Boke and Tsukkomi

Boke and Tsukkomi are both important in Japanese comedy. Boke and Tsukkomi caused laughter. The following information is from wikipedia. 

 Similar in execution to the concepts of “funny man” and “straight man” in doubt act comedy, these roles are a very important characteristic of Manzai. Boke comes from the verb “bokeru” which carries the meaning of “senility” or “air headed-ness” and is reflected in Boke’s tendency for misinterpretation and forgetfulness. The word Tsukkomi refers to the role the second comedian plays in “butting in” and correcting the Boke’s errors. In performances it is common for the Tsukkomi to berate the Boke and hit them on the head with a swift smack; one traditional Manzai prop often used for this purpose is a pleated paper fan called a Harisen. Another traditional Manzai prop is a small drum, usually carried by the Boke.

The tradition of Tsukkomi and Boke is often used in other Japanese comedy, although it may not be as obviously portrayed as it usually is in Manzai.

Noritsukkomi is a kind of Tsukkomi which ride on the Boke once, and do Tsukkomi after a while (correct the Boke’s error).

These make Manzai more interesting, so these are indispensable to Manzai. Futher, these make also daily conversation interesting.

List of comedian (Tsukkomi)

・Hamada Masatoshi (Downtown)

・Date Mikio (Sandwich man)

・Tsutsumishita Atsushi (Impulse)

etc

List of comedian (Boke)

・Matsumoto Hitoshi (Downtown)

・Tomizawa Takeshi (Sandwich man)

・Itakura Toshiyuki (Impulse)

etc