Creative Rakugo: "Amayadori" (Sheltering from the Rain)

Masashi Sada's signature song, "Amayadori." While the artist himself has described it as "the song that started the theory that Masashi Sada is soft," in the modern Reiwa era, it seems to have become established as a "song that's like Rakugo."

The lyrics of this song are truly well-crafted, and it even has a superb punchline at the end. Wakadanna of Shonan no Kaze once shared an anecdote on "KanJam" (now EIGHT-JAM) about how he was impressed by it when he was in his "wild" days.

Looking at the liner notes, one can see that Sada himself considers the melody to be a "masterpiece" as well.

Perhaps because of that, Sada mentioned on the radio and elsewhere that he intends to talk at length and with deep emotion about "just how much of a masterpiece" Amayadori is on his next tour. He said it will be about a 20-minute routine. I'm looking forward to it.

Now, "Amayadori" is often said to be "like Rakugo," but I have never actually seen a script for it. It's possible that someone is performing it as a routine, but I haven't seen it.

So, although it may be very presumptuous of me, I have prepared a script that arranges Amayadori in the style of classic Rakugo. It was difficult to create on my own, so I borrowed the power of the currently popular generative AI (Anthropic's Claude). Speaking of Rakugo, the witty exchanges between Kuma-san and Hachi-tsuan are the standard, so the story unfolds through their conversation.

Opening (Makura)

Well, if you'll bear with me, I'd like to tell you a silly little story.

These days, weather forecasts have become quite accurate. If they say, "It will be sunny all day" in the morning, it usually is. If they say, "It will rain from the evening," it starts raining right on cue in the evening.

However, it was different in the old days. No one could walk around while consulting with the sun. The sky would suddenly turn dark, and just when you thought it was starting to sprinkle, it would pour. You'd rush to the eaves of a house in a panic. This is called a "yudachi" (evening shower), and it is a seasonal tradition of summer.

A yudachi is a strange thing; it makes people stop in their tracks suddenly. When you stop, people who were supposed to pass each other by end up meeting. This often leads to no good... well, sometimes it leads to something good, and today's story is about that.

It is a story about a young couple who were caught in a sudden shower under the eaves of a tobacco shop in a certain town.

1. At the town well

Kuma: "Hey, Hachi-tsuan, are you there?"
Hachi: "Oh, Kuma-san. What's the matter? You look pale."
Kuma: "Well, Hachi-tsuan. My daughter has finally gotten married."
Hachi: "Well, that's a happy occasion, isn't it?"
Kuma: "It is. It is, but he's a strange man, you see."
Hachi: "A strange man? What do you mean? Is he a bad man?"
Kuma: "Actually, he's not bad at all. If anything, he's a good man."
Hachi: "Oh?"

Kuma: "He's about three years older than my daughter and works as a clerk at some shop. His features are, well, slender and refreshing. When he greets you, he smiles broadly and looks you straight in the eye."
Hachi: "That sounds good."
Kuma: "It is. Even when we talk, there are no lies. Nothing crooked comes out of his mouth. If you ask him something, he answers with foolish honesty. He doesn't know how to flatter. He's a man like a cloudless blue sky."
Hachi: "Well, that's a happy story. What are you complaining about?"

Kuma: "But, Hachi-tsuan. He's just so... clumsy."
Hachi: "Clumsy, you say?"
Kuma: "Just the other day, he came to our house to pay his respects. He was trying to greet us at the entrance, and while saying, 'I... I...', he dropped the box of sweets he brought, plop!"
Hachi: "Hahaha, he was nervous, wasn't he?"
Kuma: "And in his rush to pick it up, he bowed his head and bumped his forehead right against the threshold. He gave himself a bump on the head."
Hachi: "He is clumsy, isn't he?"
Kuma: "But you know, even with that bump on his head, he looked me straight in the eye and smiled. 'I'm sorry, it's just that I'm so happy.'"
Hachi: "Oh?"
Kuma: "He's a man who can't tell a lie or a flattery. He gets hurt and says he's happy."
Hachi: "Hahaha, you can't hate a guy like that."
Kuma: "I looked at my wife inside the house. He's not a bad man. He's a good man. But I wondered, will this guy be okay?"

2. The daughter's argument

Kuma: "I asked my daughter, 'Are you really sure about him?'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "Then my daughter said, 'Father, that man is someone who cannot tell a lie.'"
Hachi: "Oh?"

Kuma: "'His fingers aren't dexterous at all. He drops all sorts of things from his hands. But his heart is straight, and he's a person who can't hide anything.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "I asked her, 'Are you really okay with a man like that? There are plenty of men in the world who are smooth talkers and impressive men.'"
Hachi: "And then?"
Kuma: "'Father, people who are good at talking can also tell lies well. That man is clumsy because he can't tell a lie.'"
Hachi: "...Hmm."
Kuma: "'That man's clumsiness means he isn't cunning.'"
Hachi: "That's a clever way to put it."
Kuma: "She says clever things. I thought, well, she's not going to listen to anything I say anymore."

Hachi: "So, where did you meet that young man in the first place?"
Kuma: "That's another ridiculous story."

3. Under the eaves of the tobacco shop

Kuma: "It happened last September. My daughter, at her mother's request, was on her way back from the town's kimono shop after picking up some fabric."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "Just as she reached the front of the tobacco shop on the corner of town, the sky suddenly turned dark, and—whoosh—it started pouring."
Hachi: "A sudden shower."
Kuma: "A sudden shower. My daughter happened to have an umbrella with her. Her mother had made her take it, saying, 'It might rain today.'"
Hachi: "Your wife has good intuition."
Kuma: "So, as my daughter hurried to take shelter under the eaves of the tobacco shop, she found someone already there."
Hachi: "Was it a young man?"

Kuma: "It was a young man. He didn't have an umbrella. He'd been caught in the rain, and from his head to his shoulders, he was soaked through, huddled under the eaves."
Hachi: "Drenched?"
Kuma: "Drenched. But that young man didn't seem to care at all that he was wet. He was just looking straight up at the sky beyond the eaves, where the rain was falling."
Hachi: "Oh?"
Kuma: "My daughter stood there in the shelter, watching his profile for a while."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "And then, she suddenly took a hand towel out of her pocket."
Hachi: "Oh, here we go."

Kuma: "'Excuse me... if you'd like, please use this,' she said, and held it out to the young man."
Hachi: "Oh, so the daughter spoke to him first?"
Kuma: "She did. My daughter, who is usually shy, spoke to a man she was seeing for the first time."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "The young man was startled and turned around. He looked at the towel in her hand, then at his own wet shoulders, and then back at the towel."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "'Oh... no, thank you, your kind offer is enough.'"

Hachi: "He turned it down?"
Kuma: "He did. But my daughter wouldn't take it back. 'You'll catch a cold.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "The young man hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply and accepted it with both hands, as if receiving a precious gift."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "And then, he just placed the towel on his head like this."
Hachi: "He didn't wipe himself with it?"
Kuma: "He didn't. He just left it there, bowed again, and said, 'Thank you very much.'"
Hachi: "Hahaha, what a strange guy."
Kuma: "A strange guy, right? When I asked my daughter later, she said he told her, 'I will wash this and bring it back to you, so please let me borrow it a little longer.'"
Hachi: "Oh."
Kuma: "'I shouldn't wipe myself with it. I shouldn't dirty something I've borrowed.'"
Hachi: "He's a serious man."
Kuma: "He's beyond serious."Hachi: "Hahaha."

Kuma: "Just then, the old woman at the tobacco shop tapped her pipe and said, 'Young man, at this rate, even the towel on your head will get soaked by the rain. Come inside. I'll brew you some tea.'"
Hachi: "What a kind old woman."
Kuma: "A kind old woman. So she took them both into the back. She served tea, brought out some candies, and said, 'Take your time until the rain stops.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "But even when the tea was served, the young man's hands were shaking as he held the cup. In the end, he spilled half of it."
Hachi: "He's clumsy, isn't he?"
Kuma: "And in his hurry to wipe it up, he stepped on the tail of the old woman's cat."
Hachi: "Yikes!"
Kuma: "The cat let out a yelp. The young man just kept saying, 'I-I'm so sorry, I-I'm so sorry.'"
Hachi: "He's a busy man, isn't he?"
Kuma: "But my daughter was watching that whole scene the entire time."

Hachi: "And what did your daughter think?"
Kuma: "I asked her later. 'Father, you know, at that moment, I thought...'"
Hachi: "Thought what?"
Kuma: "'That man was someone who looked at the sky even while getting soaked in the rain.'"
Hachi: "Oh."
Kuma: "'Even though he was drenched and must have been cold, he didn't complain once, he just listened to the sound of the rain.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "'I thought that such a person would never blame anyone else, no matter what happens in the future.'"
Hachi: "...Your daughter is very observant."
Kuma: "Hachi, it's a pathetic thing to say, but at that moment, I realized for the first time that my daughter had grown into an adult in places I didn't even know about."

4. Meeting the Family

Hachi: "So, after that, there was a meeting with the family, right?"
Kuma: "There was. The other side's parents said they'd do it properly at a later date, so this past May, the young man came to our house by himself first. Just the four of us—me, my wife, my daughter, and the young man—in the parlor, quite modestly."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "The young man arrived. He was dressed sharply in a haori and hakama. His topknot was neatly groomed, but his face was pale, and his lips were purple."
Hachi: "He's nervous, isn't he?"

Kuma: "At the entrance, he bowed deeply and said, 'Thank you for inviting me today...' His voice was trembling. But his eyes were looking straight at me."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "So I showed him into the parlor. The young man bowed deeply again in front of the cushion, and then sat down in a formal position."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "His formal sitting posture was magnificent. His back was straight, and the angle of his knees was perfect. I thought, 'He's been well-trained.'"
Hachi: "Oh, isn't that impressive?"
Kuma: "It is impressive, up to that point."
Hachi: "Up to that point?"

Kuma: "So my wife served him tea. The young man received it with both hands and said, 'Thank you very much.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "But the hand he used to bring the cup to his mouth was shaking again."
Hachi: "Hahaha, did it start again?"
Kuma: "And then, whoosh, the tea spilled onto his hakama over his knees."
Hachi: "Oh dear."
Kuma: "The young man was startled and tried to wipe it up in a panic with his own hand towel. At that moment, my daughter, who was behind him, stood up smoothly and said, 'Father, I'll bring a fresh cup of tea,' and took the spilled cup away."
Hachi: "Your daughter is thoughtful."
Kuma: "She is. She didn't want to let the young man be embarrassed."
Hachi: "Yeah."

Kuma: "But here is where it went wrong."
Hachi: "What happened?"
Kuma: "As the young man tried to wipe up the spilled tea, he shifted his legs."
Hachi: "He broke his formal sitting posture?"
Kuma: "Just a little, he got into a position where he was raising one knee. At that moment, the hem of his hakama fluttered open."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "My eyes caught sight of the young man's tabi socks."
Hachi: "Tabi socks?"
Kuma: "The big toe part of his tabi had a big hole in it."
Hachi: "Hahaha, it came out, did it?"

Kuma: "I saw it. My wife saw it too. And then, my daughter saw it as well."
Hachi: "That's awkward."
Kuma: "It's awkward. The parlor went completely silent. The young man still hadn't realized that his tabi were visible."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "I thought, 'I have to say something.' I pointed at his feet with my finger, tapping it a few times."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "The young man looked down at his feet. Then he gasped, and his face turned bright red all the way to his neck."
Hachi: "Hahaha."
Kuma: "He put his hands on the floor and bowed deeply, as if to rub his forehead into the tatami."Hachi: "Yeah."

Kuma: "I wanted to hear what the young man would say here."
Hachi: "Oh?"
Kuma: "Would he make an excuse, try to cover it up, or tell the truth?"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "The young man, with his forehead still on the tatami, said this: 'This morning, when I left the house, my mother gave me a new pair of tabi. She said, today is an important day.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "'But I said it would be a waste, and I wore these old ones instead.'"
Hachi: "He's honest."
Kuma: "'On a celebratory day like today, this was improper and lacking in judgment. I, I, I deserve to be scolded.'"
Hachi: "He asked to be scolded?"
Kuma: "I was stumped. It's not a time to scold; it's a time to laugh. But he was so serious that I couldn't bring myself to laugh."
Hachi: "Yeah."

Kuma: "But at that moment, my daughter stood up and went into the back."
Hachi: "Oh, what for?"
Kuma: "I wondered what she was doing, and when she came back, she placed something in front of the young man."
Hachi: "What was it?"
Kuma: "My new tabi socks."
Hachi: "Yours?"
Kuma: "My brand-new ones for New Year's. My wife remembered where she'd put them in the chest."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "My daughter said to the young man, 'If my father's tabi are acceptable, please change into these.'"
Hachi: "Oh."
Kuma: "'I will take care of the tabi with the hole, mend them, and return them to you.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."

Kuma: "At that moment, I exchanged glances with my wife again. This time, the look in our eyes was different from before."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "'It's alright to let our daughter marry this man.'"
Hachi: "Oh."
Kuma: "A pretentious man would go out of his way to show off and wear new tabi. A sly man would try to hide the hole, by covering it with his sleeve or not shifting his legs."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "That young man honestly wore his old, holey tabi, and when he was found out, he didn't make excuses, he just bowed his head and said, 'I'm sorry.'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "This is a man who cannot tell a lie."
Hachi: "Hmm."
Kuma: "And there's one more thing I realized."
Hachi: "What's that?"
Kuma: "My daughter is already on his side."
Hachi: "Hahaha."
Kuma: "She said she'd mend the holey tabi and return them. She's already planning to mend them for the rest of her life, that one."

5. The Day of the Betrothal

Hachi: "So, did the betrothal go off without a hitch?"
Kuma: "That was another commotion."
Hachi: "What happened?"
Kuma: "The appointment was for four o'clock (10:00 AM). But even after four passed, he didn't show up. Even at nine o'clock (noon), he still hadn't come."
Hachi: "What happened?"
Kuma: "My daughter had been looking out at the street through the gap in the paper screen for a while. She didn't say anything, but she looked worried sick."
Hachi: "The daughter is more worried than the parents."

Kuma: "So my wife said, 'Why don't you go and take a look?' and I went out to the street."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "Then, in front of the house, I heard a sound like something had been spilled everywhere."
Hachi: "Oh."
Kuma: "When I looked in front of our gate, the young man had spilled the betrothal gifts all over the ground."
Hachi: "Hahaha, did he drop them again?"
Kuma: "He dropped them. It seems he slipped, wrapping cloth and all. Sea bream, dried bonito, sake bottles—they were all rolling around."
Hachi: "And the man himself?"
Kuma: "He was on all fours, desperately trying to pick them all up."
Hachi: "He's a busy man."

Kuma: "I rushed over and said, 'Hey, young man, are you alright?'"
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "Then the young man looked up, saw me, realized what happened, and in his hurry to stand up..."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "He stepped on his own foot."
Hachi: "Is there such a thing as being that skillfully clumsy?"
Kuma: "And he fell over again."
Hachi: "Hahaha."

Kuma: "And just then, a cold drop hit my cheek."
Hachi: "Oh."
Kuma: "I looked up at the sky, and plop, plop, plop... it started."
Hachi: "A sudden shower?"
Kuma: "A sudden shower."
Hachi: "Well, well, it's like it was custom-made for him."
Kuma: "The young man also looked up at the sky, and then looked toward the house. My daughter was watching us from the gap in the paper screen."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "The young man, still on his knees on the ground, hugged the betrothal gifts to his chest, and while being pelted by the rain, looked straight into my daughter's eyes."
Hachi: "Yeah."
Kuma: "And he said this."
Hachi: "What did he say?"
Kuma: "'I'm sorry... may I shelter from the rain here again today?'"
Hachi: "Oh."

Kuma: 'And just then, the shoji screen slid open with a whoosh.'
Hachi: 'Oh.'
Kuma: 'My daughter ran out into the rain barefoot, without even an umbrella, and headed straight for the young man.'
Hachi: 'Yeah.'
Kuma: 'I panicked and called out, "Hey, your umbrella, take your umbrella!" but she couldn't hear me.'
Hachi: 'Yeah.'
Kuma: 'She stopped dead right in front of him, and then, she pressed her forehead against the betrothal gifts he was holding in his arms.'
Hachi: 'Oh, I see.'
Kuma: 'It looked like she was embracing him, betrothal gifts and all.'
Hachi: 'Yeah.'
Kuma: 'My wife and I were just standing there at the entrance, mouths agape.'
Hachi: 'Hahaha.'
Kuma: 'And then, while getting soaked in the rain, my daughter said this, just like that.'
Hachi: 'What did she say?'

Kuma: '"Before I knew it... I was... sheltering from the rain in your arms."'

—It seems that is all for now—