Rakugo

1 comment

1. Hi OP. There’s quite a lot of information missing here – how good is your Japanese? Where are you based? How old are you? How serious are you about learning rakugo? How familiar with rakugo are you already? Do you want to learn koten rakugo or are you more interested in shinsaku rakugo?

   **Hard mode**

   The traditional route would be to become an apprentice to a rakugoka who has already achieved shinuchi status and is accepting apprentices. Keep in mind that this is still a very traditional profession, so you will effectively be their gofer for a few years, watching and learning in the background without necessarily receiving any formal training in the art of rakugo itself. The older you are, I am afraid, the less people will be willing to take you on as an apprentice as it typically takes a long time for a newbie to turn into a full-fledged professional.

   Depending on how old school your shisho is, you might also be expected to learn some traditional singing, instruments etc. Note that you will have very little income during this stage of your career, but you might be able to live with your shisho if they accept live-in apprentices and your senpai are also likely to treat you to drinks, meals etc. from time to time. You’ll gradually climb the ranks and earn more money, but expect this to take years regardless of how good you might be. If you’re visibly “foreign” (e.g. blond-haired, blue-eyed American) this could help you stand apart from the competition, but your Japanese is going to need to be very, very good. Some rakugoka have also become quasi-celebrities, hosting and/or appearing as guests on TV and radio shows.

   **Easy mode**

   If you’re thinking of it as more of a hobby or just want to get a taste for what it might be like, then I would start by Googling “落語教室” and working through the results to see if anything piques your interest. There may even be something available in English, although I personally feel that a lot is lost in translation (there’s a Canadian who’s reasonable famous for performing rakugo in English).

   COVID restrictions have meant that a lot of rakugoka have had to turn to the internet for money. There are several who have started their own YouTube channels and live performances, not to mention dozens of unofficial channels and hundreds of videos that you can watch. As such, you might just find that some of the more talented/mainstream rakugoka have started online ‘hobby’ tuition, too.

   You might also find that your local Japanese embassy or Japan Society can provide a recommendation, should there be a large enough Japanese community in your country.

   **Other tips**

   I, myself, am still very much at the beginning of my rakugo journey so take this advice with a grain of salt but, if you’re really serious about rakugo, I would recommend listening to as many famous performances as possible before worrying about performing it yourself. If you’re in Japan, then try and spend as much time as possible visiting the yose. Anyone accepting you as an apprentice will want to know what, who and how much you have seen/listened to.

   Obviously every performance is different but, if you want rakugoka at their best, renting or buying their CDs (or DVDs if you want video) is probably the best approach. The audio quality tends to be better than YouTube and they’re unlikely to sign-off on CDs/DVDs of performances which were terrible. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great deal available via the main western streaming services. If you’re in Japan, though, you might have luck with Audible JP and Amazon Japan’s Yose Channel.

   Common recommendations include:
   – 立川志の輔（新作含む）
   – 古今亭志ん朝 <— RIP
   – 三遊亭圓生 <— RIP
   – 柳家喬太郎（新作含む）
   – 桂米朝（上方落語）<— RIP
   – 桂文枝（新作）
   – 立川談志（perhaps an acquired taste, but widely accepted as being very, very talented）<— RIP