Rakugo

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Rakugo ( Japanese 落 語 'fallen words' ) is a Japanese form of entertainment based on comic monologues. The practice was originally known as karukuchi ( 軽 口 , jokes ). The oldest Kanji character meaning rakugo , which actually refers to this form of presentation, appeared around 1787 (although it was still read as Otoshibanashi (fallen lecture) at the time .

The term rakugo was first used in the middle of the Meiji period (1867-1912), but was not in common use until the Shōwa period (1926-89).

description

Rakugoka

The presence of an audience is essential for Rakugo. The speaker awakens general exuberance through accented speaking and comical gestures, whereby the relationship established between actor and audience can be described as the heart of the performance. The monologue always ends with a sophisticated narrative bravura piece, which is called Ochi ( 落 ち , Fall ) or Sage ( 下 げ , Lowering ), and is characterized by a sudden break in the flow of puns in favor of a single joke. A distinction is made between twelve types of tufts , which have developed from a few forms over time.

Based on the previous Art speeches but different styles have pronounced, including the Shibaibanashi ( 芝居噺 , theater presentations ) that Ongyokubanashi ( 音曲噺 , musical presentations ) that Kaidanbanashi ( 怪談噺 , ghost story lectures ) that Ninjōbanashi ( 人情噺 , sentimental lectures ) and many others whose speech patterns and humor are tailored to the respective situations. Many of these modern forms lack the elementary ochi for classic rakugo .

literature

  • Amin Sweeney: Rakugo: Professional Japanese Storytelling . In: Asian Folklore Studies , Vol. 38, No. 1, 1979, nanzan-u.ac.jp (PDF; 3 MB).
  • Heinz Morioka, Miyoko Sasaki: The narrative art of Rakugo . Munich 1992, ISBN 3-89129-286-4 .
  • Kazuo Hosaka: The funny thing in the Japanese cabaret acts of the rakugo . In: Hans-Peter Bayerdörfer, Stanca Scholz-Cionca (ed.): Strange laughter. Comedy on today's stage in a Japanese-German comparison . Munich 2005, ISBN 3-89129-888-9 .

Web links