Tatekawa Danshi V

An Excerpt from "Talking About Rakugo 1: The Japanese Art of Storytelling" (2022)

ISBN: 978-1088023600

Tatekawa Danshi was a young storyteller who rose to fame with the television boom in the 1960s. Born in Tokyo’s Koishikawa district on January 2, 1936, he dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to become the disciple of master storyteller Yanagiya Kosan V.

Danshi worked hard and performed stand-up comedy in tandem with his rakugo performances at the yose. He attained the level of shinuchi in 1963, but his promotion came late and caused him a great deal of humiliation. Two other prominent rakugoka, Kokentei Shincho III and Sanyutei Enraku V, who had entered the world of rakugo a few years after Danshi, were promoted to shinuchi a year earlier.

On May 5, 1966, Danshi became the television host of what was to become a highly popular and long enduring program called Shoten. The show was broadcast every Sunday evening, and it became a vehicle by which he could convey his dark sense of humor through his witty dialogue. Unfortunately, the audience did not appreciate Danshi’s humor and the initial ratings proved to be sluggish. Ultimately, the ratings coupled with his eroding relationship with the first group of performers proved to be his undoing. He was forced to resign as host.

Following his departure from Shoten, Danshi entered politics. He ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in the 1969 general election. Of the nine candidates, Danshi ranked sixth after the votes were counted. Undaunted, he made another attempt in 1971. With the blessing of his master, Kosan, he joined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was elected to the House of Councilors. Although he won a seat in government, there were 50 candidates nationwide and Danshi ranked 50th for the number of votes collected.

The remainder of the story can be found in...