Jigoku Bakkei (Sights of Hell)
地獄八景亡者戯・じごくばっけいもうじゃのたわむれ
The story
A man who dies abruptly of food poisoning sets out on the long journey to the world beyond. The road to the netherworld bustles with flowers and shops, and once he crosses the River of Three Crossings, a lively afterworld town opens up, thronged with acquaintances who died before him and with entertainers of every kind. In time the procession of the dead presses on toward the gates of hell, where the great King Enma awaits.
What to listen for
One of the grandest showpieces of Kamigata rakugo, painting the netherworld and hell as busy and cheerful as a pleasure district. It brims with scenes where the performer can improvise freely — the gossip of the day, the names of famous entertainers — making it a long, sprawling tour de force.
Background
This is one of the great long-form epics of the Kamigata (Osaka-Kyoto) tradition, famously restored and polished by the master Katsura Beicho. Its charm lies in depicting the afterlife not as grim but as festive as a theater district, with topical references swapped out afresh by each performer.