< Rokyoku (Narrative Ballads) > Rokyoku is a narrative art accompanied by the shamisen, and was perfected at the beginning of the Meiji period (1868–1912). Rokyoku began as a street performance based on older joruri, sekkyo-bushi (chants of Buddhist tales) and saimon-gatari (chants of traditional literature and worldly episodes). Later, an Osaka entertainer named NANIWA Isuke appealed greatly to the public with his new style of performance; it is said that, for this reason, the performance was named "naniwa-bushi" after the name of the performer. Rokyoku is another name which was given later. Most items in the rokyoku repertoire appeal to ordinary people’s sense of “love versus duty.” Rokyoku became extremely popular during the 1920s and ‘30s, and the term naniwa-bushi came to be used as a general word, in such phrases as “just like naniwa-bushi” to refer to a story dealing with love versus duty. Rokyoku stories were taken from many genres, including kabuki, kodan, joruri, and also the news of the times. The main feature of rokyoku lies in its storytelling method with fushi (chants) and tanka (narration). Fushi is the chanting part where the performer sings about the situation or feelings of characters, while tanka is the dialogue part where the performer plays the role of each character. In learning rokyoku, tanka are often said to be more difficult than fushi; there is even a saying that goes, "Three years to learn fushi and five years for tanka." (Rokyoku and Osaka) As seen in the genre name naniwa-bushi being derived from the name of performer NANIWA Isuke from Osaka, the culture of Osaka certainly provided the setting for the formation of rokyoku. Even today, rokyoku includes a type of fushi chant called Kansai-bushi.

Organized & Sponsored by Yamamoto Nohgakudo Association, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industy & City of Osaka, in cooperation with Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau Copyright (C) 2008-2009 Yamamoto Nohgakudo Association All Right Reserved.