Written by Shyam Bhardwa
The Japanese art of rakugo is one of the country’s most traditional comedic art forms. At Hiroto Katsukura’s art exhibition, you can peek behind the curtain for an exhibit laced with rakugo riddles.
What to expect
Rakugo traditionally involves a single performer sitting on stage who tells humorous stories, switching their tone of voice to shift between characters.
This exhibition is a collaboration between Hiroto Katsukura and the Bookshop Traveller’s Rakugo Night event. Hiroto has made ten rakugo performances into character portraits.
His art mixes the wordplay and story of the performances into subtle elements of the work. Visitors are challenged to see the art like a riddle — can you tell the story being told from the clues?
Don’t worry though, for rakugo newbies there are explanations. You can also read the original stories that inspired each piece.
How to get there
Hiroto Katsukura’s exhibition will be held at Bookshop Traveller, a store in Setagaya. The quickest way to get there is to take the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku Station out to Soshigaya-Okura Station. From there, it’s a 3-minute hop to the store.
