# Hayato Tani (谷隼人)
**Hayato Tani** (谷隼人) is a Japanese actor, singer, and television personality, born 1946, best known for playing Tshima Ryūhiko in the TBS action series *KiiHunter* (1968–1973), Captain Tani on the variety show *Fūun! He began as a Toei action film star in the 1960s and has worked across film, drama, and variety television for more than six decades.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946; his agency lists Kagoshima Prefecture as his home prefecture, while Japanese TV and film databases and IMDb list Sasebo, Nagasaki[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) • [2](https://thetv.jp/person/0000003500/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849429/) |
| Screen debut | 1966, in the Toei film *Hikō Shōjo Yōko*, as the partner of Midori Mako; the film was director Yasuo Furukawa's debut[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) |
| Breakthrough | *KiiHunter* (TBS, 1968–1973, 262 episodes) as Tshima Ryūhiko, in the team led by Tetsurō Tanba[5](https://bangumi.org/talents/67366/programs) • [6](https://www.jcom-bs.co.jp/special/tani-hayato-interview/) |
| Signature TV era | Seven years on TBS's Saturday 9 p.m. action slot, from *KiiHunter* through *Aifuru Daisakusen* (1973) and *Bādī Daisakusen* (1974)[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) • [7](https://note.com/toei70th/n/nea5109956751) |
| Variety identity | Captain Tani on *Fūun! Takeshi-jō* from 1986, a role he reprised in the 2023 revival[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf) • [9](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/234092/article/) |
| Super Sentai role | Shigusa Sanjūrō (Commander Sugata) in *Hikari Sentai Maskman* (1987)[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf) |
| Personal data | 179 cm tall, blood type A; married to actress and personality Kikko Matsuoka[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849429/) |
## Early career and Toei films
Tani's agency biography says he was scouted in Tokyo and joined Toei, making his screen debut in 1966 in *Hikō Shōjo Yōko* (also rendered *Hikō Shōjo Yokohama Yoko* in some databases) opposite Midori Mako.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) His first professional appearance on screen, however, predates this: in 1961, at age 15, he appeared as the younger character Taritari in the TV drama *Shōnen Kenya*, credited under his real name.[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf)
At Toei he became one of the studio's action stars, appearing in the *Abashiri Bangaichi* (Abashiri Prison) series, the *Furyō Banchō* (Delinquent Boss) series, and the *Yoru no Kayō* series, and starring in the *Hijō Gakuen* series.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) His filmography from this period includes *Abashiri Bangaichi: Nangoku no Taiketsu* and *Yuki no Funshutsu* (1966), *Abashiri Bangaichi: Fubuki no Tōdō* and *Akku e no Chōsen* (1967), and entries in the *Furyō Banchō* and *Yoru no Kayō* series from 1968 onward.[10](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/11669) A retrospective account of the Toei community adds that he appeared as a semi-regular in the Takakura Ken-led *Abashiri Bangaichi* films and played a regular role in the Umehara Tatsuo-led *Furyō Banchō* series.[11](https://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?from=cross_search&id=2429904)
## KiiHunter and the TBS Saturday slot
**Television breakthrough.** In 1968 Tani joined *KiiHunter*, an action spy drama about a fictional secret investigation group of international police based in Kasumigaseki.[6](https://www.jcom-bs.co.jp/special/tani-hayato-interview/) The series ran from 6 April 1968 to 7 April 1973 in TBS's Saturday 9 p.m. slot, for 262 episodes.[5](https://bangumi.org/talents/67366/programs) In an interview, Tani recalled the original team of five at the start: Tetsurō Tanba as Kuroki Tetsuya, Yōko Nogiwa as Tsugawa Keiko, Shin'ichi Chiba as Kazama Yōsuke, Tani himself as Tshima Ryūhiko, and Ōkawa Eiko as Taniguchi Yumi.[12](https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20251112-3654836/) His character was treated as a "boy" at first, one of the team's juniors, and grew into a hot-blooded member skilled at driving, to the point that the character's team role is described as the six-member group's good driver.[13](https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/geino/301198/2) As the series progressed, the star-studded cast of Tanba, Chiba, and Nogiwa, with Kinji Fukasaku directing some episodes, made Tani revise his initial low opinion of television, and talent-ranking magazines listed him alongside such idols as Shōken and Julie.[14](https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/31804591/)
The series also anchored Tani in the Saturday 9 p.m. slot. After *KiiHunter* ended, he continued as a regular in its successors *Aifuru Daisakusen* (1973–1974) and *Bādī Daisakusen* (1974–1975), playing Ibuki Yūji in both, which gave him seven years as a fixture of TBS Saturday-night action drama.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) • [7](https://note.com/toei70th/n/nea5109956751) • [8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf)
## The KiiHunter years in his own account
In later interviews, Tani described the shooting schedule as punishing: location work by day, then postrecording (afureko) from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., followed by departure for the next location at 6 a.m.[6](https://www.jcom-bs.co.jp/special/tani-hayato-interview/) He recalled that Chiba Shin'ichi never formally taught him action, but once summoned him mid-scene with the words "Oi, Tani, we're jumping off the jeep," leapt from a moving vehicle in a chest-out dive, and thereby showed him how to make a stunt look good on camera.[6](https://www.jcom-bs.co.jp/special/tani-hayato-interview/) Tani followed and jumped from the jeep himself.[12](https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20251112-3654836/)
## Variety and later television
**Captain Tani.** From 1986 Tani appeared as Captain Tani (谷隊長) in *Fūun! Takeshi-jō*, the audience-participation variety program hosted by [Takeshi Kitano](https://www.edgepedia.org/takeshi-kitano) that aired on TBS, and the role became one of his best-known personas.[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf) • [2](https://thetv.jp/person/0000003500/) In 1987 he played Shigusa Sanjūrō, known as Commander Sugata (菅田司令官), in *Hikari Sentai Maskman* and its theatrical film, the entry in Toei's Super Sentai series that year.[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf) • [15](https://eiga.com/person/45867/movie/)
His later television work is broad. It includes the NHK Taiga drama *Tokugawa Ieyasu* (1983) as Ōno Shūri, the puppet theater *Sangokushi* (1982) voicing Ryū Bi ([Liu Bei](https://www.edgepedia.org/liu-bei)), the home drama *Terauchi Kantarō Ichizoku 2* (1975) as Terauchi Daisuke, the morning serial *Chura-san 2* (2003), and appearances in variety programs such as *Nanikore Chin Hyakkei* (2009/2010) and the 2015 TBS drama *Napoleon no Mura*.[8](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf) • [1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) • [2](https://thetv.jp/person/0000003500/) In 2023, 34 years after the original run of *Takeshi's Castle*, he reprised the attack-captain role in the Amazon Original revival on Prime Video.[9](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/234092/article/)
## Personal life
Tani married actress and personality Kikko Matsuoka in 1981.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849429/) His agency biography lists her as his wife and describes the couple's on-air appearances together.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) His listed hobbies are collecting tiger memorabilia, training, baseball, and golf.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani)
His birthplace is reported differently across sources. His agency's profile gives [Kagoshima Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/kagoshima-prefecture), and a biographical account places his birth in Kirishima City in that prefecture.[1](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani) WEBTheTV and Filmarks both list Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and IMDb gives Nagasaki, Japan.[2](https://thetv.jp/person/0000003500/) • [4](https://filmarks.com/people/120909) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849429/) All sources agree on the birth date of 1946.
## Current status
Tani remains listed as a working actor and personality. He appeared live with his wife on the Fuji TV program *Pokapoka* in March 2025, and the couple's names appear in 2026 broadcast listings.[16](https://www.kinikoma.com/tani-hayato-current/) Reruns of *KiiHunter* featuring him continue to air on satellite channels such as J:COM BS and the Toei Channel.[5](https://bangumi.org/talents/67366/programs) • [17](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/talent/67366/)
## References
1. [谷 隼人 プロフィール, 株式会社アネモイエンタテインメント](https://www.anemoienta.co.jp/profile/Hayato_Tani)
2. [谷隼人のプロフィール・画像・写真, WEBザテレビジョン](https://thetv.jp/person/0000003500/)
3. [Hayato Tani, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849429/)
4. [Filmarks, 谷隼人のプロフィール・出演作品](https://filmarks.com/people/120909)
5. [谷 隼人の出演番組一覧, 番組表.Gガイド](https://bangumi.org/talents/67366/programs)
6. [「キイハンター」谷 隼人さんが語る、見どころ大公開！, J:COM BS](https://www.jcom-bs.co.jp/special/tani-hayato-interview/)
7. [第4章「行け行け東映・積極経営推進」, 創立70周年特別寄稿『東映行進曲』](https://note.com/toei70th/n/nea5109956751)
8. [谷 隼人 Hayato Tani プロフィール PDF, アネモイエンタテインメント](https://anemoienta.co.jp/pdf/hayato_tani_profile_%2020201001%20_anemoi.pdf)
9. [谷隼人の記事・ニュース・速報, オリコンニュース](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/234092/article/)
10. [谷隼人Hayato Tani 出演映画, ファッションプレス](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/11669)
11. [ワル・谷隼人, mixiコミュニティ](https://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?from=cross_search&id=2429904)
12. [J:COM BSで伝説のドラマ『キイハンター』が全話放送！, マイナビニュース](https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20251112-3654836/)
13. [（4）野際陽子とのなれ初めは「キイハンター」での共演, 日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL](https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/geino/301198/2)
14. [「10時くらいにパジャマ姿で」谷隼人が明かす昭和の名優「丹波哲郎伝説」, ライブドアニュース](https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/31804591/)
15. [谷隼人 : 関連作品（映画）, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/person/45867/movie/)
16. [谷隼人と松岡きっこの現在は？, きにこま](https://www.kinikoma.com/tani-hayato-current/)
17. [「谷 隼人」のテレ東 出演番組一覧, テレ東・BSテレ東](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/talent/67366/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › Japanese actors, before 2000*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license