Talking About Rakugo 1: The Japanese Art of Storytelling

INTRODUCTION

While most Westerners today are acquainted with the traditional Japanese performing arts of Noh and kabuki, very few have heard of rakugo.

What is rakugo? While some people simply refer to it as Japanese “sit down,” or “kneel down comedy,” this 400-year-old art of storytelling is more complex than those over-simplified descriptions imply. Although it is true that rakugo is performed by a seated storyteller, unlike stand-up comedy, it is not just a series of jokes being fired off one after the other. Rakugo is a continuous story that often incorporates humorous monologues and builds up to the punchline at the end. It also requires the raconteur to portray multiple parts. Professional rakugo performers, like Noh and kabuki practitioners, endure a long and arduous apprenticeship with an experienced master storyteller in order to learn and perfect their art.

It is natural to think of rakugo as a comedic art because it was originally called otoshibanashi (stories with a punchline). However, the word “rakugo” is used as a general term to describe various types of stories including kokkeibanashi (funny stories), ninjobanashi (tragicomic human-interest stories), and kaidanbanashi (scary ghost stories).

When discussing rakugo, it is important to point out that there are two distinct performance styles. The first style is known as Kamigata (Osaka) rakugo and the second style is known as Edo (Tokyo) rakugo. The formats are practically the same and stories are shared between the two; however, there are some key differences to be aware of.

Both Kamigata rakugo and Edo rakugo emerged during the seventeenth century, but Edo rakugo was performed indoors while Kamigata rakugo was performed outdoors. As a result, the rakugoka (storytellers) performing in the Kamigata style had to devise ways through which they could attract people passing by and hold their attention throughout the performance. This is why Kamigata rakugo tends to be more colorful and cheerful than Edo rakugo. Furthermore, Kamigata rakugo storytellers place greater emphasis on entertaining an audience and making them laugh. Often, they will repeat a joke until they elicit laughter from the audience.

Since Edo rakugo was performed indoors, patrons were required to pay a fee before being admitted into the theater to watch the performance. With Kamigata rakugo, the performers collected money from the audience members who were still standing around after the performance had concluded. For this reason, it was imperative for Kamigata rakugo performers to engage their audience members and keep them laughing all the way until the end.[1]

Other distinguishing characteristics of Kamigata rakugo include the use of a small wooden table known as a kendai, on which the storyteller strikes a wooden clapper called a kobyoshi to signal the beginning of a story or a scene change. There is a small screen placed in front of the wooden table to hide the performer’s knees, which is called a hizakakushi. This style of rakugo also sometimes employs sound effects during the performance to help punctuate the story.

All of these outdoor techniques were retained by the Kamigata storytellers long after the performances were moved indoors during the eighteenth century with the establishment of vaudeville type theaters known as seki. And since the Kanto (“to” meaning “east”) region starkly differs in terms of language, food, and culture from the Kansai (“sai” meaning “west”) region, the theaters are known as yose in the eastern part of Japan where the Edo storytelling tradition originated.

Even though the style of performance and presentation of rakugo has changed very little since the art form was formally established in the late eighteenth century, calling it Japan’s traditional art gives it a sense of inflexibility.[2] On the contrary, rakugo, unlike Noh and kabuki, is very adaptable.

Rakugo’s collection of more than 500 classical stories, which date back to the Edo era, have been updated and altered through the years to include references to current events and situations in an attempt to help audience members better identify with the narratives. Rakugo also includes a vast assortment of original modern stories that are being written every day and constantly altered and updated to suit the audience, the time, and the place. In this regard, rakugo performers are not simply good comedians, but gifted, well-studied, and highly intuitive master storytellers.

There are as many reasons why people want to become rakugo performers as there are rakugoka performing in Japan today. Each person has his or her own unique story recalling why they followed the path leading to the world of rakugo. Perhaps the most unique reason comes from a performer known as Yanagiya Fukumaru II (born in 1954). Born into an affluent family, he always fancied living a poor man’s lifestyle. After joining the world of rakugo, he succeeded in that endeavor.[3]

Though rakugo itself is not yet well-known in the West, thanks to the manga Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (English title, Descending Stories) and English rakugo events organized to foster cultural exchanges, Westerners are slowly becoming better acquainted with the art form.

[1] 上方落語史 (Kamigata Rakugo-Shi). YouTube, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=R6MWif8kZQk&t=45s.

[2] Oshima, Kimie. “Japanese Sit-Down Comedy.” Rakugo. Humor & Health Journal (Vol. XII, Number 3), May 1998. http://www.angelfire.com/vamp/shoopshoop/Rakugo.html.

[3] “噺家を夢見た青春時代　落語家・柳家蝠丸さん (Hanashika Wo Yumemita Seishun Jidai – Rakugoka Yanagiya Fukumaru).”The Mainichi, October 12, 2018.