Yoshi Amao (ヨシ天尾), is a versatile Japanese actor, talent, comedian, emcee, and martial artist based in New York City, and is the current emcee for the hit reality TV game show "Big In Japan" on air throughout Europe.
Yoshi Amao was born in Osaka, Japan, and grew up in Nara. While a student at Osaka City University, he started to learn acting and traditional Japanese dance. His career as an emcee also started while a college student. After graduating from college, Yoshi Amao worked for IBM in sales for four years, and concurrently worked as a radio personality at MBS Radio in Osaka.
Yoshi Amao is well known as the feature host of the highly rated TV series Samurai Sportsman premiered in 2004 on OLN (Outdoor Life Network). On this show, Yoshi is seen trying out American traditional outdoor sports, such as bass fishing, duck hunting, axe throwing, off road biking and rodeo (bareback riding, bull riding, and steer wrestling). At the same time, Yoshi teaches his samurai spirit and sword technique to each of the outdoor experts he worked with. In 2004, Yoshi Amao was also invited as a guest on The Late Night Show with Conan O' Brien on NBC where he discussed samural philosophy and blew away the audience with his unique sword technique.
In 1999, Yoshi Amao started to assist Samurai Sword Fighting Workshop for Rome Kanda. In 2003, he started his own Samurai Sword Fighting Class, and formed a sword fighting performance group Samurai Sword Soul together with Bob Kuwayama. Samurai Sword Soul is seen performing around New York, including at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival held at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Yoshi Amao is also the emcee for this event.
Yoshi Amao's other credits include the Budweiser Commercial (Wasabi Version), which was selected as "Best Commercial of the Year" in 2000; principal character for the play Deadly She-wold Assassin at Armageddon (Kozue Ookami) at Japan Society in 2005; and main samural for the Monday Night Footbal Promo on ESPN in 2006.