“Rakugo is the acceptance of human nature.”

— Tatekawa Danshi

Excuse my language, but…

everybody is screwed up.

At least a little bit.

The world of rakugo is full of imperfections. Something is almost always wrong with those lovable characters.  Perhaps with a few exceptions of the female characters, which, in my humble opinion, is an accurate reflection of the reality.

Rakugo is full of half-witted thieves, smart arse kids, and self-proclaimed wise men to name a few.  They are full of quirks and usually “off” unlike those extraordinary heroes in kabuki plays.  Sure, I enjoy watching kabuki, but I can only truly relate to the residents of the rakugo world.

The quote at the top is the rakugo legend Tatekawa Danshi’s definition of rakugo.  It has always given me a sense of hope that it is OK to be me: a misfit, a rebel, and an antihero.

The original Japanese text is “落語とは業の肯定である。” (Rakugo towa gou no koutei dearu).  “Gou” literally means “karma”, but I translated it as “human nature” as I think it captures the essence of this maxim.

If we are to be 100% honest about ourselves, most of us have flaws.  I am not sure about you, but I do.  Taking the seven deadly sins as examples (for the sake of the western audience), I experience at least one of them daily.

I don’t think I am greedy, but I can be vain i.e. proud.  I am definitely a glutton. 

Just last Sunday, I had a huge Vietnamese lunch followed by a Chinese bun and a Japanese cream puff for afternoon tea… then Afghan kebabs for dinner and Kit Kat chocolate bars (plural) for dessert… all on the same day.

Sloth.  Yes.  I am perfectly happy being a couch potato and watching Netflix all evening.  Lust?  Yes… 😳

Of course, rakugo doesn’t encourage us to indulge ourselves in human desires, but it simply reveals who we REALLY are behind the masks.

However, the true beauty of rakugo is that it teaches us there is always a place for everybody in this world.  Every single person is indispensable, no matter how insignificant we may feel about ourselves at times.

I perform rakugo to share this message with the world.