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Bunraku
is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters), and musicians. Occasionally other instruments such as drums will be used. The combination of chanting and playing is called and the Japanese word for puppet (or dolls, generally) is . It is used in many plays. History 's history goes as far back as the 16th century, but the origins of its modern form can be traced to around the 1680s. It rose to popularity after the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1724) began a collaboration with the chanter Takemoto Gidayu (1651–1714), who established the Takemoto puppet theater in Osaka in 1684. Originally, the term referred only to the particular theater established in 1805 in Osaka, which was named the after the puppeteering ensemble of , an early 18th-century puppeteer from Awaji ...
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Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe
{{Short description, American puppet troupe Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe (known since 2011 as "Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater") is an American puppet troupe that performs the traditional Japanese puppet drama commonly known as ''ningyō jōruri '' or Bunraku. Based in Columbia, Missouri, the Troupe is directed by J. Martin Holman, retired professor of Japanese language, literature, and theater at the University of Missouri, and the first non-Japanese to train and perform in the traditional puppet theater in Japan. The original puppeteers of Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater were trained in Japan by members of three traditional puppet troupes: the Tonda Puppet Troupe, founded in the 1830s in Shiga Prefecture, Japan; and the 300-year-old Kuroda Puppet Troupe and the Imada Puppet Troupe of Iida, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. In recent years most members of Bunraku Bay have spent summers training with the Imada Puppet Troupe. The "bay" of the Troupe's name derives from its origins in the Bay Sta ...
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Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 million in the 2020 census, it is also the largest component of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which is the List of metropolitan areas in Japan, second-largest metropolitan area in Japan and the 10th-List of urban areas by population, largest urban area in the world with more than 19 million inhabitants. Ōsaka was traditionally considered Japan's economic hub. By the Kofun period (300–538) it had developed into an important regional port, and in the 7th and 8th centuries, it served briefly as the imperial capital. Osaka continued to flourish during the Edo period (1603–1867) and became known as a center of Japanese culture. Following the M ...
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National Bunraku Theatre
The is a complex consisting of two halls and an exhibition room, located in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The complex was opened in 1984 as the fourth national theatre of the country, to become the headquarters of bunraku. History The Japan Arts Council, an Independent Administrative Institution of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, operates the National Theatre. Outline The theatre has two halls. The Large Theatre has a capacity of around 700 seats depending on stage setup, and is primarily used for performances of bunraku, as well as '' Buyō'' and stage plays. In the Small Hall are performed other type of traditional arts such as, ''rakugo'', ''manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a double act, funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mut ...'' and Japanese music. External links * Natio ...
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Imada Puppet Troupe
{{Nihongo, Imada Puppet Troupe, 今田人形座, Imada Ningyōza is a traditional Japanese puppet troupe in the style that is commonly known as Ningyō Jōruri (人形浄瑠璃) or Bunraku, based in Iida, Nagano. History The Troupe traces its origins to 1704, when a group of villagers purchased puppets to use in Shinto religious rites during the local shrine festival. In the 1820s and 1830s features of popular puppet entertainment were added to the group's performances, and by 1846 local puppeteers had begun traveling to nearby villages to perform. In the late nineteenth century the Troupe became established under its current name, enjoying considerable regional recognition and popularity. Today the Troupe, headed by puppeteer Tamon Sawayanagi, performs regularly on tour and in its own theater, the Imada Puppetry Hall, which was completed in 1993 on the grounds of the Omiya Hachimangu Shrine in Iida. The Troupe traveled abroad in 1993 to perform in France and again in 2003 for p ...
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Kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to have originated in the early Edo period, when the art's founder, Izumo no Okuni, formed a female dance troupe that performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto. The art form later developed into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theatre in 1629. Kabuki developed throughout the late 17th century and reached its zenith in the mid-18th century. In 2005, kabuki theatre was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage possessing outstanding universal value. In 2008, it was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity ...
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Kuroda Puppet Troupe
{{Short description, Puppet troupe in Iida, Nagano Prefecture, Japan The Kuroda Puppet Troupe (黒田人形座) is a traditional Japanese puppet troupe in the style commonly known as ''ningyō jōruri'' or bunraku based in the city of Iida in Nagano Prefecture. Founded in 1688, the Troupe has performed continuously to the present. History Kuroda focuses on preserving the traditional style of puppet operation originally introduced to them by itinerant puppeteers from Awaji Island. The Troupe's current performance hall was constructed in the 1990s by the government of Iida and is built in a traditional style. The Troupe also performs several times a year at Suwa Shrine (located next to their current hall) and the Iida Puppetry Festival. Until the construction of their new puppetry hall, the Kuroda Troupe performed in a traditional theater originally built in the late Edo period. Now designated as a national treasure, the theater stands on the grounds of the Suwa Shrine. The Kuroda ...
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Tonda Puppet Troupe
, founded in the 1830s, is one of the most active groups performing traditional ''ningyō jōruri'' or Bunraku puppetry in Japan, and has been officially designated an Intangible Cultural Treasure. In 2016, the then-Crown Prince Naruhito visited Nagahama and the Tonda Puppet Troupe performed for him and his wife. They are in possession of some of the oldest bunraku puppet heads after the National Bunraku Theater burned down. Their oldest heads are 250 years old and have a stamp branded into the handle. Based in the northern part of the city of Nagahama near the shore of Lake Biwa, in Shiga Prefecture, northeast of Kyoto, the Tonda Puppets have made international performance tours to Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Germany, and thirteen times to the United States. The Tonda Troupe performs regularly at their own theater in Nagahama and on tour within Japan. The Tonda Puppet Troupe also instructs elementary school students in bunraku puppetry and hosts training sessions for lo ...
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Japanese Puppet
are one of the traditional Japanese crafts. There are various types of traditional dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons, and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. Many have a long tradition and are still made today for household shrines, formal gift-giving, or for festival celebrations such as , the doll festival, or , Children's Day. Some are manufactured as a local craft, to be purchased by pilgrims as a souvenir of a temple visit or some other trip. History There may be a continuity in the making of the , humanoid figures, by the ancient Jōmon culture in Japan (8000–200 BC), which were associated with fertility or shamanistic rites, at a time when dolls were thought to have souls. Dolls also have continuity from the funerary figures of the subsequent Kofun culture (around 300–600 AD). Expert Alan Pate notes that temple records refer to the making of a g ...
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Shamisen
The , also known as or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually but sometimes when used as a suffix, according to regular rendaku, sound change (e.g. ). In Western Japanese dialects and several Edo period sources, it is both written and pronounced as . The construction of the varies in shape, depending on the genre in which it is used. The instrument used to accompany kabuki has a thin neck, facilitating the agile and virtuosic requirements of that genre. The one used to accompany Bunraku, puppet plays and Min'yo, folk songs has a longer and thicker neck instead, to match the more robust music of those genres. Construction The is a plucked stringed instrument. Its construction follows a model similar to that of a guitar or a banjo, with a neck and strings stretched across a resonating body. The nec ...
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Japanese Dolls
are one of the traditional Japanese crafts. There are various types of traditional dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons, and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. Many have a long tradition and are still made today for household shrines, formal gift-giving, or for festival celebrations such as , the doll festival, or , Children's Day. Some are manufactured as a local craft, to be purchased by pilgrims as a souvenir of a temple visit or some other trip. History There may be a continuity in the making of the , humanoid figures, by the ancient Jōmon period, Jōmon culture in Japan (8000–200 BC), which were associated with fertility or shamanism, shamanistic rites, at a time when dolls were thought to have souls. Dolls also have continuity from the funerary figures of the subsequent Kofun period, Kofun culture (around 300–600 AD). Expert Alan Pate notes that te ...
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Jōruri (music)
is a form of traditional Japanese narrative music in which a sings to the accompaniment of a . accompanies , traditional Japanese puppet theater. As a form of storytelling, emphasizes the lyrics and narration rather than the music itself. History According to Asai Ryōi, the first performer to have ever employed the during his storytelling, instead of the biwa, was chanter Sawazumi. The story he narrated was , one of the many existing versions of the , which tells the tale of the tragic love between Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-br ... and Jōruri-hime. Following this event, every tale sung to the accompaniment of a became emblematic of the style. See also * ' References Japanese styles of music Japanese traditional music ...
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Iida, Nagano
is a Cities of Japan, city in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , Iida had an estimated population of 101,536, and a population density of 154 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Iida is an , a municipalities of Japan, municipality designated by the Japanese government to be a model for making large cuts in greenhouse gas emissions towards a low-carbon society. Geography Iida is the southernmost city of Nagano Prefecture. Mount Hijiri at is the highest elevation in the city. Iida lies 90 minutes northeast of the major city of Nagoya by automobile via the Chūō Expressway. The same expressway also provides access to Tokyo, about four hours to the east. The nearest large metropolis to Iida is Nagoya, which is easily accessible by bus (about 2 hours). The larger cities of Matsumoto and Nagano in central and northern Nagano Prefecture are also accessible by bus and train. There is also a bus service to Shinjuku, Tokyo, which takes about four hours. Surrounding municipalities ...
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