Ken'ichi Enomoto

Biography

He started his career as a singer in a little theatrical company in Asakusa. After years of going from a company to another in the same Asakusa, he slowly changes his performing style until to be better known as a comedy revue actor. Finally he creates his own theatrical company in 1932. He debuted in the film industry with "Foreign Daughter" (1927). After a couple of films more, he signs an important contract with the PCL movie company in 1934, which converted in Toho Company from 1937, and became the company's most famous comedy player. At that time he begins to parody all kind of genres, but specially jidai-geki and chanbara films, playing "Isamu Kondo" and "Ryoma Sakamoto" in 1934, "Sasuke Sarutobi" in 1937, "Tengu Kurama" in 1939, "Mori no Ishimatsu" in 1939, "Kitahachi" (from "Hizakurige") in 1939, "Son Goku" in 1940, "Tasuke Isshin" in 1945, and so on. Some of his films were written by later famous director Akira Kurosawa. In 1947 he quits Toho to work with Shin Toho Company, but finally he will come back to Toho in the 50s. In 1953 he begins to work in TV and in 1955 he returns to Theatre, but he never quits the film industry. From 1950 he suffers gangrene, he must withdraw from performing in 1963 and finally lose his foot. With one artificial leg he came back to show business in 1969 and appears in two films more until his premature death.