[Incredibly Impressive] From Renowned Actors to LDP Lawmakers… The “Heavyweights” Who Attended “Kintaro Tamabukuro’s 40th Anniversary in Show Business Party”

“He looks so badass (lol)”

Surrounded by lush greenery, the Meiji Memorial Hall (Minato Ward) was quiet and serene. On June 6, this venue—which has ties to the Imperial Family—hosted the “First Celebration of Tamabukuro Shintaro’s 40th Anniversary in Show Business.”

“The event was produced by Mr. Tamabukuro himself, and about 200 people from various fields attended. Near the entrance to the venue, congratulatory flower arrangements from Ichiro Furudate (71), Nobuhiko Takada (64), Masahiro Chono (62), and others were on display.“It was a lineup that really suited Mr. Tamabukuro, who is a die-hard pro wrestling fan,” said one attendee.

Fifteen minutes before the event began, Pierre Taki (59)—who has been friends with Tamabukuro for over 30 years—entered the venue in a commanding outfit consisting of a black suit and large sunglasses.When the guests near the entrance noticed Taki—who looked as if he’d stepped straight out of the TV drama *Jimen-shi*—they all exclaimed, “He looks so badass! (laughs).”

“After that, a string of ‘heavyweights’ began arriving one after another, including TV producer Terry Ito (76), adult video director Toru Muranishi (77), news anchor Hitoshi Kusano (82), and broadcaster Kazuo Tokumitsu (85). We even spotted Muneo Suzuki (78), a member of the House of Councillors from the Liberal Democratic Party.

It’s the kind of thing that only happens at this party—an adult video director and a House of Councillors member attending the same event. It seems Mr. Tamabukuro had also sent an invitation to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (65). He apparently invited her because he had served as the emcee at her wedding, but she politely declined.Since Hikaru Ota (61) of the comedy duo “Bakusho Mondai” was also at the party, if Ms. Takaichi had come, it would have made for a scene so spectacular it would have put any election special to shame (laughs).” (Ibid.)

After enjoying the banquet, which lasted about two and a half hours, Tamabukuro loaded his trunk with more gifts than he could carry and got into a taxi as those involved saw him off.

“Many celebrities attended, but key members of the ‘Takeshi Army’—such as his comedy partner Dr. Suidobashi (63) and his mentor Beat Takeshi (79)—were nowhere to be seen. Tamabukuro jokingly mentioned, ‘We’ll hold the second one this fall,’ so if that happens, they might attend that one,” said another participant.

On his own radio show, Ota quipped, “What do you mean ‘the first one’? There’s only one 40th anniversary, right? (laughs),” but Tamabukuro might actually be seriously planning a “second event.”