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{{Short description|Traditional Japanese verbal entertainment}}
{{redirect|Ochi}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
[[Image:Rakugo-sanmafestival.jpg|thumb|right|''Rakugoka'' at Sanma Festival]]
{{nihongo|'''''Rakugo'''''|[[wikt:落語|落語]]||literally 'story with a fall'}}<ref name="Tanaka1993">{{Cite thesis |title=Talking through the text : Rakugo and the oral/literal interface |pages=30, 45 |last=Tanaka |first=Sakurako |degree=Master |year=1993 |publisher=[[University of British Columbia]] |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0076952 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503064525/https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0076952/1 |archive-date=2023-05-03 |url-status=live |doi=10.14288/1.0076952 |language=en}}</ref> is a form of [[Culture of Japan|Japanese]] verbal comedy, traditionally performed in ''[[yose]]'' theatres.<ref name="Sweeney1979">{{Cite journal |title=Rakugo: Professional Japanese Storytelling |journal=[[Asian Folklore Studies]] |url=https://asianethnology.org/article/1658/download |format=pdf |last=Sweeney |first=Amin |issue=1 |volume=38 |publisher=[[Nanzan University]] |year=1979 |page=29 |doi=10.2307/1177464 |jstor=1177464 |language=ja |access-date=2023-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806213839/https://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a331.pdf |archive-date=2019-08-06 |url-status=live}} (Bibliography: [https://asianethnology.org/volume/38-1 volume 38(1)], [https://asianethnology.org/articles/1658 article])</ref> The lone {{nihongo|storyteller|落語家|rakugoka}} sits on a raised platform, a {{nihongo|2=高座|3=kōza}}. Using only a {{nihongo|paper fan|扇子|sensu}} and a {{nihongo|small cloth|手拭|[[tenugui]]}} as props, and without standing up from the [[seiza]] sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical (or sometimes sentimental) story. The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters. The difference between the characters is depicted only through change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head.

==Description==
The speaker is in the middle of the stage, and their 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 {{nihongo||落ち|ochi|lit. "fall"}} or {{nihongo||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.<ref>[http://starbulletin.com/96/05/30/features/story3.html Rakugo: universal laughter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628231038/http://starbulletin.com/96/05/30/features/story3.html |date=28 June 2008 }}, Tim Ryan. Retrieved 11 May 2007</ref>

Early rakugo has developed into various styles, including the {{nihongo||芝居噺|''shibaibanashi''|theatre discourses}}, the {{nihongo||音曲噺|''ongyokubanashi''|musical discourses}}, the {{Transliteration|ja|''kaidanbanashi''}} {{nihongo||怪談噺||ghost discourses, see ''[[Kaidan (parapsychology)|kaidan]]''}}, and {{nihongo||人情噺|''ninjōbanashi''|sentimental discourses}}. In many of these forms the ''ochi'', which is essential to the original rakugo, is absent.

Rakugo has been described as "a [[sitcom]] with one person playing all the parts" by Noriko Watanabe, assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature at [[Baruch College]].<ref>[http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/news/japanese_standup.htm Rakugo related interview], Baruch College. Retrieved 11 May 2007</ref>

==Lexical background==
The precursor of rakugo was called {{nihongo|2=軽口|3=karukuchi|4=literally 'light-mouth'}}.{{r|"Tanaka1993"|page=38}} 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'' ("dropping story").

In the middle of the [[Meiji period]] (1868–1912) the expression ''rakugo'' first started being used,{{r|"Tanaka1993"|page=45}} and it came into common usage only in the [[Shōwa (1926–1989)|Shōwa period]] (1926–1989).

==History==
[[Image:Shinjuku suehirotei.jpg|thumb|Shinjuku suehirotei is a famous vaudeville theater in Tokyo which hosts rakugo events.]]
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 [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhist]] [[Bhikkhu|monks]] preached Buddhism by quoting them. In ''[[The Pillow Book|Makura no Sōshi]]'', it is described that the monks had gained a reputation for their beautiful voices and narrative arts.<ref name ="hisjac">[https://web.archive.org/web/20200718174405/https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/dglib/contents/learn/edc20/rekishi/rakugo/index1.html 落語の歴史.] Japan Arts Counsil.</ref>

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''.<ref name ="hisjac"/><ref name ="edogawa"/>

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.<ref name ="edogawa">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210306040145/https://www.city.edogawa.tokyo.jp/e026/sports/bunka/hirai_enzotei/rakugonyumon.html 落語入門.] Edogawa City</ref>

In 1786, Utei Enba presided over a ''rakugo'' show at a ''[[ryōtei]]'', a traditional Japanese catering venue, in Mukōjima. He is regarded as the father of the restoration of ''rakugo''. His performances led to the establishment of the first [[yose|theater dedicated to rakugo (''yose'')]] by Sanshōtei Karaku and Sanyūtei Enshō, and the revival of ''rakugo''.<ref name ="edogawa"/>

During the Edo period, thanks to the emergence of the merchant class of the ''[[chōnin]]'', ''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 {{Nihongo2|噺家}}, {{Nihongo2|咄家}}, or {{Nihongo2|話家}}; "storyteller"), corresponding to the modern term, {{nihongo|''rakugoka''|落語家||"person of the falling word"}}.

Before the advent of modern ''rakugo'' there were the {{nihongo|''kobanashi''|小噺}}: 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 [[Middle class|common class]].

==Types of ''ochi''==

’’Niwaka ochi’’: An ochi using a pun, it is also called 'Jiguchi Ochi.'

’’Hyoshi ochi’’: An ochi that uses repeated punchlines.

’’Sakasa ochi’’: An ochi with a twist punchline, one where roles are reversed

’’Kangae ochi’’: A punchline that is hard to understand but people will laugh after pondering for a while.

‘’Mawari ochi’’: A punchline that ends the story by returning to the beginning.

’’Mitate ochi’’: An ochi that uses unexpected punchlines.

’’Manuke ochi’’: An ochi that ends the story with a dumb or ridiculous joke

’’Totan ochi’’: An ochi using a signature phrase.

’’Buttsuke ochi’’: An ending with a punch line based on a misunderstanding.

’’Shigusa ochi’’: A punchline that uses a physical gesture.

==Important contributors==
[[Image:Asakusa engei hall.jpg|thumb|Asakusa Engei Hall is another famous vaudeville theater in Tokyo which hosts rakugo events.]]
Many artists contributed to the development of ''rakugo''. Some were simply performers, but many also composed original works.

Among the more famous ''rakugoka'' of the [[Edo period|Tokugawa period]] were performers like [[Anrakuan Sakuden]] (1554–1642), the author of the ''Seisuishō'' (''Laughter to Chase Away Sleep'', 1628), a collection of more than 1,000 stories. In [[Edo]] (today's [[Tokyo]]) there also lived {{ill|鹿野武左衛門|lt=Shikano Buzaemon|ja}} (1649–1699) who wrote the ''Shikano Buzaemon kudenbanashi'' (''Oral Instruction Discourses of Shikano Buzaemon'') and the ''Shika no makifude'' (''The Deer's Brush'', 1686), a work containing 39 stories, eleven of which are about the [[kabuki]] [[Social environment|milieu]]. {{ill|Tatekawa Enba I|ja|烏亭焉馬}} (1743–1822) was author of the ''Rakugo rokugi'' (''The Six Meanings of Rakugo'').

[[Kyoto]] was the home of {{ill|Tsuyu no Gorobei I|ja|露の五郎兵衛}} (1643–1703), who is considered the father of the rakugo tradition of the [[Kamigata]] area ({{nihongo|Kamigata rakugo|上方落語}}).<ref>''Kōjien'' dictionary, entries for "Tsuyu no Gorobei".</ref> His works are included in the ''Karukuchi tsuyu ga hanashi'' (''Jocular Tsuyu's Stories'', date of composition unknown), containing many word games, episodes from the lives of famous literary authors, and plays on the different [[Japanese dialects|dialects]] from the [[Tokyo]], [[Osaka]], and Kyoto areas.

Of a similar structure is the ''Karukuchi gozen otoko'' (''One-liners: An Important Storyteller'', date of publication unknown) in which are collected the stories of {{ill|Yonezawa Hikohachi I|ja|米沢彦八}}, who lived in Ōsaka towards the end of the 17th century.  An example from Yonezawa Hikohachi's collection:

{{quote |A man faints in a bathing tub. In the great confusion following, a doctor arrives who takes his pulse and calmly gives the instructions: "Pull the plug and let the water out." Once the water has flowed completely out of the tub he says: "Fine. Now put a lid on it and carry the guy to the cemetery."}}

For the poor man is already dead.  The joke becomes clearer when one notes that a [[Furo|Japanese traditional bathing tub]] is shaped like a coffin.

===Current performers===
Current ''rakugo'' artists include [[Tachibanaya Enzō]], [[Katsura Bunshi VI]], [[Tachibanaya Takezō II]], [[Tatekawa Shinosuke]] and [[Hayashiya Shōzō IX]]. Furthermore, many people regarded as more mainstream comedians originally trained as rakugoka [[apprenticeship|apprentices]], even adopting stage names given to them by their masters.  Some examples include [[Sanma Akashiya|Akashiya Sanma]], [[Shōfukutei Tsurube II]], and [[Shōfukutei Shōhei]].<ref>[http://www.english-rakugo.com/english_version/english_performers.html Rakugo Performers]. Retrieved 11 May 2007</ref> Another famous ''rakugo'' performer, [[Shijaku Katsura II]], was known outside Japan for his performances of ''rakugo'' in English.
English Rakugo performances have been studied for how they convey traditional Japanese cultural values through adapted scripts, making the art form more accessible while preserving its original narrative style.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Oshima |first=Kimie |title=Japanese Cultural Expressions Seen in English Rakugo Scripts |journal=Asian Englishes |volume=14 |issue=1 |year=2011 |pages=46–65 |doi=10.1080/13488678.2011.10801293}}</ref>

==Titles and repertoire==
''Rakugo'' stories are generally divided into two categories: classical repertoire stories (''koten rakugo'', 古典落語) and original stories (''shinsaku rakugo'', 新作落語). ''Koten rakugo'' consists of traditional tales that, in principle, can be adapted and performed by any storyteller. In contrast, ''shinsaku rakugo'' refers to new, original works created by individual performers. As the copyright holders, these performers must grant permission before their stories can be performed by others. While some classical repertoire stories are attributed to specific authors, these authors have often been deceased for a considerable time, allowing the stories to enter the shared repertoire.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Weingärtner |first=Till |date=2021 |title=Whose Story Is It Anyway? Shunpūtei Shōta and the Individuality of the Performer in Contemporary Rakugo Storytelling |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10371397.2021.1914009 |journal=Japanese Studies |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=162-163}}</ref>

Notable examples of classical repertoire stories include:
* {{Nihongo|The Peony Lantern ([[Botan Dōrō]])|[[:ja:牡丹灯籠]]|Botandōrō}} – a kaidanbanashi, or ghost story
* {{Nihongo|[[Jugemu]]|[[:ja:寿限無]]|Jugemu}} – the life of a boy with a ridiculously long name
* {{Nihongo|Manjuu kowai|[[:ja:饅頭こわい]]|Manjuu kowai|[[Manjū]] are scary}} – a group of boys try to scare off a boaster<ref>{{cite serial
 | first1=Shinoharu
 | last1=Tatekawa
 | author-link1=Shinoharu Tatekawa
 | date =21 August 2017
 | title =Manju kowai (Scared of Manju)
 | series=Rakugo - Japanese traditional style comedy (FM radio broadcast)
 | number=35
 | language =en
 | url =https://podcasts.tfm.co.jp/podcasts/tokyo/rakugo/rakugo_en_20170821.mp3
 | access-date =11 November 2019
 | format =mp3
 | network=Tokyo FM
 | publication-place=Japan}}</ref>
* {{Nihongo|Meguro no Sanma|[[:ja:目黒のさんま]]|Meguro no sanma|[[Pacific saury]] of [[Meguro]]}} – a naive lord enjoys commoners' foods<ref>{{cite serial
 | first1=Shinoharu
 | last1=Tatekawa
 | author-link1=Shinoharu Tatekawa
 | date =17 October 2016
 | title =Meguro no samma
 | series=Rakugo - Japanese traditional style comedy (FM radio broadcast)
 | number=15
 | language =en
 | url =https://podcasts.tfm.co.jp/podcasts/tokyo/rakugo/rakugo_en_20161017.mp3
 | access-date =11 November 2019
 | format =mp3
 | network=Tokyo FM
 | publication-place=Japan}}</ref>
* {{Nihongo|Momotarō|[[:ja:桃太郎 (落語)|桃太郎]]|Momotarō}} – a [[Meta-joke|meta-gag]] in which a father is mocked by his son because of his bad storytelling of the Japanese folktale [[Momotarō]]<ref>{{cite serial
 | first1=Shinoharu
 | last1=Tatekawa
 | author-link1=Shinoharu Tatekawa
 | date =5 February 2018
 | title =Momotaro
 | series=Rakugo - Japanese traditional style comedy (FM radio broadcast)
 | language =en
 | url =https://podcasts.tfm.co.jp/podcasts/tokyo/rakugo/rakugo_en_20180205.mp3
 | access-date =11 November 2019
 | format =mp3
 | network=Tokyo FM
 | publication-place=Japan}}</ref>
* {{Nihongo|[[Mt. Head]]|[[:ja:頭山]]|Atamayama}} – a tree begins growing out of a man's head
* {{Nihongo|Neko no sara|[[:ja:猫の皿]]|Neko no sara|The cat's plate}} – a man tries to outwit the owner of a piece of antique porcelain<ref>{{cite serial
 | first1=Shinoharu
 | last1=Tatekawa
 | author-link1=Shinoharu Tatekawa
 | date =4 February 2019
 | title =Cat's Plate
 | series=Rakugo - Japanese traditional style comedy (FM radio broadcast)
 | number=70
 | language =en
 | url =https://podcasts.tfm.co.jp/podcasts/tokyo/rakugo/rakugo_en_20190204.mp3
 | access-date =11 November 2019
 | format =mp3
 | network=Tokyo FM
 | publication-place=Japan}}</ref>
* {{Nihongo|[[Fallen Words#Shibahama|Shibahama]]|[[:ja:芝浜]]|Shibahama}} – a good-for-nothing husband finds a huge sum of money<ref>{{cite serial
 | first1=Shinoharu
 | last1=Tatekawa
 | author-link1=Shinoharu Tatekawa
 | date=18 December 2017
 | title =Shibahama
 | series=Rakugo - Japanese traditional style comedy (FM radio broadcast)
 | number=43
 | language =en
 | url =https://podcasts.tfm.co.jp/podcasts/tokyo/rakugo/rakugo_en_20171218.mp3
 | access-date =11 November 2019
 | format =mp3
 | network=Tokyo FM
 | publication-place=Japan}}</ref>
* {{Nihongo|[[Teresuko]]|[[:ja:てれすこ]]|Teresuko}} – cash reward to whom that could identify a strange fish

==Notable ''rakugoka''==
===Edo (Tokyo)===
{{columns-list|
* [[Hayashiya Kikuo|Hayashiya Kikuō]] (formerly Hayashiya Kikuzō I)
* [[Hayashiya Konpei]]
* [[Hayashiya Sanpei I]]
* [[Hayashiya Shōzō IX]]
* [[Hayashiya Taihei]]
* [[Kairakutei Black I]] (Henry Black)
* [[Katsura Utamaru]]
* [[Katsura Yonesuke]]
* [[Kokontei Shinchō]]
* [[Kokontei Shinshō]]
* [[Reireisya Bafū]]
* [[Reireisya Suzumaru]] (Yamada Takao)
* [[Ryūtei Chiraku]]
* [[San'yūtei Enchō]]
* [[San'yūtei Enraku V]]
* [[San'yūtei Enraku VI]] (formerly San'yūtei Rakutarō)
* [[San'yūtei Kōraku]]
* [[San'yūtei Koyūza]]
* [[Sanshōtei Yumenosuke]]
* [[Shunpūtei Koasa]]
* [[Shunpūtei Ryūshō]]
* [[Shunpūtei Shōta]]
* [[Tachibanaya Enzō]]
* [[Tachibanaya Takezō]]
* [[Tatekawa Danshi]]
* [[Tatekawa Shinosuke]]
* [[Yanagiya Kosan]]
* [[Yanagiya Kosanji]]
}}

===Kamigata (Osaka)===
{{columns-list|
* [[Hayashiya Somemaru IV]]
* [[Katsura Beichō]]
* [[Katsura Bunchin]]
* [[Katsura Bunshi V]]
* [[Katsura Bunshi VI]] (formerly Katsura Sanshi)
* [[Katsura Harudanji]]
* [[Katsura Shijaku II]]
* [[Katsura Sunshine]]
* [[Shōfukutei Kakushow]]
* [[Shōfukutei Matsunosuke]]
* [[Shōfukutei Nikaku]]
* [[Shōfukutei Shōkaku]]
* [[Shōfukutei Tsurube]]
* [[Showko Showfukutei]]
* [[Tsukitei Happō]]
* [[Tsukitei Hōsei]] (formerly Yamasaki Hōsei)
* [[Tsukitei Kachō]]
* [[Tsuyoshi Ihara]]
}}

==See also==
*''[[Akane-banashi]]''
*''[[Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju]]''
*''[[Fallen Words]]''
*[[Kyōgen]]
*[[Manzai]]
*[[Stand-up comedy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* Brau, Lorie. ''Rakugo: Performing Comedy and Cultural Heritage in Contemporary Tokyo''. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2008.
* McArthur, Ian. ''Henry Black: On Stage in Meiji Japan''. Clayton: Monash University Publishing, 2013.
* Morioka, Heinz, and Miyoko Sasaki. ''Rakugo: The Popular Narrative Art of Japan''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 1990.
* Shores, M.W. ''[https://www.cambridge.org/gb/universitypress/subjects/literature/asian-literature/comic-storytelling-western-japan-satire-and-social-mobility-kamigata-rakugo?format=HB&isbn=9781108831505 The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo]''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.

== External links ==
{{commons category|Rakugo}}
* [https://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/player/clip/4508?view_id=57&redirect=true&h=7a168c8894168492abc24985cfb93bc2 Rakugo video (in English) SFGTV San Francisco]
* [http://st.japantimes.co.jp/english_news/essay/2011/ey20110107/ey20110107main.htm?print=noframe Short newspaper essay on differences between Kamigata (Osaka) and Edo (Tokyo) rakugo]
* [https://rakugogaku.com/ Learning Japanese Language and Culture through Rakugo Appreciation]
* [https://theconversation.com/meet-katsura-niyo-the-young-female-rising-star-in-the-traditionally-male-japanese-art-form-rakugo-173236 The Conversation article about rakugo and gender]

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