The form evolved out of lectures on historical or literary topics given to high-ranking nobles of the Heian period, changing over the centuries to be adopted by the general samurai class and eventually by commoners, and eventually, by the end of the Edo period, declining in favor of new types of entertainment and storytelling such as naniwa-bushi.
[1] Kōdan is usually performed sitting behind a desk or lectern, and using wooden clappers or a fan to mark the rhythm of the recitation.
Instead of the traditional Buddhist or Shinto texts, the works read in this period were the war stories of the 12th century such as the Taiheiki, Heike Monogatari, and Genpeiseisuiki.
Amakasu founded the Taiheikiba (Place where the Taiheiki is recited) at the end of the 17th century, as well as being known to perform for Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Kōdan remained strong for many years, and gained a new popularity after the Meiji Restoration (1868), which, being a quite major event, supplied the performers with much new material.