Masuda Kiiton, born Kimura Hajime (木村一) in Aoyanagi, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, was a Japanese actor and comedian, also known by the name Masuda Kiiton (益田キートン). His family, originally samurai from the Aizu domain, relocated to Hakodate after losing a battle in Niigata. They initially ran a civil engineering business and owned two stone mountains. However, after his grandfather's death and his father’s business failure, Masuda's family fell into poverty, and he was raised in a small house in Yachigashira after his father left to seek fortune in America.

Masuda attended Hokkaido Prefectural Hakodate Commercial High School (北海道庁立函館商業学校), where he was an avid reader of Tolstoy and initially aspired to be a novelist. He also played baseball, excelling as a third baseman before abandoning the sport due to his slow speed. After graduating, he joined the "Hakodate Taiyo Club" (函館太洋倶楽部) but eventually left baseball.

In 1930, Masuda joined a trade company in Otaru, Hokkaido, and assisted with the Sapporo-based Akai Fusha Review Group (赤い風車レビュー団). When the company dissolved in 1931, he moved to Tokyo and joined Yoshimoto Kogyo (吉本興業), performing at the Kagetsu Theater (花月劇場). In 1936, he formed the comedy group Akiteta Boys (あきれたぼういず) with Kawada Yoshio (川田義雄), Shiba Rie (芝利英), and Boya Saburo (坊屋三郎), though the group disbanded in 1939. That same year, he briefly worked with Shinko Kinema (新興キネマ) before returning to Akiteta Boys. He later formed the Masuda Kiiton Troupe (益田喜頓一座), but the group was disbanded after an air raid in Osaka.

After World War II, Masuda reformed Akiteta Boys in 1946 with Boya Saburo and Yamagawa Kyu (山川究), but the group disbanded in 1951. Masuda was also known for his love of letter writing, publishing several essays and short story collections. He continued performing on stage and television until his death from colon cancer on December 1, 1993.

(Source: kisskh) Edit Biography