Rakugoka Shofukutei Shohei Dies at 66

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:20 JST, February 22, 2023

Rakugo storyteller Shofukutei Shohei died of acute aortic dissection on Wednesday. He was 66.

After graduating from university, he studied rakugo under rakugo star Shofukutei Tsurube, and first gained popularity by appearing on TV variety shows in the Kansai region. In 1987, he shifted his base of operations to Tokyo, where he continued to take part in numerous TV shows such as “Tsuru-chan no Puttsun 5” on the Nippon TV network.