Itoshi-Koishi Scan10064. Public domain image of 1950s Japan.

Manzai is a kind of Japanese comic duo, very typical and popular in the country. It is a true institution, quite similar to the Western double act but with very precise codes. Many dream of becoming manzai-shi (manzai comedian). They benefit from a large choice of official theaters to perform, but competition is fierce due to a large number of groups. Historically, the comic element was not part of manzai. It was a street performance in which a duet affiliated to a temple played a conversation between the gods and the spirits on earth, as they formed a wish for Humankind’s prosperity. One member of the duo imitated the gods, with a calm and wise voice, the other was questioning his words. It was one of the first Japanese theatrical forms that would lay the basis for the manzai we know today.