Butchie Musha, the god of repentance, will never forget “the invitation to join the corps” and Takeshi’s words: “Comedy is…
Butchie Musha, known as the “god of repentance” in the popular corner of the legendary comedy show “Ore-tachi Hyokinzoku” from the 1980s, talks about the first part of the show. Butchie Butchie, the god of penitence, talks about the behind-the-scenes of the “Hyokin Zoku” stage. (Part 1), Butchie Musha, the god of repentance, talks about his memories of that time.
Butch Takeshi, who was the last to leave work, was always lonely, taking a bath to remove his white makeup before going out for a drink alone in Shinjuku. One day, however, Takeshi approached him.
I was taking a bath when the door rattled open, and I wondered who had come in,” Takeshi said. He said, ‘I’m having a drink upstairs, so come on over.’ I went over, and there was Takeshi and the president of Ota Productions, to which he belonged at the time.
It was, unexpectedly, a solicitation to join the Takeshi Army.
He said, “I want to work with young people and do various interesting things. I want to work with young people and do all kinds of interesting things, and I was wondering if you would be interested. It was a pretty serious scout. He said, “But I am Leonardo Bear’s disciple, so I can’t do that. That’s no good.”
At that time, Takeshi’s group was still in its infancy, and the Great Gidayu had not joined at that time. I thought, “Takeshi-san, you wanted a fat character.”
But, you know, it would have been strange for him to leave after that. While we were drinking, we started talking about what comedy was all about.
Takeshi-san said, “If you put it simply, comedy is like Gandhi. Well, it’s like Gandhi, resistance without resistance. I thought, “Takeshi-san, you are a man of deep wisdom. He said, “America, you know, they are the people who make the most money by selling weapons here and there and fighting many wars. Comedy, in that sense, is a weapon of peace. Since then, I have become a hidden Keshi fan.
More than 10 years later, I went to Afghanistan to perform comedy in front of soldiers, and when I showed my material to the bearded soldiers and actually communicated with them, they all looked good. At that time, I thought this is what Takeshi was talking about.
In 1989, “Hyokinzoku” came to an end. Musha says that even after that, thanks to “God,” there was no shortage of business, but every day was somewhat empty. There was even a time when he smuggled himself into Afghanistan to perform in Afghanistan in search of the “best in comedy.
After that, he decided to leave show business and opened “Onna Mu Bar” in Kabukicho in 1997. The bar was a success and he was busy, but his feelings were still somewhat unfulfilled. He started his own theater company and began to produce plays, taking up LGBT and other themes that were too early for him at the time, but one day he came across the theme of “dementia and nursing care.
“One day,” he says, “the mother of an acquaintance of mine, who I also took care of, developed dementia. This led me to become interested in dementia and nursing care, and I learned about the nursing homicide that took place in Kyoto in 2006. The case was about a son who tried to commit suicide because he was struggling to make ends meet by caring for his mother with dementia and was accused of her murder.”
That judge said it very well. The judge said, “You should live, and you should live for your mother. That was the sentence that was given. When I learned that, I thought it was amazing. I thought that I should not let this matter fade away, so I created a play titled “Ikiru” (Live).
This September will be my 21st performance, and I have been doing it for almost 10 years now. To tell the truth, a play is not a profitable business, and it is a heavy, heavy subject. But we do it because it is absolutely necessary.
God’s activities continue to this day.
Profile: Butchie Musha (Hirokazu Musha)
Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1952. After passing an audition for "Comedy On Stage" (NHK), he studied under Leonardo Kumar and started his career in comedy. Representative of ZANGE Theater Company and BMC Enterprises. The play "Ikiru" will be performed at Ageo City Cultural Center on September 3, 2012.
Cooperation for the interview: N.K Narts