Hayashiya Kikugumi, the Narrator - Trajectory of Laughter from the Postwar Showa Period to 2025 (1950s - Present)

Hayashiya Kikugumi, the Narrator - Trajectory of Laughter from the Postwar Showa Period to 2025 (1950s - Present)

Hayashiya Kikuo (real name: Hiroshi Toyoda; born October 19, 1937) is a rare comical storyteller who was active not only in the rakugo world but also in television and mass media during the period of high economic growth after the postwar confusion. In 1960, he joined Mikisuke Katsura, and in 1961, he transferred to Shozo (Hikoroku) Hayashiya VIII, where he began performing as "Hayashiya Kikuzo" on the maeza stage. In 1966, he became a regular on the TV program "Laughing Point," and has long been a familiar face to audiences.

His style was a fusion of humor, characterization, and affinity with visual media within the framework of traditional rakugo. At the rakugo stage, he used such classics as "Jukinmu" as the basis for his diverse activities, which included storytelling depicting the downtown area and ordinary people, impromptu skits, and criticism of ramen noodles. In the 1960s and 1950s, when the yose culture began to be shaken by the spread of television and the diversification of entertainment, Kikugumi sought a new image of the art form, asking the question, "What is rakugo? He also attracted attention for his profit consciousness as a performer and his ability to respond to the media, as he once said, "There is nothing better than having a fee.

In 2007, he handed over the name "Hayashiya Kikuzo" to his son and assumed the name "Hayashiya Kikuguen" himself, thus creating a double succession of father and son. In addition, he has written books, held private exhibitions, and produced ramen noodle restaurants, demonstrating his multiple talents that transcend the framework of a rakugo artist. He has also expanded his activities in the fields of magazines, television, and lectures, and continues to maintain his presence as a part of the entertainment industry even in the age of 2025.

In this way, Hayashiya Kikugumi is a rare rakugo performer who has lived through the gap between Showa-era yose culture and the popular entertainment of the TV era, and has nurtured the "art of storytelling" in the midst of the times. While preserving tradition, he created new values and sublimated the form of rakugo into a form of expression that can be used even in the age of video.