Manzai

With the end of the Taishō period, Yoshimoto Kōgyō—which itself was founded at the beginning of the era, in 1912—introduced a new style of manzai lacking much of the celebration that had accompanied it in the past.

Riding on the waves of new communication technology, manzai quickly spread through the mediums of stage, radio, and eventually, television, and video games.

The word tsukkomi (突っ込み) 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 (張り扇).

[citation needed] The most funniest manzai duos, according to a web survey by The Asahi Shimbun in 2012 (excerpt):[9]

A pair of manzai performers at a New Year celebration; the tsukkomi at front, the boke behind him (artist unknown, 19th-century Japanese painting)
Print depicting two manzai comedic actors, also in a New Year setting; c. 1825