Anrakuan Sakuden facts for kids

Anrakuan Sakuden (安楽庵策伝, 1554 – February 7, 1642) was a Japanese priest who lived a long time ago, during a period in Japan called the Edo period. He was a follower of a type of Buddhism known as the Jōdo (Pure Land) sect. He also loved the Japanese tea ceremony and was a fan of camellia flowers. He even wrote some poetry!

Anrakuan Sakuden is famous for writing a book of funny stories called the Seisuishō (醒睡笑), which means "Laughs to Wake You Up." This book is seen as a very important early example of a popular type of humorous storybook from the Edo period, called hanashibon (咄本). Because of this, Anrakuan Sakuden is often called the founder of rakugo (落語). Rakugo is a popular Japanese performance where a storyteller tells a comic monologue. Anrakuan also started his own school of Japanese tea ceremony.

Anrakuan Sakuden's Life

The name Anrakuan comes from the tea house he built. He lived in this tea house after he retired when he was 70 years old. He spent his later years there, enjoying his hobbies and writing.

The Seisuishō Book

Anrakuan Sakuden put together the Seisuishō in 1623. He was encouraged to do this by Itakura Shigemune (1588–1656). Shigemune was a very important official in Kyoto, like a mayor or governor. The Seisuishō has eight chapters, which are divided into different volumes. Each chapter is full of funny stories and jokes.