When a Comedian Stands on the Floor of the House: The Stage of Politics by Danshi Tachikawa (ca. 1980)

When a Comedian Stands on the Floor of the House: The Stage of Politics by Danshi Tachikawa (ca. 1980)

Once upon a time, Danshi Tachikawa stood on the political stage as a member of the Diet. But even there, he was a "comedian" from start to finish. He says, "I entered the Diet on the spur of the moment. When asked why he ran for office, he replied, "I came from a place where the land is expensive, the liquor is good, and the women are beautiful," without hesitation. Behind this lightheartedness was Danshi's way of life, in which he believed in sensation over system and intuition over logic. He would take a break from the Diet to perform at a yose, and he did not care if he was criticized. He left politics after six years, saying, "If I had to choose between art and politics, I would choose art without hesitation. For him, politics may have been just one of his stories and an extension of his stage presence. However, as he said, "I want Okinawa to win the high school baseball championship," he saw politics as a form of "expression" that could reach people's hearts. Even after
becoming vice minister for political affairs, he did not flatter his audience or deify political parties, and his attitude of declaring that "professionals sometimes disappoint their audience" was the spirit of a comedian that remained unchanged even on the floor of the Diet. A place where he was evaluated not by votes, but by silence and laughter, was his stage.