Chosuke Ikariya
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese comedian and film actor, and leader of the Owarai
comedy group The Drifters. His nickname was .
, Japan
. During the war his family moved from their home in Sumida
, Tokyo to the countryside in Shizuoka
. There he took up a job as a factory worker as a young man. He also took up playing the double bass, a hint at his performer nature. He got rather good, too, performing in brass bands until he got a regular job with the "Jimmy Tokita's Mountain Playboys." It was a band that specialised in playing at G.I. bases at the time and has guitarist Takeshi Terauchi
. However during that time in his life he was one of the tallest members of the band, so he stood out. The audience often singled him out for never smiling, picking on him for amusement.
music. Members joined and quit the band over the next two years until Ikariya, still persisting, became the leader of the five-member group. The band was able to scrape by though appearing on television afterwards, with Ikariya writing most of the material for the performances. The Drifters have been compared to Monty Python
.
In 1966, The Drifters opened for The Beatles
at the Nippon Budokan
Hall in Tokyo, although apparently Ikariya didn't see it as much of an accomplishment as opposed to just another job.
offered Ikariya and his Drifters a regular spot on a weekly show. Ikariya, once again, was skeptical, having learned a lot the hard way. But this program went on to become one of the most popular shows of its time, Hachiji dayo, Zenin Shugo!. Its low-brow humour and slapstick comedy made it popular for children, much to the dismay of parents at the time. After the show was over in 1985, Ikariya virtually left the Drifters and all members went on to pursue their own goals.
Ikariya, however, had won the public's adoration by then and played a variety of fatherly roles on television and in movies. His small part in the drama Odoru Daisōsasen, which later went on to inspire two movies, though, led him to what was the peak in his career - an academy award.
When Ikariya won a Japan Academy Award in 1999 for the film Odoru Daisōsasen / Bayside Shakedown
he claimed that he felt guilty for it. He had apparently never taken his role in the police drama seriously.
of the lymph nodes. He announced his illness in June of the previous year, and left the hospital once in July afterwards for the opening of the movie Bayside Shakedown
2.
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 and film actor, and leader of the Owarai
Owarai
is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word owarai is the honorific form of the word warai, meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". Owarai is most common on Japanese variety shows and the comedians are referred to as owarai geinin or owarai tarento...
comedy group The Drifters. His nickname was .
1931–1962: Early career
Chōsuke Ikariya was born with the name of on November 1, 1931 in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 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...
. During the war his family moved from their home in Sumida
Sumida, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...
, Tokyo to the countryside in Shizuoka
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
. There he took up a job as a factory worker as a young man. He also took up playing the double bass, a hint at his performer nature. He got rather good, too, performing in brass bands until he got a regular job with the "Jimmy Tokita's Mountain Playboys." It was a band that specialised in playing at G.I. bases at the time and has guitarist Takeshi Terauchi
Takeshi Terauchi
, also known as Terry, is a Japanese surf rock guitarist. His preferred guitar is a White Mosrite. His guitar sound is characterized by frenetic picking, heavy use of vibrato and frequent use of his guitars tremolo arm....
. However during that time in his life he was one of the tallest members of the band, so he stood out. The audience often singled him out for never smiling, picking on him for amusement.
1962–1969: The Drifters
In 1962, Ikariya joined The Drifters, an aspiring pop band that featured comedy routines in its performances of rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music. Members joined and quit the band over the next two years until Ikariya, still persisting, became the leader of the five-member group. The band was able to scrape by though appearing on television afterwards, with Ikariya writing most of the material for the performances. The Drifters have been compared to Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
.
In 1966, The Drifters opened for The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
at the Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
Hall in Tokyo, although apparently Ikariya didn't see it as much of an accomplishment as opposed to just another job.
1969–1985: Hachiji dayo, Zenin Shugo
In 1969, a producer from TBSTokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
offered Ikariya and his Drifters a regular spot on a weekly show. Ikariya, once again, was skeptical, having learned a lot the hard way. But this program went on to become one of the most popular shows of its time, Hachiji dayo, Zenin Shugo!. Its low-brow humour and slapstick comedy made it popular for children, much to the dismay of parents at the time. After the show was over in 1985, Ikariya virtually left the Drifters and all members went on to pursue their own goals.
1985–2004: Acting career
It was then that Ikariya's manager suggested he try acting. Ikariya had very little faith in himself.Ikariya, however, had won the public's adoration by then and played a variety of fatherly roles on television and in movies. His small part in the drama Odoru Daisōsasen, which later went on to inspire two movies, though, led him to what was the peak in his career - an academy award.
When Ikariya won a Japan Academy Award in 1999 for the film Odoru Daisōsasen / Bayside Shakedown
Bayside Shakedown
was a Japanese police drama/comedy series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was so popular that five cinematic-release movies were made following the end of the TV series, the first in 1998, the second in 2003, the third and fourth in 2005, and the fifth...
he claimed that he felt guilty for it. He had apparently never taken his role in the police drama seriously.
2004: Death
Chōsuke Ikariya died on March 20, 2004 at the age of 72 of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the lymph nodes. He announced his illness in June of the previous year, and left the hospital once in July afterwards for the opening of the movie Bayside Shakedown
Bayside Shakedown
was a Japanese police drama/comedy series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was so popular that five cinematic-release movies were made following the end of the TV series, the first in 1998, the second in 2003, the third and fourth in 2005, and the fifth...
2.
Awards and nominations
- In 1999, Chōsuke Ikariya won the Japanese Academy AwardsJapanese Academy AwardsThe , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
of Best Supporting Actor for his performance of Heihachiro Waku in the movie Bayside Shakedown.
Movies
- My Lover Is a Sniper: The Movie (2004)
- Odoru Daisōsasen / Bayside ShakedownBayside Shakedownwas a Japanese police drama/comedy series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was so popular that five cinematic-release movies were made following the end of the TV series, the first in 1998, the second in 2003, the third and fourth in 2005, and the fifth...
2 (2003) - Kawa no nagare no yō ni (2000)
- Bayside ShakedownBayside Shakedownwas a Japanese police drama/comedy series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was so popular that five cinematic-release movies were made following the end of the TV series, the first in 1998, the second in 2003, the third and fourth in 2005, and the fifth...
(1998) - Nagareita shichinin (1997)
- My Sons (1991)
- Yume aka Akira KurosawaAkira Kurosawawas a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's DreamsDreams (1990 film)is a 1990 magical realism film based on actual dreams of the film's director, Akira Kurosawa at different stages of his life. The film is more imagery than dialogue. The alternative titles are a translation of the opening line of Ten Nights of Dreams, by Natsume Sōseki, which begins:...
(1990)
TV Dramas
- Black Jack II (2000) (TV)
- Namida o fuite" (2000)
- Yomigaeru kinrō" (1999)
- When the Saints Go Marching In (1998)
- Odoru daisōsasen (1997)
- Anata no tonari ni dare ka iru (2003)
- Dokugan-ryu Masamune (1987)
- Good Luck
- Psycho Doctor
- Shiroi Kage
- Gakkō no sensei