At age 91, Sanyutei Kinba IV has told plenty of jokes during a rakugo comic story-telling career that is the longest in this traditional Japanese performing art. He recently decided to hand his professional name to his second son, who was previously known as Sanyutei Kintoki, and adopt the stage name Sanyutei Kino for himself.
During and after World War II, Kinba III appeared frequently on radio programs and gave other performances that made him an icon of the Showa Era (1926-1989) and widely known among the public.
Kino -- or Kinba IV -- who became a protege of Kinba III in 1941, the year the Pacific War erupted, also became a favorite of the public through his appearances on variety programs in the early days of television after the war.
"My mentor told me that appearing on TV variety programs was not a career that would last forever," Kinba IV recalled. "But he said I could do rakugo all my life and told me to train hard. I threw myself into rakugo after I assumed the stage name Kinba in 1967." This name transfer occurred three years after Kinba III died. Kinba IV became a giant in the rakugo world and possesses one of the widest repertoires of tales that still leave audiences in stitches. "I'm sure my master would think I've done enough," he said.
Kinba IV faced several major health problems over the years. In the summer of 2018, he suffered a stroke and was briefly unconscious. He returned to the stage early the following year, but it was around this time that he made a weighty decision. "I felt it was about time to hand my name to my son and retire," he said.
His 57-year-old son, now Kinba V, came under his father's rakugo wing in 1986. Admired for his gentle features and easy-going performing style, the prodigiously talented Kinba V won a Cultural Affairs Agency award for up-and-coming performers in 2004. "I know the gravitas and the responsibility that comes with the name 'Kinba,' so I was torn over what to do when my father said he wanted me to take over that name," Kinba V said matter-of-factly. But since making up his mind to accept, Kinba V has excitedly been conducting first performances under his new name at theaters in Tokyo.
On Oct. 1, I watched a performance at the Suehirotei theater in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where Kinba V performed the "Niban senji" skit. In this humorous tale set on a chilly night in the Edo period (1603-1867), shopkeepers and other locals go around their neighborhood to warn residents about fire hazards.
After finishing their rounds, they return to a hut and start to warm themselves up with a dinner featuring sake and meat in a hotpot. A government official unexpectedly drops by, and hilarity ensues as the fire wardens, knowing they will be in trouble if they are found to be eating and drinking, try to talk their way out of their predicament.
Kinba's depiction of the men boisterously chatting while they sat around the pot was a pleasure to watch, and his ability to act as individual characters made them all come to life as good-natured people.
The government official who ended up eating and drinking the men's sake and meat also had a certain charm about him. These days, we must be careful even when just meeting others for dinner, so Kinba's portrayal of that evening in the Edo period made me long for a time when such get-togethers were not just a dream.
The handing down of a major star's name offers a chance for their performing art, whether it be rakugo, kabuki, bunraku puppet theater or any of the others, to take a huge leap forward. Perhaps we could say the physical body of the performer grows into the size of the name. I have seen many such performers. The new Kinba will also live up to this name before long. Kino, who has taken on this stage name after passing on his previous title, has been on the stage for a remarkable 80 years. I was struck by his undimmed passion for his performing art.
"Even at my age, my ability to tell stories hasn't diminished, so I want to stay alive for another 20 years and see what happens to the rakugo world," he said with a grin.
-- Morishige covers traditional performing arts.
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