Theatre History Overview - Part 10 - Bunraku

Along with Nogaku and Kabuki, the third type of Japanese theatre that is known is Bunraku. This is a form of Japanese puppet theatre. Three types of performers participate in bunraku: puppeteers, chanters, and musicians. Sometimes instruments such as drums are used. While Bunraku can be traced back to the 16th century, the modern form began in 1680 with the playwright Chikamatus Monazemon and the chanter Takemoto Gidayu.

Bunraku has a special stage. It is separated into left and right sides. A small curtain hangs at stage right and stage left. The puppets enter and exit through the curtain. A narrator's platform is located stage left. It is a circular revolving platform that comes out diagonally into the audience's seating area. There is a wall that goes across the diameter of the platform so each side can seat a narrator and a chanter. This makes entering and exiting the stage easy as the platform only has to be rotated in order for them to enter and exit. There are also screened off rooms - one stage left and one stage right. In the screened off room stage left, there may be a less experienced narrator and a less experienced chanter. They can change places with different narrators and chanters that are on the back part of the narrator's platform while they are not facing the audience. In the screened off room that is located stage right are the musicians.

Bunraku puppets are made of heads, torsos, hands, and feet. These are attached with string. The puppets do not have bodies, but the bodies are created by wrapping kimonos around the puppets to create chests, stomachs, arms, and legs. Female puppets are never made with feet or shoes due to the cultural custom that Japanese women never showed their feet. Even though this cultural custom has changed, the tradition in Bunraku is still followed. The costumes for puppets are made of the same material that Japanese actors wear, but are 2/3 the size of a costume for humans. Then, one puppet may have five or more different heads in order to show different emotions.

A Bunraku performance is usually performed in two segments. One usually takes place in the early afternoon and the next in the late evening. However, one Bunraku play can may last for an entire day.

The future of Bunraku is uncertain as funding has been falling. This is because there is a policy with the Japanese government about how many poeple go to see Bunraku in order to get funding.

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