is a Japanese

talent agency Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent ma ...

headquartered in Chuo-ku, Osaka. It was founded in 1958 under the conglomerate Shochiku Co., Ltd and focuses on talent management for

comedians 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 di ...

and ''

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 ...

''. The agency mainly associates itself with acts and entertainment under the ''

Kamigata Kamigata (上方) was the colloquial term for a region today called Kansai (''kan'', barrier; ''sai'', west) in Japan. This large area encompasses the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. The term is used particularly when discussing elements of Edo ...

'' culture.

Notable talents

Comedians

Groups

* America Zarigani (Tetsuya Yanagihara, Yoshiyuki Hirai) * Masuda Okada (Hidehiko Masuda, Keisuke Okada) *

TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...

(Takehiro Kimoto, Takayuki Kinoshita) * Yasuda Dai Circus (Yasuda Dancho, Kuro-chan, HIRO) *

Yoiko is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūgo Ishikawa. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Big Comic Spirits'' from 1996 to 2001, with its chapters collected in fifteen ''tankōbon'' volumes. ...

( Masaru Hamaguchi, Shinya Arino)

Solo

Kintalo is a Japanese comedian and impressionist (''monomane tarento''). Her real name is . Kintalo is represented with Shochiku Geino. She is left-handed. Kintalo's catchphrase is . Impressions *Ayaka Nishiwaki (Perfume) *Ami Nakashima ( Dream and E- ...

Buruma Konno Buruma may refer to: * Buruma, Japanese for bloomers, specifically athletic bloomers * , a character in the Japanese comic series ''Dragon Ball'', by Akira Toriyama * Ian Buruma, pen-name of an author on Japanese culture * Buruma (Baucau), a villag ...

Kenji Moriwaki is a Japanese comedian and radio personality. Moriwaki is represented with Shochiku Geino. He graduated from Hirakata Municipal Tonoyama First Elementary School, Hirakata Municipal First Junior High School, Rakuminami High School, and Momoyama ...

Shōfukutei Tsurube II , born , is a Japanese rakugo comedian and actor. Filmography Film *''Tokyo Heaven'' (1990) *'' Moving'' (1993) *'' Wait and See'' (1998) *'' Kabei: Our Mother'' (2008) - Senkichi *''Dear Doctor'' (2009) - Dr. Osamu Ino *'' About Her Brother ...

Other tarento

Chiemi Hori , better known as , is a Japanese singer, actress, and entertainer represented by Horipro is a large Japanese talent agency. History It was founded in 1960 as Hori Productions (ホリプロダクション ''Hori Purodakushon'') and changed ...

(singer, actress) *

Atsushi Oyagi (born August 15, 1961, in Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Ukyō) is a former rugby union player who played as lock, rugby commentator, tarento, educator and school corporate president. He is 190 cm tall. He is affiliated to Shochiku Geino. Career Hailing f ...

(former rugby player) *

Masakatsu Funaki is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (U ...

(actor, wrestler)

Former talents

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

(Tomoko Nakajima, Mahomi Matsushima)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Entertainment companies of Japan Japanese talent agencies Mass media companies established in 1958 1958 establishments in Japan Shochiku