Welcome to English Rakugo
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Event Information
What Is Rakugo? What Is English Rakugo?
Rakugo is a traditional Japanese art of storytelling with a history of about 400 years. It originated and developed in both the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan. The performer, dressed in a kimono and seated on a cushion called zabuton, tells a story while portraying multiple characters by changing his or her voice, facial expressions, and movements. Although humorous stories make up the largest part of the repertoire, there are many different genres, including ghost stories and touching human dramas.
The only props used in rakugo are a folding fan and a hand towel. The fan can represent various objects, such as chopsticks or a tobacco pipe, while the hand towel can be used to represent a wallet, a book, and so on.
It was Katsura Shijaku, a rakugo performer from the Kansai region, who first began performing rakugo in English. That was back in 1983. Today, performers working in English rakugo in Kansai include the Canadian Katsura Sunshine, Katsura Fukuryu, the British Diane Kichijitsu, and Katsura Kaishi. In Tokyo, performers include Kanariya Eiraku, Kanariya Ichirin, Kanariya Koraku, Kanariya Eishi, and the French performer Cyril Coppini, who are the full members of the English Rakugo Association; the Swedish performer Sanyutei Koseinen; and Tachikawa Shinoharu of the Tachikawa school, among others.
Some people may wonder whether rakugo, a traditional Japanese performing art, can really be performed in English. However, the humor of rakugo has a universal appeal and can be readily understood by audiences from other countries as well. Some stories, such as Jugemu, may actually work better in English. When a cultural element is difficult for an international audience to understand, as in Manju Kowai, we sometimes adapt it—for example, replacing manju, a traditional Japanese sweet, with hamburgers.
To date, we have performed a wide variety of rakugo stories both in Japan and overseas, including Jugemu, Tenshiki, Matsuyama Mirror, First visit to the Shrine, Complimenting a Child, Chiritotechin, The Zoo, Peach Boy, Test Sake, The Tanuki that Returned the Favor, Nopperabo, The God of Death, The Other End, Time Noodles, Yawning School, and Scary Hamburgers, and they have been well received by audiences.
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English Rakugo Association Performances
The English Rakugo Association holds English rakugo performances and bilingual rakugo performances in Japanese and English twice a month, on the second and fourth Sundays at 2:00 p.m. at the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center.
On the second Sunday, the performers are mainly members of the English Rakugo Club within the Association. On the fourth Sunday, performances are given by full members of the Association. We also hold the Smile English Rakugo performances on an irregular basis, with free admission.
Other English Rakugo Performances and Workshops
We also organize English rakugo performances at the request of schools, companies, and other organizations. The main program is an English rakugo performance, often combined with a workshop in which audience members can participate. In the workshop, participants have the opportunity to experience performing short stories in English.
