Min Tanaka
Personal details
  • Official sites :

    http://www.min-tanaka.com/

  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1945-03-10
    • Born Place: Tokyo, Japan
  • Also Known As:

    たなか みん, 田中 泯, مین تاناکا

Min Tanaka

Min Tanaka, born in Tokyo in 1945, is a seminal Japanese figure recognized internationally as a dancer, actor, and pioneer of avant-garde and experimental dance, with an early association with Butoh. After initial training in classical ballet and modern dance, he began his solo dance activities in 1974, developing his distinct movement philosophy called Body Weather, which emphasizes a complete psycho-physical unity and is rooted in an acute sensitivity to the environment. His dance practice involves site-specific, improvisational performances—known as the Locus Focus project—often outdoors and sometimes nude, which he views as "dancing the place." In 1985, he founded the Body Weather Farm in Yamanashi to integrate farming and physical labor into the origins of dance, furthering his movement research. Though dance remains his primary occupation, since 2002 he has gained recognition as an actor, notably winning the Best Supporting Actor at the 26th Japan Academy Film Prize for his performance in The Twilight Samurai (2002), and has appeared in numerous films and television programs both in Japan and internationally, while continuing to engage in cross-disciplinary collaborations with renowned artists. He was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 2025.

Person History