
Photo: Unknown author / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Yanagiya Kosan V was born in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on January 2, 1915. Public records list Yanagiya Kosan V as a rakugoka and seiyū. Death is recorded on May 16, 2002, at the age of 87. Recorded honors include Medal with Purple Ribbon.
My Take
Yanagiya Kosan V (1915–2002) is one of the heaviest names in Japanese rakugo: born in Nagano, in 1995 he became the first rakugo storyteller designated a Living National Treasure, and he was also a seventh-dan kendo master. Rakugo is a solo storytelling art performed on a cushion with a fan and a hand towel, where the comedy lives in timing, in a shift of the eyes, in how long a master lets a silence run before the punchline lands. None of that survives being written down. You can transcribe every word of a Kosan performance and end up with nothing funny at all. So a career built on things that do not transcribe leaves behind, above all, a large memory. If you never heard him, no summary I can write will fix that.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yanagiya Kosan V
- Name (Japanese)
- 柳家小さん (5代目)
- Reading
- やなぎや こさん
- Born
- January 2, 1915 – May 16, 2002
- Origin
- Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- rakugoka / seiyū
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rabbit
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- Medal with Purple Ribbon
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Yanagiya Kosan V born?
Yanagiya Kosan V was born on January 2, 1915.
When did Yanagiya Kosan V die?
Yanagiya Kosan V died on May 16, 2002, aged 87.
Where was Yanagiya Kosan V from?
Yanagiya Kosan V was from Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
What did Yanagiya Kosan V do?
Yanagiya Kosan V worked as rakugoka, seiyū.
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