ZEN

Agency Profile

**Shimada Zen** (島田 善), better known under his artist name **ZEN**, is a Japanese Parkour Athlete.

He is a pioneer in the parkour scene in Japan, becoming the first Japanese professional parkour athlete and the first Asian ever to win a national championship. He is currently based in the United States.

He joined LDH on March 6, 2013.

On June 30, 2022, he left LDH JAPAN, and on July 1, he became the CEO of Parkour Culture Company, Inc.

## Biography

ZEN started doing parkour when he was 15 and went to the United States on his own the following year. At the age of 18, he took part in the international parkour competition "RedBull Art of Motion Yokohama" which was held in Japan for the first time and gained wide acclaim at an international level for his outstanding performance.

In 2013, at the age of 19, he signed a contract with LDH and became Japan's first professional parkour athlete. He also became the first Asian to win the U.S. championship in 2015, which also made him the first Japanese in the parkour field to obtain such a position.

In 2016, ZEN became part of the international parkour team "TEAM FARANG" which consists of top-class parkour athletes from various countries and leads the global parkour community. In the same year, he debuted as an actor with the role of "" from the gang "RUDE BOYS" in the HiGH&LOW franchise. Furthermore, he released his first photo-essay titled "FLY". On December 21, 2016, he broke the Guinness World Record of "Longest distance swung between two bars (parkour)" for the first time in six years. Compared to 3.2 meters, which was established in Hampshire, England in 2010, ZEN challenged 3.5 meters (an extension of 30 cm).

In 2018, he moved to Los Angeles, USA, and officially launched a parkour art project in addition to his activities as an athlete.

In 2019, he was chosen as one of "100 Most Respected Japanese People in the World" by Newsweek.

In 2020, he was appointed as an ambassador for *Gucci House Of Friends* (as the first parkour athlete).

Currently, he carries out activities as an international parkour athlete and engages in all kinds of activities related to the promotion of parkour culture. Moreover, he also strives to express himself as a creator through videos, photos and design.

Additionally, he was appointed as Chairman of the Japan Parkour Commission by the President of the International Gymnastics Federation.

On June 26, 2022, it was announced that ZEN would be leaving LDH JAPAN at the end of June 2022 and become the CEO of Parkour Culture Company, Inc.

*Thank you for your continued support of ZEN.*
*It is with great sadness that we inform you that ZEN will be leaving LDH JAPAN at the end of June 2022.*
*We would appreciate it if you could read and accept the message from ZEN regarding this matter.*

*To all of you who have always supported me*
*I, ZEN, have decided to leave LDH JAPAN, my agency of 9 years, as of June 30, 2022.*
*At LDH, I have had many valuable experiences not only in parkour competitions but also in film appearances. When I joined LDH, HIRO said to me, "LDH will do its best to support you, so please become the best in the world", and I was able to fulfill my dream of regaining the world title in a parkour competition in 2020. I believe this is due to the understanding and warm support of HIRO, the artists and related staff.*
*When I think about my future stage, I have a strong desire to focus more on activities to enrich Japanese society through parkour, as HIRO has done in the dance scene in the past, and to stand on my own feet and devote myself to it, and I have decided to graduate from LDH.*
*From July 1, I will assume the position of CEO of Parkour Culture Company, Inc. (PKM), where I have served as a board member for some time.*
*Also, although I will no longer belong to LDH JAPAN, this does not mean that I will lose this relationship by any means. I would like to continue to work together with everyone at LDH through various projects.*
*To those of you who have always supported me, I sincerely ask that you continue to watch over me warmly and give me your continued support.*

June 26, 2022
ZEN

On April 1, 2023, ZEN announced his resignation from the Chairman position of the Parkour Committee of the Japan Gymnastics Association at the end of his term of office on March 31, 2023.

## Personal Life

Relationships
On December 31, 2022, ZEN revealed that he is the father of two children and that singer Shionoya Sayaka is his wife by posting a picture of himself together with Shionoya's children on Instagram captioned "Shimada family" (ZEN's family name) and tagging her. Shionoya posted a smiliar photo with the same caption. Both had been under the management of LDH from 2013 until their individual departure from the company.

On November 28, 2023, the couple's third child was born.

## Competitions

* [2011] World Tournament Red Bull Art of Motion Yokohama - 5th place
* [2015] U.S. Tournament North American Parkour Championship - 1st place (the first Asian champion in the U.S. Tournament)
* [2016] World Tournament WFPF Parkour Pro-Am Championship - 3rd place
* [2017] World Tournament Freerun Hefei City - 3rd place
* [2018] World Tournament FISE FIG Parkour World Cup - Participant
* [2019] U.S. Tournament West Coast Parkour Championships #5 - 1st place
* [2020] Online Parkour Competition "E-FISE - FIG PARKOUR VIRTUAL COMPETITION FREESTYLE" PROMEN - 1st place

## Filmography

### Films

* [2016] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE
* [2017] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE 2 / END OF SKY
* [2017] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE 3 / FINAL MISSION

## Concerts/Tours

* [2016] HiGH&LOW THE LIVE - tour with 18 shows held at 4 domes

## Creative and Art Activities

* [2019] PUBLIC TOKYO apparel GokuxZen
* [2020] Parkour in Thailand Shooting (unpublished)

## Commercial

* [2016] FINAL FANTASY XV Motion Actor
* [2018] DJI OSMO Pocket / ZEN meets OSMO Pocket in Tokyo
* [2018] DJI OSMO Pocket / EVERDAY MOVIE
* [2019] DJI OSMO ACTION
* [2019] PUBLIC TOKYO / Apparel
* [2019] Onitsuka Tiger Influencer (the first parkour athlete)
* [2020] Jeep Real Games Ambassador
* [2020] Gucci GG Psychedelic Collection Movie

## Trivia

* **Hobbies:** Fashion & Travel
* **Speciality:** Photo & Footage

## References

1. ↑ https://www.ldh.co.jp/news/detail.php?lang=eng&site=LDH&newsid=0000038713
2. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3223967
3. ↑ Message from ZEN
4. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CqecinJvhgO/
5. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1d\_L3PpLS/
6. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1d5AXvUpx/
7. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C0VkvGPPXxR/

## External Links

* Official Website
* Official Twitter
* Official Instagram
* Official Blog
* Agency Profile (Japanese) *(archived)*
* Agency Profile (English) *(archived)*