A multi-generational human drama set in the world of rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese comedic storytelling, Descending Stories follows an ex-convict whose life is changed by his apprenticeship to a famed storyteller, and Konatsu, who yearns to perform rakugo but cannot because women are not permitted in the craft.
Small-time crook Yotaro has never forgotten the rakugo tale Shinigami, which the master Yurakutei Yakumo performed for Yotaro during his time in prison. After his release, he goes to Yakumo's theater and pleads to be made his apprentice. Yakumo reluctantly accepts, but Yotaro quckly finds the world of rakugo is complex, and grapples with a growing bond with Yakumo's ward, Konatsu, and reminders from his own inescapable past.
ISBN: 9781632365453
Author: Haruko Kumota
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number of Pages: 160
Published: 5 June 2018
Publisher: Kodansha
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (mm): 206 x 146 x 12
Weight (kg): 0.196
