Rakugo, better known as Japanese sit-down comedy or comic story telling, has a history of about 400 years where performers sit in front of audience and act out stories comprising conversations among several characters.

More than 150 audiences consisting of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) students, ambassadors and the public witnessed the Rakugo at the Chancellor Hall, UBD, yesterday.

It was to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brunei Darussalam.

The show was organised by the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam and Japan Foundation in cooperation with UBD. The guest of honour at the event was YAM Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Wadood Bolkiah and his wife Pengiran Siti Aminah Pengiran Haji Othman.

"Rakugo is the art of monologue with a humorous punch line. Rakugo stories reflect traditional Japanese values and teaching of common wisdom," Mr Sato Masaharu, Charge d' Affaires ad Interim, Embassy of Japan in Brunei, said.

Performing the story telling was Mr Kaishi Katsura, who started his career as a professional Rakugo performer in 1994 and started presenting it in English in 1997.

Altogether, Mr Kaishi has given more than 300 performances in 13 different countries and in 2007, he was appointed by the Japanese Ministry of Culture as its cultural exchange ambassador.

by Edwin Eng