Show TORY STORY TELLERS OF JAPAN Profession Is I. an Old One and Its Ita i Members Are Looked Up To By fly ByAll Byi i All Classes Classel of the People I i 1 Quaintly recalling the day of the tha wandering minstrel in other lands the professional story teller of ot Japan oc oo-j oo a unique niche in the life of ills Ms country and he has hils a character character land nd an art all his own It is a curi curl bus fact tact that one of the most accomplished dished story tellers in Tokyo Is an Englishman who has lived in Japan Japa all ell his life lite and speaks the language like Ike a native What are called th the Bose vose halls of Japan are probably relIcs rel- rel relics rely Ics cs of the oldest known form torm of ot pub pub- tic ric Ic entertainment Perhaps the stroll strolling chanted ing minstrel who recited or chanted chante Stales ales of the heroes was older for tor ft Iri hI Japan he developed into the yose ose hall halls With their From lest st times Umes great people In Japan ha had had clowns and story tellers just a aId as as slid Id Europeans and in time the cities clUes fiad ad their regular places where an an au au- might go to hear some Bome national l epic plc a ballad or a comic story told In rural Japan there are today sun still strolling story tellers who chant their tales to a roadside audience These Thesel stories stones were of ot great variety but they may ay be divided into or humorous humorous humor humor- ous stories and kodan or heroic tales The manner monner In which these are related related related ed differs widely also some story tellers speak In loud and solemn voices while others behave much like clowns acting out the details of ot what wha the they are telling Those which resemble res em ble tie ballads are chanted to the accompaniment 1 of ot the samisen a primitive instrument These song stories are area trot pot all nil very old some are based upon modern eventa events of Interest Often Otten the entertainment Is la relieved by the performance per per- thel of a 1 group of marionettes pr r by a IL Jug Juggling UD feat lt or two |