"Shoten" was the Sunday entertainment show/演芸番組「笑点」は日曜日の楽しみでした

about 16 hours ago (Edited)

Every Sunday, that familiar theme song plays on the living room TV. Now, I'd like to talk about one of the joys of Japanese life.

"Shoten" featured a variety of different types of comedy, but the most popular was the "Ogiri" comedy. When I asked AI Sensei about it, he told me:

"Ogiri" originally referred to a comedy routine performed at the end of a show at kabuki theaters and vaudeville halls during the Edo period. Today, it generally refers to a form of entertainment in which multiple contestants compete to see who can be the most entertaining by offering witty and funny answers to a question posed by the host.

By the way, if a contestant gave a funny answer, he would receive a cushion, but if he offended the host, he would lose all of the cushions. The person who carried the cushions was also quite popular.

I remember it from around the time Minami Shinsuke was the host.

I think the reason for their popularity is their sharp, satirical delivery, which speaks for the common people's views on politics at the time. For example:

Speaking out against the LDP's 316-seat win in the House of Representatives election!

Shunputei Ichinosuke (pictured) "There's been a lot of talk about reducing the number of Diet members, but the truth is, we're short-staffed."

Host Shunputei Shota: "That's tough."

Shunputei Ichinosuke: "To be fair, we're short on decent Diet members."

Shunputei Ichinosuke boldly delivers his performance on the NTV show "Shoten", now that Master Utamaru and Master Enraku VI, who were both political critics, have passed away! (Aired February 15th) This is the essence of the art of the common people!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DhUqRJZaY/

That was great. I wondered what had happened to the tradition of political criticism since Master Utamaru and Master Enraku passed away, but it turns out there's someone who's carrying it on.

The feelings of the common people have not changed since the Edo period.

日曜日になると、リビングのテレビからあのおなじみのテーマ曲が。これから、日本人の楽しみの一つについてお話します。

「笑点」にはいろいろな出し物がありましたが、とくに人気があるのは大喜利でした。AI先生に聞いてみるとこういうお答えが。

大喜利とは、もともと江戸時代の歌舞伎や寄席で、興行の最後に演じられた出し物のことです。現在では、司会者が出すお題に対して、複数の回答者が機知に富んだ面白い答えを出し、面白さを競う演芸形式を指すのが一般的です。

そういえば回答者が面白い答えを出すと座布団をもらえるが、司会者を怒らせたりすると座布団をごっそり持っていかれたりするんでした。座布団を運ぶ係の人もなにげに人気があったりしました。

私が記憶に残っているのは司会者が三波伸介辺りからです。

なんで人気があるかというと、時の政治に対して庶民の思いを代弁してくれる、チクッとした風刺があったからではないかと思います。たとえば次のような。

衆院選、自民党316議席獲得に物言い！

春風亭一之輔（写真）「議員定数削減が叫ばれている国会なんですけど、本当は人手不足なんですよね」

司会の春風亭昇太「厳しいね」

春風亭一之輔「正しく言うなら、まともな議員が不足しているんですよね」

政治批判をしていた歌丸師匠や6代目円楽師匠が亡くなった今の日テレ系『笑点』で果敢に放つ春風亭一之輔！（2月15日放送）これこそ庶民の芸の神髄！