Rakugo: traditional Japanese comedy

The Manila Times

Rakugo: traditional Japanese comedy  In rakugo, an entertainment that became popular with the common people in the 17th century, a single performer sits on a cushion on stage to tell a humorous story. This takes the form of a conversation, with the performer changing their tone and gesture for its different characters, using only a folding fan and a simple cotton cloth as props. Many of the old tales are still popular today, and rakugo is gaining fans around the world. We see one performed by a professor who studies humor and performs rakugo in English. The enthusiastic reception she has received in many countries proves that the power of laughter knows no boundaries.  VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #DailyNews #Japan #Rakugo #Comedy #Performance #Humor

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:05 Shinjuku is one of Tokyo's largest business and shopping districts.

00:11 [Music]

00:13 In a back street behind the skyscrapers, you'll find this site from another age.

00:18 [Music]

00:20 It's a traditional theatre dedicated to Yose, a kind of Japanese vaudeville or variety show.

00:26 [Music]

00:28 As well as the rows of regular seats facing the stage,

00:31 there are raised areas along each side where the audience sits on tatami mats.

00:36 [Music]

00:38 A typical program will include a wide variety of acts.

00:42 You can watch scissors wielded at lightning speed to cut paper into complex patterns.

00:49 An old style musical comedy act.

00:52 [Music]

00:56 Or a pair of astonishingly dexterous jugglers.

01:00 [Applause]

01:03 But one thing included in every Yose program is rakugo.

01:07 This features a single performer sitting on a cushion relating a humorous story.

01:12 [Music]

01:14 Rakugo props are very simple. Just a folding fan and a small cotton cloth.

01:19 The fan can of course be used for its original purpose.

01:24 But it plays many other roles too.

01:26 For example, it can be the chopsticks as he simulates eating noodles.

01:31 [Music]

01:36 The cloth can also represent a multitude of objects.

01:39 Here it's a notebook he's reading from.

01:42 [Music]

01:46 Rakugo was invented in the 17th century.

01:50 While it was hugely popular among the common people, it rapidly developed extensive repertoire.

01:57 Many stories from those days are still told today.

02:00 Especially the classic tales making fun of people behaving foolishly.

02:05 Here he's describing a not so bright working man's arranged marriage to a woman full of pretentious heirs

02:11 because she worked for a noble family.

02:14 He plays both parts as they meet for the first time.

02:17 [Music]

02:24 For the female role, he switches to feminine gestures and voice.

02:28 The humor comes from the man's inability to understand his new wife's over polite way of speaking.

02:34 [Music]

02:41 [Music]

02:48 Rakugo tales are mostly conversations.

02:51 And the skill is to switch smoothly between characters.

02:54 [Music]

02:57 In the world of comedy, it seems rather rare to have one person playing all the characters in a humorous story as we do in Rakugo.

03:05 I think we have a special culture here that I hope will be discovered by more people worldwide.

03:11 [Music]

03:12 In fact, Rakugo in English is now becoming popular overseas.

03:16 Performing here is Professor Oshima Kimie, a specialist in humor studies.

03:21 [Music]

03:24 Translating Rakugo into English led her to start performing herself.

03:28 And she's now demonstrated Rakugo to audiences in many countries.

03:32 [Music]

03:34 In my experience, funny stories about foolish behavior have a universal appeal.

03:39 They always get a big laugh from audiences in every country I go to.

03:43 [Music]

03:45 We asked Professor Oshima to demonstrate a Rakugo that pleases overseas audiences.

03:49 [Music]

03:51 She chose the story of a foolish man who finds a dead body and mistakes it for that of his friend.

03:57 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.

03:59 He goes to his friend's house.

04:01 The friend is also not too bright.

04:04 You're dead!

04:07 Yes, you are. I saw you dead.

04:10 Really?

04:12 I don't feel dead, really.

04:15 How did I die?

04:16 Oh, I don't know. You were by the river.

04:18 Their nonsensical conversation is always a crowd pleaser.

04:22 In the end, the friend goes back with him to pick up the body.

04:26 You know what, Hachi? Now I'm really confused.

04:29 This dead man is for sure me, but who am I picking up my own body?

04:36 Laughter is something that transcends culture and nationality.

04:41 I believe that just the simple act of laughing together can bring us closer to our fellow human beings.

04:48 Rakugo. Connecting the world through the universal power of laughter.

04:53 [Music]

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