Until the Taisho period, rakugo was often performed while reading koshakubon (text for koshaku) on kendai, which contained the story line and the characters, and which had been passed on from the masters generation after generation.
また、講談は古くは大正時代頃まで見台に講釈本（代々師匠から受け継いだ物や自身が記した物であらすじや登場人物が書かれている）を置き読みながら演じられる事がしばしばあった。