Non Western #2
Posted by: narlinswords on: February 23, 2010
Date Musume Koi no Hikanoko, Bunraku (Japanese Puppet Theatre, founded 1684, Osaka, Japan)
Bunraku, or Japanese puppet theater, is probably the most developed form of puppetry in the world. The puppets are large (usually about one-half life size ). Bunraku puppets are not manipulated by strings from above a small stage window. They are rather displayed on a normal theater stage by one to three puppet operators – the puppeteers. And the puppeteers are fully visible!
Many bunraku plays are historical and deal with the common Japanese theme of girl and ninjo - the conflict between social obligations and human emotions. The greatest works by Japan’s most famous playwright Chikamatsu (1653~1724) are bunraku plays, many of which are written around this kind of conflict. This play, called Date Musume Koi no Hikanoko, is one of many bunraku plays.
Bunraku theater as it is known today, is about 400 years old – roughly as old as its big cousin, the kabuki theater. Compared to its aristocratic relative, the noh theater (which traces back to 1375), it is still pretty young in age.
I chose this work because I found the puppets to be fascinating. The way they are crafted, how they move, and the expressions that are created by them are very interesting to me. I also find it a bit strange that the puppeteers are in the background and not hidden to detract from the show. I wonder if I were to watch several of these plays would I be able to ignore them.
http://asianinterstage.com/tonda/
www.bunraku.org
2 Responses to "Non Western #2"
April 19, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Very interesting information for me. I never knew of this art form. I shared the video with my son and he thought it was weird to see the puppeteer. He kept waiting for him to be more of a ventriloquist. I found the fact that they used puppets to reveal the emotional side instead of a more light or comic side of things was interesting. Might this be due to the culture and their subdued, or rather maybe their controlled society? Thanks for sharing and you provided all the information required. I can’t say I really like the theater or would buy tickets to it, but it was interesting to learn about.
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- emilymbass: Very interesting information for me. I never knew of this art form. I shared the video with my son and he thought it was weird to see the puppeteer. H
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February 28, 2010 at 3:27 am
This is a very interesting type of theatre. Usually when I think of puppets it is in more in a comic sense but this seems like puppets can also be dramatic. The detail put into making the puppet makes it almost life-like. This reminds of ventriloquism except for the puppet isn’t speaking. I think that the puppeteers could eventually be ignored or either representative of a deterministic philosophy. This train of thought is based on how human action, thought, and choice are not based on the human itself but on outside forces. Overall this type of theater is beautiful and intriguing. I enjoyed reading your blog and learning about Bunraku puppets.