From Nothing to a Decade Later: Kumamushi’s Reason for Continuing to Perform

“Our highest monthly income, including royalties and commercials, was 8 million yen.”

“I only sang ‘YES,’ but mine was 8 million yen too (laughs).”

So say Shunsuke Hasegawa (39) and Daiki Sato (37) of the comedy duo Kumamushi. When Hasegawa reveals how huge their breakthrough was back then, Sato replies in a self-deprecating way. The two show their exquisite back-and-forth. Speaking of them, in 2014, their song gag “Attakaindakaraa♪” became a massive hit that just about everyone was humming. Their popularity extended beyond the comedy world; upon making their CD debut, they went on to win numerous awards in the music industry, becoming an overnight sensation.

Now, more than 10 years later, where Kumamushi stands is not the sacred ground of music, the Nippon Budokan, but rather the sacred ground of comedy, the Toyokan in Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo. This year marks the 15th anniversary of their forming as a duo. They spoke about the reason why they still continue to stand on the comedy stage today.

The amazing world of entertainment as seen at the time of their breakthrough

First, the two looked back on the time of their breakthrough. Their busyness was beyond imagination.

Hasegawa: Things were incredible back then. For example, in terms of a single day’s schedule, I’d wake up in the morning, go to Aomori for a daytime event, then in the evening do an event in Kagoshima, then return to Tokyo for a recording, and the next day start work in Osaka… That kind of pace. Of course there were no days off, and even finding time to sleep was tough.

Sato: Yeah. I barely even knew where I was anymore.

Hasegawa: We traveled all over Japan, but I don’t even remember what we ate. In the middle of that schedule, I had to meet every day with the record company, going, “How about this melody?” or “Let’s tweak this lyric a bit,” all while also writing new material. You didn’t even know I was doing all that, did you?

Sato: Hmm, I thought you were doing something (laughs). No, no, I’m kidding! I noticed, I noticed! (laughs)

Hasegawa: Sato would sometimes show up where we were having meetings. He’d sit on the sofa with a coffee in hand and say, “Nice, you’re working hard,” like that. But he didn’t really contribute any ideas. And yet we split the pay evenly! That’s just wrong. Even now, I’m starting to get mad about it.

Sato: It’s not wrong! How many years are you going to keep bringing that up?

Hasegawa: Also, back then, strangers would come greet me every day. More and more people kept gathering around us. But I had absolutely no time—no chance to spend money, no chance to have fun.

Sato: Right. That’s why I still have savings left from the royalties of “Attakaindakaraa♪.”

Hasegawa: Oh yeah, once I was invited to a party where a certain artist had rented out the entire venue, and HIKAKIN (36) was there. I was really surprised. It made me feel like I was actually part of the entertainment world.

Sato: I also once went out drinking with a certain male idol, and he said, “You’re still using LINE? That’s risky—you should use this instead,” and he showed me another app. It was a messaging app where you could erase all the exchanges, so your “fun” wouldn’t be exposed. I thought, “So this is how celebrities play around.”

A big fight at a recording studio that made me think about splitting up.

The two had caught a glimpse of the glamorous world, but the tides of the entertainment industry change quickly. The following year, their television appearances began to decline, and their monthly income, which had once reached 8 million yen, dropped drastically. At one point, they even considered breaking up.

Hasegawa: In the latter half of 2015, Yasumura-san (Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura, 43) came on the scene, and my schedule book, which had been completely full, gradually started to show blank spaces… Then came Nola Hirano (46), Atsugiri Jason (39), and finally Buruzon Chiemi (35). By about a year and a half after our breakthrough, it became common to have an entire week off.

Sato: What really finished us off was COVID. We lost our regular TV spots, our gigs, everything—our work and income went completely to zero. That was when I really thought we were in deep trouble.

Hasegawa: There was also a time when the idea of breaking up crossed my mind. Even as our regular jobs were already declining, there was an incident where Sato got into a fight with the director of one of our shows. That show was our only regular program in the Kanto region, and it was a program hosted by our agency senior, Daiki Bibiru (50). I thought, “Why aren’t you taking this seriously?” and ended up fighting with Sato. At that moment, I thought, “Ah, am I going to be okay from here on out?”

Sato: It wasn’t exactly a fight—it was more like Hasegawa lectured me. I had my issues with that director, but Hasegawa told me, “I don’t think you’re wrong, but keep it under control.” Still, if we broke up, that would be the end for me (laughs). After all, it was Hasegawa’s “Attakaindakaraa♪” that made us famous! If I did “Attakaindakaraa♪” on my own, it wouldn’t make sense. I’ve got no choice but to stick with him. For me, breaking up has never been an option.

Hasegawa: He says that, but these days Sato does “Attakaindakaraa♪” even more than I do—outside of manzai shows (laughs).

The two experienced the rock bottom of having zero income. Even so, the reason they didn’t break up was because, at their core, they always held on to their “passion for manzai.” In order to climb back up, the path they chose was to devote everything to comedy.

Sato: Actually, I work as a trainer about three days a week now. It’s kind of like Billy’s Bootcamp, with my own original exercise routines. I play the song “Attakaindakaraa♪” while saying things like, “Let’s work up some special soup (meaning sweat)!”

Hasegawa: As for me, I’ve started working as a neppashi (a sauna heat master). If I do a session at one place, word spreads and people send me direct messages saying, “Please come to our sauna too.” Now I get to work at different saunas.

Sato: At first glance, it might seem like we’ve given up on comedy, but for us it’s actually the opposite. We’re doing both of these things as “fertilizer for our craft,” to bring back into comedy. Our senior in the “one-hit wonder club,” Higuchi from Hige Danshaku (Higuchi-kun, 51), got a wine expert certification, and everyone’s been using their side jobs to connect back to comedy. We were inspired by that, so we started the trainer and neppashi work. Sure, they’re technically side jobs, but in our minds they’re a way to increase opportunities in comedy.

Hasegawa: Although, I do have one complaint. When we’re rehearsing material, he sometimes shows up about five minutes late, drinking a protein shake and asking, “So, what’s the vibe?” He even drinks protein backstage at the Toyokan. Someday someone should scold him (laughs).

Sato: What’s wrong with drinking protein! I’m training for next summer’s competition! Back in the day, people said I was the “colder one,” but now I’m working hard to become the “warmer one” compared to my partner (laughs).

Ambitions of the two who overcame hardships and hardships

Kumamushi has never missed an appearance at the M-1 Grand Prix, but next year will be their last chance. Of course, they’re entering again this year, but their sights are set even further ahead.

Hasegawa: Last year, we were scouted by Knights’ Hanawa-san (Nobuyuki, 47) to join the Manzai Association, and now we often get to perform at the Toyokan. It’s really fun. It feels like we’ve finally found a new home.

Sato: Yeah. It gave us confidence. We can get laughs from everyone—from junior high students on school trips to elderly people. It’s the place where we gained the conviction that we can still keep going.

Hasegawa: Back when we got famous, people would say, “In the end, you’re not comedians, you’re just artists, right?” And when our popularity faded, they’d say, “Are you artists or comedians? You’re half-baked.” But I believe that song is my lifelong treasure. Now that we get to perform our craft on the traditional stage of the Toyokan, I finally feel like we’ve truly become manzai comedians.

Sato: As Kumamushi, we each have things we want to do, and we both have goals like achieving results in THE SECOND. That’s why now our vision is clear.

Hasegawa: Our foundation is manzai! That’s the point we share!

Sato: Yeah. Yeah.

Hasegawa: Well, before that, we’ve got to give our all in M-1 (laughs).

Continuing to seek the scenery of glory, Kumamushi has kept making their choice. Having found a place that’s more “passionately their own” than anyone else’s, and having become even “warmer,” the day they achieve results in the prize races is surely not far away.