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KATSURA Kitcho
Photo: MIYAZAKI Kinjiro
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The Japanese have an old
saying: Warau kado ni wa fuku kitaru, which means
"good fortune comes to the family that lives together
in good spirits." It is believed that hearty laughter
has the power to dispel malice and attract good fortune.
Furrowed brows and bickering won't bring fortune; only
laughter can. Here I wish to turn the spotlight on those
people carrying on Kansai,s tradition of original performing
arts. If this article brings a smile to the reader's face,
I shall count myself successful.
 The Versatile KATSURA Kitcho
In December 2001, KATSURA Kitcho, the talented disciple
of KATSURA Beicho, won the Kamigata Comedy Grand Prix
sponsored by Yomiuri TV. This was a great achievement
for a performer who does nothing but rakugo—traditional
comic storytelling—since the prize often goes to
an act or comedian who has caused a media sensation and
appears frequently on television or radio. KATSURA Kitcho
was remarkably active in 2001, richly deserving the award.
His solo performances were held in Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo
and throughout Japan to great acclaim. In October he joined
his teacher—a living national treasure—in a
much-hailed, standing—room-only performance at the
National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka. KATSURA Kitcho has
also engaged enthusiastically in collaborative efforts
with other traditional performing arts—bunraku (puppet
theater), kyogen (comic Noh drama), and kodan (historical
narration). During combined rakugo and kyogen gatherings
known as "Rice and Tofu", the audience is treated to interesting
behind-the-scenes stories during the talk session. Performances
of rakugo and newly written kyogen dramas at Noh theaters
have dismantled boundaries between the arts, exposing
rakugo devotees to kyogen and making new rakugo fans out
of kyogen lovers. The title for the gatherings combines
Chinese characters from both arts: "rice" is the first
character of Beicho, while "tofu" was taken from the traditional
"Tofu kyogen" performances of the SHIGEYAMA family. Kitcho
now has six disciples, who can be depended on to carry
the torch for the Kamigata-style rakugo tradition well
into the 21st century.
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