The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan
Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo

This multidisciplinary study of Japan's storytelling tradition of Kamigata rakugo comes with five stories translated.

M. W. Shores (Author)

9781108831505, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 August 2021

280 pages
23.4 x 15.8 x 2.1 cm, 0.535 kg

'A valuable contribution to studies of not just rakugo, but also Japanese humor and performance more generally … a valuable intervention in research on local culture in a modern Japan that is often defined by its unity. Shores's book will be a core text in building the reception of rakugo in its multiple forms in English-language scholarship … useful for many readers, from scholars to undergraduates.' Aaron Gerow, Monumenta Nipponica

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.

Author's Preface: COVID-19 and Tenugui Face Masks
Introduction
Part I. 1. Kamigata, Osaka
2. The History of Kamigata Rakugo
3. What Constitutes a Kamigata Rakugo Story?
4. Geidan: An Interview with Hayashiya Somemaru IV (1949–)
5. Conclusion
Part II. 6. Five Kamigata Rakugo Classics.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG], Literary studies: general [DSB], Literature: history & criticism [DS], Literature & literary studies [D], Theatre studies [AN], The arts [A]