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"We will introduce rakugo introductory stories published in books and Weekly Shonen Jump!
Where Where can I hear rakugo?"
Navigator:
Keiki Hayashiya: Let’s try going to a “Yose”! Asakusa Entertainment Hall, Ikebukuro Engeijō, Ueno Suzumoto Engeijō, Shinjuku Suehirotei, National Engeijō, and Osaka’s Tenma Tenjin Hanjotei are all places referred to as Yose, which are basically “live performance houses” open 365 days a year from noon to night. Besides rakugo, you can enjoy kōdan (historical storytelling), manzai (comic dialogue), daikagura (traditional juggling), kamikiri (paper cutting), tejina (magic tricks), and comic storytelling.
Akane Osaki: At a yose, you can come and go as you please, so feel free to drop by! There are also rakugo performances at places other than yose, like hall venues, teahouses, restaurants, and more—lots of rakugo events near you!
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Rakugo at the hall ひっくち (Hikkuchi – sound effect of sitting or movement)
Shiguma: Even if you show up last minute, it’s totally okay as long as there’s a seat! Try going after school with your friends!
“Even first-timers, come listen without worries!”
Rakugo events at restaurants うわっ (Uwa! – "Whoa!")
Keiki Hayashiya: ▼In Sakuchū, many rakugo performances take place in settings other than yose, such as halls or cafés.
Keiki Hayashiya: To become a rakugo performer (rakugoka), you must apply to enter under a rakugoka you admire and become their disciple! There is no other way but to form a master-disciple relationship and undergo training. It is not a training school or institution, so there is no recruitment of disciples. The training content differs depending on the master, but it mainly involves assisting the master and working at yose venues. Unlike the kabuki world, where people may feel it’s destiny to be born into an actor's family, in the rakugo world, that’s not the case. Most people enter from the general public. There are also many second- and third-generation performers, but they make up less than 10% of the total.
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Akane: “Ussu!! Encouragement!!” I'll become beautiful and make my debut! Guy: “...She’s scary.”
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Audience: “She’s unusually intense...” “She forced her way into the master's house!?”
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Master: “You came again. You're starting to look like a real apprentice.”
Akane Osaki: No qualifications or family ties needed! It seems like many people directly visit the master's house, like I did.
Keiki Hayashiya: You will receive oral instruction (kuden) one-on-one from your master for learning "stories" and "routines" (banashi / neta). You may be allowed to observe your master perform at the yose and record them, or be given recordings. You’ll often listen to those recordings repeatedly and memorize them. Back in the day, before recording devices, they used to divide the story into parts and teach them over and over again. This is called "sanben okeiko" (three-time practice). After memorizing the routine, you show it to your senior who taught it to you. If they say “OK”, you can perform it on stage! If they say “NG”, you review and redo it again. This system hasn’t changed since the Edo period. Each performer has a different practice style too: Sitting on a zabuton in their room, mumbling while walking, or mumbling at karaoke during free time… and so on.
Akane Osaki: Kuden… In other words, it’s all about listening to the master’s performance and memorizing it — that’s a key feature! Even with the same story, it sounds totally different depending on the master, and that’s really interesting, right?
Black text box: Rakugo training is one-on-one with your master. They'll watch and correct every detail, like rhythm and timing!
Keiki Hayashiya: “‘It’ll be another dream, huh?’ (joke)” “His name was too long so he got tangled up” (寿限無 / Jugemu), etc.—there are many famous punchlines in Rakugo. This ‘Sage’ in short is the word that signals the end of the story. Generally, ‘Ochi’ is more widely used, but ‘Sage’ means the same thing. Rakugo performers prefer using the word ‘Sage’. Just like how ‘Rakugoka’ and ‘Hanashika’ are the same. For example, in the story “Bunshō Kowai” from this series, the punchline isn’t explicitly stated. But the line where the man, after being tricked into eating a spicy manju, is asked: “What are you really afraid of?” ...and he replies: “Hot tea scares me.” —that is the Sage.
Akane Osaki: “You’ve probably heard the word ‘Ochi’, but not many people know ‘Sage’. In Rakugo, knowing this word might help you enjoy it more!”
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Akane narration: The beauty of the one-liner “Sage” at the end of Rakugo stories! Sometimes they’re left out due to space, so if you’re curious, try listening to the actual performance!
Akane narration: “You’re the worst one here.” “I hate manjuu~”
Keiki Hayashiya: "Ehh~ thank you again for sitting through this silly comedy today..." While saying things like that, The introductory part before entering the main story (everything except the main story) is called “Makura.” While mixing in small talk or worldly topics related to the main story, adding build-up before the main part, or setting the stage for the punchline.
Makura often acts as a lead-in to the punchline (Sage). Some Makura are tied directly to the main story, others are based on current events, and some are created by the performer themselves by weaving in parts of the story. And most importantly! What story the performer will tell is often decided while performing the Makura, watching the audience’s reaction, and warming them up. It’s said that even in senior homes, Akane has come to perform.
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Akane narration: “Somehow, I could sense the vibe of this venue.”
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Akane narration: “How old do I look?” “About 87?” “Hey! You could at least lie and say I look younger!”
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Kyoji: Keiki Hayashiya: In senior homes where there are many elderly people, starting with a topic like ‘You look young!’ warms up the audience and sets the mood. This is a technique used in Rakugo, called ‘Tedori’ to smoothly lead into the story!”
Keiki Hayashiya: Rakugo features many recurring characters: Hatsutsuan, Kuma-san, Yoko-san, Gohē-san from the bathhouse, Jūbē-san, Omitsu-an, Kanebō, Chō-san, Kyūta... and even animals may speak at times—there’s a wide variety of characters. None of these are specific individuals. They’re depicted as residents of the rakugo world, used as representative names. Also, depending on the rakugoka (rakugo storyteller) or the story, the same character name may have a different personality or role.
For example: Yotaro, in “Ōdai no Chōnai,” is employed, but in “Dōguya,” he’s jobless. In “Nishiki no Hōsōde,” he has a wife, but in “Tsurube no Kubikake,” he’s single.
As a side note: Some rakugo stories do feature specific characters, such as “Ōkawa no Namida” from San’ya Sōshi or “Konnya no Kitsune” from Mikawa Ryōken.
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Koguma Title: Yobome Man 1: “When I stayed at the inn, Hachitaro was there.” Man 2: “Mix it in and drink it!” Man 3: “Lemme try it!”
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Koguma: Man: “Back in the Edo period, there was a rakugoka named San'yūtei Karaku, who portrayed such characters.”
Keiki Hayashiya: When a rakugoka performs “JUGEMU” there are several patterns for how the name is recited. For example, some don’t pause after “goko-no-surikire,” others do a dramatic pause like “Unraigyo・Unraikyo・for rice・Buzz!” This varies depending on the school or teacher of rakugo.
So why does such a difference occur even with the same story? The answer is simple. It’s said that as it’s passed down, mishearings or memory lapses happen. This doesn’t just apply to “JUGEMU” — it’s common across all rakugo. Different schools or teachers may say the punchline differently, or have looser interpretation of the script.
Akane Osaki: Also, in this episode’s version: My line is “...the residents of the temple town of Gokurakuji, and the neighbors of the temple town of Gokurakuji...” But the original version I learned from my master —Ki-Uchi Suisen III— was different from what I heard from my older disciple brother, so the one I recite now came from a combination of the two.
Even “JUGEMU” has many forms,
and not everyone knows that!
This is another great oral tradition and a unique rakugo storytelling episode.
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Shiguma: If you remember this, you can enjoy the manga even more!