Bunraku
Traditional Japanese puppet theatre founded in 17th-century Osaka.
Bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre that originated in Osaka at the beginning of the 17th century and continues to be performed today. It involves three types of performers: puppeteers (ningyōtsukai or ningyōzukai), chanters (tayū), and shamisen musicians, with the combination of chanting and shamisen playing called jōruri. Bunraku is noted for its collaborative nature and its influence on and shared themes with kabuki, particularly in lovers' suicide plays and the story of the forty-seven rōnin.
- field
- Traditional Japanese puppet theatre
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- Puppet theatre combining puppeteers, chanters, and shamisen players; founded in Osaka in the early 17th century
Lore & Background
Bunraku's modern form traces to around the 1680s, rising to popularity after playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1724) collaborated with chanter Takemoto Gidayu (1651–1714), who established the Takemoto puppet theater in Osaka in 1684. Originally, the term bunraku referred only to the theater established in 1805 in Osaka, named Bunrakuza after the puppeteering ensemble of Uemura Bunrakuken (1751–1810), an early 18th-century puppeteer from Awaji whose efforts revived the flagging fortunes of traditional puppet theatre. The puppets of the Osaka tradition tend to be somewhat smaller, while those in the Awaji tradition are some of the largest, as productions there tend to be held outdoors.
Reader's Guide
Bunraku is significant as an author's theater, contrasting with kabuki's performer-centered approach; before a performance, the chanter holds up the text and bows before it, promising to follow it faithfully. The most famous bunraku playwright was Chikamatsu Monzaemon, with more than 100 plays, sometimes called the Shakespeare of Japan. Bunraku companies, performers, and puppet makers have been designated 'Living National Treasures' under Japan's program for preserving its culture. Today, Osaka is home to the government-supported troupe at National Bunraku Theatre, which offers five or more shows yearly, touring within Japan and occasionally abroad. Since World War II, the number of troupes has dropped to fewer than 40, but regional troupes like the Awaji Puppet Troupe, Tonda Puppet Troupe, Imada Puppet Troupe, and Kuroda Puppet Troupe continue active performances and training. Interest in bunraku has also led to the first traditional Japanese puppet troupe in North America, the Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe, based at the University of Missouri, founded in 2003.
Did You Know?
- Bunraku puppeteers typically train for ten years on the feet, ten years on the left hand, and ten years on the head of secondary characters before manipulating the head of a main character.
- The shamisen used in bunraku is slightly larger than other kinds and has a lower pitch and fuller tone.
- The heads of bunraku puppets can be mechanically sophisticated, with eyes that move up and down, side to side, or close, and noses, mouths, and eyebrows that move.
- The Awaji Puppet Troupe, located on Awaji Island, has toured the United States, Russia, and elsewhere abroad.
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