Kenichi Enomoto

A comedic actor. Nicknamed Enoken. Born on October 11, 1904 in Aoyama, Tokyo. Admired by Onoe Matsunosuke, he aspired to be a film actor, but failed to achieve his goal. He became a disciple of Yanagida Teiichi at the Asakusa Opera, and made his debut at Kinryukan in 1922 (Taisho 11). He later worked at Toa Kinema, and in 1929 (Showa 4), he participated in the formation of Casino Folly in Asakusa, where he quickly distinguished himself. In 1932, he became an exclusive actor for Shochiku, and launched the Enoken troupe at the Asakusa Shochikuza, before transferring to Toho in 1938. His first film appearance was in PCL's Suikoden: A Drunken Youth (1934). After the Second World War, he appeared on television and became the first president of the Comedians' Association in 1955. However, his private life was not blessed with many misfortunes, including the amputation of his right leg due to idiopathic gangrene, the death of his only son, divorce, and financial difficulties. In addition to the knowledge of Western music he acquired through opera, he invented gags using his unique physical techniques and developed a new style of nonsense comedy that had never been seen before. No one in the history of modern entertainment was as beloved by the masses as he was, and he was worthy of being called the King of Comedy in Japan in both name and reality. He died of cirrhosis of the liver on January 7, 1970. After his death, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class, Gold Rays with Rosette. His books include Comedy Talk (1956) and Comedy is My Life (1967).

[Soya Mukai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

喜劇俳優。愛称エノケン。明治37年10月11日東京・青山に生まれる。尾上(おのえ)松之助にあこがれて映画俳優を志したが果たさず、浅草オペラの柳田貞一門下となり、1922年（大正11）金竜館で初舞台。のち東亜キネマを経て29年（昭和4）浅草で「カジノ・フオーリー」の結成に参加、たちまち頭角を現した。32年松竹の専属となり、浅草松竹座で「エノケン一座」を旗揚げ、38年東宝へ移籍した。映画での初出演はPCLの『青春酔虎伝(すいこでん)』（1934）。第二次世界大戦後はテレビにも出演、55年（昭和30）に喜劇人協会の初代会長に就任したが、私生活では特発性脱疽(だっそ)のため右足切断、ひとり息子の死、離婚、生活苦などの不幸にみまわれ、晩年は恵まれなかった。彼はオペラで修得した洋楽の素養に加えて、独特の体技によるギャグを考案、従来にない新感覚のナンセンス喜劇を開発した。近代の芸能史を通じて彼ほど大衆に親しまれた者はなく、名実ともに日本の喜劇王とよぶにふさわしい人物であった。昭和45年1月7日肝硬変のため死去。死後、勲四等旭日小綬章(きょくじつしょうじゅしょう)を受けた。著書に『喜劇放談』（1956）、『喜劇こそわが命』（1967）などがある。

［向井爽也］

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