, half of the

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 n ...

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 ...

duo Utchan Nanchan, is one of the most famous and influential comedians in the

owarai is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on Japanese variety show ...

community. His nickname is ''Utchan'' ("Wutchan"), and his partner,

Kiyotaka Nanbara (born 13 February 1965, in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese television host and comedian. He is known as the boke of the manzai duo Utchan Nanchan with Teruyoshi Uchimura. Career In 1985, while attending the Yokohama Broadcasting ...

, is known as ''Nanchan''. He was born on July 22, 1964 in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto. Though he has worked for years as a comedian, he has also shown talent as an actor and dramatic performer. He is well known as the leader of the ''owarai'' band NO PLAN.

History

Uchimura met Nanbara while attending the

Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School The , formerly known as the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School, is a Japanese film school and university. It was founded in 1975 by film director Shohei Imamura. While a student at this school, director Takashi Miike was given his first fi ...

, along with

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 ...

and

Masato Irie Masato (written: , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Masato (kickboxer) (born 1979), Japanese former welterweight kickboxer, won K-1 WORLD MAX kickboxing tournament in 2003, 2008 * Masato ...

, who were also classmates. The two decided to start a manzai duo, and they were called ''Utchan Nanchan'' by their teacher, Keiko Utsumi. They first appeared on the show ''Owarai sutaa tanjō!!'' (お笑いスター誕生!!, Birth of a Comedy Star!). They won the competition the following year, and picked up the ''nyū kombi'' (new duo) award the next year. In 1992, Utchan Nanchan won the Japanese Academy Award for "Best New Actors" for their roles in the movie ''Cult Seven'' (七人のおたく). In 1993 Hong Kong singer Wong Ka Kui died after both he and Uchimura fell off a broken stage on Utchan Nanchan TV show. In addition, the TV program '' Uchimura Produce''(内村プロデュース) which he was the producer of in 2000 won popularity. Criticisms followed that the Japanese were having too many late night shows of this type, and the TV station crews were overworked. Uchimura announced his engagement to and married former TV announcer Yumi Tokunaga in 2005. On January 28, 2006, his debut film as a director, ''

PEANUTS ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'', was released.

Character

Uchimura is said to have been often teased about his pallid skin color and big nose. He was supposedly often teased as a youth with taunts like, "With skin as white as yours, why don't you become a

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

actor?". At the same time, he was called a child prodigy after placing 8th in a local

prefectural A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

tournament, leading his school's

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

team to a municipal semifinal win, while also competing in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spre ...

. He loves the countryside in his hometown prefecture of Kumamoto, and frequently appears on local television, and writes articles for his hometown newspaper twice a year. He is said to resemble

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

and has parodied him many times in comedy routines. Therefore, he is called "Chan"("chen") by Tetsurō Degawa.

Filmography

Film

* '' Kisarazu Cat's Eye: Nihon Series'' (2003) – George Murata *''

Zebraman is a 2004 Japanese tokusatsu action comedy superhero film directed by Takashi Miike, written by Kankurō Kudō and stars Shō Aikawa as the main character, a superhero named "Zebraman". A 2010 sequel, titled '' Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra ...

'' (2004) – Ippongi *'' Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Kasukabe Boys of the Evening Sun'' (2004) – Himself (voice) *''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'' (2006) – Koichi Akiyoshi *''Gold Medal Man'' (2016)

Television drama

*'' Saiyūki'' (2006) – Sha Wujing *''

Natsuzora is a Japanese television drama series and the 100th Memorial Asadora series, following ''Manpuku''. It premiered on April 1, 2019, and concluded on September 28, 2019. The story is loosely based on the life of animator Reiko Okuyama. Plot As ...

'' (2019) – narrator

Japanese dub

*''

Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

'' (2017) – Buster Moon *''

Sing 2 ''Sing 2'' is a 2021 American computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. The sequel to ''Sing'' (2016) and the second film in the franchise, it was again written and directed ...

'' (2022) – Buster Moon

References

External links

Official Website for Uchan NanchanOfficial discussion board for Uchan Nanchan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uchimura, Teruyoshi 1964 births Living people Actors from Kumamoto Prefecture People from Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Japanese comedians Japanese television presenters Japanese male film actors 21st-century Japanese male actors