Art Festivals & Events

A rakugo show usually starts with a makura or a comic prelude, during which a performer tells an anecdote, sometimes referring to a comic poem such as this one: “Spring is fickle, summer is cheerful, autumn is melancholy, winter is gloomy, and the end of the year is bustling.” This poem portrays a year from the hopeful new beginning to the year-end hustle and bustle, suggesting how a rakugo storytelling depicts various scenes of the four seasons as enjoyed by samurais and townspeople.This exhibit introduces the collection at National Engei Hall, including nishiki-e or color woodblock prints, handwritten notes of former performers, and famous rakugo stories for each season, with a hope of giving visitors an opportunity to feel close to the Japan's four seasons as illustrated in rakugo stories.