Katsura Kaishi, a premier English rakugo master from Japan, performs at the Old Main Theatre May 1. Rakugo is a single-person comedy show in which the actor uses only a fan and towel as props. The event marked the last day of Western’s 12th annual Japan week, which was April 28 - May 1. photos by Paul Moore THE WESTERN FRONT
A man wearing a traditional Japanese kimono sits on a stage six feet above a crowd of onlookers. Using only a paper fan, a hand towel, his smile and the sound of his voice, he is able to make the audience laugh. This is the essence of Japanese rakugo.
Katsura Kaishi, a Japanese rakugo comedian from Osaka, Japan, came to Western’s Old Main Theater Thursday to share the world of rakugo with Western students and staff and Bellingham residents during Western’s Japan Week.
The performance by Kaishi was one of a 30-state tour presented by the Japanese government in hopes sharing aspects of the Japanese culture and its history with different countries. The Japanese Ministry of Culture appointed Kaishi as a cultural ambassador to America.
“He is really first rate,” said Michiko Yusa, Western Japanese professor and Japan week organizer. “[The performance] gave some students a rounded exposure of Japan and was very light- hearted.”
Students smiled and laughed as they listened to stories. They were taught how to eat imaginary noodles with a fan, the history of rakugo and how one can become a rakugo performer.
Rakugo (pronounced Rah-koo-go) is a traditional form of entertainment in Japan. According to an educational film presented by Kaishi during the performance, Buddhist monks seeking to make their teachings more interesting developed rakugo 400 years ago.
It later grew to include comical stories about Japanese life and became a popular form of entertainment during Japan’s Edo period, from 1603 to 1868.The comedy in rakugo today is safe for all ages, compared to the modern-day standup in Japan, Kaishi said.
According to the film, approximately 700 rakugo entertainers make a living off the art form, and Katsura Kaishi is one of only a few English-speaking rakugo performers in the world.
Two Western seniors, Paige Hughes and Marci Tallman, said they came to the event to get a good laugh and see one of the Japan week events at Western.
After the show, Tallman said she enjoyed the humor of Kaishi’s explanations of the difficulties he experienced while learning English.
“Is this a table?” said Kaishi during his show, repeating the first few sentences he learned.
“No, this is a pen,” said Kaishi as the crowd laughed. “What a stupid question. A pen doesn’t even look like a table.”
Western senior James Sundquist said he came to the show after receiving a flyer outside and was glad he was able to watch.
“I have never seen anything similar to rakugo,” Sundquist said. “I have seen people doing sit-down comedy in textbooks but never seen an actual example of it. I enjoyed the fact that it was a simple, family-oriented comedy that was very educational.”
After the show, Kaishi said he was happy he had the opportunity to share rakugo with Bellingham.
“I think the audience is more interested in Japanese culture after watching the show,” Kaishi said.
Even some Japanese students who came to the show enjoyed their first experience of rakugo. Ayumi Ishikura, a Western senior and Japan native, said she had never seen a live performance of rakugo before. After the performance, Ishikura said she wanted to watch it in Japan, something she said the younger generation in Japan does not often do.
Recently though, younger people have gained interest in rakugo after a famous Japanese television drama named “Talk, Talk, Talk” introduced its main character as a rakugo storyteller, Kaishi said.
Ishikura said the show was a great chance for both Japanese and American students to experience the historic art.
“It’s rare to have people watch rakugo in America, and it was a great opportunity for people to hear it,” Ishikura said.
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