San'yūtei Enchō

• Name — San'yūtei Enchō • Native Name — 初代 三遊亭 圓朝(円朝) • Birth Name — Jirokichi Izubuchi • Born — 13 May 1839 • Birthplace — Japan • Died — 11 August 1900 • Occupation — Author and rakugo performer • Period — Late Edo and early Meiji • Notable Works — Kaidan botan dōrō, May 13, 1839 – August 11, 1900, born Jirokichi Izubuchi, was a Japanese author and rakugo performer of the late Edo and early Meiji eras. He was the founder and head of the Sanyuu school of rakugo, and is considered a pioneer of the rakugo revival. Notable works of his include Japanese horror ("kaidan") classics: Kaidan botan dōrō (based on Botan Dōrō, and Shinkei Kasane ga fuchi (on which many Japanese horror films such as Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi are based).

• Illustration — San'yūtei Enchō • Illustration — San'yūtei Enchō family crest, a Takasaki folding fan As a rakugoka, San'yūtei Enchō differed from the predominantly comedic style of storytelling of his predecessors in favor of a more serious approach, his school coming closer to Kōdan in methodology. In addition to this, his school worked to implement use of subtle background instrumentation and altered stage lighting to accompany his ghost stories, elements that have become more standard today. One of his most well known instances of this would be during performances of Shinkei Kasane ga fuchi. Some of San'yūtei Enchō's peers would at times perform their own versions beforehand of stories he was expected to, in an attempt to undermine his performances. San'yūtei Enshō would act as one such rival. Despite this, San'yūtei Enchō felt that the manner in which he told stories could not be replicated by anyone else, bearing many traits unique to himself. In addition, he would work to create many new pieces of his own that nobody had seen before.