Manzai (漫才) is a style of stand-up comedy in Japan, which usually involves two performers—a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke)—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mutual misunderstandings, double-talk, puns and other verbal gags. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Laurel and Hardy are one of the worlds most popular double acts A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic device in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin, and profession, but drastically... Laurel and Hardy are one of the worlds most popular double acts A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic device in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin, and profession, but drastically... A joke is a short story or series of words spoken or communicated with the intent of being laughed at or found humorous by either listener/reader or performer/writer. ... A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a deliberate confusion of similar-sounding words or phrases for comic or serious effect. ...

In recent times, manzai has often been associated with the Osaka region, and manzai comedians often speak in the Kansai dialect during their acts. Yoshimoto Kogyo, a large entertainment conglomerate based in Osaka, first coined the term manzai in 1933, as well as introducing the form of comedy to Tokyoites. For other uses, see Osaka (disambiguation). ... The Japanese language, in addition to to Standard Japanese, based on Tokyo speech, has dozens of geographic dialects. ... Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

History

Originally based around a festival to welcome the New Year, manzai traces its origins back to the Heian period. The two manzai performers came with messages from the gods and this was worked into a standup routine, with one performer showing some sort of opposition to the word of the other. This pattern still exists in the roles of the boke and the tsukkomi. The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Heian Period. ...

Continuing into the Edo period, the style focused increasingly on the humor aspects of stand-up, and various regions of Japan developed their own unique styles of manzai, such as Owari manzai (尾張万歳), Mikawa manzai (三河万歳), and Yamato manzai (大和万歳). With the arrival of the Meiji Period, Osaka manzai (大阪万才) began changes that would see it surpass in popularity the styles of the former period, although at the time rakugo was still considered the more popular form of entertainment. The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Edo Period. ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The spread of manzai was largely put to a halt after the conclusion of World War II. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

With the end of the Taisho Era, Yoshimoto Kōgyō—which itself was founded at the beginning of the era, in 1912—introduced a new style of manzai lacking much of the celebration that had accompanied it in the past. This new style proved successful and spread all over Japan, including Tokyo. Riding on the waves of new communication technology, manzai quickly spread through the mediums of stage, radio, and eventually, TV. History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Taisho period (大正 Taishō, lit. ... Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. ... Interior of the 1928 B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts. ... For other uses, see Television (disambiguation). ...

Etymology

The kanji for manzai have been written in various ways throughout the ages. It was originally written as 萬歳 (lit. Wansui, meaning something like "long life"), using the archaic, Chinese-borrowed form of the character 万 (to which it was soon changed). The arrival of Osaka manzai brought another character change, this time changing the latter character to a simpler 才, which carries the basic meaning of "talent". Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji Kanji (Japanese:  ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ... Banzai redirects here. ...

In 1933, Yoshimoto Kōgyō—promoting its own new style of manzai—felt it right to bring on yet another character change. Thus manzai took on the form that has remained to this day, 漫才, which has the slightly more interesting meaning along the lines of "involuntary talent". Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. ...

Boke and tsukkomi

Similar in execution to the concepts of "funny man" and "straight man" in double act comedy (e.g. Abbott and Costello), these roles are a very important characteristic of manzai. Boke (ボケ) comes from the verb bokeru (惚ける or 呆ける) which carries the meaning of "senility" or "air headed-ness" and is reflected in the boke's tendency for misinterpretation and forgetfulness. The word tsukkomi (突っ込み) refers to the role the second comedian plays in "butting in" and correcting the boke's errors. It is common for tsukkomi to berate boke and hit them on the head with a swift smack. Laurel and Hardy are one of the worlds most popular double acts A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic device in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin, and profession, but drastically... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The tradition of tsukkomi and boke is often used in other Japanese comedy, although it may not be as obviously portrayed as it usually is in manzai. Yasuda Dai Circus, a popular owarai trio Owarai ) is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. ...

External links

• A study in the cultural effects of manzai