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Haruko Kumota's Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Manga Gets Stage Musical in 2025

A website opened on Monday to announce the musical stage play adaptation of Haruko Kumota's Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju manga, titled Musical Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū. The play will run from February to March 2025 in Tokyo at the Tokyu Theatre Orb, and from March to April in Osaka at the Festival Hall. The stage play will also run in Fukuoka.

The stage play stars Ikusaburo Yamazaki (left in image above), who will reprise his role from the manga's live-action series adaptation as Sukeroku; Rio Asumi (center in image above) as Miyokichi; and Yūta Furukawa (right in image above) as Yakumo.

Koike Shūichirō is writing the script and directing the stage play.

The multi-generational epic dives deep into this rich form of Japanese theater. Small-time crook Yotaro has never forgotten the rakugo tale "The God of Death," 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 quickly finds the world of rakugo is complex and grapples with a growing bond with Yakumo's ward, Konatsu. Meanwhile, the two young people bring reminders of Yakumo's own inescapable past.

Kumota began the manga in Kodansha's ITAN magazine in 2010 and ended the series in June 2016. The 10th and final volume shipped in September 2016. The series received the "Best General Manga" prize at the 38th Kodansha Manga Awards, was honored with the Excellence Award at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards, was nominated for the 17th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, and won the New Creator Prize for the 21st Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. The manga was also listed in the top 10 manga for female readers by Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2017 guidebook.

The manga's television anime adaptation premiered in January 2016, and the second season premiered in January 2017. Crunchyroll streamed both series as they aired in Japan. The manga also inspired an earlier two-episode original video anime project.

The manga also inspired a live-action series that premiered in 2018.

Sources: Musical Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū stage musical's website, Comic Natalie