Utazo Katsura, a master of the traditional Japanese entertainmentRakugo, will perform in Hanoi at the Dance and Light Music Theatre andthe Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities on October 19 and20.
The events, held by the Japan-Vietnam CultureExchange Centre, will offer Vietnamese audiences the opportunity toexplore Japanese traditions as well as watch a Rakugo performance.
Rakugo stories such as “Time Noodle” (Toki-sob), “Gonsuke’s Fish”(Gonsuke-zakana) and “The Tree-Head Man” (Atama-yama) will be told withrock music playing and a combination of traditional and modern features.
Rakugo consists of a solitary storyteller, sitting on stage,equipped with only a paper fan sensu and a small cloth tenugui as props,as they recount stories while sitting down.
Utazo Katsura,who has practiced the art since 1991, is one of the two leading artistsof this kind in Japan. He also tells funny stories in English or inJapanese with English sub-titles, helping foreigners to fully enjoyRakugo performances./.