Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 7

By Haruko Kumota

Book Overview

A multi-generational human drama set in the world of rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese comedic storytelling, Descending Stories follows an ex-convict whose life is changed by his apprenticeship to a famed storyteller, and Konatsu, who yearns to perform rakugo but cannot because women are not permitted in the craft. Small-time crook Yotaro has never forgotten the rakugo tale "Shinigami," which the master Yurakutei Yakumo performed for Yotaro during his time in prison. After his release, he goes to Yakumo's theater and pleads to be made his apprentice. Yakumo reluctantly accepts, but Yotaro quckly finds the world of rakugo is complex, and grapples with a growing bond with Yakumo's ward, Konatsu, and reminders from his own inescapable past.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1632365456
• ISBN13: 9781632365453
• Release Date: June 2018
• Publisher: Kodansha Comics
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher