Japanese

"Rakugo"

Have you ever been to "Rakugo"? Even though you may have not, I believe that some of you have watched a famous TV program named "Shoten" which has been on air for decades. In brief, Rakugo is a centuries-old Japanese professional storytelling. The performer in kimono tells you some funny or impressive stories just sitting on a small quilted mat called zabuton. This kind of spoken sit-down comedy is uniquely Japanese and it was first shown in the beginning of Edo Era. Original Rakugo is categorized as old Rakugo (Koten rakugo) that had been passed down orally from performers to performers while improving gradually.
In the modern Rakugo, performers were free to do their own Rakugo without any restrictions so that they can reveal their own personalities.

This may be a digression but are you aware of a long novel titled "Hyoten" ("Freezing point" as English title") written by the now deceased Ayako Miura?
The above mentioned "Shoten" (Laughing point!?) was named after this "Hyoten" because they really wished that their TV program would become as popular as the novel. And yes, their wishes have been realized after all. For more than 30 years, this Sunday evening program has been very popular.

The performer will usually wear Kimono but sometimes wear a formal jacket (Haori) or a pair of long wide pants (Hakama) as well. They sit down on their knees on a small quilted mat provided on the stage. Each performer is usually equipped with a fan (Sensu) and a hand towel (Tenugui). The purposes of these items are quite unique. These items can turn into something else in performances. They also help the performer express more lively and act out the story. For example, the fan may become chopsticks, scissors, cigarettes, pipe, or pen. The towel could be a book, bills, or a real towel. The performer acts out the whole story by making use of a fan and a hand towel only, accompanied by the talk. This also means that one performer will act to portray various kinds of characters during the performance. He looks left and right, up and down in order to express a conversation between two people. Even the social standings are well expressed by looking down right or left upwards.

By these professional storytelling, Rakugo becomes alive. Since Rakugo, which often depicts Japanese ordinary people's lives from the past, it may also help you to learn about the country's traditional customs and ethnicity in relaxed atmosphere. It's all about a heart-warming laugh on a subject that very well relates to our daily life and the past cultures.

Well, now I guess you want to know how the actual Rakugo is like.
Here's a sample of Rakugo story.

<< THE CAT'S DISH >>

A curio dealer was traveling around hunting for great antique finds. While resting at a tea stall at Kawagoe, he noticed a cat eating food from a dish. The dish that cat was eating out of, he realized, was a splendid specimen of a very precious pottery, called the "Korean plum pot." It seemed that the owner of the stall did not realize its value.

"Old man," the dealer spoke to the owner,
"Today's weather is certainly mild, isn't it?"

"Yes, It's a really nice day."

"The scenery is pleasant, too. And I really have no words to praise that pine tree. Very, very nice."

"Yes, everybody says so."

"And your cat's nice, too. Come here, pussy cat."

"Sir, you should leave the cat alone. It has such a long tail."

"It doesn't matter if his tail is long, does it? After all, he's not going to strangle anyone with it."

"Better leave it alone. It's shedding."

"That's OK. I like it. Ha, ha, ha. It's taking a nap on my knee. Why, it's taken to me completely. Can I take this cat home? My wife would love to have one."

"Gee, I don't know what to say. My wife has passed away, and this cat keeps me from feeling lonely."

"I'm not asking for you to give me your cat for nothing. I'll leave money to make up for what you've spent on dried bonito to feed it. If it's OK, please sell it to me for three gold coins."

"That much money?"

"It's all right, it's all right."

"I'm at a loss what to do.... OK. All right. It looks like you'd be a kind owner."
The curio dealer won the old man's consent at last, but when he asked him to throw in the Koguryo plum pot as well, saying that it was best to feed the cat from a dish that it is used to, things didn't work out according to his scheme.

"Sir, I'm sorry that I can not giving away that dish. You may not realize it, but that dish is a fine example of a Korean plum pot. A dish like that goes for 300 ryo at the very least."

"Well, is that a fact? But why do you feed your cat on such an expensive dish?"

"Well, this way I can sometimes sell a cat for three gold pieces."

end