Yoku Hata
Encyclopedia
Yōku Hata is a stand up comedian in Japan
. He rose to popularity in 2004 with his character "The Guitar Zamurai (Samurai)" (ギター侍) on the program The God of Entertainment (エンタの神様). Dressed in a yukata
, his skit always follows the same form. He says a supposed quote about someone famous, and then mocks the quote (and the person) and says "残念!" (zannen!, Too Bad!) Then he imitates the person and finishes that section with a "切り" (giri!, Slash!) as he makes a sword slash movement with his guitar. At the end of a set, he usually says some self-depreciating remark and ends yelling "切腹
!" (seppuku
!). His popularity in this persona earned him an animated cameo in the Crayon Shin-Chan
movie, "Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend of the Buri Buri 3 Minutes Charge" in which he played a monster
that made fun of the sliding timescale of the cartoon (and thereby breaking the Fourth Wall
).
After the novelty wore thin on the gimmick, he began to intermittently make appearances on variety show
s under the Yoku Hata pseudonym and in regular street clothes. He has recently begun to bring back the "Guitar Zamurai" character sporadically, to play on its nostalgic appeal. In 2008, he formed a clique of other one hit wonder comedians on the quiz/variety show, Quiz! Hexagon II
called "Ippatsuya 2008" (一発屋２００８).
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...
. He rose to popularity in 2004 with his character "The Guitar Zamurai (Samurai)" (ギター侍) on the program The God of Entertainment (エンタの神様). Dressed in a yukata
Yukata
A is a Japanese garment, a casual summer kimono usually made of cotton. People wearing yukata are a common sight in Japan at fireworks displays, bon-odori festivals, and other summer events. The yukata is also frequently worn after bathing at traditional Japanese inns...
, his skit always follows the same form. He says a supposed quote about someone famous, and then mocks the quote (and the person) and says "残念!" (zannen!, Too Bad!) Then he imitates the person and finishes that section with a "切り" (giri!, Slash!) as he makes a sword slash movement with his guitar. At the end of a set, he usually says some self-depreciating remark and ends yelling "切腹
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
!" (seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
!). His popularity in this persona earned him an animated cameo in the Crayon Shin-Chan
Crayon Shin-chan
is a Japanese manga and anime series written by Yoshito Usui.Crayon Shin-chan follows the adventures of five-year-old Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara and his parents, baby sister, neighbors, and friends and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan....
movie, "Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend of the Buri Buri 3 Minutes Charge" in which he played a monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
that made fun of the sliding timescale of the cartoon (and thereby breaking the Fourth Wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
).
After the novelty wore thin on the gimmick, he began to intermittently make appearances on 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...
s under the Yoku Hata pseudonym and in regular street clothes. He has recently begun to bring back the "Guitar Zamurai" character sporadically, to play on its nostalgic appeal. In 2008, he formed a clique of other one hit wonder comedians on the quiz/variety show, Quiz! Hexagon II
Quiz! Hexagon II
is a Japanese quiz variety show on Fuji Television, airing Wednesdays from 19:00-19:57 Japan Standard Time. The show began airing on October 19, 2005; its predecessor, aired from June 5 through October 12, 2005.-Summary:...
called "Ippatsuya 2008" (一発屋２００８).
Discography
- ギター侍のうた (Guitar Samurai's Song, Gitaa-zamurai no uta) (SingleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, November 17, 2004) - ギター侍は波田陽区。 (Yoku Hata is the Guitar Samurai, Gitaa-zamurai wa Hata Yoku) (DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, December 1, 2004) - ギター侍のうた弐～完全保存盤～ (Guitar Samurai's Second Song - all-inclusive recording, Gitaa-zamurai no uta ni - kanzen hozen ban) (CD and DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
bundle, February 9, 2005)