A traditional form of Japanese comic storytelling will be performed at the Pemberville Opera House
Saturday from 7 to 8 p.m.
The performer Showto will tell stories in the rakugo tradition. The storyteller, known as a rakugoka,
kneels on a cushion center stage and using only his voice, facial expressions and two small props – a
towel and a fan – can depict multiple characters in the tale.
Showto will also perform Oct. 1 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the University of Findlay in the Alumni Memorial
Union.
Findlay faculty member Hiroaki Kawamura said this is the third year that Showto has come to Northwest
Ohio. Whenever he’s visited Findlay, Kawamura said, he has performed off campus as part of the
university’s cultural outreach.
While rakugo has been performed in Japan since the end of the 17th century, only recently has the popular
form migrated overseas. Showto has performed in New Zealand as well as Boston, New York and Washington
D.C.
About 10 years ago, rakugoka started performing in English.
And while their repertoire of tales tend to be traditional, some performers are now writing their own
stories, the professor said.
Showto, he said, is expected to perform traditional tales, all in English. The longest tale can run 30
minutes, though some are shorter.
