Manzai
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The earliest records of manzai players go back to the Kamakura period
(1192-1333) but it is thought that the origins of manzai lie in a New Year
dance from the T'ang dynasty of China. At one time, manzai enjoyed the
patronage of both the imperial court and the shogunate. Contemporary manzai
players, of which there are few, roam the streets in the New Year singing a
song ending with the refrain " Yore manzai, sore manzai" : manzai means
"ten thousand years" and the inference is that those who hear the song may
enjoy long life- if not for ten thousand years! The costumes of the two
players represent Ebisu and Daikoku, two gods said to bring good fortune;
one carries a tsuzumi drum and the other a fan. Manzai in the yose theatre
bears little resemblance to traditional manzai; it consists of a lively and
dramatic comic dialogue.
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