Taison Arakawa

Taison is deferential toward senior rakugoka and comfortable occupying the role of a junior apprentice. His use of respectful forms of address reflects his awareness of hierarchy within the profession.

Personal profiles depict him as fond of sweets, tempura and animal videos, giving him a gentler everyday identity away from the formal demands of rakugo training.

Taison is trained in the foundational duties and performance skills expected of an Arakawa School apprentice. His advancement from zenza to futatsume shows that he has developed sufficiently to perform more independently, although his signature style and repertoire have not yet been defined.

His work at Izakaya Umi also places him in a service role alongside other young performers, requiring him to balance employment with professional study.

Taison enters the Arakawa School during the three years Akane spends studying in Paris. He becomes Taizen's apprentice and begins below Guriko in the new school's hierarchy.

His appearance after the time skip helps establish how the rakugo world continued changing during Akane's absence. By the time she reconnects with the Arakawa community, new apprentices such as Taison have entered the ranks and begun their own progression.

Taizen Arakawa is Taison's master and the head of his school. Guriko Arakawa is his senior fellow pupil, making Taison Guriko's kōhai.

Akane Osaki calls him “Son-chan,” while both she and Guriko Arakawa also address him as Taison. Zenmai Arakawa is a senior colleague whom Taison calls “Zenmai Ani-san.”