Sanyutei Kouseinen – Professional Rakugo Performer

For job offers or questions, please contact by email:

sanyuteikouseinen@gmail.com

Sanyutei Kouseinen
Swedish born professional rakugo performer (rakugoka)

Sanyutei Kouseinen
Swedish born professional rakugo performer (rakugoka)
Real name: Johan Nilsson Björk
Place of birth: Uppsala, Sweden
Active in: Japan, as well as the rest of the world

2016 Apprenticed to rakugo master Sanyutei Kouraku
2020 Promoted to “Futatsume”, name “Sanyutei Kouseinen”

Born and raised in Uppsala, Sweden. One of only three non-Japanese professional rakugo performers (rakugoka) in the world.

Upcoming (English) Shows:

December 7 Yokohama Nigiwai-za English Rakugo
Show Venue: Yokohama Nigiwai-za (Near Yokohama station)
Tickets: 3000 JPY (Paid at the venue)
Doors open: 14:30 Show starts: 15:00 Ends:16:30〜
For booking: sanyuteikouseinen@gmail.com

What is Rakugo?

Rakugo is a traditional Japanese One-man theatre show from the Edo period.
A sole performer plays several different characters using only a paper fan and a hand towel as props.
The stories range from comedy to dramas and sometimes tragedies.
Only two props are used, a paper fan and a hand towel.
The stories are set in the Edo period of Japan, roughly 400 years ago.

Born in 1985 in Uppsala, Sweden, Johan Nilsson Björk studied Japanese at Stockholm University and studied abroad in Nanzan University in Nagoya and Chuo University in Tokyo.

While in Japan he stumbled upon rakugo by chance and was hooked on the art. After finishing his bachelor degree, he returned to Japan and performed as an amateur, under the name “Borbotei Ikeya”, a pun on the two Swedish things most Japanese had heard about. He decided he wanted to do rakugo properly though, so in July 15, he became the apprentice of Sanyutei Kouraku, a famous rakugo master. He was given the artist name “Sanyutei Jubei”.

He studied under his master for four years, as an apprentice, learning both rakugo and the way of living of a “rakugoka”. The apprenticeship was quite hard, including serving tea and folding kimonos, and carrying his master’s bag wherever he went.

After four years as an apprentice, his training was over and he was promoted to the second of three ranks in rakugo, “futatsume”. As a “futatsume”, you are allowed to wear the formal black kimono with a family crest, as well as the coat called “haori” and the “hakama”.

As a futatsume, Johan received a new name, “Sanyutei Kouseinen”.He now performs regularly in Japanese in Tokyo as well as all over Japan, and has recently started performing outside of Japan as well, in Sweden, Great Britain, France and Germany. He performs rakugo in Japanese, English and Swedish.