Yasuda Dai Circus, a popular owarai trio

Owarai (お笑い, 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 (バラエティ番組, baraeti bangumi) and the comedians are referred to as owarai geinin (お笑い芸人) or owarai tarento (お笑いタレント). Presently Japan is considered to be in an "owarai boom", and many minor talents have been finding sudden fame after a gag (ギャグ, gyagu) or skit became popular. Image File history File links Yasuda_dai_circus. ... Image File history File links Yasuda_dai_circus. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ... Honorific speech is speech which shows respect. ... This page describes words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) relating to owarai (Japanese comedy). ... Tarento (タレント) is a Japanese rendering of the Portuguese word talento (talent in English) and is used as a catch-all term for major media personalities who regularly appear on television, radio and other forms of entertainment. ... This page describes words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) relating to owarai (Japanese comedy). ...

Characteristics of Owarai

Manzai (漫才), a traditional form of Japanese comedy that became the basis of many modern acts today, is characterized by a pair of usually older male comedians acting certain roles in a constant comedic battle against themselves. This tradition is continued in the acts of many modern talents. While there are many women talents, they are largely outnumbered by the men, and they tend to take more minor roles. Manzai (漫才) is a style of stand-up comedy in Japan, where two performers—a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke)—trade jokes at great speed. ...

Whereas manzai performers traditionally wore kimono (traditional Japanese dress), these days a western suit is the outfit of choice for many owarai kombi (コンビ, combination; referring to a pair of comedians in a unit) and many talents who begin their careers performing in a style very similar to stand-up comedy, usually including aspects of manzai and conte. Kimono (Japanese: 着物, literally something worn, i. ... Suits from the 1937 Chicago Woolen Mills catalog At the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 heads of state wore morning dress or lounge suits for more informal meetings but frock coats for formal daytime meetings A suit, with varieties such as a business suit, three-piece suit... This page describes words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) relating to owarai (Japanese comedy). ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... This page describes words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) relating to owarai (Japanese comedy). ...

Some minor characteristics include frequently used sound effects (cheap, old-fashioned sound effects are used intentionally for comic effect), dajare (ダジャレ, a Japanese-style pun), and dokkiri (ドッキリ, a hidden-camera prank like those seen in the popular American show Punk'd). Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. ... Dajare is a kind of typically Japanese wordplay which relies on the similarity of two different words pronunciations. ... It has been suggested that dajare be merged into this article or section. ... This page describes words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) relating to owarai (Japanese comedy). ... Punkd is an American hidden camera practical joke television series on MTV, produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher, which first aired in 2003. ...

Owarai Geinin

Speed Wagon appearing on God of Entertainment

Main article: List of Japanese comedians

On television, most owarai geinin are introduced using their their kombi name (e.g. Yoiko Hamaguchi) and some geinin even retain the name of their former groups after they have parted ways. Image File history File links Speed_wagon. ... Image File history File links Speed_wagon. ... This is a list of Japanese Comedians and their group names. ...

A few popular kombi include:

• アンタッチャブル Untouchable
• インパルス Impulse
• オセロ Othello, a rare female kombi
• くりぃむしちゅー Cream Stew
• さまぁ～ず Summers
• 次長課長 Jichō Kachō
• スピードワゴン Speed Wagon
• ダウンタウン Downtown
• TIM TIM
• ナインティナイン Ninety-nine
• 爆笑問題 Bakushō Mondai
• ペナルティ Penalty
• よゐこ Yoiko
• レギュラー Regular

As can be clearly seen, many if not most of owarai units have names based on English words or phrases. Kombi are usually included as guests for shows, though some (namely Downtown, Cream Stew, and Ninety-nine) often act as hosts as well. Othellos Nakajima (left) and Matsushima Othello (オセロ, osero), is a female Japanese comedy duo (kombi) who, once famous for their manzai act, are now both popular television talents and appear frequently on Japanese variety shows. ... Cream Stews Ueda (left) and Arita Cream Stew (くりぃむしちゅー) is a Japanese comedy kombi consisting of two comedians, Shinya Ueda (上田晋也) and Teppei Arita (有田哲平). Originally from Kumamoto, the pair first met in high school when Arita and Ueda caught wind of their common interest in pro wrestling. ... Summers Ōtake (left) and Mimura Summers (さまぁ～ず) are a Japanese comedy duo under Horipro Inc. ... Junichi Kōmoto (left) and Satoshi Inoue of Jichō Kachō Jichō Kachō (次長課長) is a Japanese comedy unit (kombi) consisting of two comedians (お笑い芸人, owarai geinin), Junichi Kōmoto (河本準一) and Satoshi Inoue (井上聡). Sometimes also known as Jikachō (次課長), they are one of the most popular owarai kombi coming from Yoshimoto K... Downtown (ダウンタウン) is a Japanese comedy unit (kombi) consisting of two comedians (お笑い芸人, owarai geinin), Hitoshi Matsumoto (松本人志) and Masatoshi Hamada (浜田雅功). Downtown is probably the most influential kombi to come from Yoshimoto Kōgyō, and is arguably the most popular kombi in Japan today. ... TIMs Red (left) and Golgo TIM is the name of a Japanese comedy unit (kombi). ... Yūji Tanaka (left) and Hikari Ōta of Bakushō Mondai Bakushō Mondai (爆笑問題) is a Japanese owarai duo consisting of Yūji Tanaka (田中裕二 Tanaka Yūji, born January 10, 1965 -) and Hikari Ōta (太田光 Ōta Hikari, born May 13, 1965 -). Duos name means Roar of laughter question. They got acquainted with...

Some popular talents that usually don't perform in units are:

• 明石家さんま Sanma Akashiya
• 長州小力 Koriki Chōshū
• ヒロシ Hiroshi
• 関根勤 Tsutomu Sekine
• 島田紳助 Shinsuke Shimada
• 志村けん Ken Shimura
• ビートたけし Beat Takeshi
• タモリ Tamori
• 所ジョージ Tokoro George
• 内村光良 Teruyoshi Uchimura
• 藤井隆 Takashi Fujii
• ホリ Hori
• 青木さやか Sayaka Aoki, another rare female act

Of these, Sanma, Tamori, and Beat Takeshi are sometimes referred to collectively as the "big three" because of their massive popularity. Talents such as these often act as hosts for shows, or perform together in small or large groups, something almost unimagineable for most western comedians. Sanma Akashiya (明石家さんま Akashiya Sanma, born July 3, 1955 in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, raised up in Nara) is a Japanese TV comedian and actor. ... Koriki Chōshū dancing Para Para Koriki Chōshū (Ja: 長州小力, Chōshū Koriki; real name Kazuteru Kubota (久保田和輝, Kubota Kazuteru), born February 5, 1972 in western Tokyo) is a Japanese comedian. ... Hiroshi Hiroshi (ヒロシ), real name Kenichi Saitō (斉藤 健一), born February 14th, 1972 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a Japanese comedian famous for his dismal stand-up act. ... Ken Shimura as Bakatono-sama. ... Takeshi Kitano at Cannes, 2000 Takeshi Kitano (北野 武, Kitano Takeshi, b. ... Tamori (タモリ) is a Japanese celebrity. ... Teruyoshi Uchimura in his movie, Peanuts Teruyoshi Uchimura ), half of the Japanese comedy duo U-tchan Nan-chan, is one of the most famous and influential comedians in the owarai community. ... Matthew Minami Matthew Minami (Japanese: マシュー南 or Matthew南; Mashū Minami, born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a male Japanese comedian who belongs to Yoshimoto Kogyo and popular host of Matthews Best Hit TV on TV Asahi. ...

Variety shows

Japanese variety shows are the main outlet for most owarai geinin and along with drama and anime they are some of the most popular shows on Japanese television. Dorama (ドラマ), meaning drama, are Japanese television soap operas. ... Anime ) (IPA pronunciation: in Japanese, but typically or in English) is an abbreviation of the word animation. Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation originating in Japan. ...

As a general term in Japan, "variety show" can refer to "straight" variety shows with an appropriate myriad of topics, segments, and games. It is also used for comedy oriented shows that focus more on stand-up and skits, and quiz/trivia type shows featuring comic elements. It is not to be expected that a variety show will always follow the same format, and guests from Japanese music and talent pools or frequent.

The variety style shows generally divided into segments of games, features, and "corners", some very short and some shows focusing (for a special episode) solely on one game or feature. Trivia, quiz, or game shows in Japan are often considered owarai as the contestants of such shows are often a mix of owarai geinin and other Japanese talents of various descriptions. Game shows without any famous characters playing the role of contestants are rare. Look up Trivia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players (as individuals or in teams), attempt to answer questions correctly. ... A game show involves members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. ...

Of these sections and games, many can be seen recurring on a variety of shows all across Japan. It may even be possible to classify Japanese variety shows (or at least the individual sections of the shows) according to the following formats:

• Quizzes or trivia (with subjects as varied as 雑学 (zatsugaku, general or useless knowledge), math, science, history and other school subjects, kanji (testing peoples' knowledge of difficult or rare characters), English, and a mishmash of typical quiz-style trick questions)
• Food judgement/tasting/making (various types of food are also commonly used as prizes for the winner of a game)
• Travel (often travelling within Japan to view someones estate or around the world producing short, documetary-style segments about world culture, with a comic twist)
• Physical challenges, tests of strength/endurance etc.
• Tests of improvised comic skill (for example, a dajare contest)
• Obstacle courses/collections of strange games or activities
• Music (Either with real Japanese musicians, or with owarai geinin trying their hands at music (often karaoke style), covering popular songs or showing off their own)

Some concepts of variety shows are consistent over most of Japanese television, though they may be considered quite different than those seen in the western world. Many shows are made up of what are called VTRs, or video segments, and are usually introduced with a hand gesture and the word dōzo (the implied meaning is "let's have a look"), though this procedure is usually made into a joke with strange gestures instead of the usual wave. A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players (as individuals or in teams), attempt to answer questions correctly. ... Look up Trivia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, known today as the father of geometry; shown here in a detail of The School of Athens by Raphael. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... HIStory: Past, Present and Future – Book I is a two-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995 by the Epic Records division of Sony BMG. The first disc (HIStory Begins) is a fifteen-track greatest hits (later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Volume I), while the second disc (HIStory... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji Kanji (Japanese:  ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Hindu-Arabic numerals. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Music is a form of art that involves organized and audible sounds and silence. ... For many outsiders, Japanese music is associated entirely with cheap, disposable bubblegum pop, of which there is plenty. ... A Karaoke machine Karaoke (Japanese: カラオケ, from 空 kara, empty or void, and オーケストラ ōkesutora, orchestra) is a form of entertainment in which an amateur singer or singers sing along with recorded music on microphone. ... A video tape recorder (VTR), is a tape recorder that can record video material. ...

A few popular variety/comedy shows of varying contents are:

• 笑いの金メダル King of Comedy (showcasing the stand-up acts and skits of new and popular talent, often featuring VTR segments of the activities of various talents)
• エンタの神様 The God of Entertainment (similar to King of Comedy, though focusing on stand-up acts)
• 愛のエプロン Apron of Love (talents lacking cooking skill are asked to cook difficult dishes and are given harsh, though honest, judgements)
• SMAP×SMAP Smap Smap (the five members of the immensely popular group SMAP host many different shows, presenting segments such as music, cooking, and news)
• 銭形金太郎 Zenigata Kintarō (this show's segment bimbō batoru (battle of the poor) showcases the life of two or more people living in Japan who support interesting life styles on minimum amounts of money; the funniest, or most inspiring bimbō wins)
• Matthew's Best Hit TV+ (hosted by the comedian Takashi Fujii, this show features musical guests and a strange variety of games and unrelated segments)
• トリビアの泉 Spring of Trivia (showcasing interesting and strange facts (or strange interpretations of boring facts) of little or no importance using a trivia-style format)
• ネプリーグ Nep-league (featuring the owarai trio Neptune on one of the two teams of contestants, this quiz show features various "levels" of play challenging the players' knowledge of everything from world events to reading Japanese to spelling simple English words)
• 志村けんのバカ殿様 Ken Shimura's Baka Tono-sama (hosted by comedian Ken Shimura)

SMAP is a very popular Japanese idol group, formed by Johnny & Associates. ... Matthews Best Hit TV is a show on TV Asahi hosted by Matthew Minami. ... Matthew Minami Matthew Minami (Japanese: マシュー南 or Matthew南; MashÅ« Minami, born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a male Japanese comedian who belongs to Yoshimoto Kogyo and popular host of Matthews Best Hit TV on TV Asahi. ... Hey! Spring of Trivia (Japanese: トリビアの泉, Toribia-no izumi) is a Japanese television show on Fuji TV and currently the show with the highest audience ratings in Japan. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji Kanji (Japanese:  ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Hindu-Arabic numerals. ... Ken Shimura as Bakatono-sama. ...

See also

• List of Japanese comedians
• Manzai
• Glossary of owarai terms

This is a list of Japanese Comedians and their group names. ... Manzai (漫才) is a style of stand-up comedy in Japan, where two performers—a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke)—trade jokes at great speed. ... This page describes words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) relating to owarai (Japanese comedy). ...

External links

• 大笑い.com (oowarai.com) Japanese site promoting owarai and owarai talents
• お笑い芸人相関図 (owarai geinin sōkanzu) Japanese site with information on various owarai geinin and the relationships they have with other talents
• お笑い芸人図鑑 (owarai geinin zukan) Japanese site, so called encyclopedia of owarai geinin