[Raves] Rakugo: A New Breath of Story Telling with a Traditional Influence

Unlike a stand-up comedic show, Rakugo has a little more sweetness in it as it blends tradition into modern word play. A performer usually wears a kimono and seated in a traditional way on a cushion, and telling tales of all sorts that can make people laugh at the same time contains messages that are not only applicable for everyday life but also for all walk of life and all ages.

Rokugo does not need much. All they need are a paper fan (sensu) and also a hand towel (tenugui), a Rakugoka can do wonders with them. They could make the sensu into a pen and the tenugui into a paper. Sensu could also be used as a pair of scissors, chopstick and also as cigarette and pipe. A rakugoka also possess the unique skill to tell a story in a form of two or more person interacting on stage. They shift from one character to another seamlessly and fluidly just by changing their tone, their voice, mannerisms or even their accent. Not only that, rakugoka also smartly includes puns and wordplay into their story.

I myself have yet to watch a real live performance of Rakugo. Sad to say that I was introduced to Rakugo through a mainstream media by accident. My first ncounter of rakugo (while I did not realize it was Rakugo back then) was from a TV Show by Kanjani8 called Mugendai no Gimon in an episode called Rakugo. But the drama that got me into Rakugo was Nagareboshi which I watched not really because of the story itself but because Kiriyama Akito was acting in it (it’s an idiotic reason, I know), and the art of rakugo suddenly appeal to me.

Soon after I was suggested another drama which the story itself revolves around Rakugo called 'Tiger and Dragon' starring Nagase Tomoya and Okada Junichi. This series makes me understand Rakugo a little bit more and makes me fall in love with this culture even further.

To pick a favorite among the hundreds of Rakugo classics is almost impossible. One of the famous one though is called ‘Jugemu’. There are many ways of telling the story really but the basis of the story rely on this cut of sentences:

寿限無寿限無

Jugemu-jugemu

五劫の擦り切れ

Gokōnosurikire

海砂利水魚の　水行末

Kaijarisuigyo-no Suigyōmatsu

雲来末　風来末

Unraimatsu Fūraimatsu

食う寝る処に住む処

Kūnerutokoroni-sumutokoro

やぶら小路のぶら小路

Yaburakōjino-burakōji

パイポパイポ　パイポのシューリンガン

Paipopaipo-paiponoshūringan

シューリンガンのグーリンダイ

Shūringanno-gūrindai

グーリンダイのポンポコピーのポンポコナーの

Gūrindaino-ponpokopīno-ponpokonāno

長久命の長助

Chōkyūmeino-chōsuke

Believe it or not, the ole passage is really a person’s name. Here I leave you with 3 different versions  of ‘Jugemu’. The 1st one is performed in English by a Canadian man, the second one is still in English by a Japanese lady and the final one sort of like a Rakugo training.

I hope that you all can enjoy and get the same satisfaction as I did.

以上、

～ieja-ちゃん でした。