Bunraku is the puppet theatre of Japan. It takes 3 puppeteers to operate these puppets that are 2/3 the size of a human. A chanter sits to the stage left side (house right) and does all the voices and narration as a shamisen player beside him supplies accompaniment that sets and sort of conducts the scene. I went to Osaka today to the National Bunraku Theatre - another dream come true. I started with the children's show at 11:00 where the art of Bunraku was explained, and several children were invited onto the stage to try to manipulate puppet. That demo was followed by a lovely fairy tale about a fox who falls in love with a hunter and takes human form to be with him. Even though the younger puppeteers performed this play, I marveled at the expressiveness of the puppets. Afterwards, a few of them came out to the lobby so that the children could see them up close. The 2:00 PM production, "The Summer Festival in Naniwa" was distinctly for adults, and my heart was pounding throughout the 4th act! It's a convoluted plot with several subplots, but the climax is when Danshichi is so enraged that he commits a murder during the summer festival. The music, chanting, and action took my breath away. The early acts were performed by all hooded puppeteers. Then as the tension mounted, the main characters each had a master puppeteer holding thehead and right arm who was unmasked. The chanters and shamisen players later in the piece were clearly older and more experienced as well. I was sucked right into the play. I literally gasped at some of the plot twists. I don't have the words to explain what this full day of Bunraku was like, but when the final curtain fell at 6:00 PM, I turned to the Japanese lady beside me with tears in my eyes, and she smiled and nodded emphatically. It was the same for her.
Seven hours at the Bunraku theater?!! You've got real stamina, Kate!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how you stop seeing the puppeteers once the play gets going?
I love reading your blog as it reminds me to pay more attention to aspects of Japanese culture that I have simply come to take for granted. It's like seeing the world through new eyes again. Please keep it up!
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of my time in Avignon and the Genet play that I saw that was performed with puppets. Now I understand that it was completely Bunraku, but the dialogue was in French! I recall there was a master puppeteer who had a pivotal character. I wondered why some puppeteers were covered and this man was uncovered. Thanks for transporting me back to that.
I'm learning more and more that these seemingly obsolete forms of theatre are manifesting themselves all over the world in a fusion of eastern and western theatre. I hope the Nichols students will get how cool this stuff is. The 3 puppeteers even have to breathe together.
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