Early Life
Hamada was born near Daikokucho Station in Naniwa-ku, Osaka to Kengoro and Nobuko Hamada. His family moved to Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture before entering a kindergarten. There, he attended Ushio Elementary School and met Hitoshi Matsumoto. He and Matsumoto did not become friends until junior high. Like Matsumoto, his family was very poor and lived in an old, run-down apartment building. He claims his family was well-off in Osaka, until his father's acquaintance got them involved in his own private debt with the yakuza.
He attended senior high at Nissei Gakuen Dai-ni Kōtō-gakkō in Mie Prefecture. As a freshman, he found his studies so stressful that he ran away from the dormitory several times. Whenever he ran away, he would phone Matsumoto for financial help.
Not knowing what to do after graduating, he took an exam to become a motorboat racer at his father's suggestion, which he failed.
In 1982, he and Matsumoto entered Yoshimoto Kōgyō, to become a comedy duo. They made their debut in 1983.
Read more about this topic: Masatoshi Hamada
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