Masatoshi Hamada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Masatoshi Hamada
Hamada at the Midosuji Runway event in Osaka, Japan in 2022
Native name	浜田 雅功
Born	(1963-05-11) May 11, 1963 (age 62) Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan
Medium	Owarai Television
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Natsumi Ogawa
Children	2 (including; Hama Okamoto)

Masatoshi Hamada (浜田 雅功), also known by his nickname Hama-chan (浜ちゃん), is a famous Japanese comedian. He is best known for being one half of the comedy duo Downtown. His partner in the duo is Hitoshi Matsumoto.

In their comedy act, Hamada is the tsukkomi, which is the smart, sensible person who corrects the other person's funny mistakes. Hamada is married to actress Natsumi Ogawa, and they have two children.

Early Life and Career

Masatoshi Hamada was born in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan. His family later moved to Amagasaki in the Hyōgo Prefecture. In elementary school, he met Hitoshi Matsumoto, who would become his future comedy partner. They became good friends in junior high school. Like Matsumoto, Hamada's family did not have a lot of money.

In 1982, Hamada and Matsumoto joined a famous entertainment company called Yoshimoto Kōgyō to become comedians. They performed for the first time as the duo "Downtown" in 1983.

Comedy Style

Hamada is famous for his energetic and physical comedy. He is often seen playfully hitting his partner Matsumoto and other celebrities on the head with his hand or a paper fan. He has a very unique, high-pitched laugh, especially when he sees his friends acting silly.

Hamada is also known for being very direct and honest. He isn't afraid to speak his mind to anyone, no matter how famous they are. Because of his tough and sometimes aggressive comedy style, he earned a reputation for being strict.

On-Stage Persona

Hamada's tough personality is often used for jokes and pranks on his TV shows.

• On the show Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, Hamada was once put on a pretend trial. His friends and co-stars jokingly accused him of being too rough during their comedy sketches.
• The show often features pranks where Hamada pretends to get very angry during filming to trick another comedian. His acting is so good that it has sometimes made his co-stars believe he is truly upset.
• A popular joke in the comedy world is that any new comedian who gets playfully hit on the head by Hamada will become very successful. The musician Tsunku once said he became famous right after Hamada hit him on the music show Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ.

However, many younger comedians have said that Hamada's "tough guy" act is just for television. Off-camera, he is known to be very kind and fair to his co-workers and staff.

Running Jokes

While Hamada often plays the tough guy, he can also be the one who gets teased, usually by his partner Matsumoto. Some common jokes about Hamada include:

• His drawing skills: Hamada is known for being a very bad artist. This has become a fun game on his TV show, where other comedians try to guess what his funny-looking drawings are supposed to be.
• His favorite foods: He loves foods that are popular with kids in Japan, like hamburger patties, fried chicken (karaage), and yakisoba. Matsumoto often teases him for having "the taste of a high school freshman."
• His looks: Matsumoto often makes fun of Hamada's appearance, jokingly calling him a "monkey child" or "chimpanzee." On some TV specials, Hamada's face has been edited onto pictures of gorillas for a laugh.

Other Work

Besides his comedy duo, Hamada has worked on many other projects.

Voice Acting

• He was the Japanese voice of Slowking in Pokémon: The Movie 2000. A special Pokémon card called "Hama-chan's Slowking" was released, and Hamada even drew the picture for the card himself.
• He is the voice of Shrek in the Japanese versions of the Shrek movies. The producer Jeffrey Katzenberg personally chose him for the role.
• He was the host's voice in the Japanese version of the video game You Don't Know Jack.

Television and Sports

• In 2001, he starred in a TV drama called Ashitaga Arusa ("There's Always a Tomorrow"). Many other comedians from his company also appeared in the show.
• He worked as a guest sportscaster for Fuji Television during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
• In 2017, he dressed up as the American actor Eddie Murphy from the movie Beverly Hills Cop for a New Year's Eve TV special.

Music Career

In the 1990s, Hamada formed a music group with the famous producer Tetsuya Komuro. The group was called H jungle with t [ja]. Their biggest hit, "Wow War Tonight," sold over 2 million copies in 1995. His comedy partner, Matsumoto, even has a funny line in the song that repeats "B-U-S-A-I-K-U H-A-M-A-D-A," which means "Ugly Hamada."

In 2004, Hamada sang a song called "Chicken Rice," with lyrics written by Matsumoto. The song is about their childhood and how they couldn't afford to eat at fancy restaurants. The song was a big hit in Japan.

Personal Life

Hamada is from the Kansai area of Japan and speaks with a Kansai dialect. However, he uses the standard Japanese dialect when speaking to his children. His hobbies include golf and baseball.

He once said he didn't like animals, but he grew to love his family's dog. On his TV show, he was once asked what he would save first if his house was in an earthquake, and he answered, "the dog."

In early 2025, Hamada's entertainment company announced that he was taking a temporary break from work to focus on his health.

See also

In Spanish: Masatoshi Hamada para niños