was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Enoken (エノケン). A major innovator during his heyday, Enoken's stage shows, radio appearances, and film roles were a major influence within

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

theatre before World War II, and was a catalyst for the revival of comedy in the postwar period. Born in

Aoyama, Tokyo is a neighborhood in Tokyo, located in the northwest portion of Minato, Tokyo, Minato Ward. The area is known for its international fashion houses, cafes and restaurants. refers to the area on the north side of Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street) betw ...

, the son of rice cracker shop owners, Enomoto fell under the spell of such stars of the Asakusa Opera as Taya Rikizo and Fujiwara Yoshie, and in 1922 he made his stage debut at age 18 as a chorus member of the Asakusa Kinryukan Theatre. The

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

of the following year dealt a great blow to the opera world in Tokyo, at which time Enomoto shifted to comic theatre. Playing small roles in various comedy productions, he returned to the

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

stage in 1929 as part of the troupe Casino Folies. The following year saw him launch his own troupe, Enoken Gekidan, which would firmly establish him as a leading figure in Tokyo theatrical circles. In 1934, he starred in the movie '' Enoken no Seishun Suikoden'' (Enoken's Tale of Youth's Folly), and gained national popularity. His subsequent film career saw him parody a whole parade of Japanese historical personages, including

Kondō Isami was a Japanese swordsman and samurai of the late Edo period. He was the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyagawa ...

and

Sakamoto Ryōma was a Japanese ''samurai'', a '' shishi'' and influential figure of the ''Bakumatsu,'' and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. Sakamoto was a low-ranking ''samurai'' from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an acti ...

, in a series of "jidai-geki" (historical dramas) and "chanbara" (samurai drama) films, including some directed by

Kajirō Yamamoto was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa. The combined list of his efforts as a director for documentaries, silent, and sound films includes over 90 ...

Nobuo Nakagawa was a Japanese film director, most famous for the stylized, Folklore, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Born in Kyoto, Nakagawa was early on influenced by proletarian literature and wrote amateur film revi ...

and

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

. Enomoto became afflicted with

necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. The term "necrosis" came about in the mid-19th century and is commonly attributed to German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, who i ...

of the right leg in the 1950s, which required amputation, curtailing his film and stage career. He did, however, make a legendary comeback at the

Shinjuku Koma Theater The was a major theatre in the Kabukichō, Tokyo, Kabukichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The theatre opened in 1956 and it had a capacity of 2,088 seats. It was demolished in 2009. The Toho Shinjuku Building currently stands on the theater ...

1963 wearing a

prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

. He died in 1970, and is entombed in Hase Temple in Nishi-

Azabu is an area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo, its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Aza ...

Minato, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English. Minato was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Tokyo, Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba, Tokyo, Shiba wards following Tokyo City's Local Autonomy Ac ...

, on whose tombstone is inscribed "The King of Comedy".

Selected filmography

* ''Musume jûhachi hanamukô shinan'' (1928) * '' Enoken no Seishun Suikoden'' (1934) * ''Enoken no majutsushi'' (1934) * ''

Enoken no Kondō Isami was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his stage name Enoken (エノケン). A major innovator during his heyday, Enoken's stage shows, radio appearances, and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before Worl ...

'' (エノケンの近藤勇) (1935) - Isami Kondô / Ryôma Sakamoto * ''Enoken no donguri tonbee'' (1936) * ''Enoken no senman chôja'' (1936) - Enoken * ''Zoku Enoken no senman chôja'' (1936) - Enoken * ''Enoken no edokko Santa'' (1936) - Santa * ''Edokko Ken-chan'' (1937) * '' Enoken no Chakkiri Kinta'' (エノケンのちゃっきり金太) (1937, part 1, 2) - Himself * ''Enoken no Sarutobi Sasuke (Aryarya no maki)'' (1937, part 1, 2) * ''Enoken no furaibo'' (1938) * ''Enoken no hôkaibô'' (1938) - Hôkaibô * ''Enoken no bikkuri jinsei'' (1938) - Enoken * ''Enoken no gatchiri jidai'' (1939) - Enoken * ''Enoken no kurama tengu'' (1939) * ''Enoken no mori no Ishimatsu'' (1939) * '' Enoken no ganbari senjutsu'' (1939) - Inada * ''Enoken no yajikita'' (1939) * ''Enoken no zangiri Kinta'' (1940) * ''Enoken no homare no dohyôiri'' (1940) * ''Enoken no wanwan taishô'' (1940) * ''Songoku 1'' (1940) * ''Songoku 2'' (1940) * ''Enoken no songokū: songokū zenko-hen'' (1940) - Son Goku * ''Enoken Torazô no shumpû senri'' (1941) * ''Enoken no Kinta uridasu'' (1941) - Himself * ''Matte ita otoko'' (1942) * ''Suiko den'' (1942) * ''Isogawa Heisuke kômyô-banashi'' (1942) * ''Hyoroku yume-monogatari'' (1943) - Hyoroku Oishi * ''Idaten kaido'' (1944) * ''San-jaku sagohei'' (1944) - 'Three-Footer' Sagohei * ''Appare Isshin Tasuke'' (1945) * ''Shôri no hi made'' (1945) * ''Koi no fuunjî'' (1945) - Kinsuke * ''Utae! Taiyô'' (1945) * ''

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail is a 1945 Japanese jidaigeki, period Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, based on the kabuki play ''Kanjinchō'', which is in turn based on the Noh play ''Ataka (play), Ataka''. It depicts a famous 12t ...

'' (1945) - Porter * ''Jinsei tonbo gaeri'' (1946) * ''Toho Show Boat'' (1946) * ''Mukoirî gokasen'' (1947) * ''Yottsu no koi no monogatari'' (1947) - Kin-chan (episode 3) * ''Kyûjukyû niume no hanayome'' (1947) * ''Shin baka jidai'' (1947, part 1, 2) * ''Basha monogatari'' (1948) * ''Enoken no bikkuri shakkuri jidai'' (1948) * ''Enoken no homurano'' (1948) * ''Utau Enoken torimonochou'' (1948) * ''Enoken no kentokyo ichidai ki'' (1949) * ''Enoken no Tobisuke bôken ryokô'' (1949) - Tobisuke * ''Enoken Kasagi no Osome Hisamatsu'' (1949) * ''

Tokyo Kid is a 1950 black-and-white Japanese film musical comedy and drama directed by Torajiro Saito. Cast * Hibari Misora as an orphan Mariko Tanimoto * Haruhisa Kawata (川田晴久) as the street musician Sanpei * Shunji Sakai (堺駿二) as Sa ...

'' (東京キッド) (1950) - The fortune teller * ''Enoken no happyakuya-danuki ôabare'' (1950) * ''Enoken no tenichibo'' (1950) * '' Enoken no sokonuke daihōsō'' (エノケンの底抜け大放送) (1950) * ''Umon torimonochô: Katame ookami'' (1951) - Kinzaemon Kinokuniya * ''Gokuraku rokkasen'' (1951) * ''Okaru Kanpei'' (1952) - Kenichi Hanemoto * ''Kin no tamago: Golden girl'' (1952) * ''Tonchinkan-Mitsu no uta'' (1952) * ''Rankugo nagaya ha hana zakari'' (1954) * ''Rakugo series - Dai ichi-wa: Rakugo nagaya wa hanazakari'' (1954) - Hachigorô * ''Natsu matsuri rakugochoyo'' (1954) * ''Rankugo nagaya obake sodo'' (1954) * ''Enoken no tengoku to jigoku'' (1954) * ''Hatsuwarai sokonuke tabi nikki'' (1955) * ''Yancha musume gyojoki'' (1955) * ''Hanayome rikkohô'' (1955) * ''Owarai torimonocho-hatchan hatsutegara'' (1955) * ''Muttsuri Umon torimonocho'' (1955) * ''Masura o hashutsu fukai'' (1956) * ''Ôabare Cha-Cha musume'' (1956) * ''Gokuraku ôichiza'' (1956, part 1, 2) - Ken'nosuke Nakamura * ''Takarashima sendai'' (1956) * ''Gokurakuto monogatari'' (1957) * ''Nitôhei monogatari: Aa senyû no maki'' (1958) * ''

The Three Treasures is a 1959 Japanese epic film, epic List of religious films, religious fantasy film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho as their celebratory thousandth film, it was the most expensive Japanese fil ...

'' (1959) - God of Yaoyorozu * ''Rankugô tengoko shinshiroku'' (1960) * ''

Storm Over the Pacific (literally, ''Hawaii-Midway Battle of the Sea and Sky: Storm in the Pacific Ocean'') is a 1960 Eastmancolor Japanese war film directed by Shūe Matsubayashi. The story is an account of a young Japanese bombardier, Lt. Koji Kitami (Yosuke Natsuki ...

'' (1960) * ''Dare yori-mo kane o aisu'' (1961) * ''Kanpai! Gokigen yarou'' (1961) * ''Jirocho shacho to Ishimatsuhain: Ifu dodo'' (1962) * ''Kigeki: Danchi oyabun'' (1962) * ''Todan Goro ichiza'' (1963) * ''Hana no o-Edo no hôkaibô'' (1965) - The first Hokaibo (final film role)

Sources

*「父から子におくる一億人の昭和史：人物現代史」(100 Million People's Showa History, from Father to Child: Historical Biographies), Mainichi Shimbun Press, 1977.
Kenichi Enomoto IMDB BiographyProminent People of Minato City
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enomoto, Kenichi 1904 births 1970 deaths Comedians from Tokyo Japanese amputees Japanese male comedians 20th-century Japanese male actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class 20th-century Japanese comedians People from Minato, Tokyo Male actors from Tokyo