Kazu-chan Wins Ventriloquism Grand Prix

Kazu-chan, or Kazuko Iikura, competed in Japan's top amateur ventriloquism competition, the F1 Ventriloquism Grand Prix, last month. She captivated the audience with her performance of a skit about kidnapping. As a result, she won first place in the entertainment category, becoming the best in Japan.

'I can't believe it,' said Iikura. 'I don't think anyone, including myself, thought it was possible.'

Iikura, who enjoys basketball as a hobby, works at a nursing home and has been balancing work and practice. She started ventriloquism because of her mother. 'My mother did ventriloquism, and I wanted to write scripts for her because they were so bad. That's how I started, and eventually, I began performing myself,' she said.

With this victory, Iikura aims to bring ventriloquism to a level where it can make young people laugh, similar to manzai or comedy skits.

Iikura, 53, from Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, won the entertainment category of the 3rd F1 Ventriloquism Grand Prix. The skit she performed, titled 'Kidnapping', received high praise from judge Ikkokudou, who commented, 'I was amazed to see what could be done with ventriloquism.'

In the final, Iikura played the role of the kidnapper and exited the stage with the puppet. She uses five different puppets in her performances and always ensures they appear alive, even when not speaking. Ventriloquism is challenging due to the difficulty of pronouncing plosive sounds like 'P' and 'B'. Iikura addresses this by substituting words or using similar sounds.

With few young ventriloquists today, Iikura wants to improve her skills and spread the charm of ventriloquism. While working at a nursing home, she continues to promote ventriloquism and believes that competitions like the Grand Prix can spark young people's interest, gain corporate support, and grow into significant events, helping to prevent aging in the art form.

Source: TBS