Sonomanma Higashi
Encyclopedia
Miyakonojo, Miyazaki
is a city located in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1924. On January 1, 2006 the towns of Takajō, Takazaki, Yamada and Yamanokuchi merged into the city. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 169,384 and a population density of 259 per km²...
, Miyazaki Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
, Japan
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...
, is a former Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
comedian who is most known for his role in the popular game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, Takeshi's Castle
Takeshi's Castle
was a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
, and as the governor of Miyazaki Prefecture from 2007 to 2011. He was succeeded by Vice Governor Shunji Kono.
After graduating from Senshu University
Senshu University
is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Former "Senshu College" was founded in 1880, the first school in Japan comprising Economics and Law Departments to systematically offer a specialized educational curriculum in the Japanese language....
, Higashikokubaru apprenticed to Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
and became a comedian in 1982.
He appeared on Takeshi's Castle, which was dubbed on Western television as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC
MXC
MXC was an American comedy television program that aired on Spike TV from 2003 to 2007. It is a re-edit of footage from the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle which originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1989...
). On that show, he was dubbed as Kenny Blankenship.
On January 21, 2007, Higashi was elected governor
Miyazaki gubernatorial by-election, 2007
Miyazaki Prefecture held a gubernational by-election on January 21, 2007. Former governor Tadahiro Ando was arrested for bid-rigging. Independent comedian Hideo Higashikokubaru won. - References :...
of Miyazaki Prefecture, replacing former governor Tadahiro Ando
Tadahiro Ando
was the Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture from 2003 to 2006. In 2009, Ando was convicted of bribe-taking and bid-rigging which were offences that he had committed earlier when he was governor.- References :...
, who resigned after being arrested for bid rigging
Bid rigging
Bid rigging is a form of fraud in which a commercial contract is promised to one party even though for the sake of appearance several other parties also present a bid. This form of collusion is illegal in most countries...
. He uses his official name (Hideo Higashikokubaru) as governor of Miyazaki.
In 2010, he decided not to run for re-election. He left office on January 20, 2011.
Higashikokubaru ran in the Tokyo gubernatorial election on April 10, 2011, in which he lost to incumbent governor Shintarō Ishihara
Shintaro Ishihara
is a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
.
Early life
Higashikokubaru graduated from Senshu UniversitySenshu University
is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Former "Senshu College" was founded in 1880, the first school in Japan comprising Economics and Law Departments to systematically offer a specialized educational curriculum in the Japanese language....
in the early 1980s. He entered Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
in 2000. At that time, he was belongs to School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II. He graduated it and re-entered majoring in local autonomy in March 2004, but dropped out in March 2006.
Incidents
On December 9, 1986, Higashi was one of those who were arrested at the offices of Friday magazine, after he and other members of Takeshi Kitano'sTakeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
group attacked the magazine offices (among others spraying fire extinguishers) to protest against a critical article about Takeshi Kitano the magazine had written. All attackers were sentenced to six months in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, suspended for two years.
On October 13, 1998, a manager of a so-called image club
Image club
An ', or ', is a type of brothel in Japan similar to fashion health parlors. They differ in that image clubs are themed along popular sexual fantasies such as an office, a doctor's surgery, a classroom, or a train carriage...
(a type of brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
) was arrested for employing underage girls. A 16-year-old employee pointed Higashi out as one of her customers. He was interrogated several times by the police, but was not indicted as he claimed he did not know the girl was under 18. His then-wife apologized on his behalf to the Japanese public via the media, and he himself took a five-month voluntary break from his work as an entertainer.
On November 22, 1999, at a year-end-party held for Takeshi Kitano office employees, he kicked another participant in the head, injuring him. He was prosecuted for this, and fined, after which he again took a voluntary leave from his entertainment activity.
Personal
- Height: 171 centimetres (5 feet 7 inches)
- Weight: 59 kilograms (130 lb)
- Marital status: Divorced (Higashi and wife Kazuko Kato split in February 2006)
- Hobbies: Golf, marathon running
Television
- Waratteru Baai desu yo! (1980)
- Oretachi Hyokinzoku (1981–1989)
- Owarai Star Tanjo (1983)
- Super Jocky (1983–1990)
- Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
(1986–1989) - Darenimo ienai (1993)