A MASTER STORYTELLER!
~The New York Times
THE KING OF KIMONO COMEDY!
~REUTERS
REVIEWS OF RAKUGO
FROM THE NEW YORK PRESS
A MASTER STORYTELLER!
~The New York Times
THE KING OF KIMONO COMEDY!
~Reuters
THERE IS ONLY ONE SUNSHINE!
~The New Yorker
DELIGHTFUL!
~Splash Magazine, New York
BEAUTIFUL AND SIMPLE!
~The Times Square Chronicle
SO MUCH FUN!
~WBAI Radio, New York
HILARIOUS!
~Three Tomatoes, New York
EIGHTY MINUTES OF NON-STOP LAUGHTER!
~Three Tomatoes, New York
SIMPLE AND ELEGANT!
~Theatre is Easy, New York
LOVELY AND BRILLIANTLY PERFORMED!
~TheaterScene, New York
SUNSHINE IS AN OUTSTANDING PERFORMER!
~The Front Row Center, New York
NEW YORK AUDIENCES
HAVE BEEN ENRAPTURED!
~Hollywood Soapbox, New York
RELATABLE AND DELIGHTFUL!
~TDF, New York
CHARMING, THOUGHTFUL,
AND GUARANTEED TO BRING A SPARKLE!
~Broadway World, New York
FUNNIER THAN THE TALES IS SUNSHINE HIMSELF!
~The New Yorker
SUNSHINE HAD ME IN STITCHES!
~Reuters
BUOYANT HUMOR AND PLAYFULNESS!
~The New York Times
RAKUGO
BROADWAY AND BEYOND
NEW YORK RUN:
Rakugo opened at New World Stages in September 2019 where it is currently running!
LONDON RUN:
Rakugo opened at the beautiful Leicester Square Theatre in London's West End on December 12, 2021, and is scheduled to run through the end of 2023.
REVIEWS AND PRESS:
Rakugo received universally positive reviews from the New York media, including the New York Times, The New Yorker, and Reuters.
BEST UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
Rakugo was nominated for Best Unique Theatrical Experience for the 2020 Off-Broadway Alliance Awards
G20 SUMMIT, OSAKA 2019
Sunshine served as bilingual MC for the opening reception of the G20 Summit in Osaka
OSAKA WORLD EXPO, 2025
Sunshine served as spokesman and ambassador for the successful bid to hold the 2025 world fair in Osaka. He received personal praise from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his contribution.
RAKUGO
THE 400-YEAR SMASH HIT IN JAPAN!
THE TRADITION:
Rakugo is a 400-year-old tradition of comic storytelling in Japan. The stories have been passed down from master to apprentice aurally through the centuries.
THE MONOLOGUE:
Every Rakugo story is preceded by a comic monologue which consists of the individual storyteller’s own “material”, much like stand-up comedy.
THE APPRENTICESHIP:
In order to become a recognized professional Rakugo storyteller, one must apprentice to a Rakugo master. The apprenticeship lasts for three to four years, and is very strict, nearing indentured servitude.
Sunshine went to his Master's home every morning for 3 years, did laundry, cleaned, carried bags, folded kimonos, and watched and learned in the way that every Japanese apprentice has done for hundreds of years.
A NOTE FROM SUNSHINE
LOVE LETTER TO RAKUGO
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
I will never forget the first day I saw Rakugo - in a tiny tatami room on the second floor of my favourite Yakitori shop in Yokohama.
Two storytellers did two stories each. They came out in Kimono, accompanied by Taiko drum and Shamisen, kneeled on a purple cushion, bowed formally and then proceeded to have the audience of 30 in absolute stitches.
The first half of each set was like stand-up comedy - observational humour, personal experiences and all very self-deprecating, which made them endearing.
The second part was the story proper - learned from masters who had learned from their masters, stories from one or two hundred years ago that were just awesome.
The details could fill a book - which I am working on, but suffice it to say I fell in love at first sight: This is what I was born to do!!
The Yakitori shop owner my dear late friend and mentor Ken, said impossible.
Three year apprenticeship.
Indentured servitude.
Of 800 professional storytellers, not one was Western, or any kind of foreign for that matter. He couldn't fathom me putting myself through it nor could he imagine a master would take me.
It took a few years, but one master did indeed take me.
(I think he may have regretted it on many an occasion but... LOL)
And what a master! Katsura Bunshi VI, one of the most prolific composers of new Rakugo stories in history, a television star in Japan for the last 50 years, and a living national treasure in every sense of the word except the official government one...
He gave me the name Katsura Sunshine with a beautiful play on words with the kanji characters, because he wanted me to bring warmth and humour all over the world, like a true Sunshine.
And then he commanded me to bleach my hair.
Although one can never repay one's master for what they have done for you, debuting Rakugo on Broadway last year made him very very happy.
And so I hope to share with you some part of the sheer joy I have inherited from this elegant, minimal, universally hilarious and at the same time uniquely Japanese traditional performance art.
Katsura Sunshine
桂三輝
KATSURA SUNSHINE
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
ABOUT KATSURA SUNSHINE
Katsura Sunshine was born in Toronto Canada and holds Slovenian citizenship as well as Canadian.
In 2008 he became the 15th apprentice to the great Rakugo Master Katsura Bunshi VI, from whom he received the name Katsura Sunshine.
Sunshine was the first ever Western Rakugo-ka in the Kamigata tradition (Osaka / Kyoto) and only the second in Japanese history, after his predecessor Kairakute Burakku a hundred years before.
Sunshine has toured over 5 continents performing in 3 languages (Japanese, English and French).
This month represents the third anniversary of the opening of Rakugo on Broadway, at the New World Stages theatre complex. This long run has dates confirmed through December 2022.
He is also be performing in London's West End in a residence that also runs through the end of 2022.
Sunshine was appointed Cultural Ambassador for Canada and Japan, and Friendship Ambassador for Slovenia and Japan. He was MC and host for the opening reception of the G-20 Summit in Osaka in 2019.
Sunshine divides his time between Tokyo, New York, and London.
