Where I list the books I used...

Works Cited

Davis, Jessica Milner. Understanding Humor in Japan. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2006. Print.

Powers, Richard Gid, Hidetoshi Katō, and Bruce Stronach. Handbook of Japanese Popular Culture. New York: Greenwood, 1989. Print.

Tsutsui, William M., and Michiko Itō. In Godzilla's Footsteps: Japanese Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Print.

Where I conclude this blog...

This blog is certainly not enough to cover every detail and the whole depth of Japanese comedy.  Certainly, the roots of Japanese comedy goes back much further than the introduction of manzai in the Heian period.  There are thousands of geinin that are not mentioned on this blog and of those, hundreds that are successful today.

However, I hope you got a taste of the rich geinin culture, and the long history of Japanese comedy and the comedians.  The Japanese game shows you see are the product of this long tradition that developed over time.  It is not as simple as ridiculous people doing ridiculous things.  As I have tried to explain, the majority of Japanese comedy is not the end result of ridiculous, exotic behaviors.  Just like manzai and konto, most of owarai shows are rehearsed and perfected over time.  Every time a geinin falls into the water, it reflects his experiences and skills as a geinin.  Most of them are always conscious about the timing and the tempo of delivery of their actions; in their term, they "read the atmosphere" (kuki wo yomu).  And they are always fighting against the fear of suberu.  Owarai geinin is a more difficult job than it appears, requiring emotional strength, wit, and comedic skills to survive among thousands of geinin.

So finally, let's take a look at a seemingly ridiculous performance.


This is a comedy genre called reaction performance.  The "reaction geinin" use skills to overly react to seemingly painful situations.  It is a performance that is mastered, and on this video, the guy in the pink vest (Kasuga) is learning the art of this performance genre from the guy in tuxedo (Degawa).  These people are aware of what is going on; for example, the hot bath is actually a room temperature bath.  Japanese game shows are the same way.  The ridiculous, funny moments do not come from coincidence and accidents; rather, they are performances.  Geinin are almost always aware, and they are always thinking about the next move.  And they will do (and sometimes, pressured to do) whatever it takes to make people laugh.

Where I tell you about the people responsible for the human tetris: Tonneruzu...

Tonneruzu (or Tunnels)

Tunnels was formed by Ishibashi Takaaki (Left) and Kinashi Noritake (Right).  They were high school classmates and as an amateur duo (then called Takaaki & Nortitake), were stars on television shows such as TV Jockey and Owarai Star Tanjyo (Birth of Owarai Star).  In 1980, they officially formed a duo after quitting their job at a Hyatt Hotel and Daihatsu and changed their name to Tunnels.  They soon became a favorite of a television producer; however, after one year, an argument resulted in the producer using his power to prevent Tunnels from being casted in shows.  During this time, they lived a difficult life as a geinin, performing in the parking lot of supermarkets and at department stores.  In 1983, they were given 5 minutes on a midnight show.  Their radical and sometimes violent style gave them huge success in the late night shows, and their fan base started to grow.  Tunnels soon became a charismatic figure especially for young fans.  In the late 1980s, they see even greater success with shows such as Neruton Beni-Kujira Dan and Tunnels no Minasan no Okage desu.  It is on the latter show that many konto characters that were iconic of the time and throughout their career were developed.  These shows were also highly admired by today's younger geinin and had numerous influences on the development of comedy television shows in Japan.  Tunnels, as part of the show, entered the music industry and also became successful as comedic singers.  Tunnels, because they are independent from the large geinin culture centered around Yoshimoto and Osaka, is frequently given the label "Tokyo geinin".  This Tokyo geinin image solidified by Tunnels carries a more pop and modern (or "city") notion than the geinin image of Osaka and Yoshimoto.

It is in the show that followed Okage desu called Tunnels no Minasan no Okage deshita that human tetris made its debut.  It is one of the game in a konto-like program called Moji-Moji kun HYPER.   Moji-Moji kun started while the show was still called Okage desu, and the characters are part of the comedy theme that goes back to the 1990's.  The program is made for the geinin, and therefore, they are not competing to win the game.  They are trying to win the laughter of the audience, and therefore, at times, a ridiculous way of falling into the water, on purpose, is a more "correct" answer than trying to figure out the puzzle.  Again, they are comedians, and they are making the audience laugh.

Where I think you should learn about Shimada Shinsuke and Downtown...

As you may have noticed from reading this blog now, Downtown had the greatest influence on modern day owarai and today's owarai geinin.  However, without Shimada Shinsuke, the Japanese entertainment industry may have never seen Downtown.

Shimada Shinsuke was born in Kyoto on March 24, 1956 as Hasegawa Kimihiko.  As a teenager, he was an outlaw and experienced several arrests.  He saw the manzai of a duo called B&B at the age of 18, and seeing how funny B&B's manzai was, he decided to enter owarai in order to beat Shimada Yoshichi (one of the B&B duo) in being funnier.  He formed the duo Shinsuke Ryusuke with Matsumoto Ryusuke, and began performing manzai.  They soon became recognized as one of the funniest acts in western Japan and became a regular in Oretachi Hyokin-zoku.  However, as the Manzai boom started to end in the 1980s, the duo disbanded; at the press conference, Shinsuke stated, "He will never be better than Taihei Saburo Shiro and Downtown [in manzai]."  It was at that moment Downtown gained media attention (they were virtually unknown before that time).

Shinsuke began to enter the role of television show host.  He is also a successful producer in the Japanese entertainment industry as well as an entrepreneur.  Shinsuke is the man who started the M-1 Grand Prix.  In a television show with Matsumoto Hitoshi of Downtown, he stated that the owarai industry should decide who is simply the funniest geinin, and he stated in another show that the M-1 Grand Prix is his show of appreciation for the culture of manzai, the first 8 years of his geinin life.  His intelligence and wittiness make him the most liked television show hosts in Japan today.

Hamada Masatoshi

Matsumoto Hitoshi

Downtown formed in 1982 by Hamada Masatoshi and Matsumoto Hitoshi.  The duo changed owarai, at least for the geinin that followed, and are one of the most highly admired comedians in Japan by the fans and other geinin (older and younger).  Hamada is the tsukkomi and Matsumoto is the boke.  Hamada is now known for his sadistic portrayal while Matsumoto claims he is a masochist; they are responsible for spreading the use of the now common S&M reference in Japan (S-type people being those who are active and aggressive while M-type people are the receiving end; not only in a sexual way).  Their influence is also shown through the geinin that came after them.  Almost all manzai duo that followed Downtown mimicked Downtown's style especially the poker face boke characteristic of Matsumoto.  Yet, Shinsuke states that Downtown arrived at that style after learning all the older, traditional style of manzai, and therefore, the copies cannot be better without learning the basics.

As I mentioned earlier, they were virtually unknown until Shinsuke's comment at the press conference.  They were in the first graduating class at NSC which also included Tommy's, a duo that included an already famous Japanese champion in boxing.  Furthermore, they were not well looked upon due to their new style and radical manzai topics.  Among many older geinin, they were not received well due to the lack of the master (again, they were the first class at NSC).  With these reasons, they had a very slow start.  Yet, many other geinin including those in his class already felt that Downtown was something different and extraordinary.  Shinsuke stated that many successful geinin including Shinsuke, Sanma, and All-Kyojin went to give a lecture at NSC.  They always said that one duo was funniest among those in the class, and they all pointed at Downtown.

Because of their slow start, they led an extremely poor life until their success.  For many years, they went to work but had no money (and did not make enough money) to make the return trip, so they walked a long distance home.  Their dinner during those nights was a bottle of milk that they shared on the way back.  However, Hamada and especially Matsumoto always lived in poverty.  Hamada later states that it was probably the poverty and lack of toys that fostered Matsumoto's creativity today; Matsumoto had to come up with fun things on his own.

Since Shinsuke's comment, Downtown saw success that was unheard of at the time.  Hamada said that, one day, he went for a television drama shooting along with popular movie actors of the time, and when they got off the bus, more fans gathered around Hamada than those actors.  Today, they still continue to be one of the most popular geinin on television.  Together they host a number of television shows.  Hamada alone hosts television shows that are less comedy while Matsumoto starts and runs shows that reflect his creativity and his style of comedy.  Matsumoto has also begun to enter the film industry.  What is fascinating about Downtown is that while they are already successful and big name in the entertainment industry, they continue to take part in more or less physical comedy.  This can be seen in television programs like Lincoln and Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende.

Along with Oretachi Hyokin-zoku, Downtown's Gottsu Ee Kanji has been an influential konto show that introduced games or game like skits that carried over to the Japanese game shows.

Where I present you the BIG 3...

The BIG 3 is not a comedy group.  It is the label given to the three most popular and successful comedians that came out of the 1980's 2nd Generation Owarai Boom.  It includes Tamori, Beat Takeshi, and Akashiya Sanma (formerly, Hagimoto Kinichi instead of Sanma).


Hagimoto Kinichi

Hagimoto Kinichi was born on May 7, 1941.  He is called by his fans as Kin-chan and rose to stardom during the 70s and the 80s.  He was a pioneer in owarai and created many of the predecessors of modern television variety shows.  His comedy uses more bodily movement to gain the audiences laughter unlike many of the earlier comedy acts based on dialogues and is konto-centered.  At one point, he was called the 100% man by the media because the sum of the viewing rates of his shows for one week was 100%.  His shows were so influential that some of the commonly used owarai vocabulary such as ukeru and tennen-boke spread to the general population through his shows.  He disappeared from the scene for a short time.  There are many speculations about his motive for taking time off.  Some says that he was tired from the sudden fame  and attention he received; some says that he could not agree with the ad-lib based konto programs such as Hyokin-zoku.  While he took time off, the media took him off the BIG 3 and replaced him with Akashiya Sanma.


Akashiya Sanma

Akashiya Sanma was born on July 1, 1955 as Sugimoto Takafumi.  He was given the name Sanma (pacific saury, a type of fish) because his parents ran a seafood processing company.  Sanma belongs to Yoshimoto and is one of the highest paid personnels in the company.  He is known to be happy 24/7 and known to not sleep.  His lack of sleep has been investigated in a show where people were asked to send him photos of him sleeping in return for monetary reward; only one picture from 13 years ago came to the show.  Even his daughter claims that she has never seen him sleep.  Beat Takeshi has stated that he falls asleep and wakes up very quickly, and once he is awake, Sanma is always happy.  His happy character can be seen even outside of television shows as he, unlike other geinin, interacts openly with fans that he randomly encounters.  His logic behind this is: "If a dog bites your hand, you forcefully push toward the dog, and the dog will let go.  I go talk to the fans before they come to talk to me; so that in the end, they go away."  He is well perceived by viewers and is one of the busiest television show host in the Japanese entertainment industry.  Among the geinin, he is known to be very critical, but many admire his skills in making a joke out of anything.  His ability to talk nonstop, even at the expense of the guests on his shows and possibly due to his love for himself, gives him the title "Owarai Monster".



Beat Takeshi

Beat Takeshi was born on January 18, 1947.  Internationally, he is known by his real name Kitano Takeshi and recognized as a film director/actor.  His career in comedy took off as he formed a manzai duo called two beat along with Beat Kiyoshi.  two beat was known for their manzai that picked up on scandalous/taboo topics and was not well received by critics at first.  However, they soon encountered the Manzai Boom and saw huge success in the 1980s.  The boom soon ended, and by that time, Beat Takeshi was known for his solo work as a television show host.  He then starred in Oretachi Hyokin-zoku and furthered his fame as a comedian; the show is one of the main contributor to the onset of the 2nd Generation Owarai Boom.  He was one of the brains behind the show, and his creativity carried over to his film-making career later.  While he remains equally as scandalous in his comments and continues to disguise himself in humorous costumes, he is a internationally recognized film director and a regular invitee of the Cannes International Film Festival.



Tamori

Tamori (real name: Morita Kazuyoshi) was born on August 22, 1945.  He is known by his sunglasses and has the longest running television show hosted by the same person (current record holder on the Guinness Book of World Records).  This show called It's All Right to Laugh (Waratte Iitomo) is aired live every weekday noon and has continued for over 20 years.  He has only missed few days of the show and continues to be the face of the hour in Japan.  Every resident of Japan most likely has seen the show at least once.  He also has another long-running midnight television show called Tamori Club which started in 1982 and continues today.  Tamori is known as a multi-talented comedian, demonstrating skills in cooking and music and showing his wide knowledge of history, art, geography, and trains.

Where I briefly mention the other popular form of owarai: Konto...

Konto is simply a skit comedy also seen on shows such as Saturday Night Live.

The word is derived from the French word "conte" which means short story or short play.

This form of comedy is self-explanatory if you have seen any skit comedy on television, and therefore, I will use this post to outline the successful konto in the modern history of owarai.

One of the first and still popular konto is Yoshimoto Shin-Kigeki.  I have mentioned Shin-Kigeki in an earlier post, but I will briefly mention that it contains many elements that are considered beta (or cliche).  The audiences know what will happen next during the performance; however, Shin-Kigeki theaters are filled with laughter show after show.  It is indeed a perfected comedy.

In the 1970s, an extremely popular show emerged on television.  The show was called It's 8 O'clock!  Everyone Gather Round! (8ji Dayo! Zenin Shugo!)  The main act of this show was a group called The Drifters  formed by Ikariya Chosuke, Takagi Bu, Arai Chu, Nakamoto Koji, and Kato Cha.  After Arai Chu left the group, Shimura Ken (one of the most famouse Japanese comedian alive) joined the group.  The set up of this show was unique; it was a television live broadcast of a theater performance.  The group traveled to different theaters across Japan each week, and many children and family went to see it performed live.  The average viewing rate was 27.3%, and the highest was 50.5% (which means over half of Japan's household was watching this show).

clip from 8ji Dayo! Zenin Shugo!



In the 1980s, Ore-tachi Hyokin-zoku came on television.  This program starred now famous Beat Takeshi (Perhaps more widely known as a film director Kitano Takeshi), Akashiya Sanma, and Shimada Shinsuke as well as many other comedians who are still popular today.  The konto characters from this show are occasionally brought back on the television screen by these same comedians in other variety shows.  The show is labeled as legendary by other geinin and serve as the prototype for modern konto form seen on television.

clip from Ore-tachi Hyokin-zoku



Around the same time, a duo called Tonneruzu (Tunnels) began to gain popularity on a show called Tonneruzu no Minasan no Okage desu.  This show also produced characters that remain popular and legendary among the geinin community.

clip from Minasan no Okage desu





And in the 1990s, Downtown introduced the show Gottsu Ee Kanji.  This show was different from the prior as it used continuous story line that carried over many weeks of the show.  The prior konto were based on short stories that ended within each weekly broadcasting.  Most geinin that were part of this show have become extremely successful, with many hosting their own.  Following in the footsteps of Gottsu Ee Kanji, other konto-centered television programs have emerged and continues today.

clip from Gottsu Ee Kanji



Konto is an important part of Japanese comedy and recently, like manzai, has started to become recognized as an art form.  Konto competition called King of Konto started and has become one of the largest events for geinin along with R-1 Grand Prix and M-1 Grand Prix.

Going back to the Japanese game shows, the game shows carry some of the same notions as the konto.  Many game shows in Japan were part of the konto-centered television shows that featured some of the same comedic characters.  This tradition carried over to most comedy-independent game shows, and thus, one may see people dressed in ridiculous costumes and such.  Furthermore, another tradition that carried over is the fact that the games were indeed part of the overall comedy; in other words, the games are tools for the comedians to make people laugh, and the games mean very little to the people who are participating.  The comedians may not go by the rules or may not even compete to win if that is what it takes to get the crowd laughing.  They are not being laughed at by the audience but are making the audience laugh; they are no clowns but are comedians.

Where I attempt to explain Manzai...

As I have stated in my earlier post, Yoshimoto has popularized manzai attributed to their successful appearances in television programs.  However, manzai as a oral art form existed since long before.  It is believed that manzai started in the Heian period as a celebratory performance during new years.  During that period, manzai was a duo performance which involved one playing a small drum as the other danced to the beat.

The current form of manzai began to form in the Meiji period.  As the older form began to mix with the two-person rakugo form and as well as kodan (translated, recitation), it gradually became the two-person, conversational manzai (shabekuri manzai) that is popular today.  Tamago-ya Entatsu and the duo Sunagawa Sutemaru and Nakamura Haruyo are known to be the founders of modern manzai, and the duo Yokoyama Entatsu and Achako are known to be the comedians that introduced today's standard form, the shabekuri manzai.

In the 1930s, Yoshimoto began to popularize shabekuri manzai by introducing Western clothings and songs to this form of comedy.  The ubiquity of this comedy as a result of the success of Yoshimoto's promotion has solidified it as the modern manzai form.  This modern manzai that developed, while carrying many common elements, is different from comedy found in other countries.  The most typical form is described by Joel F. Stocker in "Manzai: Team Comedy in Japan's Entertainment Industry":

"[The manzai duo] engaged in a friendly, complementary antagonism, formally divided between the two of them: the tsukkomi played the kashikoyaku, the role of the smart one, and the boke played what in Osaka dialect is called the aho no yaku, or more generally the role of the fool. . .  The conversation is structured for a battle of words and worldviews in which the tsukkomi attempts to "correct" the boke's errant interpretations, oftentimes using one hand to tap or strike him on the shoulder, back, or head. . . The implicit rules of the genre are that the tsukkomi nods and says filler words in response to the boke's relatively normal-sounding statements, but, more importantly, he also "digs into" (tsukkomu) the boke--to criticize, to correct, and to point out the illogic or stupidity of the boke's movements.

manzai of Yasushi Kiyoshi
 

Manzai may appear as though two people are simply engaging in a humorous conversation on stage.  However, it is a rehearsed performance.  The duo often performs the same story in different venues, while some parts are ad-lib.  The rehearsed nature of manzai is what makes manzai an art; for the comedian, it is an delicate form requiring the correct timing, tempo, volume, and other elements of speech.  In order to praise those who are skilled at this art form, large competitions are held every year.  The most televised and now considered the most success-inducing is the Autobacs's M-1 Grand Prix.  Other prestigious competitions include NHK Kamigata Manzai Contest and Kamigata Manzai Taisho.

M-1 Grand Prix began in 2001 and has grown to last year having 4629 duos that entered the competition.  It is a tournament with the first round beginning in early September, and the final held at the end of December.  The final is heavily advertised and televised as a huge event.  The event is restricted to manzai duo that formed within ten years prior to the tournament year and is opened to professionals as well as amateurs.  However, professionals have always won due to the amount of time they have spent in their life practicing and gaining experiences in theaters and other venues.  The winner of this event takes home 10,000,000 yen (approximately, 100,000 US dollars) and becomes the center of media attention immediately after the competition.  Many of the past winners were unknown until the competition and arose to stardom following the competition.  Some winners have stated that their salary the following year as well as the number of media appearances increased by thirty fold.  For the geinin, winning this competition is a symbol of guaranteed success (at least for a year).

Because of the popularity of M-1 Grand Prix, manzai has begun to increasingly gain recognition as an art form consisting of high standards and practice.  As a result, other media has become interested in manzai and the lives of geinin, and they have become the center of films, books, and comics.  The advertisement poster for the 2009 M-1 Grand Prix shown above features characters from the manga series Beshari Gurashi, a manga that portrays two protagonists trying to become a successful owarai star.

Where I introduce you to Yoshimoto Kogyo...

The history of owarai runs parallel with the history of Yoshimoto Kogyo.

Yoshimoto started in 1912 after Yoshimoto Kichiibei and his wife Sei bought the Dai-Ni Bungei Kan and operated it as a theatrical venue.  Unlike other local theaters at the time that only allowed rakugo to be performed, the couple allowed all entertainment, anything that attracted the audience.  They also began to buy more theaters and expanded their business as their theaters began to gain popularity.  By 1922, they owned near 30 theaters and established what will be the foundation of today's Yoshimoto.  They are responsible for the increased success and popularity of manzai-centered comedy in Japan, and in 1937, Yoshimoto opened the Manzai Gakkou (the school for manzai).  They began to enter the film industry following World War II, mainly due to the success experienced by Shochiku (the main competitor).  However, this resulted in little success for Yoshimoto, and as a result, they focused on television shows.  This was a huge success for Yoshimoto, and their huge presence in the entertainment industry (especially television) continues today.

Today, the company is called Yoshimoto Creative Agency after becoming a holdings company in 2007.  Before 2007, it was the largest single production, promotion, and management company in the Japanese entertainment industry.  They own and operate theaters across Japan, produce a wide variety of television and radio shows, and recently began to expand its business into the music and film industries.  While they have musicians and actors under their management, they are most well known for being a massive management company of owarai geinin.

What distinguishes Yoshimoto geinin from star actors and musicians in the Japanese entertainment industry is their accessibility, as I have mentioned earlier.  Big name geinin are far more accessible due to the ubiquity of comedy programs (television and theater) that allows audiences to directly view them.  Yoshimoto owns 9 large, successful theaters including Nanba Grand Kagetsu, baseYoshimoto, Kyobashi Kagetsu, Yoshimoto Prince Theater, Lumine the Yoshimoto, Asakusa Kagetsu, Jinbocho Kagetsu, Yoshimoto Mugendai Hall, and Yoshimoto Mugendai Hall Osaka.  Many popular geinin that are frequently seen on television shows and in film can be seen performing at one of these venues.  Interestingly, both Mugendai Halls are located in the middle of the city, and fans can casually enter with no entrance fee.  Most famous of all today is the Nanba Grand Kagetsu, where the Yoshimoto Shin-Kigeki (Yoshimoto New Comedy) is performed.  Shin-Kigeki is a theatrical production that include many cliche/perfected acts and stars many veteran geinin as well as those aspiring ones.

clip from Yoshimoto Shin-Kigeki

Succeeding as a Yoshimoto geinin is an elite status among the Japanese comedians.  Yoshimoto has a famous school for comedians called New Star Creation (often referred to as NSC).  Beginning with big names in Japanese comedians like Downtown (whom I will discuss later), NSC has produced many current owarai stars.  Starting in Osaka in 1982, it now has a sister school in Tokyo established in 1995.  The Tokyo campus is also serves as a school for aspiring actors, musicians and screenwriters.  While the exact number is unknown, it is said that the acceptance rate to this school is 99.9%, and the only requirement to pass is whether one can quietly listen to the interviewer or not.  Furthermore, many geinin that came out of NSC have stated that, as a student, one pays tuition but is not taught a thing.  This was said to be the worst for the first graduating class where these aspiring comedians took irrelevant courses like modern jazz dance.  Also with the opening of NSC, the deshi system that was prevalent before became less emphasized, and because of the new ease of becoming a geinin introduced by the school, the population of aspiring geinin increased rapidly.  However, only few make it out successfully; approximately 500 students enter every year in each school, and only about 5% can make it to the theaters, operated by Yoshimoto.  Of those 5%, only a handful can appear in the mainstream media.  Until one makes it to the main stream media, geinin, at least the very young ones, are usually in extreme poverty.  Their monthly income from Yoshimoto may be as low as zero to  few hundred yens (few US dollars).  In the theater, the performers are ranked A, B, C, or n/a by the audience, and these survey rankings affect the length of time given for the next performance and their salary.

So what happens to the geinin that do not see large success?  Some go on to become screenwriters and take on other behind-the-screen roles.  However, many continues to live as a geinin.  While I have stated that the deshi system (master/student system) has for the most part diminished due to the opening of NSC, the tradition of the older, successful geinin taking care of the younger ones still continue today.  Thus, some geinin states that, while geinin may not have any income, they are never left starving.  Because of such culture, geinin, especially those from Yoshimoto, calls themselves family, and it is not rare for successful geinin to cast in their tv or radio programs those that have not seen success yet.  There is a strong unity among the comedians of Yoshimoto (at least among those who made it), and the comedians from other production company often admire this support system Yoshimoto geinin have behind them.

Interestingly, as for those veterans who never experience huge success but continue to be casted in local theatrical performances, they often make more money than some that are considered more successful.  Yoshimoto geinin are paid on a salary unlike many other production companies that pay large sum per success of the performer, and therefore, sometimes as a Yoshimoto geinin, one gets paid more by simply staying in Yoshimoto for a long time.

Where I discuss the roots of modern Japanese comedy called rakugo...

Owarai began with the traditional comedy called rakugo.  Rakugo is a performance where a single rakugo-ka (the story teller) sits on stage and tells a witty, humorous story.  In "Popular Performing Arts: Manzai and Rakugo," Muneo Jay Yoshikawa writes:

Rakugo can be described as a popular comic art performed by one person.  One must be able to have the skill of creating a stage, background, and atmosphere in the minds of the audience and also be able to play the parts of the characters that appear in the stories being narrated.

And in "Rakugo and Humor in Japanese Interpersonal Communication," Kimie Oshima states:

Rakugo is a unique form of storytelling that includes comic acting and mimicry as well as the art of narration.  Japanese audiences appreciate the continuity of the style, structure, and rich tradition of rakugo as it has been passed on to succeeding generations; at the same time, they want to see social and cultural changes reflected in rakugo.  Newer stories do reflect modern Japanese society and are as much appreciated as classic stories.  Today's events will be history tomorrow, so reflections of today's society are blended into rakugo tradition. 

Rakugo began in the Edo period and later flourished again in Tokyo and Osaka.  "However, with the arrival of radio and movies, rakugo gradually began to decline in popularity in both Tokyo and Osaka.  Osaka, in particular, began to change its focus from rakugo-centered to manzai-centered yose" (yose refers to the venue where they performed; historically, it was a large room in a house) (Yoshikawa).

I will discuss manzai in a later post.  What is particularly interesting about rakugo that translates into modern manzai-centered comedy in Japan is the proximity of these performers to their audience.

Even some of the most prestigious venues of rakugo are very small, and the audience sits near the performer. Today, the most successful geinin of Japan are considered more accessible than highly held actors and musicians because they carry on this tradition of proximity.  The theaters that the geinin perform are usually small with a local flavor.  This contributes to the huge success of geinin today.

What also translate to the modern owarai is the practice of deshi.  The deshi is the apprentice or the intern.  It is a traditional practice where he learns the art of rakugo from the master.  "The master trains the student verbally by imitation and repetition" (Oshima).  The deshi, in return, may carry out tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and laundry for the master.  Before owarai schools were established (which I will discuss more later), this was the common practice in order to become a rakugo-ka or a geinin.

Rakugo is also studied by the geinin to not only learn the classical humor but also to learn the art of speech such as timing and tempo.  In this sense, rakugo is a practiced art form and serves as a text for today's Japanese comedians.  This practiced, perfected, and repeated nature of Rakugo, its set structure, in my opinion, is why other forms of comedy that are popular today are viewed with respect and as a legitimate art form.  It is why the geinin are called the professional of speech, or hanashi-ka, and it is why they, aside from anchors, are the main personnels on television shows ranging from comedy to sports to news programs.

Finally, although rakugo is no longer the main-stream form of comedy in Japan, it prevails in popular culture, and there are occasional attempts (successful and unsuccessful) at reviving the popularity of rakugo.  Two recent hits were the drama series Tiger and Dragon and the film Shaberedomo Shaberedomo.

Tiger and Dragon

Shaberedomo Shaberedomo


What is particularly interesting about Tiger and Dragon is that each episode is a modern-day remake of a rakugo story and has won many screenwriter and literary awards.  Because of this drama series, it was observed that younger people started to take interest and listened more rakugo, and following this series, Shoten (a comedy stage/television program featuring rakugo-ka) experienced an increase in the number of viewers.

And also in the last few years, geinin has started to compete in a televised competition called R-1 Grand Prix to carry on the tradition of rakugo (R stands for rakugo; the competition is a spin-off of M-1 Grand Prix, which I will explain later).  The competition is opened for any solo comedy acts, unlike in manzai competitions that require two.  Although R-1 Grand Prix carries rakugo in its name, it is not restricted to rakugo and is more of an attempt to show case solo performers as well as revive rakugo through increased exposure of solo performances and use of the word rakugo in the media.

Where I give you some vocabulary words...

Owarai has its own set of vocabulary that was developed throughout its history.  Japan is currently experiencing the fifth generation of comedy boom (owarai dai go sedai).  Because of this and the current young generation's tendency to invent or adapt new words into the Japanese language, the owarai vocabulary has started to become used in every day conversations.  So next time you visit Japan or speak with a Japanese person, you can make use of these words and impress the person you are speaking to.

owarai - literally, laughter; the Japanese name for the genre of comedy

owarai geinin or geinin - comedians

pin - a solo comedian, one who does not belong to a comedy group; comes from

konbi - a comedy duo; derived from the word "combination"

aikata - the partner, especially in a konbi

boke - literally, a fool; one of the duo that makes foolish or ridiculous comments, or engages in foolish behaviors in order to make the audience laugh; or such statements or behaviors

tsukkomi -literally, to stick in or insert; one of the duo that makes a "sharp" statement that highlights or emphasizes the boke

beta - carries two meanings: 1. cliche - the humor of beta is found in the ridiculousness of the person engaging in a cliche act or making a cliche statement; 2. classic - this is used with some sense of respect where the person engages in a repeatedly practiced, performed, and perfected act

ochi - literally, a fall as in the action, comes from the word ochiru (to fall); this is the ending or the climax of the story, the peak of the humor in the comedy

suberu - literally, to slip; this is used to describe a situation (or the person) where the humor was not perceived or understood by the audience, usually resulting in awkward silence

tendon - literally, the food tempura-don; most likely derived from the first part of the word donden gaeshi, meaning a sudden, dramatic twist; ten means to roll, conveying the idea that the same humor is continuously brought back to use; often the act of repeating is funnier than the humorous statement or act itself

teppan - literally, a metal plate; comes from the fact that teppan is katai which means hard or solid; katai in the Japanese language carry the notion that something is solid and constant, therefore, teppan is a humorous statement or act that always make the audience laugh

Other vocabulary will be added as I encounter more words that I believe should be added.

Where I speculate on the cause of the "misunderstanding" in American audiences...

Perhaps, "misunderstanding" is not an accurate term.  It may be more appropriate to say that the American audience of the Japanese game shows has a "different understanding."  Most viewers are not aware of the Japanese comedy, and thus, they cannot appreciate the shows in the same light as the Japanese audience.  Yet, this is not a one-way phenomenon.  Japanese audience, for the most part, does not understand American comedy either.


I remember when the movie "The Mask" (1994) came out during February 1995 in Japan.  The movie starred Jim Carrey, one of the most successful comedic actors of the time.





However, many Japanese viewers did not understand the humor in the movie.  Language can be translated, but the subtle nuances and the American culture associated with them cannot be.  And even today, foreign comedy films experience little success in Japan compared to other films that strongly focus on the story line.


What is interesting is that, in America, the Japanese game shows are popular unlike American comedy in Japan.


So what is happening in the United States of America to account for the success of Japanese comedy?


To understand this, one should first watch these two trailers.


1. Gojira (1954)



2. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)



The first movie Gojira is the Japanese original where as the second movie Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a heavily-edited version of the original.  The success of Godzilla in America can be attributed to the technique film producers used to attract the American viewers.
A. Godzilla included a western character/narrator that was not in the original.  The westernization of the original movie allows the audience to relate to the movie and become more attached to it.  
B. Godzilla is heavily dubbed.  The dubbing (including many terrible dialogues) makes the movie cheesy.  In "Gojira as Japan's First Postwar Media Event," Barak Kushner quote Annalee Newitz as she states, "[Cultural cheese is] the production of, and appreciation for, what is artificial, exaggerated, or wildly, explosively obscene."  The cheesiness was another way in which the foreign film was made more acceptable to the American viewers.


These two techniques can be seen even in the trailer shown above.


And just as Godzilla was "popular in different ways in Japan than America" (Kushner),  the Japanese game shows are also differently perceived in Japan and America.  The same practice that was found in Godzilla, King of the Monsters! can be found in the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.



A. The hosts of the show receive a western name.  Sonomanma Higashi is called Kenny Blankenship, and Beat Takeshi is called Vic Romano.
B. The show is heavily dubbed.  This certainly succeeds in portraying the show as something extremely cheesy.


The same techniques are employed in Godzilla, King of the Monsters and the Japanese game shows as shown in American media.  And the end result is also similar.  Godzilla, King of the Monsters! stripped away the historical/political relevance the original Gojira carried.  The Japanese game shows in America stripped away the historical and artistic context of Japanese comedy.  While they both gained popularity, they became something less.  Something not as sophisticated or cultured.


What I want to be understood is that the Japanese game shows in America is no longer a Japanese game show.  It is an American game show, just like Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is an American film.  There is an obvious difference between the original and the export.  And we all must recognize the differences before we simplify the Japanese as silly people with silly games.

Where I talk about the purpose of this blog...

JAPAN...

...where people look for dragon balls

...where people run away from Godzilla

...where people play baseball

...where people have kinky sex with others (real or animated)

I am sure the list of stereotypes can go on.

The purpose of this blog is to go against one of such stereotypes:

Japanese Game Shows

In recent years, America has found a place in the media for Japanese game shows.
One of the first was the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, or MXC.

As MXC gained popularity and people became more interested, there was a YouTube sensation called the human tetris.

And finally, America (specifically ABC) has created their own "Japanese game show" called I Survived A Japanese Game Show.

In my opinion, there exists a misunderstanding when I look at the audiences of these game shows in America.  What does not translate in this Japanese game show trend/popularity is the history and the art of Japanese comedy.  The participants in the game shows are comedians, or owarai geinin (literally, comedy entertainers or entertainers who make people laugh), and they deliberately engage in ridiculous acts to make the audience laugh.

Comedy in Japan is part of every day life; one cannot watch a television show in Japan without encountering Japanese comedians, whether the show is a drama, a variety, or a comedy.  These comedians make up one of the largest sectors of the Japanese entertainment industry along with actors and musicians.  Not only is the history of Japanese comedy rich and deep, the history of each owarai geinin is also filled with fascinating stories.  I hope that this blog will bring new respect for the owarai (comedy) culture of Japan to the audiences of the Japanese game shows as portrayed in the American media.