Manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy.
A pair of manzai performers at a New Year celebration; the tsukkomi at front, the boke behind him (artist unknown, 19th-century Japanese painting)
Print depicting two manzai comedic actors, also in a New Year setting; c. 1825
Yokoyama Entatsu and Hanabishi Achako established the talk show-centered manzai style. They were active since 1919.
All Hanshin-Kyojin, active since 1975.
Rakugo is a form of Japanese verbal comedy, traditionally performed in yose theatres. The lone storyteller sits on a raised platform, a kōza. Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and wit
Manzai
…period, Osaka manzai (大阪万才) began to implement changes that would see it surpass in popularity the styles of the former period, although at the time rakugo was still considered the more popular form of entertainment. With the end of the Taishō period, Yoshimoto Kōgyō—which itself was founded at the beginning…
Rakugoka at Sanma Festival
Shinjuku suehirotei is a famous vaudeville theater in Tokyo which hosts rakugo events.
Asakusa Engei Hall is another famous vaudeville theater in Tokyo which hosts rakugo events.