'Rakugo' storytelling master Kosan dies at 87.

TOKYO, May 16 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

Yanagiya Kosan, the first ''rakugo'' comic storyteller to be recognized as a living national treasure, died of heart failure at his home in Tokyo's Toshima Ward early Thursday morning, his family said. He was 87.

Yanagiya, whose real name is Morio Kobayashi, hailed from the central Japan city of Nagano. He was known for his cheerful performances and amiable looks, and was particularly adept at acting out scenarios involving traditional craftsmen.

His death follows that of another popular rakugo storyteller, Kokontei Shincho II, who died of liver cancer last October.

Yanagiya played a major role in supporting postwar rakugo in Tokyo, along with other late renowned rakugo storytellers.

He held the post of president of the Rakugo Kyokai from 1972 to 1996, where he focused on modernizing the genre. In 1995, he was designated a living national treasure.

Raised in Tokyo's Asakusa district from age 3, Yanagiya began studying under Yanagiya Kosan IV in 1933 and assumed his title as Yanagiya Kosan V in 1950.

He also gained popularity through appearances in television dramas and commercials and also took part in a rakugo production recorded by film director Yoji Yamada.

As an expert in kendo, a Japanese style of fencing, Yanagiya was also involved in the Feb. 26th Incident. In the 1936 military rebellion in Tokyo, several political figures were killed and the capital was seized in an abortive coup d'etat.

Katsura Bunji, head of Rakugo Geijyutsu Kyokai, another rakugo association, expressed shock at the loss of such a noted storyteller, saying, ''There is no one who could parallel (Master) Kosan, be it performance-wise or the way he carried himself.''

He became sick after late February and had since been undergoing medical treatment at home, according to his family. He died peacefully, they said.

The status of living national treasure is bestowed on those in the fields of traditional crafts and performing arts whom the government has designated as ''bearers of important, intangible cultural assets.''

Rakugo is a traditional form of comic storytelling in which one performer depicts scenes and events mainly using only vocal and facial expressions.