#speaking of meta 2 people will read... 😁

[antigonewinchester]

Part 1 - Shiguma's Art, or the Art of Living

As of chapter 140, the audience has finally gotten a look into the backstory of Shiguma the 6th, Issho, and their teacher, Kiroku, aka Shiguma the 5th. But still lingering are the questions of the what and why of the tension between Shiguma and Issho, why Kiroku passed down his art only to Shiguma, and the actual story within Shiguma's Art.

While we'll likely learn more plot-wise about this conflict, I want to speculate on why Kiroku had Shiguma inherit his art / didn't pass it along to Issho thru an emotional lens, and why Akane may succeed in bringing Shiguma's Art to life again. It comes back to the question in the panel above: "Does a rakugoka have to be strong?"

In the present day, Issho is a strong, stubborn man, and he was the same as a young adult. But despite Issho's devotion to Kiroku's rakugo, he takes a different attitude towards his art than Kiroku does.

When Issho asks the yakuza boss about "Captain Rakugo," he explains about meeting Kiroku during WW2:

Amidst destruction and death, Kiroku was able to stay calm, and when the yakuza asked him how he could do that, Kiroku described his job as:

"...a trade about describing the nature of humanity. Laugh when you're happy!! Cry when you're sad!! If a rakugoka gives up his humanity, he's got nothing left."

Hilarious and comedic, horrible and tragic, boring and uncomfortable, sensual and exciting, nerve-wracking and spine-tingling: all of these and more make up the human experience. For Kiroku, his art emerges out of the depths of his heart; life comes before the art, not art before life. And we see him choose his humanity above his art when he refuses to expel Shiguma and Issho at his teacher's request, instead letting them perform, and then being expelled himself for that act.

Which Issho can't understand.

ISSHO: "What are you thinking? You could've been Miroku. We... we all wanted to see that happen. You're not supposed to get side-tracked here!! And yet you...!!" KIROKU: "You want me to cut my own apprentices loose... so I can bask in greater glory for myself? I'd never get a good night's sleep again." ISSHO: "But that's not... Dammit...! How?! How you just give it all up like that?!"

[And of course we see Issho sleeping uneasily in Chapter 128, dreaming of his past and Kiroku. Issho may say he has no regrets about expelling Shinta and the other apprentices, but is that truly what he feels...?]

Issho loves Kiroku and his rakugo, wanted to see him as a venerable miyoseki, and was willing to pay the price in him and Shiguma being expelled—but Kiroku wasn't. For Kiroku, his life comes before his art. But for Issho, his art comes before his life.

We can see Issho's attitude reflected in his first performance of Soba Time, the same story he saw during Kiroku's first performance.

ISSHO: "Overlapping. Connecting. There was a time in my life when I thought I had nothing. But through the filter of rakugo... it is elevated into art!!"

Issho faced some awful situations in his young adulthood: rejected by his family and almost dying before being taken in by Kiyoe, with little money, education, or prospects. But rakugo transforms that painful experience into art. It justifies that time for Issho; it makes it bearable. But what Issho doesn't see is that this time, as painful as it was, has a worth all of its own. Issho uses his rakugo to feel strong. But it's a strength he uses to avoid his own painful feelings, and isn't pain -- isn't weakness -- also a key part of one's humanity?

Looking back, Issho at first disregarded Kiroku because Issho projected his own disgust at his own weakness onto Kiroku (before being taken in by the humanity of Kiroku's performance):

ISSHO: "Why did he stop the fight? Idiot. Does he think he's the hero, saving the weakling? Screw you."

There’s again a disconnect between Kiroku and Issho’s values after their expulsion:

SHIGUMA: “Aniki, I swear to you that no matter what happens, I’m not keeping secrets. We share one mind and spirit. [KIROKU PREVIOUS DIALOGUE: When you’ve got a stain on your honor, a rakugoka spins that story into comedy gold.] Let’s buckle down and strive for greatness together!! So that we can turn this moment into a funny story too!!” ISSHO: “You don’t have to tell me. I need to atone for this… for my entire life.”

What would Kiroku think? Should Issho craft his career around his desire to atone for Kiroku’s expulsion? Or should Issho strive to move beyond the past, enjoy his art, and learn to turn this tale in something he can laugh about?

Which of these options, do you think, demonstrates proper kibataraki?

Which of the options would be the foundation for Shiguma’s Art?