(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
I took part in a Rakugo name succession ceremony for the first time.
In Fukui, Japan, I watched Rakugo live with about 60 audience members. Most of them were elderly people, and I only saw two children.
Rakugo is a form of traditional Japanese verbal comedy. Rakugo performers wear kimono, traditional Japanese clothing. They sit in front of the audience and tell stories by themselves, playing multiple characters using only their voice and gestures.
I sat on the far right in the second row. Since we were able to choose our seats freely, I was happy to get a seat close to the stage.
That day, I watched five professional Rakugo performers in person. The performance lasted about two hours, and it was very fulfilling.
This event was special because it was a name succession ceremony. It was my first time experiencing one.
It was the name succession ceremony of Shofukutei Sankyo.
A name succession ceremony is when a performer publicly announces that they have inherited their master’s stage name. In this case, one Rakugo performer inherited his master’s name “Sankyo” and became Shofukutei Sankyo.
Name succession ceremonies take place in traditional Japanese performing arts such as Rakugo and Kabuki. This may be a unique cultural tradition in Japan. Performers inherit their master’s name, which carries history and expectations.
Then, the performances began.
Shofukutei Kyoryu, a 32-year-old Rakugo performer, appeared on stage. He looked young and refreshing, and he made the atmosphere brighter.
He performed a story about a disease and a doctor.
There was a man who had a stomachache. He went to a doctor who had studied both Western medicine and ninjutsu. The doctor believed that insects inside the body were causing the pain. So, he thought that if he inserted a frog into the patient’s body, the frog would eat the insects and cure the pain.
The doctor chanted a spell and inserted a frog into the patient’s body. The stomachache was cured, but the patient began to jump like a frog.
Then the doctor inserted a snake to kill the frog. Fortunately, the snake ate the frog, but this time, the patient began to move like a snake.
Since the performer acted like a frog and a snake, the audience laughed a lot. Honestly, I don’t think I would have laughed if I had watched this on TV. Live performances are much more interesting and exciting.
Next, Shofukutei Kyosuke, a 44-year-old Rakugo performer, appeared. He looked kind and smiled all the time. I didn’t know much about him, but I liked his atmosphere.
He told a funny story about zenzai, a sweet red bean soup.
A government office began selling zenzai. A citizen wanted to eat it, but he had to fill out a lot of documents just to eat one sweet. It took a lot of time and effort.
This story humorously showed what would happen if a government office sold sweets. Government offices often lack flexibility, so even something simple becomes complicated.
During the performance, he pretended to eat a rice cake. It really looked like he was eating one.
Then he asked the audience, “Can you see that I am eating a rice cake?”
We said no. Then he said, “Only honest people can see it.”
We laughed. When he pretended to eat it again and asked the same question, we said, “Yes,” because we wanted to be seen as honest people.
Then he said, “You are liars.” I smiled and agreed with his remark.
During the performance, an audience member’s smartphone rang. I was surprised, and some people laughed. However, the performer skillfully turned the situation into humor.
Next, Shofukutei Shokyo, a 65-year-old Rakugo performer, appeared. He had a crew cut and looked a little scary, but his way of speaking was gentle. His nickname is “Winnie the Pooh” because he looks like a kind bear.
He performed a story about alcohol.
Because of a ban on alcohol, it was difficult to transport it. An errand boy tried to deliver alcohol, but a government official kept checking him.
First, the boy said he was carrying castella cake, but the official discovered it was alcohol and drank it all.
Next, the boy said it was oil, but again, the official discovered it and drank it.
Finally, the boy tried to take revenge by carrying urine. When the official asked what it was, the boy honestly said it was urine. The official thought he was lying and drank it—expecting alcohol.
Next, four Rakugo performers gave greetings. They sat side by side on the stage. The star of the ceremony bowed deeply, and the others congratulated him.
Katsura Niyo, a female Rakugo performer, said, “I have only met him once, so I’m not sure if it is appropriate for me to speak at this special event.” This made the audience laugh, and I laughed a lot too.
She also said, “Many people have high expectations for him…” then paused and added, “but I don’t care.”
Her blunt comment made everyone laugh. I laughed a lot, but I also wondered if it might make him angry. However, he smiled broadly, so I think they have a good relationship.
Another performer introduced three features of Shofukutei Sankyo:
- He is cheerful and doesn’t speak ill of others—except his wife.
- He is good at playing the traditional Japanese flute, which he performed beautifully at the ceremony.
- He doesn’t listen to other people. (Everyone laughed at this.)
After a 10-minute break, the performances resumed.
Katsura Niyo appeared again. She has a mushroom haircut and a high-pitched, funny voice. Just hearing her voice makes people laugh.
Before her performance, she talked about her training days. She once caused a car accident while driving her master. Because of that, she was almost dismissed.
She told the story humorously, and everyone laughed. Her Rakugo performance was also very funny.
Finally, Shofukutei Sankyo, the star of the ceremony, appeared. The audience applauded loudly.
He first expressed his gratitude and joked, “Thanks to my master, my supporters, and also my own ability, I was able to inherit this name.” This made me laugh.
In the pamphlet, he shared two memorable pieces of advice:
- You cannot become a good Rakugo performer by saying, “I will try hard.” Good performers practice naturally because they love Rakugo.
- If you think another performer is not very good, they are at a similar level to you. If you think they are good, they are far better than you.
Before starting his performance, he told a short story:
A woman went to an art museum. She looked at a painting and said, “This is a painting by Claude Monet.”
A staff member replied, “No, this is a painting by Édouard Manet.”
She then looked at another painting and said, “This must be a painting by Claude Monet.”
The staff member again said, “No, this is also a painting by Édouard Manet.”
Next, she looked at a different picture and said, “The eyes and nose are in strange positions. Since this is a strange painting, this must be a painting by Pablo Picasso.”
The staff member replied, “No, that’s a mirror.”
I laughed a lot when I heard this story. I thought it was very clever. When I got home, I told the story to my mother, but she didn’t find it very funny.
He also shared comments written by elementary school students after watching his Rakugo performance:
“Thank you very much for performing Rakugo even though you took a day off from work.”
(This is funny because he is a professional performer.)
“This was my fifth time watching Rakugo. Yours was the fifth most interesting.”
(Children can be very honest.)
Then, he began his Rakugo performance.
It was about a careless man named Hachigoro who found a dead body on the road one day. He thought the dead person looked very similar to his neighbor, Kumagoro.
Hachigoro went to Kumagoro’s house and said, “I found your dead body on the road. You are dead.”
Kumagoro was also careless, so when he saw the body, he believed it was himself. He held the body and started crying.
After that, he suddenly wondered, “If this is me… then who am I?”
The story was very creative and became my favorite Rakugo of the day.
As expected, Shofukutei Sankyo, the star of the ceremony, was an excellent performer. His storytelling felt very natural. I think this is because of his long experience.
Rakugo stories are usually about 20 to 30 minutes long, and I still don’t understand how performers can memorize such long stories.
Watching five Rakugo performances was a luxury experience, and the audience, including me, laughed a lot.
I realized again that watching a live performance is very different from watching TV at home. When I watch a performance in person, I feel like I am part of it. My attitude can influence the performers. If I look bored, they may feel discouraged. Audiences also share responsibility for creating a good atmosphere.
I also noticed that Rakugo performers turn their mistakes into humor. This is something we can learn from.
This time, I took part in a name succession ceremony for the first time. Rakugo has existed in Japan since the 17th century, and I was able to feel its long history through this event.
Rakugo, a traditional Japanese verbal comedy, is simple but deeply enjoyable.