Rakugo, or rakugo storytelling in English, is loved by people from all over the world. Rakugo is a form of Japanese culture that transcends borders and uses Japanese humor and storytelling. One representative of this form of English rakugo is Kanariya Eiraku (real name Tatsuya Sudo, 65).
Starting with an interest in the English world, Eiraku, who is also well-versed in Japanese-American theater, is the representative director of the English Rakugo Association (established in 2020), a general incorporated association that promotes rakugo in English. The association has performed in Europe, Oceania, and Asia, mainly in the United States, and was invited to perform English rakugo at the St. Louis Japan Festival held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA for three days from the end of August to September.
We spoke with Eiraku about his performance in St. Louis, his past activities, how rakugo is being accepted by Japanese people and communities overseas, and his own connection to Japanese culture.
An American disciple acts as a go-between
Kawai: In addition to performing in Japan, you have also performed in various parts of overseas. When did you start performing and what kind of performances do you do?
Eiraku: In the US, we have performed at "Los Angeles Nisei Week" in 2015, "Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival" and "Arizona Japan Festival" in 2016, "New York Performance" and "Texas Performance" in 2017, "Arizona Japan Festival" in 2018, "Los Angeles Performance" in 2020, "California Performance" in 2023, and "Arizona Japan Festival" and "St. Louis Japan Festival" in 2024. This will be our 10th US performance.
This will be the fourth time that we have participated in the Japan Festival, which introduces Japanese culture in the United States, following Nisei Week in Los Angeles, the Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival, and the Arizona Japan Festival.
Performances outside of the United States are listed on the Rakugo English Association's website , but they have also performed in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Laos, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and other countries.
Kawai: What prompted you to perform at the Japan Festival in St. Louis this time?
Eiraku: I have an American student in St. Louis. He is a white man named Mark Kuhner, and his stage name is Kanariya Chusei. He is from the Midwest, so he goes by Nakanishi. He can't attend actual classes, so he is learning English Rakugo from me through video lessons. He has been performing English Rakugo at the Japan Festival for the past three years, and this time we decided it was about time to invite his teacher. So Nakanishi put me in touch with Mari Watanabe, one of the directors of the Japan Festival executive committee. After that, the board of directors approved and we decided to invite him.
The traditional Japanese festival now in its 47th year
Kawai: There is a lot of talk about Japanese festivals and community activities on the West Coast of the United States and in New York, but what is the Japanese community like in St. Louis?
Eiraku: In St. Louis, there is the Japanese Society, which was established in 1973, the Japan-America Society, which was established in 1967, and the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), which was established in 1946. Each of these organizations is engaged in activities such as deepening friendships and supporting its members. There is also a Japanese language supplementary school, where about 200 people, both Japanese and foreign, are studying Japanese. Nakanishi, one of my students, is one of the people studying Japanese there.
St. Louis has a sister city relationship with Suwa City in Nagano Prefecture, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the relationship, so both cities are holding events to commemorate the occasion.
The St. Louis Japanese Festival began in 1977, and this year marks its 47th anniversary. The oldest Japanese festival is the Nisei Week Festival in Los Angeles, which began in 1934 before the war, so it can't compete with this one, but it's around the same time as the Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival, which began in 1976. The Arizona Festival began in 1985, so it's earlier than that and has quite a long history.
Kawai: The local "Japan Festival" seemed to be a very lively event with a wide variety of events. What did you think? What other events were there besides English Rakugo?
Eiraku: At most Japanese festivals in America, Japanese drums are the highlight. St. Louis has a partnership with Suwa City, so Osuwa Taiko was on display. In addition to this, sumo wrestling is also popular at the St. Louis Japanese Festival. Three sumo wrestlers from Japan participated in the festival this time, one of whom was a former sekiwake, Ichinojo, who now wrestles under the name Ichi. The other two were wrestlers who belonged to the California Sumo Association (CSA). The CSA is an organization founded in 1998 by American sumo fans.
Other demonstrations and workshops included tea ceremony, flower arranging, Japanese sweets, Japanese cuisine, calligraphy, candy crafts, Nihon Buyo, Okinawan Eisa dancing, judo, aikido, kendo, origami, bonsai, and Kamishibai (paper theater).
In America, candy crafts are called Candyman. In America, the famous Candyman is Shan Ichiyanagi, who I have met many times, and it seems that a man named Seiji comes to the St. Louis Japan Festival every year. I was surprised to see him making candy blindfolded. He seems to be from Florida.
There were many carp streamers in the botanical gardens, which was a unique sight to the Japanese Festival in St. Louis. The carp streamers seem to be the symbol of the festival. As you can see at other Japanese festivals, there were many stalls selling takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, taiyaki, dango, sushi, green tea ice cream, shaved ice, and more, and there were long lines everywhere.
There was a unique shop selling Japanese-style sandwiches. Food was generally priced at $10, and drinks and ice cream were priced at $5. There was also a shop selling anime goods, and a shop offering tattoos that disappear in a day or two. There was also a Pokemon hunting game going on in the park.
"Scary hamburgers" are a hit with customers
Kawai: As for English Rakugo, what kind of people, including Eiraku, performed what kind of stories? Also, what kind of people were in the audience? Were there a lot of Japanese and Japanese-Americans in attendance?
Eiraku: On the first day, we performed two shows at the large and small venues. After that, we performed at an elementary school. So we did a total of seven shows. We put two seats on the line for each show. The nine plays we performed were Jugemu, Shinigami, Katabo, Momotaro, Akubi Shinan, Sanada Kozo, Noppera Bo, Hamburger Scary, and Tengu Saiban. Nakanishi, a supporting actor, performed five plays, Zoo, Sokkotsu Tenement, Signboard Pin, Okiku's Plate, and Ko-Home, and he also showed enthusiasm.
In one performance, I performed two seats and a side performance (playing the bamboo blinds and ukulele). Nakanishi performed one seat, and the performance lasted about an hour. The capacity of the small venue was about 50 people, and the large venue was about 300 people, and each performance was almost full. Most of the audience were local Americans, and I didn't get the impression that there were particularly many Japanese or Japanese-Americans.
Kawai: Was the elementary school a local public school? Did you give the same talk to the children? What was their reaction?
Eiraku: We visited a local public elementary school and performed there. I performed the rakugo story Jugemu, ukulele, and Tamasudare, and Nakanishi performed Zoo. The children understood the story and laughed a lot.
Kawai: Could you please explain with an example from one of the pieces that Eiraku-san showed us? What kind of story did it have, and what did the audience react to and laugh at?
Eiraku: Overseas, we play "Jugemu" as a standard. Of course, we play the name Jugemu as it is. Everyone responds to the fun of the repetition and the sound of the name. It's even more well-received than performing it in Japanese in Japan.
"Hamburger Scary," a parody of "Manjukowai," is also popular. When performing this piece, I research in advance which hamburger shops are popular in the area. If I include that, the customers are happy.
Since the audience gets tired if I only do rakugo, I add colorful items such as bamboo blinds in the middle, but this time I made the Gateway Arch, a symbol of St. Louis, out of bamboo blinds. This always gets a standing ovation. I visited the Gateway Arch before the performance. This kind of advance research is also very important and adds flavor to the story. This improvisational nature is one of the great attractions of rakugo.
Kawai: Were there any differences between your previous Japan Festival-related performances in the U.S. and this year's Japan Festival in St. Louis?
Eiraku: The St. Louis Japan Festival is held at the Missouri Botanical Garden, but there is an admission fee. It's $18 per person. So I think the quality of the visitors is high. Apparently 50,000 people visit over the three days, so the financial base is solid. During the reception, the Japanese Consul in Chicago explained this to me, and said that the St. Louis Japan Festival is attracting attention from other Japanese festivals in the United States.
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Kanariya Eiraku His real name is Tatsuya Sudo. He is the representative director of the English Rakugo Association and head of the Cannery Rakugo School. He is a lecturer at Komazawa University. He was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1959. He graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Studies at Sophia University in 1981 and from the Temple University Graduate School in 1994 with a Master's in Education. He joined the Tachikawa School of Rakugo in 1984. He has obtained the United Nations English Proficiency Test Level A and other certifications. He began doing English Rakugo after being inspired by Kamigata's Katsura Shijaku. In addition to Rakugo, he plays the ukulele and performs Tamasudare as a sideshow, and sings Hauta, Kouta, Zokukyoku, Dodoitsu, J-pop and other songs in both Japanese and English. |
© 2024 Ryusuke Kawai
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