NHK Documentaries
70 Years of Wandering: Storytelling Artist Koryu
2016 • E36 Sep 16, 2016 50m
Having lived for 88 years, Minatoya Koryu has plenty of tales to tell. She has performed as a Rokyoku storyteller for 70 years, 50 of those on the road. The art of Rokyoku storytelling - performing stories sung along with the melody of a shamisen - was the most popular performing art in Japan from the end of the 19th century to 1960's. It was all but forgotten during Japan's high economic growth era. Now, it's being rediscovered by a younger audience. The program shows the relationship between Koryu and her young disciple Koyuki, introducing the appeal of the tradition to a modern generation.