Ken Shimura
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese comedian
and actor
. He co-starred with Masashi Tashiro
, Nobuyoshi Kuwano
in the Japanese variety show
"Ken Shimura no Bakatono-sama".
He is most famous for starring in Hachiji Da Yo! Zen'in Shugo! with the comedy group The Drifters and Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan
with Cha Kato
, another former member of The Drifters.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He co-starred with Masashi Tashiro
Masashi Tashiro
is a former Japanese television performer and the founding member of the band Rats & Star. Tashiro was a tenor vocalist for Rats & Star, and later on made himself a name as a TV entertainer in Japan...
, Nobuyoshi Kuwano
Nobuyoshi Kuwano
Nobuyoshi Kuwano is a Japanese television performer, former member of Rats & Star. His nickname is "Kuwa-man" . In Rats & Star, he took charge of the trumpet and vocal...
in the Japanese variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
"Ken Shimura no Bakatono-sama".
He is most famous for starring in Hachiji Da Yo! Zen'in Shugo! with the comedy group The Drifters and Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan
Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan
was a popular Japanese television variety show aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System around the mid-1980s. Starring Ken Shimura and Cha Kato, former members of the group The Drifters from Hachiji Dayo! Zen'in Shugo, the irreverent and satirical program would poke fun at contemporary society in Japan,...
with Cha Kato
Cha Kato
, also known as Kato-chan, is a male Japanese comedian and actor. His real name is . Cha is one of the members of The Drifters and plays drums...
, another former member of The Drifters.
Timeline
- From September to October 1996, a rumor circulated that he had died.
- In 2001, he did a duet with Naoko KenNaoko Kenis a Japanese singer and actress. She is well-known for her comedy roles featuring idiosyncratic looks, and a string of successful torch songs that gained popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s.- Biography :...
as "Ken♀♂Ken" in . - In April 2002, he recorded a one-off single with Hello! ProjectHello! Projectis the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...
's unit "Mini MoniMini Moniis a former subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume, and a current group within Hello! Project. They were one of Morning Musume's most popular subgroups for their entire existence, because of the combination of their outrageous music videos and live performances, and their widely varied...
", with the collaboration credited to . They recorded two songs named after a catch phrase of his, "Ai-inAi-inis a Japanese pop culture word originated by comedian Ken Shimura for his Bakatono character . Usually, it's said while making a slicing motion under the chin and grimacing...
".
Anecdotes
- His stage name "Ken" comes from his father's name . His father worked as a vice-principal in an elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and Shimura was brought up in a strict family. However, his father suffered from dementiaDementiaDementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
since he was involved in a car accidentCar accidentA traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
in front of their home when Ken was in junior high.
- In April 2005, during the demonstrations in ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
against Japan becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
, a photograph of his face was put on a website for the Chinese anti-Japanese movement for unclear reasons.
- He is well known in Japan and also in TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is also notable that Takeshi KaneshiroTakeshi KaneshiroTakeshi Kaneshiro , born October 11, 1973, is a Taiwan-born Japanese actor and singer.-Name:...
is a fan of his.
- Shimura severely criticized former co-star Masashi TashiroMasashi Tashirois a former Japanese television performer and the founding member of the band Rats & Star. Tashiro was a tenor vocalist for Rats & Star, and later on made himself a name as a TV entertainer in Japan...
after Tashiro's arrest, saying, "I want that fellow to disappear from the entertainment world because he did a pathetic thing."