Interview with Shiraku Tachikawa | A place where you can check your own growth

Interview&Text: Masamasa Nishino Photo(Portrait): Eri Nishiyama

Yokohama Nigiwai-za's famous project, ``Zoku Shiraku 100 Seats'' by Shiraku Tachikawa, has finally reached 100 seats. It took a whopping 5 years to reach 100 seats since each performance had about 3 seats (material). However, as some of you may have noticed from the title, this is the second time for this 100 seats, as the title "Zoku" suggests. Including the first episode and the sequel, Master Shiraku has been giving solo performances at Nigiwai-za for 10 years. How is this series, which continues for so long in the same location, different from regular solo performances? What will happen to this series after ``Zoku Shiraku Hyakusei'' ends? I was able to listen to the story in the dressing room just before the final performance of the "Zoku Series", which will be an achievement.

──I heard that ``Zoku Shiraku Hyakusea'' has reached 100 seats and is ending today. What was the impetus for starting ``Shiraku 100 Seats'', which was a step forward for this series? Is not it.

Shiraku Tachikawa (hereinafter referred to as Shiraku): Ever since Nigiwai-za opened, I have been holding group gatherings and solo performances. However, since the Ichimonkai was held in such a way that my disciples would come and I would only have one seat at the end, there were not that many customers. And when I used to hold solo performances at Nigiwai-za, I invited various guests such as singer Yoshie Kashihara and film director Nobuhiko Obayashi, and I heard people say, ``I want to hear more of Shiraku's rakugo.'' We received a lot of requests, so we decided to sit down and do it as a complete solo show, so we planned Shiraku Hyakuseat. The title is ``Ensei Hyakuseki'', and in the past Master Sanyutei Ensei, a master of the Showa era, recorded and sold rakugo he had chosen in a Hyakusei studio in order to pass on his rakugo to future generations. I said, ``Okay, let's try that live.'' I announced all the performances and gave it a try. As a result, the number of customers steadily increased, and thanks to you, we are now selling out in advance.

──Even after the first ``Shiraku Hyakusei'' ended, why did you decide to continue the series as ``Continued Shiraku Hyakusek''?

Shiraku : It took nearly five years to complete 100 seats, but once I started doing it, it was over in no time. Since I had done 100 seats, I could have ended it just like that, but Nigiwai-za told me that they wanted me to continue, so I thought that if I started with exactly the same content, they would be able to better understand how my rakugo has grown. 's ``Zoku Shiraku 100 Seats'' has started. Some may have grown, others may have degenerated, and there may be not only laughter but also criticism. So I decided to try it again, including those things.

──100 seats means a considerable amount of volume, but are there any standards for choosing the performances or for the overall composition?

Shiraku : There are only about 300 seats for Rakugo performances. When I started 100 seats, we had about 150 seats, and now we have about 200 seats. From among them, we divide them into ``those we do often'', ``those we do once in a while'', and ``those we rarely do''.One rakugo performance usually has three seats and lasts about two hours. Therefore, we choose "small stories, medium stories, and big stories" from those three to compose the whole story.

──I hear that you have a plan for the next new series.

Shiraku : We haven't announced it yet, but after "Zoku" I think it will be called "New Shiraku Hyakuseat" (lol). In the 10 years that I've been working on the Hyakuseat series, there have been some new material that has been introduced through this series, and material that I've never used to do at all, but that I've gotten to do quite a bit over the course of the series. So, for the new series, we will not only be reorganizing the entire series by discarding the ones that didn't have much of a response in the previous 100 seats and adding new material, but also changing the order of the material that will be repeated. I'm going to try it.

──You have actually been carrying out an unprecedented attempt to perform the same performance in the same venue for 100 people for 10 years, but is there anything you noticed as a master after doing this?

Shiraku : I think the best thing is that I now have a concrete understanding of my own growth, which had previously been vague. Comedians remember the bad things more than the good things. If you try something once and it doesn't work, but the second time you feel a completely different response, you can clearly see that you have grown that much. If you do it here and there, you'll get a good response everywhere, and if you try something that's been well received elsewhere, it might not be very well received. Just because you're being accepted everywhere, that arrogance can sometimes be stopping you from growing, so this series has been established as a place where you can confirm that, or rather, look at your own growth objectively. .

──I heard that there have been some stories that were received well elsewhere that were not received well here.Does the atmosphere at Nigiwaiza have a different feel than other venues?

Shiraku : This theater was created by Mr. Hiroshi Tamaki (former director), who loves rakugo, so I think it's the easiest space to do in the Tokyo area. Personally, I don't like people eating and drinking during performances in brightly lit areas, but at this venue I don't mind that at all. Customers who don't know much about rakugo usually eat and drink as if they were watching TV at home, which is difficult to do and also a nuisance to the customers around them. But the customers who come here all come here because they like it, so they eat and drink with that in mind. Even though I drink, I don't get drunk, and I drink as much as I can while enjoying Rakugo (lol).

──Rakugo is the main character (lol).

Shiraku : That's right. Customers understand that much. Even though it's such an easy place to work, there are times when I don't get a good response, so as I said earlier, it's a place where you can check your own growth.

──By the way, I heard you talk about the new series earlier, but do you have any future plans for how far this “100 Seats Series” will continue?

Shiraku : If Mr. Nigiwai-za lets me do it...The new series will end in five years, but the next time I'll do it will be in my 60th birthday. So I think the next one will be the “60th birthday series.” Then, five years later, I will be in my mid-60s, so it will be a ``Mature Series'', and then I will be 70 years old, so it will be my ``last series'' (lol). If I'm still healthy after that, I think I'll do the ``Will Series'' when I'm in my mid-70s, and if I'm still healthy at 80, I think it'll be the ``Still Alive!'' series, so it's possible to continue doing it forever if I want to. .

──This is a series that I would definitely like to see continued as the content will continue to mature (lol).

Shiraku : When I'm around 70 years old, the audience will be able to enjoy the show and say things like, ``I've been watching it since the first time,'' and ``The past and present are completely different.'' I think we can create something more fun for the audience than a solo performance.

──In closing, could you give a message not only to Rakugo fans, but also to those who have never seen Rakugo and those who are currently interested?

Shiraku : If you love rakugo and go to it, you don't have to try to go to all 100 seats. If you go to all of them, you might get bored and stop coming, so please choose the one that you think you should try (lol). And for those who haven't seen Rakugo yet, solo performances can be hit or miss when it comes to material. If you miss a performance, you might think, ``I'll never go to this person's performance again.'' However, in the case of the ``100 Seat Series'', it is divided into three parts in a well-balanced manner, so there is no possibility of a ``big mistake.'' there is no. Rakugo may seem a bit difficult to enter, but if you just casually visit it just like watching a movie or play, I think you can enjoy it even without much knowledge. As long as you understand Japanese, you'll be fine (lol).

──Thank you very much before the performance today. We are looking forward to the next “New 100 Seats Series”!

After the interview, I was able to watch the final performance of the “Zoku Series”. The two themes announced on the day were ``Shinigami'' and ``Nakamura Nakazo.'' ``Shinigami'' is a movie where you can't take your eyes off the protagonist's haphazard actions blinded by greed and his interactions with the Grim Reaper. Among them, the final performance, ``Nakamura Nakazo,'' is a play that details the trials and errors and conflicts that the real-life great actor Nakamura Nakazo went through until he achieved success. I was just intrigued by the discovery of new knowledge. Of course, I was embarrassed to say that I had no prior knowledge of any of these performances, but I was able to thoroughly understand and enjoy each performance from beginning to end. As mentioned in the interview, some people may feel that rakugo is a little difficult to enter, but that is not the case. Rakugo can be enjoyed regardless of age, and as long as you understand Japanese, you'll be fine! Please take a moment to visit the world of Rakugo.

2015.9.15 Continued from Shiraku 100 seats “Shinigami” | Photo: Masako Yamada

[Shiraku Tachikawa appearance information! ]

●Shiraku 30th Anniversary 4th edition “Tachikawa Shiraku Solo Performance with ZAZEN BOYS”
10/30 (Friday) 19:00~ Yurakucho International Forum C

●“The last Tachikawa Shiraku solo performance of the year”
12/23 (Wednesday/Holiday) 13:30~ Yurakucho/Yomiuri Hall