Tako Hachiro was born in Sendai Miyagi Prefecture Japan He came close to losing the vision in his left eye in a childhood accident He went on to become the professional flyweight boxing champion of Japan in 1962 After retiring from the ring he became a popular comedian and eventually appeared in films such as Toeis 1974 School of the Holy Beast He also appeared in television commercials and dramas He once managed a bar in Shinjukus Golden Gai section and was a member of Oniroku Dans group of artists and performers known as Oni Pro Hachiro drowned at a beach in Kanagawa Prefecture after suffering a heart attack