Lecture: Singing Tales of the Gishi: Naniwa-bushi and the 47 Ronin in Meiji Japan

The art of storytelling known as “naniwabushi” (or “rôkyoku”) emerged in early years of the 20th century as the first true medium of mass entertainment in modern Japan, spreading through live performance, phonograph records, and radio. Although it hangs on by a thread today, its impact on modern Japanese popular culture was immense. This talk explores the special role of the singer TÔCHÛKEN Kumoemon and his tales of the 47 Ronin in helping to raise naniwabushi from the art of lower-class street performers to the “voice of the Japanese nation.”