(born , 20 February 1950 – 29 March 2020) was a Japanese

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dir ...

. He co-starred with

Masashi Tashiro (born August 31, 1956) is a Japanese former television performer and a founding member of the band Rats & Star. Tashiro was a tenor singer for Rats & Star and later made a name for himself as a TV entertainer in Japan. He also directed a movie ...

Nobuyoshi Kuwano is a Japanese television performer, former member of Rats & Star. His nickname is "Kuwa-man" (桑マン). In Rats & Star, he took charge of the trumpet and vocals. After the group broke up, he shifted to a television comedian and co-starred with ...

in the Japanese

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a com ...

'. Throughout his comedy career, Shimura was known for his "Bakatono-sama" character, which was unusual among Japanese comedians, in that he could satirize the deeds of powerful figures (a company president, a politician, a family head, a school principal, the head of a Japanese yakuza gang) under the garb of a foolish king who lived in the country a long time ago. Another popular routine of Shimura in the same show was "Henna Oji-san" eird/dirty old manwho entertained himself in the company of nubile girls. After being caught for his pranks, the character regularly ended the routine with a song 'Sou desu. Watashi ga Henna Oji-san desu'. ("That is correct. I am Henna Oji-san.") He was also known for his nonsense catchphrase "Daffunda" which would often end a Henna Oji-san skit. Shimura was most famous for starring in with the comedy group

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1 ...

and Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan with Cha Kato, another former member of The Drifters. Shimura's comedic work was inspired in part by that of

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in pop culture, Lewis was nickn ...

Career

Shimura became known in 1974, replacing Chu Arai in the famous comedy group

. With the help of the other members of the group, he learned to act and make the audience laugh. Over time, he showed a knack for comedy. Some memorable pictures of that time are the mustache dance, in which he starred with Cha Katō and the song Higashimurayama, referring to his homeland. With this group, he participated in the weekly program ''Hachiji Dayo! Zen'inshugo!'' from 1974 to 1985, reaching 40% to 50% of viewers at their best. From 1977, he also participated in the television program ''Dorifu Daibakusho'' ("Dorifu, big burst of laughter"), which were special sketches, totaling one and a half hours. It is currently possible to see members together only on television specials. The rapport Shimura had with Cha Katō, also a member of Higashimurayama, kept them together on television. In 1986, they created the ''Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen Terebi'', which aired until 1992. In ''The Detective Story'', they are two detective friends who get into a lot of trouble. The high ratings allowed for high-cost scenes with exploding cars, helicopters and crowds. A famous painting of this time is Shimura as a monk, who asked people to repeat the words "Daijoubuda, ... ueh, ueh, ueh", whereas "daijoubuda" literally means "I'm all right." This program ran about three times a year since 1986. In it, Shimura is a feudal

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ...

("tono") who does not want to rule and only thinks about having fun. The character was created at the time of ''Hachiji Dayo! Zen'inshugo!'' and is characterized by an all-white face, extremely thick eyebrows and hair tied at the top of the head. The program always featured celebrity stakes. His show, ''Ken Shimura Daijoubuda'', a satire of modern Japanese society, aired from 1987 to 1993.

Post-Daijoubuda

Following up his previous big hits, Shimura led several shows, mostly on the

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

network. From 1996, he began working with newbie Yuuka. Shimura's participation in the career of humorists (such as Katsuhiro Higo and Ryuuhei Ueshima, and Haruna Kondou and Haruka Minowa) and other celebrities is notorious. *1993–1995: ''Shimura Ken wa Ikagadeshou'' ("How about a Ken Shimura") – with Masashi Tashiro, Yoko Ishino, Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Minayo Watanabe, etc. *1995–1996: ''Shimura Ken no Ore ga Nani Shitano yo'' ("Ken Shimura's What the Hell Did I do?") – with Masashi Tashiro, Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Minayo Watanabe, etc. *1996–1997: ''Shimura X'' – with Maiko Kawakami, Yukiko Someya, Kazumi Murata, Yuuka, Housei Yamasaki and Ryuuhei Ueshima. *1997–1998: ''Shimura XYZ'' – with Maiko Kawakami, Yukiko Someya, Kazumi Murata, Yuuka, Housei Yamasaki and Ryuuhei Ueshima. *1998–2000: ''Shimura X-Tengoku'' ("Shimura Paradise X") – with Maiko Kawakami, Yukiko Someya, Kazumi Murata, Yuuka, Housei Yamasaki and Ryuuhei Ueshima. *2000–2002: ''Henna Ojisan TV'' ("Strange Uncle's TV") – with Yuuka, Katsuhiro Higo, Ryuuhei Ueshima, Masanori Ishii and Yoshiyuki Ishizuka. *2002–2004: ''Shimura Ryuu'' ("Shimura's Style") – with Yuuka, Katsuhiro Higo, Ryuuhei Ueshima, Masanori Ishii, Yoshiyuki Ishizuka, Chizuru Yamada and Ayumi Kato. *2004: ''Shimura Juku'' ("Shimura's Class") – with Yuuka, Katsuhiro Higo, Ryuuhei Ueshima, Masanori Ishii, Yoshiyuki Ishizuka, Chizuru Yamada, Ayumi Kato, etc. *2004–2005: ''Shimura Tsuu'' ("Shimura, a tasteful person") – with Yuuka, Katsuhiro Higo, Ryuuhei Ueshima, Jun Natsukawa, Chizuru Yamada, etc. *2005–2008: ''Shimura Ken no Daijoubuda II'' ("Ken Shimura's I'm All Right II") – with Yuuka, Katsuhiro Higo, Ryuuhei Ueshima, Wakako Shimazaki, Jun Natsukawa and Chen Qu. *2004–2020: ''Tensai! Shimura Dōbutsuen'' ("Genius! Shimura Zoo") – with chimpanzee

Pankun Pan-kun (パン君, born October 1, 2001) is a young chimpanzee in Japan often featured on the NTV television show ''Tensai! Shimura Dōbutsuen'' (''天才！志村動物園'', lit. ''Genius! Shimura Zoo'') and the TBS program ''Dōbutsu Kisō Ten ...

and his son. *2008–2020: ''Shimura Ya Desu'' ("It's Shimura's Store") – with Yuuka, Katsuhiro Higo, Ryuuhei Ueshima, Haruna Kondou, Haruka Minowa, Emi Kobayashi and Erika Yazawa. In 2001, Shimura formed a duet with Naoko Ken as "Ken♀♂Ken" in . In 2006, he formed and led his own comedy theater, Shimurakon (Shimura Spirit). ''Tensai! Shimura Dōbutsuen'' continued airing after Shimura's death, with on air remembrances of his time with the animals. On July 4, 2020, it was reported that

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed ...

had decided to end the broadcast, citing that it would be painfully difficult and heartbreaking to continue filming in a set filled with memories, that was destined for Shimura's advice. The last broadcast was set for September.

Illness and death

Shimura was hospitalized for severe

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on 20 March 2020; he lost consciousness after being anesthetized and hooked up to a

ventilator A ventilator is a piece of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators ...

on the following day. Then, on 23 March it was confirmed that he had

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. He was the first Japanese

tarento Celebrity, Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in Media of Japan, mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in Ame ...

to have his COVID-19 diagnosis made public during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. On 24 March, Shimura was transferred to a hospital where ECMO was available. He had been scheduled to star in the film , but his participation was cancelled on 26 March. He was also slated to carry the Olympic torch through part of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

prior to the 2020 Tokyo games. Shimura died on 29 March 2020 at the in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He was 70 years old.

Filmography

*''

Poppoya is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Yasuo Furuhata. It was Japan's submission to the 72nd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy P ...

'' (1999), Hajime Yoshioka *''

The Lorax ''The Lorax'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the titular character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who caus ...

'' (2012), The Lorax (Japanese dub voice) *'' Yo-kai Watch: The Movie'' (2014), Master Nyada (voice) *''

Yell A yell is a loud vocalization; see screaming. Yell may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Yell, Shetland, one of the North Isles of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland * Yell Sound, Shetland, Scotland United States * Yell, Tennessee, an unin ...

'' (2020, TV series), Kōzō Oyamada

Discography

As featured artist

References

External links

Ken Shimura's Official Blog

Ken Shimura
IMDb {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimura, Ken 1950 births 2020 deaths Japanese male comedians Comedians from Tokyo People from Higashimurayama, Tokyo Japanese racehorse owners and breeders Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan