<figure id="attachment_287062" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-287062" style="width: 4608px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b5b9a45e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/P1014029.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-287062" class="wp-caption-text">Sanyutei Enraku, a rakugo storyteller, passed away in September &#8217;22. He was a longtime regular on the popular &#8220;Laughing Point&#8221; program&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
 As the year draws to a close, the media is featuring those who have passed away this year, but in the world of entertainment, the sense of loss left behind by the death of Sanyutei Enraku still haunts those involved. His accomplishments were that great.
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 He was a rakugo performer, a member of the &#8220;Laugh-In&#8221; comedy troupe, and a producer of rakugo festivals held in Hakata, Sapporo, and Tokyo. Master Enraku carried so many things on his shoulders that it would be difficult for someone else to succeed him in these roles.
 In particular, what has caught the public&#8217;s attention is the whereabouts of the zabuton (cushion) that Master Enraku had been warming up for many years in the &#8220;Laugh Spot&#8221; program. Regardless of whose seat it will take, it has recently come to light that before his death, Enraku had named a successor as his &#8220;last will and testament.
 In January of this year, Master Enraku suffered a stroke, but no one involved in the &#8220;Laugh-In&#8221; show knew the extent of his condition. Even his family was unable to visit him due to the COVID-19 crisis, so it was not surprising.
 It was at his return performance on August 11 that we learned of his condition, just as everyone else did. Although he was undergoing rehabilitation, he was still paralyzed on the left side of his body and his tone of voice was not clear. At that point, we decided that it would be difficult for him to return to the &#8220;Laugh-In&#8221; program.
 After Enraku&#8217;s absence, &#8220;Laughing Point&#8221; made do by booking a rakugo storyteller on a weekly basis, which would eventually lead to Enraku&#8217;s return to &#8220;Laughing Point. This was done with the hope that Enraku would eventually return to the show.
 However, it seems that Master Enraku had given up on his own return. Again, according to a &#8220;Laugh-In&#8221; insider, &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t long after his return to the stage that he was asked to return to the show.
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 It was not long after his return to the stage. It was not long after his return to the stage that Master Enraku asked me to be his successor. It seems that Master Enraku had decided that it would be difficult for him to return to the show. So, he nominated a junior member of his own choice to succeed him.
 Who in the world was nominated? The two performers whom Master Enraku entrusted to him as his &#8220;legacy&#8221; are Sanyutei Kenko (52) and Sanyutei Mantachibana (43), both mid-level performers in the Enraku V Ichimonkai.
 Both of them are accomplished performers. They are well-liked, and are looked up to as mid-level performers who will carry the future of the Enraku Ichimonkai.
 They are such gems. A source related to the Laugh-In group continues, &#8220;Master Enraku is a very good performer, and he is very good at what he does.
 A source related to the Laugh-In group continues, &#8220;Master Enraku does not want to hand over his cushion to other members of his troupe at any cost. He wanted to do so while he was still alive, so he decided to make a &#8220;living donation.
 This thought has certainly been conveyed to the &#8220;Laugh-In&#8221; side. In the end, it is the upper management of the program that makes the final arrangements. Whether or not they will accept Enraku&#8217;s wishes as his &#8220;last will and testament&#8221; and respect them, or not, will become clear when they select their successors.
 After the new year, the successor will be announced. Hopefully, Enraku&#8217;s wishes will be heard&#8230;

 After working as a desk clerk in the culture department of an evening newspaper, an editorial staff member of a publishing company, and a copywriter, Watabe became a freelance entertainment writer. He covers all aspects of the entertainment industry, including movies, theater, acting, and music. He also writes undercover as a ghostwriter for talent books.

 Watabe Wataru

 Sanyutei Enraku, a rakugo storyteller, passed away in September 2010. He had been a regular on the popular TV show "Laugh Spot" for a long time, but now it has come to light that he was planning to "donate" his "seat" in the show to "two people" before his death....

Sanyutei Enraku: Unexpected “two names” he nominated for the posthumous title of “Laugh Spot” before his death.

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