is a Japanese

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic 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. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

duo ''( kombi)'' consisting of Reiji (礼二) and Tsuyoshi (剛). Reiji and Tsuyoshi are actual brothers and their last name is Nakagawa, hence their unit name Nakagawake (Meaning ''House of Nakagawa''). They are employed by

Yoshimoto Kogyo is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in 1912, Osaka, as a traditional theatre, and has since grown to be one of the most influential companies in Japan, employing most of Japan's popular owarai (comedy) talent, producing and ...

, and are mainly active in

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 ...

. They have appeared in many television shows and are the winners of the 1st M-1 Grand Prix in 2001

Members

* Reiji Nakagawa (), born November 19, 1972 in

Moriguchi, Osaka is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 142,655 in 73353 households and a population density of 11,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Moriguchi borders the northeastern ...

. Plays the ''

tsukkomi The following glossary of words and terms (generally of Japanese language, Japanese origin) are related to ''owarai'' (Japanese comedy). Many of these terms may be used in areas of Japanese culture beyond comedy, including television and radio, ...

'' and writes all their

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a double act, funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mut ...

material. He is the younger brother of the two, and is referred to as just ''Reiji'' by Tsuyoshi. *Tsuyoshi Nakagawa (), born December 12, 1970 in

. Plays the '' boke'' and writes all their Ccnte material. He is the older brother of the two, and is referred to as ''Onii-chan'' by Reiji.

Life and career

Reiji and Tsuyoshi both attended the same elementary school, and both graduated from Kaji Junior High School. Comedian Hidehiko Masuda (of Masuda Okada) was Tsuyoshi's senior by one year at the same elementary and middle school. Tsuyoshi went on to graduate from Osaka Prefectural Moriguchi Higashi High School, while Reiji graduated from Kinki Joho Specialist High School. Both brothers were

salarymen The term is a Japanese word for salaried workers. In Japanese popular culture, it is portrayed as a white-collar worker who shows unwavering loyalty and commitment to his employer, prioritizing work over anything else, including family. "Salary ...

after graduation for a while, until Tsuyoshi invited Reiji to form a comedy duo. The two entered the Yoshimoto NSC as part of the 11th generation class, where their classmates included Tomonori Jinnai, Harigane Rock,

Kendo Kobayashi is a Japanese comedian and actor.''Mokuyō Junk Zero: Kendo Kobayashi no Temeoko''. TBS Radio & Communications, TBS Radio. 18 Jun 2009. His real and former stage name is . He is nicknamed , , and . He is represented with Yoshimoto Creative Agency ...

, Kenji Tamura, and more. Reiji and Tsuyoshi's

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

was well received in the academy, and they performed their Manzai on television as ''The Nakagawa Brothers'' and later as ''Nakagawake''. In 1996, the duo won the ''17th ABC Comedy Newcomers Grand Prix - Newcomer Excellence Award'' and gained popularity in the

Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

region, appearing on variety shows such as ''Sunge! Best 10''. In 1997, Tsuyoshi developed a

panic disorder Panic disorder is a mental disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder, characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath ...

, causing difficulty for their career as their multiple regular programs dropped to only one radio program. The duo suffered a slight setback, but bounced back after Tsuyoshi overcame the disorder.Arashi ni Shiyagare (嵐にしやがれ), Aired 2019-03-02 Nakagawake went on to appear in programs outside of the Kansai region, and became popular nationwide, particularly in Tokyo. In 2001, the M-1 Grand Prix was established and Nakagawake became the first winner of the Manzai competition, gaining the duo popularity and allowing them to move to Tokyo to focus on developing their careers in the metropolis. This move marked them as one of the first comedy duos of that era to move activities to Tokyo, sparking many others to follow suit, such as Kirin, Shinagawa Shoji,

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 Kogyo, Yoshimoto Kōgyō in Tokyo. Their name literally means "Vice manager, S ...

Penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...

, Ogi Yahagi and more. They continued to flourish on television and comedy, with their main focus on Manzai. Reiji became one of the regular judges for the M-1 Grand Prix from 2015 onward. They won two Kamikata Manzai Awards in 2010 and 2019 (45th and 54th) as well as becoming a certified Manzai comedian for ''The Manzai'' in 2012.

References

External links

Official Profile on Yoshimoto Kogyo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakagawake Japanese comedy duos People from Moriguchi, Osaka Entertainers from Osaka