Festival of “kodan, the storyteller’s art in boom at the moment, will be held. You can enjoy watching *kodan and experiencing writing **yosemoji free of charge. In addition, you can buy a box lunch,sweets or a cup of powdered tea for a break. It is really worth dropping in one of them!
What is *Kodan?
Kodan or koshaku is the storyteller’s art of narrating several historical happenings or character of historical persons, with gesturing with body and hands. He hits the desk by hari-ougi (a stick in shape of a paper-covered folding fan) to create a clapping sound rythmically, and continues to narrate a story in fluent speech. It is really overwhelming. Through this festival, young and energetic storytellers recite various stories including horrifying “Ghost Story at Yotsuya on the Tokaido” and ”Earless Houichi”, and historical episodes such as “Chushingura, (the revenge of forty-seven masterless samurai from the Akou domain), and “sumo wrestling”. Some of stories have connection with Koto-city.
**Yosemoji: letters designed especially for the signboard of storyteller’s theater during the middle of the Edo period (around the mid-19th century).
Display has no captions in English, but English-speaking volunteer guides always stand by for your assistance in the lounge.
EventBooth1. Enjoy a Kodan shown by a young professional storyteller on stage.
2. Corner for Kodan Experience & Corner for making hari-ougi
(a stick in shape of a paper-coveredfolded fan used by a storyteller)
3. Display booth & Setting-up-booth for explanationof Kodan /selling by a shop in connection with kodan.
4. Professional storytelling stage for a horrifyingkodan.
Kodan flyer（PDF：770KB）