The 40-year-old is a dramatic force, with undiluted acting DNA coursing through her veins. Her father is kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro VII, whose family lineage can be traced back seven centuries. Her mother is treasured actress Sumiko Fuji, whose own father was a famed producer for Toei Films.

Shinobu Terajima has remarked in past interviews that she used to suffer from an inferiority complex. She felt, among other things, that she was too tall, too lanky and was not as beautiful as her famous mother. She has also said she felt awkward around her oyama (a kabuki actor who takes on female roles) father, who could portray female sensuality with breathtaking depth. Perhaps in an effort to compensate, Terajima has honed her public image on two factors: a love for wrestling (by many accounts, her jumping knee kick is something to be reckoned with and Ichikawa Ebizo XI — prince of the kabuki world — was one of her victims when they were younger) and a willingness to tear off her clothes and roll in the mud if a role calls for her to do so.

Despite her family connections, Terajima is respected for having earned her spot on the marquee through her own hard work. Her marriage to French art director Laurent Ghnassia — with whom she has a son who she says will be raised to be a kabuki actor — has added to her reputation as an independent-minded actress who has been unafraid to break ranks in the traditional kabuki community.