Born in Aoyama , Tokyo , the son of rice cracker shop owners , Enomoto fell under the spell of such stars of the Asakusa Opera as Taya Rikizo and Fujiwara Yoshie , and in 1922 he made his stage debut at age 18 as a chorus member of the Asakusa Kinryukan Theatre . The Great Kantō earthquake of the following year dealt a great blow to the opera world in Tokyo , at which time Enomoto shifted to comic theatre . Playing small roles in various comedy productions , he returned to the Asakusa stage in 1929 as part of the troupe Casino Folies . The following year saw him launch his own troupe , Enoken Gekidan , which would firmly establish him as a leading figure in Tokyo theatrical circles . In 1934 , he starred in the movie '' Enoken no Seishun Suikoden '' ( Enoken 's Tale of Youth 's Folly ) , and gained national popularity . His subsequent film career saw him parody a whole parade of Japanese historical personages , including Kondō Isami and Sakamoto Ryōma , in a series of " jidai-geki " ( historical dramas ) and " chanbara " ( samurai drama ) films , including some directed by Kajirō Yamamoto , Nobuo Nakagawa and Akira Kurosawa
Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
Ken'ichi Enomoto