Rakugo

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**Rakugo** (落語, *Rakugo*) is a traditional Japanese narrative art handed down through the generations that was established in early modern times.

*Rakugo* is the main theme in Akane-banashi series.

## Overview

It is also called otoshi-banashi (a story that has a punchline), or in abbreviation, hanashi (a story). The movement of the population to urban areas enabled rakugo to become an independent performing art. In the early days of rakugo it was performed by a variety of people having another main occupation, but at present it is usually performed by professionals.

It is a unique performance using gesture and narration rather than costume, props, or music, and requires a high degree of skill to perform.

## Etymology

Rakugo was originally known as *Karukuchi* (軽口, *Karuchiki*).

The oldest appearance of the kanji which refers specifically to this type of performance dates back to 1787, but at the time the characters themselves (落とし噺) were normally read as *otoshibanashi* (falling discourse).

In the middle of the Meiji period (1868–1912) the expression *rakugo* first started being used, and it came into common usage only in the Shōwa period (1926–1989).

## Description

The speaker is in the middle of the audience, and his purpose is to stimulate the general hilarity with tone and limited, yet specific body gestures. The monologue always ends with a narrative stunt (punch line) known as **ochi** (落ち, *Ochi*) lit. **"fall"** or *sage* (下げ, *Sage*) lit. **"lowering"**, consisting of a sudden interruption of the wordplay flow. Twelve kinds of ochi are codified and recognized, with more complex variations having evolved through time from the more basic forms.

Early rakugo has developed into various styles, including the **shibaibanashi** (芝居噺, *Shibaibanashi*) (theatre discourses), the **ongyokubanashi** (音曲噺, *ongyokubanashi) (musical discourses), the **kaidanbanashi** (see kaidan, 怪談噺kaidanbanashi*) (ghost discourses), and **ninjōbanashi** (人情噺, *ninjōbanashi*) (sentimental discourses).
 In many of these forms the *ochi*, which is essential to the original rakugo, is absent.

## History

One of the predecessors of rakugo is considered to be a humorous story in *Setsuwa*. The *Konjaku Monogatarishū* and the *Uji Shūi Monogatari* were *setsuwa* collections compiled from the Heian period (794–1185) to the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they contained many funny stories, and Japanese Buddhist monks preached Buddhism by quoting them.

The direct ancestor of rakugo is a humorous story among the stories narrated by *otogishū* in the Sengoku period (1467–1615) . *Otogishū* were scholars, Buddhist monks and tea masters who served Daimyo (feudal lord), and their duty was to give lectures on books to daimyo and to be a partner for chatting. Anrakuan Sakuden, who was an *otogishū* and a monk of the Jōdo-shū, is often said to be the originator of rakugo, and his 8 volumes of *Seisui Sho* contain 1000 stories, including the original stories of rakugo.

Around 1670 in the Edo period (1603–1867), three storytellers appeared who were regarded as the first *rakugoka*. Tsuyuno Gorobe in Kyoto, Yonezawa Hikohachi in Osaka, and Shikano Buzaemon in Edo built simple huts around the same age and began telling funny stories to the general public for a price. Rakugo in this period was called *Tsujibanashi*, but once it lost popularity, rakugo declined for about 100 years.

During the Edo period, thanks to the emergence of the merchant class of the *Chōnin*, the rakugo spread to the lower classes. Many groups of performers were formed, and collections of texts were finally printed. During the 17th century the actors were known as *hanashika* (found written as *噺家*, *咄家*, or *話家*; meaning "storyteller"), corresponding to the modern term, *rakugoka* (落語家, *rakugoka*) ("person of the falling word").

Before the advent of modern rakugo there were the **kobanashi** (小噺, *Kobanashi*): short comical vignettes ending with an ochi, popular between the 17th and the 19th centuries. These were enacted in small public venues, or in the streets, and printed and sold as pamphlets. The origin of kobanashi is to be found in the *Kinō wa kyō no monogatari* (*Yesterday Stories Told Today*, c. 1620), the work of an unknown author collecting approximately 230 stories describing the common class.

## Ranks

The rakugoka is divided into three ranks:

* **Zenza Rank** (前座階級, *Zenza Kaikyū*): It is the first rank to become a rakugoka, in this period it is where the bases are obtained and the skills begin to develop. The basic activities to attend to a person such as serving tea are also learned.
* **Futatsume Rank** (二ツ目階級, *Futatsume Kaikyū*): In the second rank it is obtained when a rakugoka perfects their skills, in this rank the rakugoka can use the traditional Haori and Hakama.
* **Shin'uchi Rank** (真打階級, *Shinuchi Kaikyū*): It is the third rank, having perfected the skills the rakugoka is allowed to have pupils with whom he will polish the skills of his students as his own.

In Akane-Banashi to be promoted in rank it is necessary for the rakugoka to obtain experience, being a process of years to be promoted in rank.
With the exception of the Arakawa School who has some requirements to rise in rank quickly.

## References

1. ↑ Rakugo: universal laughter, Tim Ryan. Retrieved 11 May 2007
2. ↑ 落語入門. Edogawa City

## External links

* YouTube Rakugo examples
* Rakugo video (in English) SFGTV San Francisco
* Short newspaper essay on differences between Kamigata (Osaka) and Edo (Tokyo) rakugo
* Learning Japanese Language and Culture through Rakugo Appreciation
* The Conversation article about rakugo and gender