Publisher Description

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 Biography

M. W. Shores is a Lecturer of Japanese at The University of Sydney, and has been a Fellow of Peterhouse at the University of Cambridge. Shores has spent over a decade in Japan for research and apprenticeships with two of Kamigata rakugo's respected practitioners, Katsura Bunshi V and Hayashiya Somemaru IV.

Table of Contents

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.

Review

'Shores includes five translations of full rakugo classics from the Kamigata repertoire, providing many performance details and giving readers a better idea of what this lively, raucous art form might be like to experience live … Recommended.' C. Lanki, Choice Connect
'The positioning of rakugo as a subject for mainstream academic attention has been a long time coming. This book sets it in the firmament as a discipline worthy of such treatment. The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan lends itself to use by anyone needing an approachable resource to draw from in studying - or preparing a course on - Japanese humour or social history.' Ian McArthur, Japan Forum
'… a rich account of a particularly interesting element of Japanese entertainment … recommended not only for rakugo researchers and enthusiasts but also for Japanese studies researchers with an interest in the history of entertainment in Japan.' Simon Regin Paxton, JSTOR
'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

Promotional

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

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