The Soul of the Postwar Common People in Unconventional Rakugo: The Existence of Kokontei Shinsyu (Pre- and Post-War Showa Period)

The Soul of the Postwar Common People in Unconventional Rakugo: The Existence of Kokontei Shinsyu (Pre- and Post-War Showa Period)

Shinsei Kokontei (1890-1973) was one of the most famous rakugo storytellers of the Showa era (1926-1973), who created an era with his outrageous and somewhat silly storytelling. He jokingly said, "The fertilizer of art is poverty." His life was filled with poverty, upheaval, defeat, and reconstruction.

Shinsei's storytelling was characterized by his "brokenness" and "gaps" in his delivery, and the fact that he did not try to tell his stories skillfully rather touched the hearts of the audience. His tone was slurred, he strayed from the plot, and he went off on tangents. However, this "gap" overlapped with the confusion that people at that time felt in their daily lives, and it aroused sympathy. Especially in the postwar period of recovery from the devastation, his rakugo reminded people of the power of laughter.

One of his best-known works, "Kaen Daiko," is a typical Shinsei rakugo. It is a simple tale of a junk dealer who makes a fortune when he discovers that the taiko drums he happens to have in his possession are very expensive.

Another of Shinsei's masterpieces, "The Camel" is a somewhat grotesque and obscene story that mixes drunkenness, violence, and funerals. However, when he tells the story, it takes on a strange sense of familiarity and pathos. There was a power of inclusion that enveloped the ridiculousness and pathos of people living at the bottom of society with laughter.

In his later years, he suffered a stroke, but after undergoing rehabilitation, he returned to the stage and impressed many audiences with the strength of his artistry and the tenacity of his life. The sight of Shinsei saying, "I'm finished," demonstrated that the power of life itself resides in the art of rakugo.

Shinsei's rakugo is not perfect. But that is why it is so human. His art continued to teach the people of the postwar era that laughter is close to tears.