Kenichi Enomoto Ken'ichi Enomoto ( 榎本 健一 Enomoto Ken'ichi ) ( 1904 – 1970 ) was a popular Japanese singing comedian , mostly known by his stage name Enoken ( エノケン ) . Enomoto was a major innovator during his heyday , Enoken 's stage shows , radio appearances , and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before World War II , and was a catalyst for the revival of comedy in the postwar period . Born in Aoyama , Tokyo , the son of rice cracker shop owners , Enomoto fell under the spell of such stars of the Asakusa Opera as Taya Rikizo and Fujiwara Yoshie , and in 1922 he made his stage debut at age 18 as a chorus member of the Asakusa Kinryukan Theatre . The Great Kanto Earthquake of the following year dealt a great blow to the opera world in Tokyo , at which time Enomoto shifted to comic theatre . Playing small roles in various comedy productions , he returned to the Asakusa stage in 1929 as part of the troupe Casino Folly . The following year saw him launch his own troupe , Enoken Gekidan , which would firmly establish him as a leading figure in Tokyo theatrical circles . In 1934 , he starred in the movie Enoken no Seishun Suikoden ( Enoken’s Tale of Youth’s Folly ) , and gained national popularity . His subsequent film career saw him parody a whole parade of Japanese historical personages , including Kondo Isamu and Sakamoto Ryoma , in a series of `` jidai-geki '' ( historical dramas ) and `` chanbara '' ( samurai drama ) films , including some directed by a then-little known Kurosawa Akira . Enomoto became afflicted with necrosis of the right leg in the 1950s , which required amputation , curtailing his film and stage career . He did however make a legendary comeback at the Shinjuku Koma Theatre 1963 wearing a prosthetic leg . He died in 1970 and is entombed in Hase Temple in Nishi- Azabu , Minato-ku , Tokyo , on whose tombstone is enscribed `` The King of Comedy '' . Sources 「父から子におくる一億人の昭和史：人物現代史」（100 Million People 's Showa History , from Father to Child : Historical Biographies ) , Mainichi Shimbun Press , 1977 . `` Kenichi Enomoto IMDB Biography '' http : //www.imdb.com/name/nm0257951/bio `` Prominent People of Minato City '' http : //www.lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp/yukari/e/man-detail.cgi ? id=13 & CGISESSID=dcd5fd43789c08a3a564dcfaa4f6ce9b   This article about a Japanese actor or actress is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : Japanese actor stubs | 1904 births | 1970 deaths | Japanese actors In other languages : 日本語 