Variety show - Yose

Japanese: 寄席 - よせ

A small permanent entertainment hall where rakugo and other performances are held. "Yose" is an abbreviation of "Yoseba," meaning "a place that brings people together." In the late Edo period, "Kiyu Shoran" states that "it is because it brings people together." In short, it is a place where a large number of people gather to perform various popular entertainment such as rakugo, kodan, Naniwabushi (rakugo), manzai, and magic, and although it is written as "yose," it is sometimes simply called "seki."

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Variety halls in the Edo period

Street stories and lectures had already been performed in the precincts of temples and shrines since the early Edo period. During the Tenna and Jokyo eras (1681-88), Shikano Buzaemon, who is said to be the founder of Edo rakugo, performed in a reed-covered tent at Nakahashi Hirokoji in Edo. From the An'ei and Tenmei eras (1772-89), storytelling sessions were also held in the homes of storytellers, or in the rooms of temples and teahouses. However, the first vaudeville hall to take its present-day form was when the storyteller Okamoto Mansaku, who came to Edo from Osaka, established a permanent vaudeville hall in June 1798 (Kansei 10) at Waradan in Toshima-cho, Kanda, under the sign "Tonsaku Karukuchibanashi." In response to this, the first Sanshotei Karaku opened a vaudeville hall in the grounds of Inari Shrine in Yanagi-cho, Shitaya, and Karaku later built the foundation for full-scale vaudeville performances and nurtured many vaudeville performers.

The yose theaters were at their most prosperous during the Bunka and Bunsei eras, when in 1815 (Bunka 12) there were 75 yose theaters in Edo, and by the Bunsei era (1818-1830) there were 125. According to Terakado Seiken's Edo Hanjoki, published in 1834 (Tenpo 5), by the Tenpo era, a format similar to a regular yose theater with seven different performances every day had been established. Yose theaters had day and night performances, and lanterns bearing the names of the performers and the date were hung, and a shoe attendant would call out to the audience. The format in which storytellers perform rakugo using folding fans and hand towels, as well as the opening act system, had both been perfected by the beginning of the Tenpo era. The manager of a yose theater was called a "sekitei." The number of vaudeville halls in Edo was reduced to just 15 after 1842 due to the Tenpo Reforms, and they were only allowed to operate under the four categories of Shinto lectures, Shingaku, military book storytelling, and old-fashioned tales. However, they flourished again after that, and by the Ansei era (1854-60) there were 172 "storytelling halls." The "Oedo Tokishi Arashiyama Kanjo" states that there were "220 military story halls and 172 storytelling halls," and that these roughly 400 vaudeville halls had an average of 100 attendees each per day, with total daily sales exceeding 300 ryo.

The popularity of yose theaters did not decline even in the Meiji period, with the Tokyo Guide published in 1884 (Meiji 17) listing 87 yose theaters. As late as 1912 (Taisho 1), there were still 43 or 44 well-known theaters. However, with the advent of motion pictures in the mid-Taisho period, yose theaters fell into a rapid decline, and their numbers fell even further in the Showa period. After World War II, a few yose theaters in Tokyo were revived, but they were unable to regain their former glory. Nevertheless, the performance format of ten days a month divided into upper, middle, and lower seats continues to this day.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Osaka's Variety Hall

The Osaka vaudeville theater developed earlier than in Edo, and the first Yonezawa Hikohachi is said to have performed on the grounds of Ikutama Shrine around the Genroku period (1688-1704), with a screened-down reed screen. Matsuda Yasuke and the first Katsura Bunji laid the foundations for vaudeville theater performances from the Kansei period (1789-1801) through the Bunka and Bunsei periods (1804-1830). During the Tenpo and Koka eras (1830-48), rakugo in Osaka developed thanks to the efforts of the so-called Kamigata four-school storytellers: Katsura, Hayashiya, Shofutei, and Tatekawa. During the Kaei and Ansei eras (1848-60), the form of rakugo and yose in Osaka was perfected, and yose theaters flourished.

Even after the Meiji era, Osaka's yose continued to flourish. The Katsura school dominated yose that focused on rakugo, but in 1893 (Meiji 26), the Naniwa Sanyu school arose and split into two factions. In 1910 (Meiji 43), an opposing faction was created by impresarios, and yose performances fell into disarray. In modern Osaka, yose thrived in Hozenji, Sennichimae, Matsushima, Dotonbori, Shinmachi, Zama, Goryo, Kitanoshinchi, Uehonmachi, Nipponbashi, Tenma Tenjin, Uchihonmachi, and Umeda, and there were times when female Gidayu (gidayu)-only venues such as the Hariju venue in Sennichimae flourished, but they gradually declined from the end of the Taisho era through the Showa era. With the emergence of the outstanding impresario Yoshimoto Sei (1890-1950) in Osaka, a style of vaudeville performance different from that in Tokyo was established from the Taisho to Showa periods, which continues to this day. Kyoto, Kobe, and Nagoya also have a long history of vaudeville performances, and there are records of their prosperity from the Edo period, when many vaudeville entertainers performed there.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Types of vaudeville performances

Among the various records relating to yose entertainment, the one that has attracted the most attention is the "Misemono Zatsushi" (Misemono Zatsushi) written by Kodera Gyokucho (1800-78), a samurai of the Owari domain. This book is a valuable research resource that records yose performances in Nagoya from 1818 (Bunsei 1) to 1842 (Tenpo 13). It covers all the entertainment genres of the vaudeville halls of the Edo period, including light-hearted tales, fishing puppets, acrobatics, stories, shows, impersonations, lectures, basketry, joruri, bird song impersonations, Nagasaki snake dance, short plays, Takeda Karakuri, sermons, rakugo, top-spinning, strongmen, Sumiyoshi dance, puppetry, shadow puppets, chonkare, kyokuji writing, shinnai, etc. Shikitei Sanba's "Otoshibanashi Kaisuriecho" ("Rakugo Chuko Raiyu") also includes joruri, kouta, military book readings, sleight of hand, eight-person entertainment, sermons, saimon, and all sorts of impersonations. This clearly shows that other than rakugo, the so-called "iromono" (comic stories), were widely active as vaudeville entertainment from the Bunka and Bunsei periods onwards, and were popular among the masses. Utsushi-e (pictures of a hundred eyes), Hyakumanako (a hundred eyes with a hundred eyes), Ongaku (music), Kao-imisae (face-looking people), etc. were also popular, but as the times changed, these gradually disappeared or changed.

Iromono has continued to develop even after the Meiji period, but in Osaka, after the establishment of entertainment companies, manzai came into the limelight and became the mainstream of yose. Therefore, the form of yose changed significantly from the Taisho period to the Showa period, and the performances that mixed rakugo, manzai, music, vocal color (vocal mimicry), hundred-faces, magic, acrobatics, spinning tops, paper cutting, ventriloquism, and stand-up comedy came to be called "iromono seats." In addition, there were also performances with specialized puppets, kaisaimon seats, storytelling seats, gidayu seats, naniwabushi seats, and eight-person performance seats. There were also times when two-part performances were held, with storytelling in the daytime and iromono in the evening. Nowadays, even in Osaka, rakugo is being recognized as a valued form of storytelling art, and it is being re-recognized as distinct from iromono. This is due to the efforts of modern storytellers, but it must be said to be a natural outcome from a historical perspective.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Current Status

It was after the Second World War that yose underwent a dramatic transformation. The advent of television in particular changed the nature of yose entertainment. The development of mass media raised public interest in yose entertainment in a different sense, but entertainers began to work as television personalities, and hall yose and special rakugo performances became popular throughout the country, while the traditional regular yose performances remained in decline. In Tokyo, the National Theatre Engeijo was added to the regular venues of Ueno Suzumoto Engeijo, Shinjuku Suehirotei, Asakusa Engei Hall, and Ikebukuro Engeijo in November 1979. Ueno Honmokutei was the only regular venue for storytelling in Japan, but it closed in 1990 (Heisei 2), much to everyone's regret. In the Kansai region, there are the "Namba Grand Kagetsu (NGK)" and "Waha Kamigata" in Osaka, but these now have a strong concept of theater and are somewhat different from the traditional vaudeville halls from the Edo period. In Nagoya, there is the Osu Engeijo.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

"Japanese Classical Performing Arts 9: Variety Theatre," edited by the Performing Arts History Research Group (1971, Heibonsha)" ▽ "Variety Theatre Kiriezu," by San'yutei Ensho (1977, Seigabo)" ▽ "Arts Series 1: Coloring -- The World of Colored Things," edited by Minami Hiroshi, Nagai Nobuo, and Ozawa Shoichi (1981, Hakusuisha)" ▽ "Dictionary of Rakugo Artists from Around the World, Past and Present," edited by the Various Arts Forum and the Osaka Performing Arts Forum (1989, Heibonsha)" ▽ "Rakugo Handbook," revised edition, edited by Yamamoto Susumu (2001, Sanseido)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

落語などを上演する小規模な常設演芸場。「よせ」とは「寄せ場」の略語であり、「人を寄せる場所」という意味である。江戸後期の『嬉遊笑覧(きゆうしょうらん)』には「人をよする故なり」と記されている。要するに大ぜいの人々を寄せ集めて、落語、講談、浪花節(なにわぶし)（浪曲）、漫才(まんざい)、奇術などさまざまな大衆芸能を興行する場所であり、「寄席」の字をあてているが、単に「席(せき)」とよぶこともある。

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江戸時代の寄席

すでに江戸時代の初めのころから寺社の境内などで辻咄(つじばなし)や講釈が行われており、天和(てんな)・貞享(じょうきょう)（1681～88）のころには、江戸落語の祖といわれる鹿野武左衛門(しかのぶざえもん)が、江戸の中橋広小路でよしず張りの小屋掛けで興行をしているし、安永(あんえい)・天明(てんめい)（1772～89）のころから、噺家(はなしか)の自宅、寺院や茶屋の座敷などで「咄(はなし)の会」を興行するものもあった。しかし、現在の寄席のような形態を整えたのは、大坂から江戸にきた噺家の岡本万作が、1798年（寛政10）6月に神田(かんだ)豊島(としま)町藁店(わらだな)に「頓作軽口噺(とんさくかるくちばなし)」という看板を掲げて常設の寄席をつくったのが最初である。これに対抗した初代三笑亭可楽(からく)が下谷(したや)柳町の稲荷(いなり)神社境内に寄席を開いたこともあり、のちに可楽は本格的な寄席興行の基をつくり、多数の寄席芸人を育成した。

　寄席がもっとも盛んになったのは、文化・文政(ぶんかぶんせい)年間で、1815年（文化12）に江戸市中に寄席は75軒、文政年間（1818～30）には125軒を数えた。1834年（天保5）に出た寺門静軒(てらかどせいけん)の『江戸繁昌記(はんじょうき)』によれば、天保(てんぽう)のころには、7日替わりの常打ちに近い寄席の形態が整えられていたことがわかる。寄席には昼席と夜席があり、出演者名と日を記した行灯(あんどん)をかけ、下足番が呼び込みをした。噺家が扇子と手拭(てぬぐい)で落語を演ずる形式も前座制も天保初期には完成されていた。寄席の経営者は「席亭(せきてい)」とよばれた。江戸の寄席は、天保の改革で1842年以降わずか15軒に減り、その名目は神道(しんとう)講釈、心学、軍書講談、昔咄の4種で営業を許されたが、その後、ふたたび盛んになり、安政(あんせい)年間（1854～60）には「はなしの席」が172軒となった。『大江戸都会荒増(あらまし)勘定』には「軍談の席二百二十軒、はなしの席百七十二軒」とあり、この約400軒の寄席に1日平均それぞれ100人の入場者があり、1日の売上金は合計300両を超えたという。

　寄席は、明治に入っても衰えをみせず、1884年（明治17）刊『東京案内』には87軒の寄席が記されている。1912年（大正1）ごろでも、名のあるものだけで43、4軒はあった。しかし、大正中期になると活動写真（映画）が登場したため、寄席は急激に衰退し、昭和に入ってますます減少してしまった。第二次世界大戦後、東京の寄席は数軒復活したが、往年の隆盛を取り戻すことはできなかった。それでも1か月を10日ずつにくぎって上席(かみせき)・中席(なかせき)・下席(しもせき)とよぶ興行方式はいまも続いている。

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大坂の寄席

大坂の寄席は江戸よりも早く発達し、初代米沢(よねざわ)彦八は元禄(げんろく)（1688～1704）のころ生玉(いくたま)社境内でよしず張りの興行を行ったようであり、松田弥助(やすけ)、初代桂(かつら)文治が寛政(かんせい)（1789～1801）から文化・文政期（1804～30）にかけて寄席興行の基礎を固めた。天保・弘化(こうか)（1830～48）のころに桂、林家(はやしや)、笑福亭(しょうふくてい)、立川(たてかわ)のいわゆる上方(かみがた)四派の噺家たちの活躍によって大坂の落語は発展し、嘉永(かえい)・安政（1848～60）のころに大坂の落語や寄席の形態が完成し、寄席はすこぶる隆盛であった。

　明治に入ってからも大阪の寄席は栄えた。落語中心の寄席は桂派が牛耳(ぎゅうじ)っていたが、1893年（明治26）に浪花(なにわ)三友派がおこって2派に分かれた。1910年（明治43）には興行師の手によって反対派もできて寄席興行は混乱した。近代の大阪では、法善寺、千日前、松島、道頓堀、新町、座摩(ざま)、御霊(ごりょう)、北之新地、上本町(うえほんまち)、日本(にっぽん)橋、天満(てんま)天神、内本町、梅田などで寄席が繁盛し、千日前の播重(はりじゅう)席のような女義太夫(ぎだゆう)専門の席が栄えたこともあったが、大正末から昭和にかけてしだいに衰退していった。大阪には吉本せい（1890―1950）という傑出した興行師が出現したため、大正から昭和にかけて東京とは異質の寄席興行の形態がとられて今日に及んでいる。そのほか、京都、神戸、名古屋にも古くからの寄席興行の歴史があり、江戸時代から多数の寄席芸人が出演して隆盛だった記録を残している。

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寄席演芸の種類

寄席演芸に関する種々の記録のなかでもっとも注目されるのは、尾張(おわり)藩士の小寺玉晁(こでらぎょくちょう)（1800―78）が書き残した『見世物雑志』である。この書は、1818年（文政1）から42年（天保13）までの名古屋における寄席興行を記録した貴重な研究資料である。このなかには、軽口噺、釣人形、軽業(かるわざ)、咄、見世物、物真似(ものまね)、講釈、籠細工(かございく)、浄瑠璃(じょうるり)、鳥の鳴き声物真似、長崎蛇(じゃ)踊り、小芝居、竹田からくり、説経(せっきょう)、落し噺、独楽(こま)回し、力持ち、住吉踊り、操り、影絵、ちょんがれ、曲文字書き、新内など、江戸時代における寄席演芸のすべてが網羅されている。式亭三馬(しきていさんば)の『落話会刷画帖(おとしばなしかいすりえちょう)』（『落話中興来由』）にも浄瑠璃、小唄(こうた)、軍書読み、手妻(てづま)、八人芸、説経、祭文(さいもん)、物真似尽くしなどが記されている。これによって、落語以外のいわゆる「色物(いろもの)」が文化・文政期から寄席演芸として幅広く活動して民衆の人気を得ていたことがよくわかる。写し絵、百眼(ひゃくまなこ)、音曲、顔似せなども人気があったが、時代の変遷とともにこれらはしだいに姿を消し、また変容していった。

　色物は、明治以後も進展して現代に及んでいるが、大阪では興行会社が設立されてから漫才が脚光を浴びて寄席の主流を占めた。したがって大正から昭和にかけて寄席の形態が著しく変化し、落語、漫才、音曲、声色(こわいろ)（声帯(せいたい)模写）、百面相(ひゃくめんそう)、手品、曲芸、独楽、紙切り、腹話術、漫談などを混交して興行する席を「色物席」とよぶようになり、そのほか、操り人形の専門席、貝祭文(かいさいもん)席、講談席、義太夫席、浪花節席、八人芸席などが出現したこともあった。また、昼は講談、夜は色物という2部制興行をしたこともあった。現在は大阪でも、落語が話芸としての価値を認められて、色物と区別して再認識されるようになってきた。これは現代の噺家たちの努力によるものだが、歴史的にみて当然の帰結といわねばならない。

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現況

寄席が著しく変貌(へんぼう)したのは第二次世界大戦後のことである。とくにテレビの出現は寄席演芸のあり方を変えた。マス・メディアの発達は、別の意味での寄席演芸に対する一般の関心を高めたが、芸人はテレビタレントとして活躍するようになり、ホール寄席や特殊な落語会が全国で盛んになって、旧来の常打ちの寄席興行は衰退したままである。東京では定席(じょうせき)として上野鈴本(すずもと)演芸場、新宿末広亭(すえひろてい)、浅草演芸ホール、池袋演芸場に、1979年11月から国立劇場演芸場が加わった。上野本牧亭(ほんもくてい)は日本で唯一の講談の定席であったが、90年（平成2）惜しまれながら閉館した。関西では大阪に「なんばグランド花月（NGK）」「ワッハ上方」があるが、これらは、いまでは劇場の観念が強く、江戸時代からの伝統的な寄席とは少々イメージを異にする。名古屋には大須(おおす)演芸場がある。

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『芸能史研究会編『日本の古典芸能9　寄席』（1971・平凡社）』▽『三遊亭円生著『寄席切絵図』（1977・青蛙房）』▽『南博・永井啓夫・小沢昭一編『芸双書1　いろどる――色物の世界』（1981・白水社）』▽『諸芸懇話会・大阪芸能懇話会編『古今東西　落語家事典』（1989・平凡社）』▽『山本進編『落語ハンドブック』改訂版（2001・三省堂）』