Shijaku Katsura II

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.

Katsura studied English in the early 1980s, and gave his first English-language rakugo performance in 1983.

[4] 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.

He also assisted in launching the career of Bill Crowley, the non-Japanese professional rakugo performer.

[5] Katsura died of heart failure on April 19, 1999, after a suicide attempt at his home in Suita, Osaka.