Yanagiya Tozaburo Introduces ‘Rakugo’ to the World

Written by Toru Matsugaki for JAPAN Forward

Tozaburo Yanagiya, 42, is a storyteller with a drive to spread the word on rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese comic storytelling. If you ask him, the only way he could do so would be to make the leap from Japan to New York.

Intent on bringing full-fledged rakugo to America he moved to New York, where he now performs rakugo in earnest. In the meantime he applied for an artist’s visa (O-1) with strict requirements designed for individuals with extraordinary talent in areas such as fine arts or film. The Sankei Shimbun and JAPAN Forward recently caught up with him to talk about what it’s like to be the first from the rakugo world to take on this challenge.

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In April 1999, Tozaburo was accepted as an apprentice to rakugo master Yanagiya Gontaro. In 2014, he was promoted to the highest rank of storyteller. His talent and spot-on delivery won him the Arts Festival Newcomer Award in Popular Entertainment, as his popularity as a young artist in the field grew.

To further his longtime interest in American culture, Tozaburo decided to study English on Cebu Island in the Philippines. “I was interested in stand-up comedy and I really wanted to do it in English,” he explained.

He said he sees himself as someone who “always does things in excess.” Therefore, it should have been no surprise when he set off for America in October 2018.

Freeloading off American friends as he went, he took it upon himself to organize his own tour, doing 50 performances at venues including American universities.

He translated and performed “The Zoo,” a story often performed on stages in Japan. Tozaburo found the story was well-received from the first time he told it in English.

“No matter where I tell it, it’s a hit. I’ve never experienced a deafening silence,” he told us confidently. He tells his stories from the stage, watching the reactions of the audience. In this regard, his performances in America are no different from those in Japan.

Explaining his decision to take his work to America, he said: “When I think about whether to do something or not, I try to intuitively turn my thoughts into actions. That way I never regret missing a moment of opportunity.”