This episode features the rakugo comic storytelling that developed in the present-day Tokyo area during the Edo period (1603-1867). We look at haori coat and the dozens of other costumes used by the storyteller, and the gestures the storyteller uses to depict a whole range of characters and scenes, including courtesans and wealthy visitors to the pleasure quarters, as well as youngsters. We also focus on the musical instruments, including the shamisen and the drum, which are used to provide accompaniment as well as attract audiences to a performance and bid them on their way afterwards.
