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Bunraku, Japanese traditional puppet theatre in which half-life-size dolls act out a chanted dramatic narrative, called jōruri, to the accompaniment of a small samisen (three-stringed Japanese lute).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 7, 2023 · The meaning of BUNRAKU is Japanese puppet theater featuring large costumed wooden puppets, puppeteers who are onstage, and a chanter who speaks all the lines.
a form of Japanese puppet theater in which puppeteers, dressed in black and visible to the audience, manipulate large puppets to the accompaniment of a chanted narration and musical instruments.
Bunraku (pronounced boon-rakoo) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre characterized by almost life-sized puppets accompanied by narrative chanting and shamisen music (a shamisen is a traditional Japanese string instrument).
- The Bunraku History Explained
- What Is It?
- The Origin
- What Are Bunraku Plays About?
- What Do Bunraku Puppets Look like?
- How Does It Work?
- What Are Famous Bunraku Plays?
- Where to Watch Bunraku?
- Why Is Bunraku Important to Japanese Culture?
- Why Is Bunraku Unique?
In Japan, Bunraku is a traditional form of theater that has been around for centuries. It is performed by three puppeteers who control each individual character in the play. These puppeteers are referred to as “bunraku-jō” and they wear black robes with white masks which represent the characters they’re manipulating on stage. Let’s take a closer lo...
Bunraku is a form of Japanese puppetry that was developed in the early 17th century. It is typically performed with three puppeteers operating each puppet, which can range in size from just a few inches to over six feet tall. The puppeteers dress in black and wear hoods to conceal their identities, which adds to the illusion that the puppets are al...
The origins of Bunraku date back to the early 1600s, when the first professional puppet theater was established in Osaka. This new form of puppetry quickly became popular with the city’s residents, and it wasn’t long before other cities across Japan began to establish their own puppet theaters. The most famous of these early puppet theaters was the...
Bunraku plays are often about stories of love, loss, and revenge. Many of the most popular Bunraku plays are based on historical events or Japanese folklore. There are also many comedies and tragedies written specifically for the Bunraku stage. One of the most famous Bunraku plays is “The Tale of the Heike,” which tells the story of the Genpei War ...
Bunraku puppets are traditionally crafted from wood, with a carved head and hands. The body is then covered with cloth or other materials, and the puppet is dressed in elaborate costumes. The face of the puppet is often painted to resemble a human face, and the eyes may be made of glass or other materials to create a lifelike appearance. The puppet...
The ningyotsukai (puppeteers), tayu (chanter), and shamisen player are the three types of bunraku actors. The puppeteers perform on the main stage (hombutai). Also, you can expect the tayu and musician sit on a partition off to the side. During a performance, the tayu will chant the story, describing the actions of the puppets. The shamisen player ...
Kanadehon Chushingura
It was first performed in 1748 at the Takemotoza theater in Osaka, and Kanadehon Chushingura (roughly translated as Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) is one of the most famous pieces of bunraku drama. It tells the story of the 47 ronin, a group of masterless samurai who avenged their lord’s death by slaying the man who had forced him to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). The play is notable for its use of puppets that are about half the size of a human, which allows for very precise...
Love Suicides at Sonezaki
The Chikamatsu Monzaemon classic Love Suicides at Sonezaki, which Bunraku adapted from a 1629 play, is a masterpiece of dramatic storytelling and love-struck tragedy. The tale was based on a real love suicide that occurred only a month prior to Monzaemon’s recreation of the narrative. In the play, a young couple in love, Tokubei, and Ohatsu, plan to elope but are intercepted by Ohatsu’s arranged marriage. Faced with the prospect of a life apart, the lovers agree to die together instead. The s...
The Battles of Coxinga
Another Chikamatsu Monzaemon classic is The Battles of Coxinga (1715), better known as The Battles of Kokusen. It was perhaps his most renowned play, running for a record 17 months in Osaka after its premiere in November that year. It is also the only one of his plays to have been adapted for kabuki, in 1741.
During the Second World War, bunraku was again on hiatus, only resuming a year after the conflict’s end. By the end of the 20th century, two major bunraku theaters had opened in Osaka and Tokyo, kick-starting today’s revival.
It is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in addition to noh and kabuki. Bunraku, which literally means “the art of puppetry,” is a form of traditional Japanese theater that dates back to the early Edo period. The three-stringed shamisen accompanies the puppeteers who control the figures with their hands and voices. The most important aspect of b...
It is the most lifelike, most realistic type of puppetry in the world. The level of detail and craftsmanship that goes into making Bunraku puppets is incredible. The bodies are made from wood, and the faces are carved from ivory. They are then painted by hand to look as realistic as possible. The level of detail extends to the clothes that the pupp...
Bunraku, also known as Ningyō jōruri, is a Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the 17th century. It was mainly related to kabuki from Genroku period . Bunraku developed in Edo period combining puppet art with joruri .
Nov 2, 2022 · It is a comprehensive performance art created in the Edo period (1603 – 1868) by combining three art forms that each have long, but separate histories: narrative singing performed by the tayu, instrumental musicians playing the three-stringed shamisen and puppeteers.
