Ayumu Nakajima

Ayumu Nakajima (中島歩, Nakajima Ayumu) is a Japanese actor born on October 7, 1988 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, who spent his formative years in the bustling capital of Tokyo. He comes from a notable lineage, being the great‑great‑grandson of the famed writer Kunikida Doppo, which has often been highlighted in Japanese media profiles. Nakajima attended Koishikawa High School, where he was an active football player, and later earned a literature degree from Nihon University, participating in a rakugo study group that deepened his appreciation for performance art. While still a university student he began modeling under Gig Management, but he quit modeling in January 2012 to pursue his true passion for acting, taking on part‑time jobs to support himself during auditions. His stage debut arrived in April 2013, and he quickly distinguished himself with a 2015 performance as Jun'ichi Amamiya in the theatrical adaptation of The Black Lizard alongside veteran Akihiro Miwa. The following year he secured his first regular television role as Ryūichi Miyamoto in the series Hanako to Anne, a performance that earned him the Best New Actor award at the 7th Tama Film Awards, cementing his reputation as a rising talent. Nakajima’s international breakthrough came with Saturday Fiction (2019), a film selected for competition at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, where his portrayal of Kajiwara garnered critical praise. In 2021 he appeared in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, a film that won the Silver Bear at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival, and his supporting work earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 35th Takasaki Film Festival in 2022. Most recently, from November 2021 he starred as Goto Yuki in the Hong‑Kong biographical drama Anita, a tribute to the legendary singer Anita Mui, which later reached Japanese audiences via Disney+ in 2022. Throughout his career Nakajima has been represented by Ten Carat, continues to be active in both film and television, and is recognized for his versatile performances that blend subtle nuance with magnetic screen presence.