Descending Stories: A Life in Rakugo

After prison, Yotaro apprentices under rakugo master Yakumo and uncovers a bitter feud between him and his daughter over a deadly secret.

Rakugo performers Yakumo and Sukeroku survive the war and find freedom on stage — until a lonely geisha named Miyokichi changes their fates forever.

While Sukeroku wows crowds with his freewheeling rakugo, Yakumo struggles to find his voice — until Miyokichi's love helps him discover his own artistry.

While competing with Sukeroku for the coveted shin'uchi title, Yakumo must choose between a life with Miyokichi and becoming a master storyteller.

As Yakumo rises in the rakugo world, the expelled Sukeroku vanishes with Miyokichi. Years later, his master reveals a long-buried secret about Sukeroku.

Yakumo reunites with Sukeroku in Shikoku and begs him to return to rakugo. When Sukeroku refuses, Yakumo stages a show — but Miyokichi crashes the night.

Years after Sukeroku and Miyokichi's deaths, an aging Yakumo still commands the rakugo world and Yotaro nears shin'uchi. Konatsu drops a bombshell.

As Konatsu guards a deeply personal secret, Yotaro confronts his former yakuza boss — and Yakumo teaches him a story that will change both their lives.

Yotaro takes Sukeroku's name and thrives as a shin'uchi. But Yakumo carries a private burden, and Konatsu suspects he's hiding how her parents died.

After collapsing onstage, Yakumo escapes the hospital to return to a place from his past. An old rakugo film brings back Konatsu's buried memories.