The Complex World of Rakugo and its Mannerisms? The Initiation into Rakugo that will Make You Want to Draw!

I’ve always loved comedy to begin with. In particular, “Bakushou On-Air Battle”-- I recorded it every week and watched it. There was also “Shouten,” the Drifters, Chaplin, Mr. Bean... I watched a lot of different ones.

Our family ran a business, so my grandparents took care of me. And every Sunday, I’d come home after playing in the neighborhood, and “Shouten” would always be on.

On it, Kikuou Hayashiya (who would later be my master) always had the funniest bits, and they were easy to understand for a kid, too. I thought, “this man is funny.” I think that’s when I started wanting to become a rakugo artist. If I recall, that was back in grade 3.

I would say so. But the truth is, there was also a time I wanted to be a mangaka. I still have a few manga that I drew somewhere back home. The thing was, I liked coming up with stories more than I did drawing. And then I also wanted to be a movie director.

That’s a nuanced way of putting it, but it’s true. Since I’ve always loved thinking up stories way back then.

In koten rakugo (traditional style), I now have 30 signature bits, but only 2 of them were ones my master taught me. The rest I’ve learned from other trainees and my seniors in the school. You can only learn so much from your master without it becoming a copy of him, and everyone has their own different bits.

You perform, one-on-one, and it’s recorded, and you study it. You take turns doing this. Then when you graduate from that, next, you perform for guests. When you’re in training, you attend shows every day, but I also make a list of what other people do that make me think “I wanna learn that too.”

For a hundred rakugo artists, there’s a hundred different styles. There is a format to some extent, but in the end, it is all about originality.

I personally love movies, so I like to take parts of characters in movies, and use it in rakugo to try and accentuate my own characters.

Unlike school, there are no things like required subjects. For example, if I have to mime eating soba in my stories, I practice that. Then I hope my mannerisms go over well with the viewers.

With different roles, you change the direction you’re looking. We call this technique “kamishimo wo kiru.” Usually, the more important person is on the left, while the lesser is on the right. Depending on the artist, they might really emphasize this by turning to each side every time, but I like for guests to see all the expressions, so I do this in moderation.

There are shows put on for primary and middle schoolers, but there’s usually something of an introductory lesson on rakugo done for them before they actually see the show. There isn’t anything like that for regular shows.

For more difficult stories, it’s easy to get lost in what’s happening. Still, considering the stories are from the Edo and Meiji periods, there are many parts that are relatable to us in the present day. Plus, there are many guests who even take notes. It might not be bad to jot down something you don’t understand and find out about it afterward.

We can’t guarantee every joke we tell will land, so it’s best if you simply sit back and enjoy, and laugh at the parts where you get it or you can relate. Personally, I perform especially with people in mind who don’t normally watch or listen to rakugo, hoping they’ll take an interest in it.

In fact, there are about 800 rakugo events going on in the city every month.

In salons, bars, restaurants with staging areas, et cetera. There’s also YouTube, where I have a series too.

It would be great if you would start out by attending your local shows where rookies might be performing, then work your way up to the established theaters.

I suppose so. Even though I like movies, I’m also interested in the occult and urban legends. I think a lot of people are interested in things that are “spooky” like that. Then there is what’s like in opera, where themes of going off to war are remade into more modern stories of business trips. I think rakugo also needs those kinds of shifts.

Don’t think too hard about it, and please come see a show just on a whim.

It doesn’t really matter how you get into it-- you can even pick a rakugo artist you think is your type. Just come and have a laugh.