Entertainment - Entertainment

It refers to the arts performed in front of the public, and the act of performing them. In the broad sense, it includes theater, dance, and singing, but in the narrow sense, it refers to popular entertainment venues such as rakugo, kodan, rokyoku, and magic, which are performed by one person or a small group, and today the latter meaning is more commonly used. The term was used after the Meiji period, and initially referred to various entertainments, mainly theater such as kabuki, as used by the Japan Engei Kyofukai, the Japan Engei Association, and the magazine Engei Gaho. In 1921 (Taisho 10), the Metropolitan Police Department officially defined three types of entertainment as targets for entertainment crackdown: theaters (theaters), entertainment halls (rakugo, kodan, etc.), and viewing halls (acrobatics, magic, etc.), and later performances at these two venues were lumped together to become the narrower definition of entertainment. The nature of performing arts changed with the times, and particularly during the Showa period, manzai changed into manzai, vocal imitation changed into kowairo, and mandan and pop mandan also emerged. With the advent of the radio and television era, a variety of short performances became popular.

[Soya Mukai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

公衆を前に演じる芸能、またその演じる行為をいう。広義には演劇、舞踊、歌なども含まれるが、狭義には落語、講談、浪曲、奇術といった、1人または少人数で演じる大衆的な寄席(よせ)芸能をさし、今日一般には後者の意味が強い。明治以降に使われたことばで、当初は歌舞伎(かぶき)など演劇を中心とした諸芸能の総称として、日本演芸矯風会(きょうふうかい)、日本演芸協会、雑誌『演芸画報』などのように使われた。1921年（大正10）に警視庁が興行取締りの対象として劇場（演劇）、演芸場（落語、講談など）および観物場（曲芸、奇術など）の3種類を公的に定義、この後二者で上演されるものが総合されて狭義の演芸になった。演芸の様相は時代とともに流動し、ことに昭和期には万才が漫才、声色(こわいろ)が声帯模写と変容したほか、漫談や歌謡漫談なども誕生し、ラジオ・テレビ時代に入るとそれに応じて短時間に演じる多様なものが流行した。

［向井爽也］

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