Bunraku

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This article is about the traditional form of Japanese puppet theatre. For the 2010 film, see
Bunraku (film).

The character Osono, from the play Hade Sugata Onna Maiginu (艶容女舞衣), in a
performance by the Tonda Puppet Troupe of Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture

Bunraku (文楽), also known as Ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠璃), is a form of traditional Japanese
puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century. Three kinds of
performers take part in a bunraku performance: the Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai (puppeteers),
the tayū (chanters), and shamisen musicians. Occasionally other instruments such as taiko
drums will be used.

The most accurate term for the traditional puppet theater in Japan is ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠
璃). The combination of chanting and shamisen playing is called jōruri and the Japanese word
for puppet (or dolls, generally) is ningyō. It is used in many plays.

Bunraku puppetry has been a documented traditional activity for Japanese people for hundreds
of years.[1]

Contents
 1History
 2Elements of the form
 3Today
 4Music and song
 5Puppets
o 5.1The head
o 5.2Costumes
o 5.3Construction
 6Text and the puppets
 7Performers
 8Stage
o 8.1The musician's stage (yuka)
o 8.2The partitions (tesuri) and the pit (funazoko)
o 8.3Small curtain (komaku) and screened-off rooms (misuuchi)
 o 8.4Large curtain (joshiki-maku)
 9See also
 10References
 11External links

History[edit]

Puppet master with female doll

Scene from Date Musume Koi no Higanoko (伊達娘恋緋鹿子) depicting Yaoya Oshichi climbing
the tower

Bunraku's history goes as far back as the 16th century but the origins of the modern form can
be traced to the 1680s. It rose to popularity after the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon
(1653–1724) began a collaboration with the magnificent chanter Takemoto Gidayu (1651–
1714), who established the Takemoto puppet theater in Osaka in 1684. Originally, the term
bunraku referred only to the particular theater established in 1805 in Osaka, which was named
the Bunrakuza after the puppeteering ensemble of Uemura Bunrakuken (植村文楽軒, 1751–
1810), an early 18th-century puppeteer from Awaji, whose efforts revived the flagging fortunes
of the traditional puppet theatre.[citation needed]

Elements of the form[edit]

The puppets of the Osaka tradition tend to be somewhat smaller overall, while the puppets in
the Awaji tradition are some of the largest as productions in that region tend to be held
outdoors.

The heads and hands of traditional puppets are carved by specialists, while the bodies and
costumes are often constructed by puppeteers. The heads can be quite sophisticated
mechanically. In plays with supernatural themes, a puppet may be constructed so that its face
can quickly transform into that of a demon. Less complex heads may have eyes that move up
and down, side to side or close, and noses, mouths, and eyebrows that move.

Controls for all movements of parts of the head are located on a handle that extends down
from the neck of the puppet and are reached by the main puppeteer inserting his or her left
hand into the chest of the puppet through a hole in the back of the torso.

The main puppeteer, the omozukai, uses his right hand to control the right hand of the puppet,
and uses his left hand to control the puppet's head. The left puppeteer, known as the
hidarizukai or sashizukai, depending on the tradition of the troupe, manipulates the left hand of
the puppet with his or her own right hand by means of a control rod that extends back from the
elbow of the puppet. A third puppeteer, the ashizukai, operates the feet and legs. Puppeteers
begin their training by operating the feet, then move on to the left hand, before being able to
train as the main puppeteer. Many practitioners in the traditional puppetry world, particularly
those in the National Theater, describe the long training period, which often requires ten years
on the feet, ten years on the left hand, and ten years on the head of secondary characters
before finally developing the requisite skills to move to the manipulation of the head of a main
character, as an artistic necessity. However, in a culture like that of Japan, which privileges
seniority, the system can also be considered a mechanism to manage competition among
artistic egos and provide for a balance among the demographics of the puppeteers in a troupe
in order to fill each role.

All but the most minor characters require three puppeteers, who perform in full view of the
audience, generally wearing black robes. In most traditions, all puppeteers also wear black
hoods over their heads, but a few others, including the National Bunraku Theater, leave the
main puppeteer unhooded, a style of performance known as dezukai. The shape of the
puppeteers' hoods also varies, depending on the school to which the puppeteer belongs.

Usually a single chanter recites all the characters' parts, altering his vocal pitch and style in
order to portray the various characters in a scene. Occasionally multiple chanters are used. The
chanters sit next to the shamisen player. Some traditional puppet theaters have a revolving
platform for the chanter and shamisen player, which rotates bringing replacement musicians
for the next scene.

The shamisen used in bunraku is slightly larger than other kinds of shamisen and has a different
sound, lower in pitch and with a fuller tone.

Bunraku shares many themes with kabuki. In fact, many plays were adapted for performance
both by actors in kabuki and by puppet troupes in bunraku. Bunraku is particularly noted for
lovers' suicide plays. The story of the forty-seven rōnin is also famous in both bunraku and
kabuki.

Bunraku is an author's theater, as opposed to kabuki, which is a performer's theater. In

bunraku, prior to the performance, the chanter holds up the text and bows before it, promising
to follow it faithfully. In kabuki, actors insert puns on their names, ad-libs, references to
contemporary happenings and other things which deviate from the script.

The most famous bunraku playwright was Chikamatsu Monzaemon. With more than 100 plays
to his credit, he is 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[edit]
National Bunraku Theater in Osaka

Osaka is the home of the government-supported troupe at National Bunraku Theatre. The
theater offers five or more shows every year, each running for two to three weeks in Osaka
before moving to Tokyo for a run at the National Theater. The National Bunraku Theatre also
tours within Japan and occasionally abroad.

Until the late 1800s there were also hundreds of other professional, semi-professional, and
amateur troupes across Japan that performed traditional puppet drama.

Since the end of World War II, the number of troupes has dropped to fewer than 40, most of
which perform only once or twice a year, often in conjunction with local festivals. A few
regional troupes, however, continue to perform actively.

The Awaji Puppet Troupe, located on Awaji Island southwest of Kobe, offers short daily
performances and more extensive shows at its own theater and has toured the United States,
Russia and elsewhere abroad.

The Tonda Puppet Troupe (冨田人形共遊団) of Shiga Prefecture, founded in the 1830s, has
toured the United States and Australia on five occasions and has been active in hosting
academic programs in Japan for American university students who wish to train in traditional
Japanese puppetry.

The Imada Puppet Troupe, which has performed in France, Taiwan, and the United States, as
well as the Kuroda Puppet Troupe are located in the city of Iida, in Nagano Prefecture. Both
troupes, which trace their histories back more than 300 years, perform frequently and are also
active in nurturing a new generation of traditional puppeteers and expanding knowledge of
puppetry through training programs at local middle schools and by teaching American
university students in summer academic programs at their home theaters.

The increase in interest in bunraku puppetry has contributed to the establishment of the first
traditional Japanese puppet troupe in North America. Since 2003, the Bunraku Bay Puppet
Troupe, based at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, has performed at venues
around the United States, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the
Smithsonian Institution, as well as in Japan. They have also performed alongside the Imada
Puppet Troupe.[2] The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, has an extensive variety of
bunraku puppets in its Asian collection. Asian Collection at the Center for Puppetry Arts

Music and song[edit]

Tayu and shamisen player

The chanter/singer (tayu) and the shamisen player provide the essential music of the traditional
Japanese puppet theater. In most performances only a shamisen player and a chanter perform
the music for an act. Harmony between these two musicians determines the quality of their
contribution to the performance.[3]

The role of the tayu is to express the emotions and the personality of the puppets. The tayu
performs not only the voice of each of the characters, but also serves as the narrator of the
play.

Located to the side of the stage the tayu physically demonstrates facial expressions of each
character while performing their respective voices. While performing multiple characters
simultaneously the tayu facilitates the distinction between characters by exaggerating their
emotions and voices. This is also done to maximize the emotional aspects for the audience.

In bunraku the futo-zao shamisen which is the largest shamisen as well as that of the lowest
register, is employed.

The instruments most frequently used are flutes, in particular the shakuhachi, the koto and
various percussion instruments.

Puppets[edit]

Close-up of a male puppet's head with mechanical eyes. This particular puppet is a head used in
sanbaso performances.

The head[edit]

The heads of the puppets (kashira) are divided into categories according to gender, social class
and personality. Certain heads are created for specific roles, others can be employed for several
different performances by changing the clothing and the paint. The heads are in effect
repainted and prepared before each presentation.[4][5]

The preparation of the hair constitutes an art in and of itself. The hair distinguishes the
character and can also indicate certain personality traits. The hair is made from human hair,
however yak tail can be added to create volume. The ensemble is then fixed on a copper plate.
To ensure that the puppet head is not damaged, the finishing of the hairstyle is made with
water and bee's wax, not oil.[6]

Costumes[edit]

Female puppet wearing a headdress and colourful kimono

The costumes are designed by a costume master and are composed of a series of garments
with varying colors and patterns. These garments typically include a sash and a collar as well as
an under robe (juban), an inner kimono (kitsuke), a vest (haori) or an outer robe (uchikake). In
order to keep the costumes soft they are lined with cotton.[7]

As the clothing of the puppets wear out or are soiled the clothing is replaced by the
puppeteers. The process of dressing or redressing the puppets by the puppeteers is called
koshirae.

Construction[edit]

A doll's skeletal structure is simple. The carved wooden kashira is attached to the head grip, or
dogushi, and thrust down an opening out of the puppet's shoulder. Long material is draped
over the front and back of the shoulder board, followed by the attachment of cloth. Carved
bamboo is attached to create the hips of the puppet, arms and legs are tied to the body with
lengths of rope. There is no torso to the puppet, as it would merely block out the puppeteer's
range of movement of the individual limbs. The isho, or costume of the doll is then sewn on to
cover over any cloth, wooden or bamboo parts that the artist doesn't wish to be seen. Finally, a
slit is created in the back of the costume in order for the chief puppeteer to firmly handle the
dogushi head stick.[8]

Text and the puppets[edit]

Unlike kabuki, which emphasizes the performance of the main actors, bunraku simultaneously
demonstrates elements of presentation (directly attempting to invoke a certain response) and
representation (trying to express the ideas or the feelings of the author). In this way attention is
given to both visual and musical aspects of the puppets as well as the performance and the
text. Every play begins with a short ritual in which the tayu, kneeling behind a small but ornate
lectern, reverentially lifts his or her copy of the script to demonstrate devotion to a faithful
rendering of the text. The script is presented at the beginning of each act as well.

Performers[edit]
Despite their complex training the puppeteers originated from a very destitute background. The
kugutsu-mawashi were itinerants and as a result were treated as outcasts by the educated,
richer class of Japanese society at the time. As a form of entertainment, the men would operate
small hand puppets and put on miniature theatre performances, while women were often
skilled in dancing and magic tricks which they used to tempt travelers to spend the night with
them. The whole environment that gave birth to these puppet shows is reflected in the themes.
[9]

Stage[edit]
The musician's stage (yuka)[edit]

This is the auxiliary stage upon which the gidayu-bushi is performed. It juts out into the
audience area at the front right area of the seats. Upon this auxiliary stage there is a special
rotating platform. It is here that the chanter and the shamisen player make their appearance,
and, when they are finished, it turns once more, bringing them backstage and placing the next
performers on the stage.[10]

The partitions (tesuri) and the pit (funazoko)[edit]

In the area between upstage and downstage, there are three stage positions, known as
"railings" (tesuri). Located in the area behind the second partition is often called the pit and it is
where the puppeteers stand in order to carry out the puppets' lifelike movements.

Small curtain (komaku) and screened-off rooms (misuuchi)[edit]

This stage looks from an angle of the audience, the right side is referred to as the kamite (stage
left), while the left side is referred to as the shimote (stage right). The puppets are made to
appear and then leave the stage through the small black curtains. The blinded screens are just
above these small curtains, and they have special blinds made from bamboo so that the
audience cannot see inside.

Large curtain (joshiki-maku)[edit]

The joshiki-maku is a large, low hanging curtain hanging off of a ledge called the san-n-tesuri. It
is used to separate the area where the audience is sitting from the main stage. The puppeteers
stood behind the joshiki-maku, holding their puppets above the curtain while being hidden
from the audience. However, the dezukai practice established later in the bunraku form would
let the actors be seen on stage moving with the puppets, nulling the use of the curtains.[11]