A multi-generational human drama set in the world of rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese comedic storytelling, Descending Stories follows an ex-convict whose life is changed by his apprenticeship to a famed storyteller, and Konatsu, who yearns to perform rakugo but cannot because women are not permitted in the craft. HIDDEN SECRETSYakumo slowly begins to recover after his collapse on stage, but the light inside him has faded, and he shockingly declares that he won't perform rakugo anymore. Meanwhile, in search of a film taken of the late Sukeroku, Higuchi takes Yotaro and Matsuda to Shikoku, where the two men learn a truth about the two storytellers-and what really happened that fateful night that claimed Sukeroku and Miyokichi's lives. | Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 8 by Haruko Kumota, Paperback | Indigo Chapters