Rakugo, the traditional Japanese art of storytelling, developed as a form of entertainment for the general public during the Edo Period (1603-1867).It is a minimalistic art form which features a lone storyteller capable of conveying a wide variety of stories to an audience using only a fan and a hand towel as his or her props.
At the present time, there are approximately 500 stories known to exist. Generally, the stories are comedic in nature, but rakugo also includes tragicomic human-interest stories and scary supernatural stories.In Eiraku’s 100 English Rakugo Scripts (Volume 1), you were introduced to thirty-five classic rakugo stories selected from different categories ranging from "Stories About Children" to "Human Interest Stories." In Volume 2, you will be presented with an additional thirty-five stories including "Stories About Stores and Vendors," "Family Stories," "Stories About Thieves," "Fantasy Stories," "Sumo Stories," "Stories About Drinking," and much more. This book also includes a bonus collection of short stories from the pleasure quarter in Ise.Each story has been fully translated to English from the original Japanese version by rakugo storyteller Kanariya Eiraku. Follow along and experience the charm of rakugo, and find out why the art form has endured for over 400 years.