Saotome Taichi

Agency Profile (2021)

**Nishimura Taichi** (西村太一), known professionally as **Saotome Taichi** (早乙女太一) is a Japanese actor best known for playing young men and "onnagata" roles of women. He is part of the theater troupe "Gekidan Sujaku".

His former wife is actress and fashion model Nishiyama Maki.

## Biography

Nishimura Taichi was born on September 24, 1991 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He has a younger brother and a younger sister.

Nishimura started acting early in his childhood and initially became part of the theater troupe "Aoi Gekidan" to which his parents belonged.

His first stage appearance was in 1995 at the age of 4.

In April 2010 he moved to the theater troupe "Gekidan Sujaku", founded by his father, Aoi Yonosuke (real name Nishimura Takashi), in 2001 after he became independent from Aoi Gekidan.

However, in February 2015, Gekidan Sujaku was dissolved, and he worked as a freelancer for a while.

In July 2015, he signed a management contract with LDH.

Later, Gekidan Sujaku was revived. With this, Saotome was appointed as the second generation chairman of the troupe.

Looking back at his career, Saotome later revealed in an interview in 2023 that he had never truly enjoyed acting, but that it became an essential part of his life, just like Gekidan Sujaku. "*It is my roots, but... it is not the same as my parents' home. I have always disliked it, I have always rebelled against it, and I have always worked hard with the energy of wanting to get away from it. I have spent more than half of my life in that kind of environment, and I don't want it to end that way.* *I want to make it a place that I like and I want the people there to enjoy it immensely. I have a sense that Gekidan Sujaku is like a stranger to me now, and I want them to enjoy it as well. When I dissolved Gekidan Sujaku, I wanted to rebuild it into a place where I could enjoy myself and live desperately, as well as the audience, of course. The dissolution of the company was based on my determination to rebuild it properly by myself.*"

## Personal Life

Relationships
In April 2013, it was revealed that Nishiyama Maki was three months pregnant and in June of the same year, Saotome officially announced that he and Nishiyama were getting married.

They submitted a marriage registration on June 30, 2013, and their first child, a girl, was born on October 30.

The wedding ceremony was held in Hawaii on June 30, 2015.

On January 1, 2016, Nishiyama revealed that she was pregnant with the couple's second child. On April 11 in the same year, their second daughter was born.

On June 25, 2019, it was revealed that the couple had been divorced.

Family
His father is Aoi Yonosuke, and his mother is Suzuka Nana, who are both actors. Both of his parents were members of the theater troupe "Aoi Gekidan", which led him to be raised as a member of the troupe from his childhood. In 2001, his father became independent from Aoi Gekidan and founded the theater troupe Gekidan Sujaku, to which his mother also moved. Saotome himself became a member of the theater troupe in April 2010.

His younger brother, Saotome Yuki, is also an actor and married to SPEED member Shimabukuro Hiroko.

## Works

### Stage

* [2015] "Moto no Mokuami"
* [2016] GEKIDAN EXILE MATSUGUMI's debut show "KABUKI"
* [2017] Theatre Cocoon Repertoire 2017 "Sekai"
* [2017] GEKIDAN SHINKANSEN "Dokurojo no Shichinin Season Tori"
* [2017-2018] GEKIDAN SHINKANSEN "Seven Souls in the Skull Castle Season Moon"
* [2019] "SHIRANAMI"
* [2019] Gekidan Shinkansen Inoue Kabuki ~A~ alternative "Kemuri no Gundan"
* [2019-2020] GEKIDAN SUJAKU Comeback Show
* [2023] Throne of Blood
* [2023] GEKIDAN SUJAKU "Aaien" (劇団朱雀『祭宴』)
* [2023] Kumonosu-jo (蜘蛛巣城)
* [2023] Gekidan☆Shinkansen 43rd Anniversary Autumn Performance Inoue Kabuki "Tengohsei" (劇団☆新感線43周年興行・秋公演 いのうえ歌舞伎『天號星』)

### Films

* [2016] KABUKI DROP
* [2016] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE
* [2016] HiGH&LOW THE RED RAIN
* [2017] TATARA SAMURAI
* [2017] 22 Nenme no Kokuhaku -Watashi ga Satsujinhan Desu-
* [2017] HiGH & LOW THE MOVIE 2 / END OF SKY
* [2017] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE 3 / FINAL MISSION
* [2018] BLEACH
* [2018] Nakimushi Shottan no Kiseki
* [2019] Iwane: Sword of Serenity
* [2019] PROMARE
* [2024] Kaettekita Abunaideka (帰ってきた あぶない刑事)

### TV Dramas

* [2015] ANGELS & DEMONS -Cold case Anonymous Investigation Unit
* [2015] Futagashira
* [2015] HiGH&LOW ~THE STORY OF S.W.O.R.D.~
* [2016] Nobunaga Moyu
* [2016] HiGH&LOW Season 2
* [2016] Futagashira 2
* [2018] Kaisha wa Gakko Janeen da yo
* [2018] A Meal Makes Her Forget
* [2018] Cold Case 2 ~Door of Truth~
* [2019] Tokyo Bachelors
* [2020] Remote de Korosareru
* [2022] Roppongi Class (六本木クラス)
* [2022] Shinainaru Boku e Satsui wo Komete (親愛なる僕へ殺意をこめて)
* [2023] Batsuichi 2-ri wa Miteina Kankei: "Futsu", Yamemasu! Hen (バツイチ2人は未定な関係)
* [2023] Knockin' on Locked Door (ノッキンオン・ロックドドア)

### Closet Dramas

* [2018] THE LONG GOODBYE - Written by Raymond Chandler / Translated by Murakami Haruki, Amazon Audible

## Events

### Events

* [2022.12.12, 13] TAICHI SAOTOME FAN CLUB EVENT 2022

### Personal Exhibitions

* SAOTOME TAICHI x KASHIHARA SHINPEI Exhibitions
	+ [2018] "The work of actors and painters" - September 1 - 11 @Basement GINZA in Ginza, Tokyo
	+ [2018] "Unconscious Portrait" - September 14 - October 8 @QUIET NOISE art and break in Ikenoue, Tokyo

### Live

* [2016] HiGH&LOW THE LIVE - July-October @Kyocera Dome, FUKUOKA YAHUOKU! Dome, Tokyo Dome

## Trivia

* In an interview in 2023, he revealed that he had never liked acting, but feels like he has to learn it as a way of expression. However, he likes dancing.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/1515971.html
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.tokyoheadline.com/693841/3/
3. ↑ 早乙女太一と西山茉希が6月入籍へ 妊娠3ヶ月も正式発表
4. ↑ https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20130418-1113900.html
5. ↑ 西山茉希＆早乙女太一あすハワイ挙式　離婚説一転
6. ↑ 早乙女太一＆西山茉希、離婚を発表＜コメント全文＞
7. ↑ 島袋寛子＆早乙女友貴　交際１年ＳＰＥＥＤ婚　記念日に婚姻届
8. ↑ https://www.ldh.co.jp/eng/news/detail.php?lang=eng&site=LDH&newsid=0000039666
9. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=42238
10. ↑ https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/318452
11. ↑ https://www.tokyoheadline.com/693874/
12. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=40633
13. ↑ https://natalie.mu/stage/news/520726
14. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=42811
15. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3856983
16. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=45824
17. ↑ https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/489926
18. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=39457
19. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=41209
20. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2288953/full/
21. ↑ https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20230730-2737935/
22. ↑ https://m.ldh-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=40989

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