“Punch-lines and Gestures: The Japanese Comic Tradition of Rakugo”
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 4094
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
26-9-2023 12:00 AM
Description
Can humor translate? What’s funny to a Japanese audience? Can we be in on these jokes too? In this talk, Chris Born explores the Japanese comedic art of rakugo, where a single, seated storyteller, bedecked in a kimono uses gestures, voice changes, a towel, and a folding fan to tell comic stories with a twist at the end. Having its origins in the Edo (1600-1868) period, Rakugo is considered to be one of earliest forms of contemporary comedy. Enjoying examples in Japanese and English, we will learn how Japanese rakugo artists have been entertaining audiences for centuries, having a laugh or two along the way!
Recommended Citation
Born, Chris, "“Punch-lines and Gestures: The Japanese Comic Tradition of Rakugo”" (2023). Humanities Symposium. 13.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2023/2023/13
“Punch-lines and Gestures: The Japanese Comic Tradition of Rakugo”
Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 4094
Can humor translate? What’s funny to a Japanese audience? Can we be in on these jokes too? In this talk, Chris Born explores the Japanese comedic art of rakugo, where a single, seated storyteller, bedecked in a kimono uses gestures, voice changes, a towel, and a folding fan to tell comic stories with a twist at the end. Having its origins in the Edo (1600-1868) period, Rakugo is considered to be one of earliest forms of contemporary comedy. Enjoying examples in Japanese and English, we will learn how Japanese rakugo artists have been entertaining audiences for centuries, having a laugh or two along the way!
Comments
Convocation Credit: Cultural Well-Being