The Man Who Plays the Fool and Makes Everyone Feel Safe: Teruyoshi Uchimura
He was born in a green mountain valley in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, in what is now Asagiri Town. It is doubtful that the young boy from that quiet corner of Japan ever imagined he would one day watch over the entire nation's New Year's Eve. In a comedy sketch he throws himself into being the purest idiot alive; behind a hosting desk he radiates a calm warmth that makes everyone around him feel safe. That extraordinary gap is the very core of who Teruyoshi Uchimura is.
Comedian, television host, actor, film director — listing his titles alone fails to capture the shape of the man. Just when you think he only wants to make you laugh, he turns around and tries to make you cry; on a chaotic set, he is the one who quietly catches everything and lands the joke. This is the story of "Ucchan," who has stood at the front of Japanese entertainment for nearly four decades.
From a Valley Town to a Manzai Classroom
Teruyoshi Uchimura was born on July 22, 1964, in Kami Village, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture. He attended Menda Elementary School before transferring to Nishise Elementary in Hitoyoshi, then went on to Hitoyoshi Second Junior High, Hitoyoshi High School, and finally the Theatre Department of the Yokohama Broadcasting and Film School, now Japan Film University.
The turning point of his life came in a manzai comedy class at that school. The instructor was the veteran comedienne Yoshie Utsumi, who recognized his talent and urged him to pursue a professional debut. It was the discerning eye of a single comedienne that opened the door to the professional world for a young man who had come out of the mountains.
The Birth of Ucchan Nanchan
In 1985, Uchimura formed the comedy duo Ucchan Nanchan with Kiyotaka Nambara, whom he had met at the same school, and debuted under Maseki Geino-sha. That same year he made his television debut on Nippon TV's Owarai Star Tanjou!!
With shows like Ucchan Nanchan no Yaru Nara Yaraneba! in 1990 and Ucchan Nanchan no Urinari!! in 1996, the duo's name-branded variety programs delighted living rooms across the country and made the pair the face of their era. Their all-out, physical commitment to comedy sketches in particular shone so brightly that later generations of comedians still speak of it.
Actor, and a Million-Selling Hit
A man of comedy, he refused to be confined to comedy alone. In 1992 he starred in the film Shichinin no Otaku, marking his acting debut. The role earned him a remarkable double honor at the 16th Japan Academy Prize the following year: the New Actor Award and the Topic Award in the Actor Division. He had stepped lightly beyond the boundaries of the comedian's craft.
He found success in music as well. In 1995, the music unit Pocket Biscuits was born out of a segment on Urinari!!, with Uchimura on keyboard and handling lyrics and composition. Their 1996 single YELLOW YELLOW HAPPY became a major hit — a striking phenomenon for its time, in which a unit born from a TV program produced a genuine chart success.
Behind the Camera: Director Teruyoshi Uchimura
In 2006, Uchimura made his directorial debut, writing and directing the film Peanuts. He followed it with his second feature, Bokutachi no Koukan Nikki, in 2013, and in 2016 released Kinmedaru Otoko, which he directed, wrote, and starred in.
The man who makes audiences laugh now sets out to make them cry. The keen eye for human nature he honed in comedy sketches he poured directly into the stories on screen. His range is so wide that you almost want to ask what exactly his profession is — yet through it all, his work is unified by a single thread: the depiction of people.
The Face of Year's End, and a Big Heart That Catches It All
On Sekai no Hate made Itte Q!, which began in 2007, Uchimura has spent years catching everything the younger comics throw at him as they risk life and limb, and landing it all as laughter. The way he warmly holds together a chaotic set is the very backbone of this long-running program, which he continued hosting into 2024.
From 2017 he served as the overall host of the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, fulfilling that demanding role for four consecutive years through 2020. Amid the ulcer-inducing tension of a massive live broadcast, Uchimura smiled throughout. In 2012 he was certified by Guinness World Records for the annual DVD release volume of Uchimura Samaazu, and in 2019 his hometown honored him with the Hitoyoshi City Citizen's Honor Award.
The pure fool in a sketch; the gentle presence who makes everyone feel safe behind the desk. That gap is the charm of Teruyoshi Uchimura, and proof of a generosity of spirit that no calculation could ever manufacture. In 2005 he married former TV Asahi announcer Yumi Tokunaga, and he is a family man with two children.
He makes us laugh, he makes us cry, and he catches it all. Because this man has faced comedy at the front line for nearly forty years, comedy itself feels somehow kind. The young man who came out of a mountain valley still sits, quietly smiling, at the very center of Japan's living rooms.