Kenichi Enomoto

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Kenichi Enomoto October 11 1904 January 7 1970 was a popular Japanese singing comedian mostly known by his stage name Enoken A major innovator during his heyday Enokens stage shows radio appearances and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before World War II and was a catalyst for the revival of comedy in the postwar period Born in Aoyama Tokyo 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 Kanto Earthquake 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 stage in 1929 as part of the troupe Casino Folly 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 Enokens Tale of Youths Folly and gained national popularity His subsequent film career saw him parody a whole parade of Japanese historical personages including Kondo Isami and Sakamoto Ryoma in a series of jidaigeki historical dramas and chanbara samurai drama films including some directed by Kajirō Yamamoto Nobuo Nakagawa and Akira Kurosawa Enomoto became afflicted with necrosis 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 Theatre 1963 wearing a prosthetic leg He died in 1970 and is entombed in Hase Temple in NishiAzabu Minato Tokyo on whose tombstone is inscribed The King of Comedy Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenichi Enomoto licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia