Katsura Shijaku II (2代目 桂 枝雀, Nidaime Katsura Shijaku, August 13, 1939 – April 19, 1999) was a Japanese rakugo performer of the late 20th century, who often performed in English. He was born Tōru Maeda (前田 達, Maeda Tōru) in Kobe, the son of a brick-maker.[1] In 1960 he entered the tutelage of the rakugo performer Katsura Beichō III (桂米朝), and upon completion of his study, was given the stage name Katsura Koyone X (桂小米).[2] He changed his stage name to Shijaku Katsura (Shijaku Katsura II)[3] in 1974.
Katsura studied English in the early 1980s, and gave his first English-language rakugo performance in 1983.[4] For the rest of his career, he often performed rakugo in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, making an otherwise inaccessible form of comedy accessible for non-Japanese speakers.
He also assisted in launching the career of Bill Crowley, the non-Japanese professional rakugo performer.[5]
Katsura died of heart failure on April 19, 1999, after a suicide attempt at his home in Suita, Osaka.[6] He was discovered by his wife Eyo and his brother, the magician Takeshi Maeda.
Notes
edit- ^ Katsura Shijaku "Der Schreiber"
- ^ Katsura Shijaku "Der Schreiber"
- ^ The first Shijaku Katsura lived 1862-1928.
- ^ Perkins, p. 329.
- ^ Features - Bill Crowley: Rakugo Diplomat Archived 2006-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Comic Storyteller Katsura Dies – AP Online – HighBeam Research
References
edit- Shijaku Katsura II at IMDb
- Shijaku Katsura obituary (accessed 21 December 2007)
- "Der Schreiber" (German translation of one of Katsura's rakugo, including a short biography) (accessed 21 December 2007)
- "Sushi and Sake" interview with Bill Crowley. (accessed 21 December 2007)
- Perkins, Dorothy (1991). Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori. n.p.: Facts on File.
Further reading
editWorks in Japanese
- Katsura, Shijaku (1996). Katsura Shijaku no rakugo-annai. Tokyo: Chikuma-shobo.
- Ueda, Fumiyo (2003). Warawasete warawasete Katsura Shijaku. Tokyo: Tankōsha.