Katsura Sunshine —Making the World Laugh

Interviewer :

Why did you get interested in rakugo ?

Sunshine :

I first came to Japan/to see noh  and kabuki /because I was involved/in the performing arts/in Canada. One day,/I happened to see rakugo /in a casual yakitori  restaurant. It was difficult for me/to understand the whole story. But I was impressed with rakugo /because one performer played every role/in a story.

I :

How did you become a professional rakugo  performer?

S :

I became an apprentice/of my favorite rakugo  performer,/Katsura Bunshi. Generally speaking,/I was too old/to enter the rakugo  world then. So/it was surprising/that he accepted me. He expected me/to spread rakugo /to the world/in the future. He named me Sunshine.

I :

What’s important/when you perform rakugo  overseas?

S :

I consider it important/to keep the original stories,/including the settings and characters. By doing this,/international audiences/become absorbed in Japanese culture. As a result,/they laugh more.

I :

How did you realize that?

S :

In a performance/in the US,/I told a Japanese story/which included an episode/about a crane and a tortoise. I didn’t think/the audience was familiar with a Japanese crane. So/I replaced it/with a flamingo. The audience didn’t laugh/as much as I had expected. Later,/I found out the reason. The word “flamingo”/brought their minds to Florida/because it’s famous for those birds. I realized/I had to keep their minds/in a Japanese world.

I :

When you perform rakugo  in English,/what do you keep in mind?

S :

I perform in the same style/as I do in Japanese. I use the same rhythms and pauses/for my delivery. Additionally,/I try to pronounce each word clearly.

I :

So/you don’t speak English/as you usually do?

S :

No, I don’t. For example,/I avoid expressions/that are specific to Canada. Otherwise,/the audience may imagine/that the story happened there. In short,/I consider it important/that my English is somewhat neutral. Using such English,/I want to introduce authentic Japanese rakugo /to the world.