Pleasure-quarter story Edo
Konya Takao (The Dyer and Takao)
紺屋高尾・こうやたかお
The story
Kyuzo, a humble cloth dyer, falls hopelessly in love after merely glimpsing Takao, the most celebrated courtesan in Yoshiwara. Told that meeting her would cost ten ryo, he scrimps and starves for three long years to save it. Then, disguised as a wealthy gentleman, he finally goes to meet her, carrying nothing but his sincere and honest heart.
What to listen for
One of rakugo's purest love stories, treasured for the sincerity of a plain workingman's devotion.
Background
A tayu like Takao was a top-ranking courtesan of Yoshiwara, a celebrity of immense prestige whom an ordinary laborer could never normally approach. Ten ryo, in an era when a coin was counted carefully, represented years of a poor man's savings.
Notable performers
立川談志神田伯山(講談版)
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