(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
I experienced Rokyoku, a traditional Japanese narrative singing performance, for the first time.
I attended a Rokyoku performance in Ishikawa, Japan. Rokyoku is a genre of traditional Japanese storytelling that began over 100 years ago.
In a Rokyoku performance, the rokyokushi (singer) narrates and sings the story, accompanied by the kyokushi (shamisen player). The shamisen is a traditional three-stringed Japanese instrument.
Rokyoku is considered one of the three major forms of traditional Japanese storytelling, alongside Rakugo and Kodan.
At first, I felt a little nervous because it was my first time experiencing Rokyoku. I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it. Then I arrived at the venue.
About half of the audience were children and the other half were adults, with around 600 people in total. I sat on the second floor, but I could still see the stage clearly.
A female announcer hosted the event. She spoke clearly and slowly because there were many children in the audience.
She briefly explained Rokyoku. She said that it was very popular about 100 years ago, when there was little entertainment available. She also explained that Rokyoku is performed by two people: the rokyokushi and the kyokushi.
The announcer asked the audience whether they had seen Rokyoku before. It turned out that about 90% of them had not.
The title of the performance was “Sobei in Hell.” The story is originally from a picture book, and the rokyokushi adapted it for this performance.
The story goes as follows:
A circus performer named Sobei slipped while walking on a tightrope and died. Three others—a dentist, a doctor, and a monk—also died and were sent to hell. In hell, the king tried to make them suffer, but they worked together to overcome the challenges…
Then the Rokyoku performance began. The curtain rose, and the singer and shamisen player appeared on stage, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.
The singer first gave a brief explanation. He said that the performer stands during the show and plays multiple roles alone, so the audience needs to use their imagination.
After hearing this, I realized that I don’t usually use my imagination much when I watch entertainment.
Before starting, the singer invited the audience to participate. He taught us some “magic words” to say at certain moments, and we practiced together.
Then the performance began.
The singer’s voice was loud and clear—it was obvious that he was a professional. His powerful voice seemed to fill the entire venue.
He sang and narrated the story, while the shamisen player created music that matched the emotions and scenes.
The audience listened silently, holding their breath.
The story moved to scenes in hell.
At one point, demons were attacked by Sobei’s group. A doctor even entered a demon’s stomach and attacked from the inside. The demon laughed, groaned, and even farted, which made the scene very funny.
When that happened, a girl sitting in front of me burst out laughing.
Later, the moment came for the audience to say the magic words.
Sobei was suffering in boiling water, and the monk tried to help him. When the singer gave the signal, the audience shouted the magic words together.
Then the singer thanked us.
Because of those magic words, the boiling water turned into comfortable water.
The king of hell continued trying to make them suffer, but they overcame every challenge. In the end, the king gave up and allowed them to leave hell.
After that, Sobei came back to life.
The singer performed many roles by himself, and each one was excellent. When he played the king of hell, he looked and sounded very frightening. His performance made it easy to imagine each scene vividly.
These days, we often enjoy visual entertainment like movies and YouTube. However, it was refreshing to listen to a story and imagine it together with others.
Rokyoku consists only of words and music, and that simplicity felt new to me.
This was my first experience of Rokyoku, and I really enjoyed this live performance.