conveying humour in japan - soas university of london · 2019. 9. 23. · this incident reinforced...
TRANSCRIPT
Once, when having some drinks, I turned to one of my Japanese colleagues and started telling him an innocent joke in order to create a more relaxed atmosphere:
- A mouse and an elephant are walking in the desert …
He interrupted me with a surprised look on his face:
- Are there elephants in the desert?!
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This incident reinforced the image that foreigners have of the Japanese: namely, this people pays attention to formalities, looks for harmony and is not very susceptible to humour. p.51. (translated from Hungarian)
Hidasi, Judit, (2008), Miért nem nevetnek a vicceinken a japánok? In Daczi Margit, T. Litovkina Anna, BartaPéter (Eds.): Ezerarcú Humor. Budapest: TintaKönyvkiadó pp.51-58.
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AI YŪ
Well, /ai/ and /yu:/ are absent but I am happy to see that we are all here.
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Humour
“In this book, the term humour includes wit, sarcasm, nonsense, irony or anything else that is intended to be funny.” p. 4.
Wells, Marguerite, (1997), Japanese Humour. New York: Palgrave
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狂歌 kyōka
�In the Edo Peroid 1600-1868
�The height of kyōka 1781-89
�References made to classic waka poems
� Two couples, wives are poets in their own right
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Maekuzuke前句づけ18th Century
�As an exercise for Haikai renga
�Create the preceeding 575 for a given 77
�1765 Haifū Yanagidaru
�Editor Karai Senryū
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Humourous Genres
�Kyōgen 狂言
�Manzai 漫才
�Rakugo 落語
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狂言 kyōgen
�A part of nō 能 presentation
�nō kyōgen nō kyōgen nō
� different actors
�Form created in the Muromachi Period (14th
– 16th centuries)
�Oral tradition – First written texts only in the Edo Period (1600-1868)
�Everyday people’s lives
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能 NŌ 狂言 kyōgen
�Drama
� With music
�Masks
�Slow, formal, solemn
�Comedy
�No music
�No masks except for a few exceptions(demons, women)
�Simple, down-to-earth
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狂言 kyōgen
� About 250 pieces
�Some of them are NOT humorous�20-45 minutes
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Tokyo - Osaka
�Aristocratic �Merchant - urban
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漫才 Manzai�According to Maeda Isamu it appeared in
the Emperor’s Court in the Heian Period (794-1185)
�Its “popular version” by the beginning of the Muromachi Period (1392-1573)
�ボケ boke – つっこみ tsukkomi
�Modern manzai - Tamagoya Entatsu
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落語 Rakugo�Sit-down comedy�Traditional clothes�Props: a handkerchief and a fan�Appeared in the late 17th century �The performance got its present form by
the end of the 18th century�About 300 classical pieces�“Apprentices”
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落語 Rakugo
�Makura �Getting to know the audience
�Hanashi�The story itself
�Ochi�Punch line
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The performance
�Music: shamisen, drum, Japanese flute
�Zabuton
�A handkrchief and a fan
�About 12-14 minutes
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Az előadás
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Source: Rakugo in English (DVD)
Az előadás
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Shoten – Popular TV program
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Literature
Bensky, Xavier Benjamin (1995): Manzai: Metamorphoses of a Japanese comic performance genre. (unpublished MA dissertation, McGill University). http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape11/PQDD_0023/MQ41089.pdf
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Davis, Jessica Milner (Ed.)(2006) Detroit: Wayne State University PressISBN: 9780814331651
Hibbett, Howard (2002) The Chrysanthemum and the Fish : Japanese humor since the age of the shoguns.Tokyo : Kodansha International
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Ōshima, Kimie (1998): Rakugo: Sit-down comedy. Humour and HealthJournal Vol. 8, Number 3. pp. 9–12
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Wells, Marguerite (1997): Japanese Humour. New York: Palgrave
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What do you use dill for?
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