He Who Turns the Light into Laughter: Tachikawa Danshi, Umbilical Fire of Art and Politics: A Collection of Sayings (1980's)

He Who Turns the Light into Laughter: Tachikawa Danshi, Umbilical Fire of Art and Politics: A Collection of Sayings (1980's)

Danshi Tachikawa refused to allow comedians to flatter their audiences. He said, "It is natural for professionals to disappoint their audience, because we are luminaries. He believed that as a performer who radiates his own light, he stands on stage believing in his own art and not in the desires of the audience. He believed that a performer should be an expressionist who speaks the truth, not a servant of God.

Such a man as Danshi speaks angrily of the loss of freedom of speech. The terms "concubine" and "blindfolded" were both buried as banned broadcast terms. However, rakugo was a mirror of the lives of ordinary people, and words were the life of rakugo. He resents the fact that the times are killing off words with the shield of broadcasting ethics. He was prepared to say what he had to say even if it was torn to shreds.

He also had a keen eye on society. Danshi dismisses the current world as one in which "the weak play the role of the righteous. In an atmosphere where criticism and satire are not allowed, where is the art form headed? As for the transmission of the art, Danshi rejected the idea of a relationship in which one is paid a monthly fee, and said that it is just fine if "the master gives an allowance. The art is something that is connected from the heart and cannot be measured by money.

His experience as a politician was also an extension of his responsibility for his own words. He was told, "If you have a problem with it, get out," and so he did. If a comedian's words do not reach you, you have to stand up for yourself. His rakugo was an umbilical fire that always kept him burning, standing between tradition and modernity, laughter and anger.