Euro Live Opens

Rakugo is a form of sit-down comedy, where a “rakugo-ka,” dressed in a kimono, sits on a floor cushion in proper “sei-za” style and tells funny stories, many of which have been handed down over generations of storytellers.

Though these stories are familiar to fans of the genre, the individual storytellers add their own twists and style. The theater, which is name Euro Live, was built by Kenzo Horikoshi, the founder and owner of Euro Space, one of Japan’s oldest foreign film distribution companies. Horikoshi bought the second floor of the building in Shibuya that contains his Euro Space art house theater and had it converted to a 180-seat venue.

The plan is to present rakugo artists every month for five days, from the second Friday to the third Tuesday. During the rest of the month, the theater will present conventional acts focused on sketch comedy.

Horikoshi told Tokyo Shimbun newspaper that he became concerned with the way Shibuya has developed in the last 20 years. Currently there are a half dozen dedicated rakugo theaters in Tokyo, but none in Shibuya.

In the 1950s, there were regular rakugo performances at the legendary Tokyu Kaikan in Shibuya, which was not designed for rakugo. However, since 1985 the hall was converted into a movie theater for major road shows and stopped staging theatrical events. It was then torn down a little more than 10 years ago, only to be rebuilt with several new theater venues in a nearby location.

However, the new venue has not revived rakugo on a permanent ongoing basis. When Horikoshi was a young man he spent a great deal of time in Shibuya, which was and still is a mecca for young people, but not as much of a major cultural hub for young people.

It’s mostly just a shopping destination and hangout. He is hoping that Euro Live will fill the same niche that another legendary Shibuya venue, Jean Jean, did in the ’60s and ’70s, when it was known for presenting subcultural theatrical events and concerts.