Overview

Rakugo, with its stories rooted in everyday life, is currently experiencing a boom in popularity not just in the country where it originated, but also in places where until just recently the word rakugo was an unfamiliar term. The art form, which was once confined to the traditional yose theaters, has expanded to a variety of media, including radio, television, internet, CDs, DVDs, film, drama, manga, and anime. It owes its success to its practitioners, the RAKUGOKA. The contemporary storytellers, who shifting away from the norms and rules guiding them in their treatment of the narratives, have diversified and developed personas based on their individual lifestyles and personalities. Each one brings his or her own experiences, eccentricities, and authenticity to the unique world of rakugo. Sometimes the stories behind the storytellers entice the public as much as the ones they tell on stage. You were introduced to the traditional Japanese art of storytelling in Talking About Rakugo, now venture into the private world of the storytellers in Talking About Rakugo 2: The Stories Behind the Storytellers.

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9781087984599

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KRISTINE OHKUBO is a Los Angeles-based author whose work emphasizes topics related to Japan and Japanese culture. While growing up in Chicago, she developed a deep love and appreciation for Japanese culture, people, and history. Her extensive travels in Japan have enabled her to gain insight into this fascinating country, which she shares with you through her writings.Her first book, a travel guide to Japan, was published in 2016. In 2017, she released a historical study of the Pacific War written from the perspective of the Japanese people, both those who were living in Japan and in the United States, when the war broke out. Two years later, she supplemented her earlier releases with the story of an infamous twentieth century geisha, who was both a victim and an aggressor, struggling amidst a strict patriarchal culture and a rapidly changing social system. In 2019, she followed up her 2017 release, The Sun Will Rise Again, with a book titled Sakhalin. The work examines the far-reaching impact the island changing hands had on its inhabitants and resources, and culminates with the tragic events which took place in August 1945. In 2021, she released a book that was quite a departure from her previous releases. Still focusing on Japan's history and culture, the work introduces readers to rakugo, Japan's 400-year-old art of storytelling. Through a series of anecdotes, biographical information, interviews, and rakugo scripts, the author explains why this traditional art form has endured for many years. Her most recent book delves deeper into the unique and mysterious world of rakugo. In it, she presents the stories behind the storytellers. In the world of rakugo, sometimes the stories which surround the storytellers entice the public as much as the ones they tell on stage. As an author, Kristine believes that writing from other cultural perspectives encourages empathy and understanding, and at the same time it broadens our knowledge of the events that have unfolded over the years. KANARIYA EIRAKU is an English rakugo storyteller based in Tokyo. He participated in the Tatekawa-ryu in 1984 to learn about the essence of rakugo from the legendary Tatekawa Danshi. He began offering Japanese rakugo classes in Tokyo in 1991; in 2007, he established his English rakugo classes. He has translated and performed over sixty classical and contemporary rakugo stories. Since 2007, he has performed in front of enthusiastic audiences in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Laos.Eiraku is one of the founding members of the English Rakugo Association in Tokyo. The organization was established in 2020 with the mission to spread rakugo all over the world.In 2021, he collaborated with author Kristine Ohkubo on a book titled Talking About RAKUGO: The Japanese Art of Storytelling. The work features sixteen classical rakugo scripts which Eiraku translated into English and currently performs on stage.He also offers English performance classes at universities.

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