Yamashita Kenjiro is a Japanese dancer and actor, and a member of Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE (三代目 J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE). He was born in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto, Japan.

Due to his parents’ job transfer, he spent his early childhood in Nara, attending Yamato-Koriyama City Koriyama Kita Elementary School (大和郡山市立郡山北小学校). He later returned to Kyoto, where he attended Nagaoka Fourth Junior High School (長岡京市立長岡第四中学校) and graduated from Kyoto Prefectural Koyo High School (京都府立向陽高等学校). He began dancing during his second year of high school and briefly enrolled in university before withdrawing within ten days. While working part-time, he continued dancing and later enrolled in Cat Music College Vocational School (キャットミュージックカレッジ専門学校), majoring in street dance.

After graduating, Yamashita worked as a parade dancer at Universal Studios Japan (USJ). In 2007, he appeared as a backup dancer in EXILE LIVE TOUR 2007 EXILE EVOLUTION. He later joined EXPG Osaka School, where he was first a scholarship student, then an instructor. He eventually left USJ to focus on his dance career.

In 2009, he was a finalist in the 1st Gekidan EXILE Audition (第1回劇団EXILEオーディション) and moved to Tokyo, where he balanced training with part-time work as a swing manager at a McDonald’s branch. In April 2010, he joined Gekidan EXILE Kaze-gumi (劇団EXILE風組). On September 18, 2010, during rehearsals for EXILE LIVE TOUR 2010 FANTASY in Hyogo, EXILE HIRO informed him he had been selected as a member of Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS. He withdrew from Gekidan EXILE in July 2011 to focus on the group.

In 2021, he obtained qualifications as an interior designer and interior advisor.

Yamashita has an older brother and is the great-great-grandson, through his mother, of ceramic artist Kiyomizu Rokubei IV (清水六兵衛).

He married model Asahina Aya (朝比奈彩) on July 26, 2021, after two years of dating. The couple announced the birth of their first child on March 25, 2024.

(Source: kisskh) Edit Biography