A Story Named Tohei Katsura: A Storyteller Connecting the Classical Genealogy and the Present (1970s - Present)

A Story Named Tohei Katsura: A Storyteller Connecting the Classical Genealogy and the Present (1970s - Present)

Katsura Tobei (born January 13, 1952 in Tokyo) is a rakugo storyteller who has faithfully carried on the tradition of "classic rakugo" from the late Showa period to the present. In 1974 he was promoted to the second rank, and in 1984 he became a shinuchi, assuming the name Katsura Tohei III.
His art is characterized by the solid classicism of his master Shozo and his powerful yet polite delivery. In today's age when television and flashy productions are the mainstream, Tohei has dared to maintain his stance as an "orthodox classicist" and has valued his performances at Yose and Teiseki (regular theaters). He has taken on such traditional symbols as the "blue sudare," a deayashi (musical accompaniment) passed down from his master, and the "chuwa chuin korin tsutsu," a crest, and delivers laughter with both harmony and dignity.
From the 1970s to the 1980s, Japan was in the midst of its rapid economic growth, and the environment surrounding traditional performing arts changed dramatically with the rise of television, leisure, and youth culture. In such an era, Tohei Toei continued to present "live storytelling that is not theatrical," which could be passed on to the next generation, by preserving the core of the "vocal art" of rakugo. At a time when the classics were almost forgotten, he was a bridge that connected the ages through storytelling.