From manga to anime, to its cuisine and its technology, Japanese culture is no stranger to Dabawenyos and just last February 20, the Japan Foundation, Manila and All Nippon Airways, together with the Consular Office of Japan in Davao brought another facet of Japanese culture to Durianburg with the staging of Rakugo in English.
The event held at the ballroom of the Marco Polo Davao featured Japanese Rakugo Master Kaishi Katsura together with fellow Rakugo Master Asakichi Katsura, Shamisen Musical Performer Eika Utsumi, and Traditional Comic Performer Lucky Mai.
For those unfamiliar with it, Rakugo is a traditional Japanese street performance art and is basically a “sit-down comedy” involving a one-man troupe of characters from geisha to samurai, from merchants to ninja, all performed by the Rakugo comic from the comfort of his cushion and Kaishi Katsura, the world’s top performer of English Rakugo, made sure the audience cried laughing.
It was amazing how colourful stories and complex characters were given life by only one performer armed with only a fan, a oversized hankie and master Kaishi voice, face, and frenetic hand gestures.
Aside from the Rakugo performances by Kaishi and Asakichi, the evening was filled with musical story-telling by the queen of Japanese instruments Eika Utsumi who fascinated the audience with her versatile voice and mastery of the shamisen.
The energy of the crowd was bumped up some more thanks to the Daikagura Traditional Clowning of Lucky Mai who performed various balancing acts, acrobatics, juggling and dance. I find it amazing how she was able to balance three knives on each other’s blades, truly an awesome act that made the audience gasp and cheer.
The evening closed with another masterful Rakugo performance by master Kaishi Katsura that literally brought the house down. The Dabawenyo audience clearly appreciated the performances with a standing ovation, showing that cultural understanding can be achieved through art and a barrel of laughs.
