Camel

Rakugo. This is a Kamigata Rakugo story "The Camel's Funeral" that was brought to Tokyo by Yanagiya Kosan III in the mid-Meiji period. When a violent man nicknamed "Camel's Horse" is visited by his brother, he finds that his camel has died from eating pufferfish the night before. He threatens a junk dealer who happens to be passing by to help him, and then he gets the landlord to bring him some sake and simmered dishes, saying that they are needed for the wake. When the landlord refuses, he makes the junk dealer carry the corpse on his back and dances "Kankannou." The surprised landlord brings him some sake, and the two of them drink it, but the more the junk dealer gets drunk, the stronger he gets, and he ends up threatening his brother instead. The two drunk men stuff the camel into a 4-liter barrel and carry it to the crematorium, but they don't realize that the bottom of the barrel has fallen out on the way, so they go to the crematorium and rush back to pick it up. The man comes to the fire house to replace a drunk monk who was sleeping on the road. The monk wakes up and asks, "Where am I?" "It's the fire house." "I'd like one more glass of cold sake, even if it's cold." This play vividly depicts the customs of the Edo period and is full of variety. The current production in Tokyo is based on the third generation Kosan style, but the Osaka style is also interesting.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

落語。上方(かみがた)落語の「らくだの葬礼」を明治中期に3代目柳家小さんが東京へ移したもの。らくだの馬とあだ名されている乱暴者のところへ兄弟分が訪ねてくると、らくだは前夜に食べたフグにあたって死んでいた。そこへ通りかかった屑屋(くずや)を脅して手伝わせ、通夜に入用だからと大家(おおや)に酒と煮しめを持ってくるようにかけ合わせる。大家に断られると、屑屋に死骸(しがい)を背負わせて「カンカンノウ」を踊らせる。驚いた大家が届けた酒を2人で飲むが、屑屋は酔うほどに強くなり、兄弟分を逆に脅す。酔っぱらった2人はらくだを四斗樽(だる)に詰めて火屋(ひや)（焼き場）へ担いで行くが、途中で樽の底が抜けたのを知らずに火屋まで行き、あわてて拾いに戻る。酔って道に寝ていた願人(がんにん)坊主をかわりに詰めて火屋へくる。願人坊主が目を覚まして「ここはどこだ」「火屋だ」「ひや（冷酒）でもいいからもう一杯」。江戸時代の風俗を活写し、変化に富む。東京の現行演出は3代目小さん型だが、大阪型もおもしろい。

［関山和夫］

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