1. Japanese Puppetry
BUNRAKU

3. The Puppeteers THE LEADING PUPPETEER Face and body can easily be seen.
Each puppet has 3 Puppeteers.
THE LEADING PUPPETEER
Face and body can easily be seen.
Holds the back of the puppet and operates the right hand, head and eyebrows.

4. ASSISTANT PUPPETEERS There are 2 assistants.
They dress totally in black and operate the puppet from behind.
One moves the left hand.
The other operates the feet.

5. The Puppets Puppets are 2/3 the size of real life.
The head and body parts are carved very carefully and real human hair is used.

6. Girl Puppets don’t have legs because they always wear long kimonos
Girl Puppets don’t have legs because they always wear long kimonos. The 3rd puppeteer use his arms to look like legs under the long kimono.
The costumes are made by experts and are exact miniatures of a variety of real kimonos.

7. Music
Music is an important part of the performance, it helps the audience understand the storyline and the puppet’s feelings.
A musician plays a traditional Japanese instrument called a shamisen.

8. The Narrator
The puppeteers don’t speak. The narrator talks, sings and chants for the audience.
The one narrator provides the voice for all of the characters in the performance.

9. The Stage

10. Bunraku theatre Example