Kinichi Hagimoto

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).

Born in the Taitō ward of Tōkyō, Japan, he graduated from Komagome High School, and now belongs to the Asai Kikaku talent agency.

He is called "Kin-chan" by fans and those within the entertainment industry.

He is also known as "Hagimō", "Kin", etc.

Amongst the many entertainers he has developed on his shows, who are known as the "Kinchan Family", he is known as "Taishō" ("The General").

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.