Name Shijaku II | ||
 | ||
Died April 19, 1999, Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan Similar People Beichou Katsura, Shincho Kokontei III, Kosan Yanagiya V, Nikaku Shofukutei, Tsukitei Kachou | ||
Katsura Shijaku II (2代目 桂 枝雀, Nidaime Katsura Shijaku, August 13, 1939 – April 19, 1999) was a Japanese rakugo performer of the late 20th century, who often performed in English. He was born Tōru Maeda (前田 達, Maeda Tōru) in Kobe, the son of a brick-maker. In 1960 he entered the tutelage of the rakugo performer Katsura Beichō III (桂米朝), and upon completion of his study, was given the stage name Katsura Koyone X (桂小米). He changed his stage name to Shijaku Katsura (Shijaku Katsura II) in 1974. Katsura's more well-known rakugo stories include Manjū kowai (まんじゅうこわい), Atagoyama (愛宕山), Toki udon (時うどん), and Yadoyagataki (宿屋仇).
Katsura studied English in the early 1980s, and gave his first English-language rakugo performance in 1983. For the rest of his career, he often performed rakugo in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, making an otherwise inaccessible form of comedy accessible for non-Japanese speakers.
Katsura's students include equally famous rakugo performers such as Jakujaku Katsura. He also assisted in launching the career of Bill Crowley, the non-Japanese professional rakugo performer.
Katsura died of heart failure on April 19, 1999, after a failed suicide attempt at his home in Suita, Osaka. He was discovered by his wife Eyo and his brother, the magician Takeshi Maeda.