A Forgotten Go Stone Move--Rakugo "Kasago" and the Showa Humanistic Economy (Mid-Showa Period)

A Forgotten Go Stone Move--Rakugo "Kasago" and the Showa Humanistic Economy (Mid-Showa Period)

The rakugo story "Kasago" is a comic tale about two men who fall out over a single "wait and see" move. The incident is funny, yet it leaves a quiet ripple deep in the heart. The conflict of memories of "said" and "unsaid" in a relationship may seem to be a mere clash of words, but in fact it is a question about existence itself: "What do you think of me?

Although the story takes place in Edo, it is precisely in the context of the mid-Showa period that the story resonates deeply. Although Japanese people's lives changed dramatically in the process of postwar reconstruction and rapid economic growth, there were still vestiges of old values in the relationships between people, especially in the sense of money and friendship. In the days before cash transactions became the mainstream, when people bought things on credit and built their businesses on credit, "remembering" was the greatest courtesy to others, and memory was the thin rope that connected obligation and gratitude.

Yanagiya Basho (2nd generation), who performed this story, emphasized the subtle emotional swings of the story. Instead of forcing the audience to laugh, he dared to take pauses in the performance, as if to say to the audience, "This is not just a laugh. As a result, "Kasa Go," although a rakugo story, acquired the weight of a psychological drama. Umao's narration showed how money, emotion, and memory were multilayered for the common people of the Showa period.

Kasago" is a story of friendship damaged by the ambiguity of memory, which eventually leads to reconciliation. It depicts human emotions that remain unchanged even in an era of rapid change. The human truth entrusted in a single move of a small Go stone - it still remains in our hearts along with the memories of the Showa era.