Tetsurō Degawa

Honestly, Degawa is one of those performers who makes you question whether "comedian" even covers it — the man has turned physical suffering into high art. His whole thing is reaction comedy: you watch him get zapped, doused in hot water, or subjected to some absurd punishment on a variety show, and that raw, full-body scream paired with the most genuinely pained expression you've ever seen just wrecks you. What I find fascinating is how his career arc flipped completely — he came up as the guy everyone loved to hate, a sort of designated punching bag of 1990s TV, and somehow landed as a warm national treasure beloved by grandmas and kids alike. His electric-scooter travel series, where he stumbles into strangers' kindness across Japan, is weirdly moving. Small in stature, enormous on screen.

Tetsurō Degawa is a Japanese comedian, actor, and television personality born on February 13, 1964, in Kanagawa Ward, Kanagawa Prefecture. Standing 160 cm tall, he built his career on an exaggerated reaction-comedy style that became his signature on variety programs. He attended Nihon映画大学 (Japan Film University) and has been affiliated with the Maseki Genius Saras talent agency. He remains one of Japanese television's most recognizable variety show performers.

Name (English)

Tetsurō Degawa

Name (Japanese)

出川哲朗

Reading

でがわ てつろう

Born

February 13, 1964 (age 62)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aquarius / Dragon (辰)

Origin

Kanagawa Ward, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Height

160cm

Occupation

Actor / Comedy Talent / Television Personality

University

Japan Film University

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://www.maseki.co.jp/talent/degawatetsuro
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%87%BA%E5%B7%9D%E5%93%B2%E6%9C%97

Tags

• From Kanagawa Prefecture
• Actor
• Comedy Talent
• Television Personality

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.