世界中の人を落語で楽しませたい

[From Decemberber Issue 2014]

KATSURA Kaishi, Rakugo-ka
In Japan there is a comic form of entertainment called “rakugo” (comic storytelling) which has been around for approximately 400 years. It features one person portraying many different characters. The storyteller sits down on a cushion and spins a tale using only a tenugui (Japanese thin towel) and a sensu (folding fan) as props. The performer is called a rakugo-ka (comic storyteller) and in theaters that specialize in rakugo in Tokyo and Osaka, performances take place every day.
Based in Kansai, KATSURA Kaishi continues to translate and perform classic rakugo stories in English. Since 1998, he has successfully performed over 300 times in 97 cities in 17 countries worldwide. “I started this partly because I loved English and longed for a chance to study abroad. My master (the late KATSURA Bunshi V) generously gave his permission, even though it was shortly after I had completed my apprenticeship.”
“At the outset, even in Japanese, I only had seven or eight stories in my repertoire,” says Kaishi. But now, after receiving many awards including the Ministry of Culture Rookie of the Year Award, and the NHK Japan National Television Award for Young Artists, he is beginning to gain acknowledgment for his abilities in Japan. Subsequently, he was appointed as the cultural ambassador of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and went on a six-month English rakugo tour in the United States.
“Driving the camper van myself, I toured around 33 cities with my family. In rakugo, movement – for example miming eating with chopsticks with a sensu or sewing with tenugui – is more important than words. It was very difficult to explain to local staff that it is typically performed on a high platform called a kouza (stage) so that the entire body is visible. They said that it was too dangerous and I had to sign a written waiver that said I would not sue even if I were injured.
“I was worried when I visited the township of the Native Indian Navajo tribe and was told that these people rarely laugh. When I tried a kobanashi (short story) about Monument Valley, there was applause and laughter from the audience and the rakugo also got a huge laugh. I was very pleased that people who knew nothing of Japan or rakugo enjoyed it,” he continues.
Performing as part of a group, I took part in the “Edinburgh Festival,” the world’s largest drama festival, in August this year. The performance, which brought to mind a “Japanese Cirque du Soleil,” consisted of physical performances, including Japanese dance, taiko (Japanese drums), and aerial dance, combined with CGI.
“The production shows how sake is created; in the role of the touji (the person in charge of a sake brewery), I was MC for the whole performance. Before the rakugo, I appeared in front of the audience with a sake bottle in my hand and gestured for them to have a drink; I was very nervous, since it was a new experience for me.” It got the highest five star rating from the “British Theater Guide” and was highly praised by the fair and exacting local media.
With his English rakugo, Kaishi has continued to break out of the rakugo sphere, by collaborating with other art forms, including bunraku (Japanese puppet theatre). “Whether it be Japan or abroad, I’d like to go anywhere where I can give pleasure with my rakugo. I’d like my dream to study drama in London to come true, too,” he says with a radiant smile.
Office Beginning
Text: KAWARATANI Tokiko

[2014年12月号掲載記事]

 

落語家、桂かい枝さん

日本には約400年前から続いている笑いの芸能「落語」があります。一人で何人もの人物を演じるのが特徴です。座布団に座り、道具は手ぬぐいと扇子だけを使って表現します。演じる人を落語家といい、東京と大阪にある落語専門の劇場では、毎日公演が行われています。

関西を拠点に活躍している桂かい枝さんは、古典落語を自ら英語に訳し、そして演じる活動を続けています。1998年から世界17ヵ国97都市で、300回を超える公演を成功させてきました。「英語が好きだったのと、留学に憧れていたこともあって始めました。師匠(故五代目桂文枝)は、修行期間があけて間もない頃だったのにおおらかに許してくれました」。

「最初は日本語ですら持ちネタが7つか8つでした」とかい枝さんは話します。今では文化庁芸術祭新人賞、NHK新人演芸大賞など多くの賞を受賞し、日本での実力も認められています。その後、文化庁より文化交流使に任命され、半年かけてアメリカで英語落語ツアーを行いました。

「自分でキャンピングカーを運転して、家族と一緒に33都市を回りました。落語は扇子をはしに見立てて食べる表現や、手ぬぐいで縫い物をする演技など、言葉以上に動きも大切です。高座と呼ばれる高い台に乗って全身を見せるのが通常ですが、現地スタッフに説明するのは大変でした。危険だと言われて、けがをしても訴えないという誓約書を書いたこともありましたね」。

「ネイティブアメリカンのナバホ族の居住区では、彼らはめったに笑わないと聞かされて不安でした。モニュメントバレーに関する小噺(短い落語)をやってみたら、客席から拍手と笑い声が起こって、落語も大爆笑でした。日本や落語を知らない人たちに喜んでもらえて、本当に嬉しかったですね」と続けます。

今年8月には、イギリスで開催された世界最大の演劇祭「エディンバラフリンジ」に、パフォーマンス集団の一員として参加しました。日本舞踊、太鼓、空中ダンスといった身体表現とCG映像を合わせた「和製シルク・ドゥ・ソレイユ」を思わせる内容です。

「酒が誕生する様子を表した作品です。杜氏(酒の製造過程を取り仕切る役目)役で、全体の進行係でした。落語の前に酒瓶を持って客席から現れて、お客さんにお酒を勧める仕草をしたりしましたが、初めての経験だったので最初は緊張しましたね」。イギリス舞台専門雑誌「British Theater Guide」で最高評価の五つ星を獲得し、公平で厳しい現地メディアから大絶賛されました。

かい枝さんは、英語落語や文楽など他ジャンルとのコラボレーションと、落語家の枠組みを超えた活動を続けてきました。「日本でも外国でも、ぼくの落語で喜んでもらえるなら、どこへでも出かけていきたいと思います。ロンドンでの演劇留学の夢も叶えたいですね」と、晴れやかな笑顔で話します。

オフィスビギニング

文:瓦谷登貴子

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