, known by the stage name is a Japanese comedian, lyricist, actor, novelist, and film director.
Gekidan is mainly known his improvisational ability and for his style of physical comedy. He is represented with Ohta Production.
Early life and career Kawashima's parents were employed by Japan Airlines (his father was a pilot; his mother was a flight attendant). Due to the nature of their occupation, Kawashima lived in Anchorage, Alaska, for three years as a child, from second to fifth grade.
In 1992, while in his first year of high school, Kawashima appeared on the variety program Tensai Takeshi no Genki ga Deru Terebi!! and garnered the attention of Ohta Production to sign him as a comedy talent. He began activities in a kombi called "Suplex", but were relatively unsuccessful. Kawashima transferred and dropped out of high schools multiple times before graduating from Chiba Ritsufunabashi High School at the age of 20. He then went on to enroll in Tōhō Gakuen in Tokyo and specialized in broadcasting arts, graduating in 1999.
Kawashima's unit, "Suplex", disbanded in 2000 and Kawashima continued activities as a solo comedian with the name "Gekidan Hitori", which translates to "one-person troupe". After going solo, Gekidan became vastly more popular and successful in the industry, with numerous appearances in various television and variety programs. He continued to flourish in the following years, even becoming active as an actor in TV dramas and movies.
Private life His wife is tarento , the two married in 17 February 2009 . They have three children, their first daughter was born in September 2010 and their first son was born in July 2016. They announced the birth of their third child, a daughter, born March 2019.
Character Name When "Suplex" disbanded, Kawashima needed a new name to continue activities as a solo comedian. Initially, he set up an Internet voting poll with the top two names with the votes being and , which translates to "The Shoreline People". Both were rejected by Kawashima's manager, stating that he "sees no future" for these names in the industry to succeed. During a chat with fellow comedian and script writer Kazuhiro Yasuda, when Kawashima asked Yasuda who is his favorite actor, Yasuda responded with Robert De Niro, but with bad pronunciation, which to Kawashima sounded like "Rohata de Nirō", which literally translates to "Niro from the Furnace", and sparked him to suggest the use of the name. This was, however, also rejected by his manager. Kawashima chose the name "Gekidan Hitori" in the end.
Gekidan Hitori is commonly referred to as Hitori or Kawashima by most others in the industry. Tamori, on the other hand, calls him Gekidan. His wife Akane Ozawa refers to him as "Shingo-tan".
Interests and Hobbies He is proficient with Rubik's Cubes, as he is able to solve a standard 3×3 cube in 42 seconds. On 30 July 2006, Kawashima entered the 2006 Tokyo Rubik's Cube Grand Prix and placed 68th out of 133 contestants. His favorite food is pizza. When asked what he last late on a TV program appearance, Kawashima said Domino's Pizza. Afterwards, he appeared as the face of a series of Domino's commercials in 2007 with their invitation. He is good friends with Going Under Ground, a Japanese alternative rock band. He also appeared in their music video for the single "Issho ni Kaerō" (いっしょに帰ろう) in 2009. He has publicly stated that he is a big fan of Christel Takigawa. As a student, Kawashima was a fan of Downtown, and purposefully imitated Hitoshi Matsumoto's hairstyle.
Bibliography Year Title Book code Ref. 2006 Kagehinata ni Saku , 2008 Sono Knob wa Kokoro no Tobira , 2010 Seiten no Hekireki , Gekidan Hitori: Cappuccino o Nominagara
Filmography Variety Current appearances Year Title Network 2005 Goddotan TV Tokyo 2013 Shiawase! Bomber Girl NTVNakai Masahiro no Mi ni Naru Toshokan TV Asahi 2016 Kyūkyoku no Maru Batsu Quiz Show!! Chō Toi! Shinjitsu ka? Uso ka? NTV
Semi-regular (irregular appearances) Title Network Ameagari Ketsushitai no Talk Bangumi Ame-Talk! TV Asahi
Specials, one-offs Year Title Network Ref. 2012 Ariyoshi Hitori Tsuchida@Ryūheikai Presents! Chō Chō! Bureikōna Utage SP NTV 2013 Hiroiki Ariyoshi & Gekidan Hitori & Bibiru Ōki no Tensai Little Fuji TV Sekai ni Hokoru 50-ri no Nihonjin: Seikō no Iden-shi NTV 2014 Quiz Seikai wa Ichi-nen-go TBS 2015 BS Sk-Per! Tte Shittemasu ka!? BS Sk-Per! 2016 Geinin Cannonball TBS
Former, semi-regular Year Title Network Satoko ime gusan NTVOtona no Consommé TV TokyoRichard Hall Fuji TVHeisei Kyōiku 2005 YobikōHonnō no High Kick!Fake Off: Kanzen naru Sōkan-zuYancha Mokushiroku TV TokyoYou-Yū-Kibun: Doyōda! Pyon NBSThe M NTVGekidan Hitori 5 Minutes Performance BS FujiKaitai-Shin Show NHK-GManaberu!! News Show! TV AsahiKanbai GekijōGekidan Hitori no Shin Bangumi o Kangaeru Kaigi 2004 Yaguchi Hitori 2006 Nekketsu! Heisei Kyōiku Gakuin Fuji TVWaratte Iitomo!Waratte Iitomo! Zōkan-gō 2007 Ima sugu Tsukaeru Mame Chishiki: Quiz Zatsugaku-ō TV Asahi 2009 Moraeru TV!Chikyū-gō Shokudō: Eco meshi Sengen How to Monkey Baby! Tokyo MX 2010 Sōdatta no ka! Akira Ikegami no Manaberu News TV Asahi 2011 Star Draft Kaigi NTVUretrho Mi Kakunin Shōjo TV AsahiYume! Dōbutsu Daizukan TBS5 Men Tabi NTVYoppara Future Game Battle TBSMasahiro Nakai no Ayashī Uwasa no Atsumaru Toshokan TV AsahiNan demo World Ranking Nep & Imoto no Sekai Banzuke NTV 2012 Gekidan Hitori & Bibiru Ōki no "Doko Iku!?" Fuji TV One Two NextGyōkai Top News TV AsahiGachigase NTVYoruben TBSUrethro Mikansei Shōjo TV TokyoKai Nō! Maji karu Hatena NTVGekiron! Doxchi Mania TV Asahi 2013 Acchi Mania 2014 Urethro Mi Taiken Shōjo TV TokyoOV Kantoku Fuji TVOmokuri Kantoku: O-Creator's TV show 2015 Kasetsu Collector Z NHK BS Premium 2016 Urero Bugendai Shōjo TV Tokyo
Other appearances Year Title Network Ucchan Nanchan no Honō no Challenger korega dekitara 100 Man-en! ! TV AsahiCosmo Angel THK, BS FujiFuture Girls THKWarai no Kin Medal ABCEnta no Kamisama NTVBakushō on Air Battle NHKLincoln TBS 2007 Gekidan Hitori no Takumi Tanbō-ki Fuji TV 721 2011 Hisai-chi ni Ikiru! Kodomo-tachi no Tatakai 193-nichi Kiroku Fuji TV 2015 The Hakugaku TV Asahi 2016 Darake! Okane o Haratte demo Mitai Quiz BS Sk-Per!
TV dramas Year Title Role Network Ref. 2003 Tokyo Love Cinema Fuji TV Stand Up!! Hiromi Tachibana TBS 2004 X'smap: Tora to Lion to Go-ri no Otoko Middle-aged Santa Fuji TV 2005 Mahora no Hoshi Takeshi Kita YTV Densha Otoko Yusaku Matsunaga Fuji TV Densha Otoko: Mōhitotsu no Saishūkai Special Yusaku Matsunaga 2006 Junjō kirari Naoto Saito NHK-G Dare Yorimo Mama o Ai su Yamashita TBS Densha Otoko DX: Saigo no Seisen Yusaku Matsunaga Fuji TV Kazoku: Tsuma no Fuzai-Otto no Sonzai Hitoshi Tsuno ABC, TV Asahi 2007 First Kiss Shido First Priest Fuji TV Kyonen Renoir de Yankee Huband TV Tokyo Suwan no Baka! Kozukai 3 Man-en no Koi Kenji Kamo KTV 2008 Avelegi Atsushi Abe Fuji TV K-tai Investigator 7 Yoshiki Kashiwagi TV Tokyo 81diver Jiro Mojiyama Fuji TV Maō Nori Serizawa TBS Avelegi 2 Fuji TV Ware wa Gogh ni naru! Ai o Hotta Otoko-Munakata Shikō to sono Tsuma Shikō Munakata "Hahakoihi no Ki": Junichirō Tanizaki "Shōshōshigemoto no Haha" yori Shigeru Fujiwara NHK 2009 Chance! Kanojo ga Seikō shita Riyū Mikio Inoue Fuji TV Sayayoi Zakura Hirofumi Izumi Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo Torajiro Kanda TBS 2010 Hebi no hito WOWOW 10-Nen-saki mo Kimi ni Koishite Hidaka NHK Sayonara, Alma: Akagami o moratta Inu 2013 Nagasawa-kun Nagasawa-kun TBS 2015 Hana Moyu Itō Hirobumi NHK Kekkon ni Ichiban Chikakute Tōi Onna Okasaki Shop owner NTV 2016 Montage: San Oku-en Jiken Kitan Yasunari Suzuki Fuji TV The Sniffer Hideo Numata NHK-G 2018 Segodon John Manjirō NHK 2024 Hanasaki Mai Speaks Out 2024 Naoki Hanzawa NTV
Anime television Title Network Bean World Fuji TV 721
Films Director Year Title Notes Ref. 2014 A Bolt from the Blue Also writer 2021 Asakusa Kid Also writer
Writer Year Title Notes Ref. 2016 Crayon Shin-chan: The Movie – Fast Asleep! The Great Assault on the Dreaming World
Actor Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2004 The Neighbor No. Thirteen 2006 Memories of Matsuko Takeshi Okano 7 Tsuki 24-nichi-dōri no Christmas 2007 Dororo Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust 2008 Paco and the Magical Book Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit 2010 Golden Slumber Kazuo "Kaz" Ono 2011 Rebirth Takashi Kishida Share House 2012 The Wings of the Kirin Akira Itsukawa Fuse Teppō Musume no Torimonochō Sekiro Seki (voice) 2013 Goddotan: Kiss Gaman Senshuken – The Movie Shogo Kawashima 2014 A Bolt from the Blue Shotaro Toru Goddotan: Kiss Gaman Senshuken – The Movie 2: Psychic Love Shogo Kawashima Miracle: Debikuro-kun no Koi to Mahō Devil Claus (voice) 2025 Broken Rage
Animated films Year Title Role Ref. 2006 Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur 2006 Uncle, Housewife A, Recycling Contractor, Newscaster, Time Patrol Secretary 2007 Strings Erito (Japanese dub) 2010 Coraline Black cat (Japanese dub) Shrek Forever After Rumpelstiltskin (Japanese dub) 2011 Happy Feet Two Mumble (Japanese dub) 2015 Chibi Maruko-chan: A Boy from Italy Shin
Radio programmes Current Title Network Gekidan Samba Carnival FM Fuji
Former Title Network Jungle Paradise FM Fuji All Tegami Nippon Japan Post internet radio
Advertisements Year Title Ref. 2005 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 24 Season III DVD Collectors Box Aderans Life Card "Phishing Sagi ni Kiwotsukete!" Outsourcing 2006 Meiji Seika "Xylish Show" Pioneer Corporation "Cyber Navi" Daiwa House "Dee Room" NTT DoCoMo Kara Watashi wa DoCoMo desu "Gekidan Hitori – Kara Watashi wa DoCoMo desu" 2007 Sapporo Brewery "Hanjō-ten" PlayStation Portable Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Lion Corporation Top Fūai-kan Domino’s Pizza "Domino tomaranai" Japan Post Holdings "Nenga Campaign" 2008 Asahi Soft Drinks Citrulline Water "Citrulline Tōjō", "Slider Asa", "Slider Furo" Mazda Biante "Contrast", "Nobi nobi", "Shijō Kokuchi" Aflac "Ahiru Hoken Sōdan: Hitori-san" NTT DoCoMo "Answer House Tōjō", "4Tsu no Heya" 2009 Otsuka Pharmaceutical CalorieMate 2009 Tokyo prefectural election Kao Corporation Essential 2015 Sanyō Shokuhin Sapporo Ichiban Curry Ramen Sega Phantasy Star Online 2 2016 U-Can Tsūshin Kōza Asahi Soft Drinks Wonda Morning Shot "Tezukuri Seal"
Serials Title Quick Japan TV Station Shūkan Bunshun Yomiuri Shimbun
Video games Year Title Role 2005 Heavy Metal Thunder Go Shimokitazawa
Stage Year Title 2005 Atami Satsujin Jiken 2006 Usukawa Ichi-mai 2013 Butai Urethro Mi Kōkai Shōjo 2015 Tokyo 03 Frolic A Holic Love Story "Tori-gaeshi no tsukanai Sugata"
DVD Year Title 2004 Tokai no Napoleon 2006 Tokai no Shakespeare 2008 Gekidan Hitori no Takumi Tanbō-ki Gekidan Hitori: Mukūkan 1DK – One Dream KeeperKanbai Gekijō SeriesKanbai Chika GekijōTokyo Chōnenten Series
Music videos Title Tokyo Jihen "Koi wa Maboroshi for musician (Haishin Gentei Track)" Tokyo Jihen "Kabuki (album Adult Shūroku)" Ketsumeishi "Deai no kakera" Going Under Ground "Issho ni Kaerou"
References
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