Shijaku Katsura II

Japanese comedian (1939–1999)

Katsura Shijaku II (2代目桂枝雀, Nidaime Katsura Shijaku, August 13, 1939 – April 19, 1999) was a Japanese rakugo performer of the late 20th century, who often performed in English. He was born Tōru Maeda (前田達, Maeda Tōru) in Kobe, the son of a brick-maker.^[1] In 1960 he entered the tutelage of the rakugo performer Katsura Beichō III (桂米朝), and upon completion of his study, was given the stage name Katsura Koyone X (桂小米).^[2] He changed his stage name to Shijaku Katsura (Shijaku Katsura II)^[3] in 1974.

Katsura studied English in the early 1980s, and gave his first English-language rakugo performance in 1983.^[4] For the rest of his career, he often performed rakugo in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, making an otherwise inaccessible form of comedy accessible for non-Japanese speakers.

He also assisted in launching the career of Bill Crowley, the non-Japanese professional rakugo performer.^[5]

Katsura died of heart failure on April 19, 1999, after a suicide attempt at his home in Suita, Osaka.^[6] He was discovered by his wife Eyo and his brother, the magician Takeshi Maeda.

Notes

^ Katsura Shijaku "Der Schreiber"
^ Katsura Shijaku "Der Schreiber"
^ The first Shijaku Katsura lived 1862-1928.
^ Perkins, p. 329.
^ Features - Bill Crowley: Rakugo Diplomat Archived 2006-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
^ Comic Storyteller Katsura Dies – AP Online – HighBeam Research

References

Shijaku Katsura II at IMDb
Shijaku Katsura obituary (accessed 21 December 2007)
"Der Schreiber" (German translation of one of Katsura's rakugo, including a short biography) (accessed 21 December 2007)
"Sushi and Sake" interview with Bill Crowley. (accessed 21 December 2007)
Perkins, Dorothy (1991). Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori. n.p.: Facts on File.