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

270 pages
23.4 x 15.8 x 2.1 cm, 0.535 kg

'The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan is a triumph … the book is a highly readable and often entertaining declaration of love for the wonders of the performing arts and the Kansai region. It whets the appetite and makes Kamigata rakugo more accessible for readers interested in Japanese performance, literature, and comedy. The performers of Kamigata rakugo should get ready for the new and well-deserved interest generated by this book.' Till Weingärtner, Journal of Japanese Studies

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]