TACHIBANAYA BUNZO III

An excerpt from Talking About Rakugo 2: The Stories Behind the Storytellers

Tokyoite Tachibanaya Bunzo stepped into the world of rakugo in October 1986 at the age of 24. Bunzo (previously known as Bunzaemon) was a regular on the BS Nippon Television series, BS Shoten (later renamed Shoten Jr.), a sister program to the highly popular weekly television show Shoten. Shoten first aired on May 15, 1966, and it is currently the second-longest running television variety show in Japan. BS Shoten’s announcer often jokingly introduced Bunzo to the audience as “the model prisoner in the dressing room.”[1]

Indeed, Bunzo is a dynamic character with an impressive brawny appearance and a gruff voice. He injects these characteristics into his rakugo performances, but he is careful not to alter the basic structure of the stories themselves. Whether he is portraying Inkyo (the old man), Hachigoro, or Kumagoro, all of the rakugo characters he depicts are offshoots of his own personality. This makes his rakugo truly unique and one of a kind.

One of the stories Bunzo truly enjoys performing is called “Rakuda” (“Camel”), about a gang member who is disliked by everyone. Rakugo includes many stories that were adapted from kabuki plays, but “Rakuda” is one of the few rakugo stories adapted into a kabuki play. As the story unfolds, Rakuda passes away from fugu (puffer fish) poisoning, and his fellow gang member, Hanji, has to find a way to conduct a funeral service for him. Bunzo’s portrayal of the gang members in the story is so convincingly realistic that it actually frightens people. During one performance, fellow rakugoka Kokontei Shincho was in the audience. After watching Bunzo’s performance, Shincho said, "It was good but a bit scary.”[2]

Several years ago, Bunzo offered a rakugo class specifically for amateur performers. He regularly gathered at a bar with his students after that day’s lessons were over. On one such occasion, one of his students, Hanpeiji, approached him and told him that he was having trouble acting out a part in a story called "Gojo-kyu" ("Stubborn Moxibustion").

The story involves moxa, an herb harvested from the mugwort plant, which is commonly used in Chinese medicine. One of the characters in the story has to endure the pain of burning moxa placed on his skin. The student confessed that he did not know how to act this part out as he had never experienced the sensation of burning moxa on his skin. Bunzo, who was drinking alcohol and smoking a cigar at the time, placed his lit cigar on his pupil’s arm. The young man yelled out in pain, and Bunzo calmly said, “Like this.”[3]

Talking About Rakugo 2:

The Stories Behind the Storytellers

is on sale now through Amazon and other online book retailers.

[1]“橘家文蔵 (3代目) .” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, July 3, 2021. https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A9%98%E5%AE%B6%E6%96%87%E8%94%B5_(3%E4%BB%A3%E7%9B%AE). [2] Kanariya, Eiraku. TACHIBANAYA BUNZO III (３代目橘家文蔵), May 21, 2021. [3] Kanariya, Eiraku. TACHIBANAYA BUNZO III.