<figure id="attachment_270797" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270797" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f301e4cf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/10/1975041800011.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-270797" class="wp-caption-text">Members of Drifting. From left: Boo Takagi, Ken Shimura, Cha Kato, Mr. Nakamoto, and Nagasuke Ikariya, photographed in April 1975 (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
<p><strong> He often visited the conference room where Ken Shimura and Cha Kato were holding meetings, and the dressing room of Chosuke Ikariya&#8217;s plays. He is not a man of many words. When he spoke a word or two with Ikariya and others, he was always smiling. He was a calm person.</strong></p>
<p> He was a broadcaster for &#8220;Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen TV&#8221; (TBS, January 1986-March 1992) and was closely associated with &#8220;The Drifters. Saijo Noboru, a professor at Edogawa University, was a broadcaster for &#8220;Katochan Kenchan Kenchan Gen TV&#8221; (TBS, January 1986 to March 1992) and is closely associated with The Drifters.</p>
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<p> Saijo describes Mr. Ken Nakamoto, who died of acute subdural hematoma on October 19 at the age of 81 after a traffic accident at an intersection in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, as &#8220;a gentle man. Saijo reveals the surprising duality of Nakamoto during his drifting days.</p>
<p><strong> Ika Riya-san and Shimura-san were very particular about their laughter,&#8221; Saijo said. Unlike the cheerful atmosphere on TV, his true face was stoic. The atmosphere at the storytelling meetings was heavy. He was also a dedicated researcher. Mr. Shimura would go to an import record store called &#8220;WAVE&#8221; in Roppongi, Tokyo, and order dozens of videos of foreign comedy shows and comedy movies that were not available in Japan. Mr. Shimura was famous for his love of alcohol, but no matter how drunk he got home, he always checked the videos.</strong></p>
<p><strong> Mr. Nakamoto, on the other hand, rarely expressed his thoughts. He was a flexible person who could accept what Ikariya-san and Shimura-san wanted to do. If Mr. Shimura played the husband and made him laugh, he would dress up as a woman and say, &#8220;Anata~&#8221; to make him look good. In the &#8220;Thunder Master&#8221; comedy, he had few lines and was able to stand up well to the personality of Boo Takagi, who has a distinctive visual style. Without Mr. Nakamoto, who could adapt to anyone, Drifting, with its members&#8217; strong personalities, might not have existed.</strong></p>
<h2> Musician Nakamoto Construction.&#8221;</h2>
<p> It is well known that Mr. Nakamoto was the ace of the gymnastics club in junior high and high school. Mr. Saijo believes that Mr. Nakamoto&#8217;s athleticism helped make Drifting&#8217;s comedy on a grand scale.</p>
<p><strong> He was so sharp and athletic,&#8221; Saijo said. The large-scale slapstick of Drifting would not be complete without Mr. Nakamoto. He was especially good at the running gag, where he would make a big joke. The &#8220;rock-paper-scissors duel&#8221; with Mr. Shimura, in which the loser of a rock-paper-scissors fight receives a physical punishment, is one of Mr. Nakamoto&#8217;s masterpieces.</strong></p>
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<p> Mr. Nakamoto also has an unexpected side to him that is different from being a comedian. He is a &#8220;musician,&#8221; Mr. Saijo continues. Mr. Saijo continues.</p>
<p><strong> Before joining Drifting, he was a member of a rockabilly band called Jerry Fujio and the Papa Coles. His role was second vocalist and guitarist. Mr. Nakamoto&#8217;s talent came in handy in Drifting, which was a comic band in its early days. He was chosen as the center vocalist, and when the Beatles came to Japan in 1966, he stood in the center as the starter and sang &#8220;Nopo no Sally.</strong></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Why he started wearing black-rimmed glasses"></div>
<p>From then on, the pattern was for Mr. Nakamoto to lead the band and for Kato and the others to make mistakes in sound and be silly.</p>
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<p><strong> Mr. Nakamoto is a comedian when he is not playing an instrument, but as a musician, he was at the center of the band. Incidentally, in the beginning, Mr. Nakamoto did not wear black-rimmed glasses. He started wearing them after Fumio Tsunaki, a member of the group who wore black-rimmed glasses, quit the group. It may have been Mr. Nakamoto&#8217;s way of creating a character,&#8221; said Saijo.</strong></p>
<p> Mr. Nakamoto was a genius in a supporting role. Even in heaven, he must be enhancing the individuality of Ikariya-san and Shimura-san.</p>



 Kyodo News

 Mr. Ken Nakamoto of "The Drifters" passed away in a traffic accident at the age of 81. He was never a man of many words, but he was a valuable member of the Drifters who could fit in with anyone. A broadcaster with close ties to the Drifters reveals the surprising duality of Nakamoto's personality.

Nakamoto Construction, “Katoken” Broadcaster Saw “Two Sides the Public Doesn’t Know”.

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