Now that's a special!

[mbarker]

NHK BS 3 (the high-vision channel here in Kansai) is holding a rakugo special today. From high noon until 6, then from 7 to 11 - 10 hours of rakugo.

Comments

Hum

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

A little rakugo, then a panel talking about rakugo, a lengthy visit to a village in Venezuela where a Rakugo master went after being diagnosed with cancer. And at last we've gotten back to a performance by the master. A bit slow start?

But the panel did hint at performances later in the show. They had attempted to collect the "well-known" stories, with a list over 40O. Also held a panel vote between comic or everyday life stories being "real rakugo" (they did not say tragedies) and got pretty even votes.

More later.

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Skipped a chunk of the afternoon. Did catch one performance. Not sure what the right name is, but it was about a haunted rice pot - which is a key part of Japanese life.

Apparently a rich man hid 300 yen (which is a chunk of change!) in a rice pot, and then died. A merchant bought the rice pot, and sold it to someone for 3 yen. However, that night, the ghost of the rich man came back, looking for his hidden money, and scared the new owner. The next day, the new owner tried to return the haunted rice pot, but the merchant refused. Then his assistant offered half price - one and a half yen. So they got the pot back for half price, and sold it again. They quickly made a lot of money by selling the haunted rice pot.

Then his wife gets upset because he isn't selling other things. And says she's going to throw away that old rice pot, or sell it for one yen. A poor man hears this and wants to buy it, but he doesn't have enough money. But he gets another young man to help him, and they each put in half.

But instead of being scared, he talks to the rich man's ghost, then gambles with him. The ghost says if he wins, the poor man must come with him to hell, but if he loses, the poor man will get the gold. And the poor man wins. So the ghost leaves.

The poor man is so delighted that he tells the young man the whole story, and that he found 300 yen hidden in the rice pot. The assistant thinks a minute, then says, "I'll take half."

And apparently that's the end of the story.