモすぎる」生田斗真、出産への不安に対する"まさかの返信"に拒否反応多発". Smart Flash (in Japanese). May 7, 2024. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
24. "「本性を知れてよかったです」生田斗真、妊婦への"発言"謝罪もやまぬ失望…SNSコメント欄1100件超えの大荒れ状態". Smart Flash (in Japanese). May 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
25. "「制限は正解だったな」生田斗真の炎上で再燃する"タレントのSNS禁止"論争…過去には平野紫耀、木村拓哉らも炎上騒動". Nordot app (in Japanese). May 9, 2024. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
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28. "生田斗真、清野菜名夫妻に第１子誕生「感謝の気持ちでいっぱい」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). March 9, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
29. "生田斗真が関西弁での音楽劇に挑戦！『てなもんや三文オペラ』6月から東京ほかにて上演決定". Screen Online. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
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32. "いだてん〜東京オリムピック噺(ばなし)〜の出演者・キャスト一覧". The Television. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
33. "鶴瓶が吉田茂、生田斗真が白洲次郎演じるドラマ、2020年テレ東で放送". Natalie. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
34. "生田斗真:「元彼の遺言状」で1人2役 綾瀬はるかの元恋人とその兄に". Mantan-web. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
35. "「鎌倉殿の13人」生田斗真 3年ぶり大河！ラスボス後鳥羽上皇の側近・源仲章役". Sponichi. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
36. "生田斗真、大河ドラマ誕生奮闘記で主演「この撮影に全身全霊を捧げたい」". Oricon. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
37. "有村架純&坂口健太郎、Netflixドラマ『さよならのつづき』生田斗真、中村ゆりらが出演 映像初解禁". Oricon. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
38. "べらぼう:石坂浩二が14年ぶり12回目の大河出演 生田斗真は4作目 新キャスト11人発表 奥智哉＆映美くららは初". Mantan-web. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
39. "生田斗真主演『土竜の唄 FINAL』11月公開！ 舞台は超豪華客船". Cinema Cafe. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
40. "Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta". IMDB. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
41. "生田斗真主演＆白石和彌初プロデュース『渇水』公開". Cinema Cafe. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
42. "生田斗真の主演映画「湯道」が公開！弟役は濱田岳、橋本環奈は看板娘に". Natalie. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
43. "告白 コンフェッション". eiga.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
44. "Demon City 鬼ゴロシ". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved December 19, 2024.
45. "Toma Ikuta, Miki Fujimoto in "Grease" – Sankei Sports". sanspo.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008.
46. "Toma Ikuta studied Yu Aoi for his role as a woman". wordpress.com. February 2, 2011.
47. "日刊スポーツ・ドラマグランプリ 歴代の受賞者・受賞作品". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved December 19, 2024.
48. "生田斗真:舞台落下のハプニングもけがなくキネ旬新人賞受賞". Mantan-web (in Japanese). February 21, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
49. "生田斗真、ジャニーズ初のブルーリボン賞受賞に自負 ～第53回ブルーリボン賞授賞式". Oricon (in Japanese). February 16, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
50. Tokyo Drama Awards 2020

External links

• Official site (in Japanese)