is a broad word used to describe

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

as seen on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. The word ''owarai'' is the

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o-

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...

), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on

Japanese variety show A Japanese variety show is an entertainment television program made up of a variety of original stunts, musical performances, comedy skits, quiz contests, and other acts. Japanese variety shows are predominantly made to be weird and extremely fast ...

s and the comedians are referred to as ''owarai'' '' geinin'' or ''owarai

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as "tal ...

''. Presently Japan is considered to be in an "''owarai'' boom", and many minor talents have been finding sudden fame after a

gag A gag is usually an item or device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help and keep its wearer silent. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attemptin ...

or skit became popular.

Characteristics

Manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve aro ...

(), a traditional form of Japanese comedy that became the basis of many modern acts today, is characterized by a pair of usually older male comedians acting certain roles in a constant comedic battle against themselves. This tradition is continued in the acts of many modern talents. While there are many women talents, they are largely outnumbered by the men, and they tend to take more minor roles. Whereas ''manzai'' performers traditionally wore

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

(traditional Japanese dress), these days a western

suit A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...

is the outfit of choice for many ''owarai kombi'' (, combination; referring to a pair of comedians in a unit) and many talents who begin their careers performing in a style very similar to

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

, usually including aspects of ''manzai'' and

conte Conte may refer to: * Conte (literature), a literary genre * Conte (surname) * Conté, a drawing medium * Conte, Jura, town in France * Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world * Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...

. Some minor characteristics include frequently used

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...

s (cheap, old-fashioned sound effects are used intentionally for comic effect),

dajare is a kind of comic Japanese word play, similar in spirit to a pun that relies on similarities in the pronunciation of words to create a simple joke. ''Dajare'' are popular in advertising. ''Dajare'' are also associated with {{nihongo, ''oyaji'' ...

(, a Japanese-style

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

), and ''dokkiri'' (, a hidden-camera prank like those seen in the popular

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

show ''

Candid Camera ''Candid Camera'' is a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes ...

'').

Owarai geinin

On television, most ''owarai geinin'' are introduced using their ''kombi'' name (e.g. ''Yoiko Hamaguchi'') and some ''geinin'' even retain the name of their former groups after they have parted ways. A few popular ''kombi'' include: *

Tunnels A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A Pipeline transport, pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used ...

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

* Ninety-nine * Bakushō Mondai * Gokuraku Tombo * Cocorico * Kyaeen *

Audrey Audrey () is an English feminine given name. It is the Anglo-Norman form of the Anglo-Saxon name ''Æðelþryð'', composed of the elements '' æðel'' "noble" and ''þryð'' "strength". The Anglo-Norman form of the name was applied to Saint Aud ...

* Untouchable * Impulse *

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

, a rare female ''kombi'' *

Cream Stew is a popular Yōshoku dish consisting of meat, usually chicken or pork, and mixed vegetables, onion, carrot, potato and cabbage, cooked in thick white roux. The vegetables are sauteed before the meat is added with some water. The surface fats ...

* Summers *

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

Jichō Kachō is a Japanese comedy unit (''kombi'') consisting of two , and . Sometimes also known as , they are one of the most popular ''owarai'' ''kombi'' coming from Yoshimoto Kōgyō in Tokyo. Their name literally means "Vice manager, Section manager", ...

* Sandwichman * Speed Wagon * TIM *

Tutorial A tutorial, in education, is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete ...

* Penalty *

Yoiko is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūgo Ishikawa. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Big Comic Spirits'' from 1996 to 2001, with its chapters collected in fifteen ''tankōbon'' volumes. ...

Rahmens is a Japanese comedy duo, referred to as an ''owarai, owarai kombi'', consisting of Jin Katagiri () and Kentarō Kobayashi (). Formation Katagiri and Kobayashi met as students and formed a Glossary of owarai terms, conte group in 1996 while study ...

* Regular Many owarai units have names based on English words or phrases. ''Kombi'' are usually included as guests for shows, though some (namely Downtown, Cream Stew, and Ninety-nine) often act as hosts as well. Some popular talents that usually don't perform in units are: *

Ken Shimura (born , 20 February 1950 – 29 March 2020) was a Japanese comedian. He co-starred with Masashi Tashiro, Nobuyoshi Kuwano in the Japanese variety show '. Throughout his comedy career, Shimura was known for his "Bakatono-sama" character, w ...

Sanma Akashiya is a Japanese comedian, TV presenter, radio personality and actor most commonly known as Sanma-san. His real name is . His talent agency is Yoshimoto Kogyo and his shishô (master) back when he studied ''rakugo'' is Shōfukutei Matsunosuke. Tog ...

Tamori , known by his stage name (an anagram of his surname), is a Japanese television celebrity. Known for his trademark dark sunglasses, Tamori is one of the "big three" television comedians in Japan along with Takeshi Kitano (a.k.a. Beat Takeshi ...

* Beat Takeshi *

Cha Katō (born 1 March 1943, Setagaya, Tokyo), also known as Kato-chan, is a male Japanese comedian and actor. His real name is . Cha is one of the members of The Drifters and plays drums. His work with Ken Shimura, another Drifter, is well known in ...

Shinsuke Shimada is a Japanese comedian and television presenter. In 1991 he directed the film '' Kaze, Slow Down''. On August 23, 2011, Shinsuke Shimada announced his retirement after admitting to extensive ties to the yakuza, Japan's organized crime. The yakuz ...

Tetsurō Degawa is a Japanese comedian. Character Representative of the so-called "reaction entertainers," he is known for his thick voice. His favorite phrase is "Yabaiyo, yabaiyo!" (やばいよやばいよ!, It's dangerous, dangerous!), which has been mim ...

* Egashira 2:50 * George Tokoro *

Teruyoshi Uchimura , half of the Japanese comedy duo Utchan Nanchan, is one of the most famous and influential comedians in the owarai community. His nickname is ''Utchan'' ("Wutchan"), and his partner, Kiyotaka Nanbara, is known as ''Nanchan''. He was born on July ...

Daimaou Kosaka , better known by his stage names and , is a Japanese comedian, television personality and entertainer. Kosaka insists that Pikotaro is another personality promoted by him, but they are considered the same person. He is currently signed with Av ...

Koriki Chōshū (born , February 5, 1972 in the city of Nishi-Tokyo, Tokyo) is a Japanese comedian. He is most famous for his act in which he mocks a famous Japanese professional wrestler Riki Choshu due to his resemblance. ''Koriki'' is a wordplay on Riki's ...

Hiroshi is a common masculine Japanese given name. It can also be transliterated as Hirosi. Possible writings Hiroshi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *浩, "meaning" *汎 *弘, *宏, *寛, *洋, *博, *博一, *博司, ...

Tsutomu Sekine is a Japanese comedian, singer and television presenter. His former stage name is . He is represented with Asai Kikaku. His daughter is ''tarento'' Mari Sekine. Sekine is partnered with Kazuki Kosakai, who is a junior at his talent agency and a ...

Takashi Fujii , born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs to the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and is the popular host of '' Matthew's Best Hit TV'' (as the character , and various ot ...

* Michiko Shimizu * Hori * Sayaka Aoki, another rare female act * Tomonori Jinnai * Chihara Junior Of these, Sanma, Tamori, and Beat Takeshi are sometimes referred to collectively as the "big three" because of their massive popularity. Talents such as these often act as hosts for shows, or perform together in small or large groups, something almost unimaginable for most western comedians.

Variety shows

Japanese variety shows are the main outlet for most ''owarai geinin'' and along with

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

they are some of the most popular shows on Japanese television. As a general term in Japan, "variety show" can refer to "straight" variety shows with an appropriate myriad of topics, segments, and games. It is also used for comedy oriented shows that focus more on stand-up and skits, and quiz/trivia type shows featuring comic elements. It is not to be expected that a variety show will always follow the same format, and guests from Japanese music and talent pools are frequent. The variety style shows generally divided into segments of games, features, and "corners", some very short and some shows focusing (for a special episode) solely on one game or feature.

Trivia Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value. It can be contrasted with general knowledge and common sense. Latin Etymology The ancient Romans used the word ''triviae'' to describe where one road split or forked ...

quiz A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which players attempt to answer questions correctly on one or several specific topics. Quizzes can be used as a brief Educational assessment, assessment in education and similar fields to measure growth ...

, or

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

s in Japan are often considered ''owarai'' as the contestants of such shows are often a mix of ''owarai geinin'' and other Japanese talents of various descriptions. Game shows without any famous characters playing the role of contestants are rare. Of these sections and games, many can be seen recurring on a variety of shows all across Japan. It may even be possible to classify Japanese variety shows (or at least the individual sections of the shows) according to the following formats: *

Quiz A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which players attempt to answer questions correctly on one or several specific topics. Quizzes can be used as a brief Educational assessment, assessment in education and similar fields to measure growth ...

zes or

trivia Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value. It can be contrasted with general knowledge and common sense. Latin Etymology The ancient Romans used the word ''triviae'' to describe where one road split or forked ...

(with subjects as varied as (''zatsugaku'', general or useless knowledge),

math Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and other school subjects,

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

(testing peoples' knowledge of difficult or rare characters),

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and a mishmash of typical quiz-style trick questions *Food judgement/tasting/making (various types of food are also commonly used as prizes for the winner of a game) *Travel (often travelling within Japan to view someones estate or around the world producing short, documentary-style segments about world culture, with a comic twist) *Physical challenges, tests of strength/endurance etc. *Tests of improvised comic skill (for example, a ''dajare'' contest) *Obstacle courses/collections of strange games or activities *

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

(Either with real

Japanese music In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the world ...

ians, or with ''owarai geinin'' trying their hands at music (often

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

style), covering popular songs or showing off their own) Some concepts of variety shows are consistent over most of Japanese television, though they may be considered quite different from those seen in the western world. Many shows are made up of what are called

VTR A video tape recorder (VTR) is a tape recorder designed to record and playback video and audio material from magnetic tape. The early VTRs were open-reel devices that record on individual reels of 2-inch-wide (5.08 cm) tape. They were us ...

s, or video segments, and are usually introduced with a hand gesture and the word '' dōzo'' (the implied meaning is "let's have a look"), though this procedure is usually made into a joke with strange gestures instead of the usual wave. A few popular variety/comedy shows of varying contents are: * '' King of Comedy'' (showcasing the stand-up acts and skits of new and popular talent, often featuring VTR segments of the activities of various talents) * '' The God of Entertainment'' (similar to King of Comedy, though focusing on stand-up acts) * '' The Tunnels' Thanks to Everyone'' (the origin of the international ''

Brain Wall is a component of the Japanese game show '' The Tunnels' Thanks to Everyone''. Video clips from the show proliferated on video-sharing websites and the concept was eventually adopted by several other countries. It became popularly known to non-Japa ...

'' television franchise, hosted by duo

) * '' Apron of Love'' (talents lacking cooking skill are asked to cook difficult dishes and are given harsh, though honest, judgements) * ''

SMAP×SMAP ''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...

'' (the five members of the immensely popular group

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-pi ...

host many different shows, presenting segments such as music, cooking, and news) * '' Zenigata Kintarō'' (this show's segment ''bimbō batoru'' (battle of the poor) showcases the life of two or more people living in Japan who support interesting life styles on minimum amounts of money; the funniest, or most inspiring ''bimbō'' wins) * '' Matthew's Best Hit TV+'' (hosted by the comedian

, this show features musical guests and a strange variety of games and unrelated segments) * '' Spring of Trivia'' (showcasing interesting and strange facts (or strange interpretations of boring facts) of little or no importance using a trivia-style format) * '' Nep-league'' (featuring the ''owarai'' trio Neptune on one of the two teams of contestants, this quiz show features various "levels" of play challenging the players' knowledge of everything from world events to reading Japanese to spelling simple English words) * '' Ken Shimura no Baka Tono-sama'' (hosted by comedian

)

External links

大笑い.com (''oowarai''.com)
��Japanese site promoting ''owarai'' and ''owarai'' talents
お笑い芸人相関図 (''owarai geinin sōkanzu'')
��Japanese site with information on various ''owarai geinin'' and the relationships they have with other talents

��Japanese site, so-called encyclopedia of ''owarai geinin'' {{Comedy footer, state=collapsed Performing arts in Japan Television in Japan Japanese comedy

Characteristics

Owarai geinin

Variety shows

See also

Further reading

External links