Kinichi Hagimoto

In addition, at the time of the breakup announcement in front of cameras when asked if he had a message for Yamamoto he said, "now the team is gone!", but when repealing the announcement he suddenly changed his tone, saying, "why you don't come out one night when there're no fans wearing a uniform with no number and hang out with us just as Yamamoto". In an interview with the show Waido! Sukuranburu ("Wide! Scramble") he mentioned the possibility of Yamamoto returning at first as a ball boy with the uniform number 0. However, he also made large roster changes to the team and commented other times that there was no possibility of Yamamoto's return, causing uncertainty surrounding the team. In January 2007 Yamamoto appeared at a public team workout and personally apologized to Hagimoto. However, Hagimoto made comments to the effect that he had still not forgiven Yamamoto.

Around the time he became a star while doing Kin Don! Hagimoto announced his marriage, but withheld his bride's name and asked the press to respect their privacy. This was because she was a show dancer he knew during his humble early days in the Asakusa burlesque scene. According to his autobiography, he encountered no resistance from the press to his request, even receiving applause from the reporters at the time of the announcement, who were already aware of her background. Also, he has three children with her, who were not introduced to the press for some time since they led private lives. In his 2007 autobiography he finally introduced their names publicly.

On July 19, 2006, while on an exhibition road trip to Hokkaidō, team member and former comedic duo Gokuraku Tonbo member Kei-ichi Yamamoto was charged with sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl. He was dismissed from his talent agency Yoshimoto Kōgyō the same day. The following morning, Hagimoto announced his intention to break up the team, having previously told the amateur baseball federation of his intention to break up the team a full eight hours before his public announcement.

The game "yakyūken" in which the players play "jan ken pon" (rock-paper-scissors) while dancing to music and the loser takes off a piece of clothing, became well known after appearing on "Urabangumi wo buttobase!". However, Hagimoto apparently hated it at the time. One reason was its dirtiness, and also the fact that comedic talents of the performers took a backseat to the game itself. It was said that he felt that comedy culture was degradating due to these acts. However, he took part in a game in 2005 at the birthplace of yakyūken, Matsuyama (where originally clothing was not removed). The "atchi muite hoi" extension of "jan ken pon" is said to have spread nationwide only after its use in Kinchan's spot on "Sutā Tanjō!".

As a boy he loved baseball and was devoted to his high school team. Perhaps due to that and a lament for the recent decline in baseball's popularity in Japan, he aimed to show the fun of baseball by starting the Kantō-based amateur baseball "Ibaraki Golden Golds" (based in Sakuragawa-mura, now Inashiki-shi, Ibaraki) of the Nippon Yakyū Renmei (Japanese Baseball Association) on December 26, 2004. With an unprecedented collection of former professional players, comedians, and a female player he created the most popular amateur team ever. This started a trend of clubs started by celebrities such as Kensaku Morita, Jōji Yamamoto, and Hiroshi Moriguchi, and made a large contribution to the revival of baseball's popularity.

After returning from hiatus, he returned to television but struggled with the failure of subsequent programs, and saw the surrender of his early '80s spot in the "Owarai Big 3" with Beat Takeshi and Tamori to Sanma Akashiya. However, he still regularly appears on television such as on Kinchan & Katori Shingo no Zen-Nihon Kasō Taishō ("Kinchan & Shingo Katori's All-Japan Costume Grand Prix"), and is still a household name. He hosted the closing ceremonies of the Nagano Olympics in 1998. Since 1980, he has been active organizing the Kinchan Gekidan with Kiyoshi Maegawa, performing on stage.

Hagimoto went on a six-month "recharge" hiatus from all his regular programs starting in March 1985. He stated that he didn't have the confidence to maintain the popularity of his "100% Otoko" level, also commenting that he was tired of the ad lib style programs that were becoming popular at the time. He reportedly never liked ad-lib, often begging partner Sakagami backstage to stick to the script. However, in regards to requests from NTV director Takao Saito to follow the script he commented that "performers have pride as performers", and was known to ad-lib on stage at times. Regarding the hiatus he was also noted afterward as saying that he felt down about the start of a downward trend in ratings.

Later in 1981 his series Kin Don! Yoi Ko Warui Ko Futsū no Ko (Fuji Television) began on Mondays at 9:00 pm. After continued high ratings in his next shows Kinchan No Doko Made Yaru No!? (Kin doko) on Asahi in 1976 and "Kinchan no Shūkan Kin-yōbi" (TBS) in 1982, he picked up the nickname "100% Otoko", reflecting the sum of the ratings for the three shows. The many celebrities whose careers were born on these shows became known as the "Kinchan Family".

After the visit, Hagimoto has had a deep respect for Chaplin and has even watched all his works. In December 1977 during the Nippon Broadcasting Rajio Charitī Myūjikkuson news of Chaplin's death was reported by Hagimoto, who spontaneously started crying.

He appeared solo from 1972 on the Nippon Broadcasting radio program Kinchan No Don To Itte Miyō!!. The program based mostly on letters from listeners rose in popularity and debuted on television in 1975 on a Saturday night slot on Fuji Television. At the same time he was hosting Ōru sutā kazoku taikou utagassen ("all-star family singing battle") (1972–1986, Hagimoto until June 1984) on the same network and Sutā Tanjō! ("birth of a star") (Nippon Television), where he developed a style of interacting with the family of guests and amateur extras. This was expanded in shows such as Kin Don! which featured a cast of primarily amateurs called the Kin Don Gekidan, and in features interacting with passersby while walking down streets on location, and mastered to perfection in later shows.

Aside from starring in and producing top-rate variety programs, he became the face of programs beginning with Sutā Tanjō (NTV) in 1971, continuing with Ōru stā Kazoku Taikō Utagassen (Fuji) as host, the still running 24-Jikan Terebi ("24 Hour Television") (NTV) from 1978, and also in radio on the Rajio Charitī Myūjikkuson ("Radio Charity Music-thon") (Nippon Hōsō) from 1975.

In 1971 Hagimoto met with Charlie Chaplin, who was living in seclusion in Switzerland at the time, for a Fuji Television production. It all started when Hagimoto mentioned Chaplin as a comedian he respected. Actually, Hagimoto only mentioned his name because "he is the most famous comedian on earth", while only having seen Chaplin's movies a couple of times.

In the 1970s and 80s, with acts like "nande sō naru no!" ("Why does that happen?!") and physical comedy such as his distinctive "Kinchan run" (based on Hachiro Azuma) he blossomed into a polished professional. Many of his famous lines like "dochira dake" and "banzaai nashi yo" are still heard today. Some comedic jargon such as "ukeru" (and "yaya uke", "baka uke", etc.) that have become common Japanese words are said to have originated from his variety show Kinchan No Don To Itte Miyō. He presented three successful variety programmes in the 1970s and 1980s, and by the mid-1980s was one of the most popular comedians on Japanese television.

They became a sensation appearing on the live program Ohiru no goruden shō with Takehiko Maeda on Fuji Television (1968–71). After this, they dominated television with programs such as Konto 55-gō no Sekai Wa Warau (Fuji TV), Konto 55-gō no Urabangumi wo Buttobase! and Konto 55-gō no Nande Sou Naru No? (NTV), Chīmu 55-gō and Minna-de deyō! 55-gō ketteiban (TBS), Whoa! Konto 55-gō!! and Konto 55-gō!! Waratte tamaru ka!? (NET TV, now Asahi TV). They continued performing as a duo after that, but gradually started a solo career as well starting in 1975 as the star of the hit show Pittashi Kan-Kan (TBS) hosted by Hiroshi Kume.

He formed the "Konto 55-gō" ("Skit #55") duo after an invitation from Jirō Sakagami in 1966, originally for a one-act contract (according to them, they had become a regular act without realizing it after renewing several times).

Kinichi Hagimoto (萩本 欽一, Hagimoto Kin'ichi, born May 7, 1941) is a Japanese comedian. He is active as a stage performer, emcee, and manager of the amateur Ibaraki Golden Golds (ibaraki goruden gōruzu) of the Japanese Baseball Association (nippon yakyuu renmei).

During the time with Katsuo Hamaka, he was a friend of Shin-ichi Ichikawa, who would make his scriptwriting debut with the television series Kaijū Būsuka. He would later write for the Nippon Television 40th anniversary special drama Goruden Boizu ("Golden Boys") in which a young Hagimoto appeared (with Kazuki Kosakai).