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2 results

  • Chapter 3 - What Constitutes a Kamigata Rakugo Story?

  • from Part I
  • M. W. Shores, University of Sydney
  • Book:
    The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan
    Published online:
    06 August 2021
    Print publication:
    12 August 2021, pp 91-131

  • Summary

    The objective of Chapter 3 is to elucidate how Kamigata rakugo differs from Tokyo rakugo. Some differences are plain to see, but an in-depth analysis of their subtleties is key to understanding how they differ on multiple levels. Numerous stories told in both traditions are therefore presented to draw attention to the ways that they contrast in aspects of performance style and aspects of content. I selected merchant stories to analyze to help highlight the fact that Kamigata rakugo is ‘merchant-centered’. Chapter 3 also includes descriptions of ten recurring characters and character types in Kamigata rakugo, as well as some discussion of the two-man standup comedy art of manzai.

The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan
  • Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo
  • M. W. Shores
  • Published online:
    06 August 2021
    Print publication:
    12 August 2021
  • Rakugo, a popular form of comic storytelling, has played a major role in Japanese culture and society. Developed during the Edo (1600–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods, it is still popular today, with many contemporary Japanese comedians having originally trained as rakugo artists. Rakugo is divided into two distinct strands, the Tokyo tradition and the Osaka tradition, with the latter having previously been largely overlooked. This pioneering study of the Kamigata (Osaka) rakugo tradition presents the first complete English translation of five classic rakugo stories, and offers a history of comic storytelling in Kamigata (modern Kansai, Kinki) from the seventeenth century to the present day. Considering the art in terms of gender, literature, performance, and society, this volume grounds Kamigata rakugo in its distinct cultural context and sheds light on the 'other' rakugo for students and scholars of Japanese culture and history.