Chiba Shinichi (64), better known as action star Sonny Chiba, is enjoying something of a revival in his home country. He appears in the new Quentin Tarrantino film “Kill Bill” and has been busy doing TV appearances to promote the movie. The director and star Uma Thurman have also been in town. Chiba is a relative unknown for younger Japanese, though he was a peer of Bruce Lee and a pioneer in Hollywood martial arts movies way before Jet Lee or even Jackie Chan. Tarantino has called him “the greatest actor to ever work in martial arts films!” Sanada Hiroyuki, one of Japan’s most talented movie stars, got his start as a protege of Chiba.