Rakugo

Rakugo (落語, literally 'story with a fall')^[1] is a form of Japanese verbal comedy, traditionally performed in yose theatres.^[2] The lone storyteller (落語家, rakugoka) sits on a raised platform, a kōza (高座). Using only a paper fan (扇子, sensu) and a 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.

^ Tanaka, Sakurako (1993). Talking through the text : Rakugo and the oral/literal interface (Master thesis). University of British Columbia. pp. 30, 45. doi:10.14288/1.0076952. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.
^ Sweeney, Amin (1979). "Rakugo: Professional Japanese Storytelling" (pdf). Asian Folklore Studies (in Japanese). 38 (1). Nanzan University: 29. doi:10.2307/1177464. JSTOR 1177464. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2023. (Bibliography: volume 38(1), article)

[Tanaka1993-1] Tanaka, Sakurako (1993). Talking through the text : Rakugo and the oral/literal interface (Master thesis). University of British Columbia. pp. 30, 45. doi:10.14288/1.0076952. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.

[Sweeney1979-2] Sweeney, Amin (1979). "Rakugo: Professional Japanese Storytelling" (pdf). Asian Folklore Studies (in Japanese). 38 (1). Nanzan University: 29. doi:10.2307/1177464. JSTOR 1177464. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2023. (Bibliography: volume 38(1), article)

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