Rakugo, a popular form of comic storytelling, has played a major role in Japanese culture and society. Developed during the Edo (1600–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods, it is still popular today, with many contemporary Japanese comedians having originally trained as rakugo artists. Rakugo is divided into two distinct strands, the Tokyo tradition and the Osaka tradition, with the latter having previously been largely overlooked. This pioneering study of the Kamigata (Osaka) rakugo tradition presents the first complete English translation of five classic rakugo stories, and offers a history of comic storytelling in Kamigata (modern Kansai, Kinki) from the seventeenth century to the present day. Considering the art in terms of gender, literature, performance, and society, this volume grounds Kamigata rakugo in its distinct cultural context and sheds light on the 'other' rakugo for students and scholars of Japanese culture and history.

Winner, Inoue Yasushi Award for Outstanding Research in Japanese Literature, Culture and Art, Inoue Yasushi Memorial Foundation

Winner, School of Languages and Cultures Early Career Researcher Prize for Best Book

‘Shores includes five translations of full rakugo classics from the Kamigata repertoire, providing many performance details and giving readers a better idea of what this lively, raucous art form might be like to experience live … Recommended.’

C. Lanki Source: Choice Connect

‘The positioning of rakugo as a subject for mainstream academic attention has been a long time coming. This book sets it in the firmament as a discipline worthy of such treatment. The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan lends itself to use by anyone needing an approachable resource to draw from in studying - or preparing a course on - Japanese humour or social history.’

Ian McArthur Source: Japan Forum

‘… a rich account of a particularly interesting element of Japanese entertainment. … recommended not only for rakugo researchers and enthusiasts but also for Japanese studies researchers with an interest in the history of entertainment in Japan.’

Simon Regin Paxton Source: Asian Ethnography

‘The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan is a triumph … the book is a highly readable and often entertaining declaration of love for the wonders of the performing arts and the Kansai region. It whets the appetite and makes Kamigata rakugo more accessible for readers interested in Japanese performance, literature, and comedy. The performers of Kamigata rakugo should get ready for the new and well-deserved interest generated by this book.’

Till Weingärtner Source: Journal of Japanese Studies

‘This excellent book can itself be considered another invaluable intervention in the history of rakugo. Shores’ expert insights into this brilliant and ever-evolving humorous art will surely help spread its fame around the world and promote the cause of cross-cultural humour studies. It is a joy to read.’

Jessica Milner Davis Source: European Journal of Humour Research

‘Shores’ successes in this book can be attributed not only to his intimate relationship and experiences with contemporary Kamigata rakugo, but also from his diverse approach to understanding its historical and present day appeal … This book is not only about the tastes of Osaka rakugo patrons, but also about the tastes of those who love kabuki, noh, kyōgen and manzai, and how these tastes overlap, conflict, and are in constant conversation with each other, both in the past and today.’

Alex Rogals Source: Asian Theatre Journal

‘[Shores] provides an in-depth view of one of Japan’s most prominent stage crafts by providing a historical trajectory of the development of the genre … The book is very informative for both researchers and students in Japanese studies, as well as being comprehensive and useful for a general audience interested in stagecraft … Introducing a genre [Kamigata rakugo] by making references to its counterpart [Edo rakugo] and explaining the differences between the two is a hard task, but it comes smoothly in Shores’ writing.’

Esra-Gökçe Şahin Source: Japanese Language and Literature

‘In this well-researched introduction to its history, texts and performance practice, Shores successfully demonstrates that Kamigata rakugo is a Japanese cultural treasure in its own right, and in no way a lesser ‘second-city’ version of Edo rakugo.’

Lorie Brau Source: Theatre Research International

‘A valuable contribution to studies of not just rakugo, but also Japanese humor and performance more generally … a valuable intervention in research on local culture in a modern Japan that is often defined by its unity. Shores’s book will be a core text in building the reception of rakugo in its multiple forms in English-language scholarship … useful for many readers, from scholars to undergraduates.’

Aaron Gerow Source: Monumenta Nipponica