The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage “BUNRAKU” on the world stage!
The National Theatre presents a spectacular fusion of tradition and anime in theUnited States!
Bunraku is one of Japan's representative traditional performing arts, refined over its 300-year history.
This fall, the first American performance produced by the National Theatre will be held in Washington
DC, New York, Los Angeles, Fairfield (CT), and Houston.
Bunraku combines tayū narration and expressive, live shamisen music with the lifelike movementsof puppets, with each puppet operated by three puppeteers. It is designated as an Intangible Cultural
Heritage by UNESCO.
This tour aims to give people in five cities the opportunity to experience the unique artistry of Bunraku
and explore the joy of traditional Japanese performing arts.
The USA tour of Bunraku
The performances in the U.S. are intended to introduce the appeal of Bunraku to Americanaudiences. This five-city North American Tour was organized by Japan Society, a New York-based
non-profit organization founded in 1907, which has made significant contributions to promoting
exchanges between Japan and the United States.
Bunraku combines storytelling and music similar to opera or musicals. It's not just a puppet show
for kids but rather a sophisticated art form aimed at adult audiences. The stories in Bunraku often
blend real historical events with fictional elements and delve into the complexity of humanemotions. For those who have not seen it, the artistry involved in Bunraku can be quite surprising.
Just as information can be disseminated borderlessly via the Internet these days, we aim to bring
Bunraku across borders so that as many people as possible can experience the charm of Bunraku
live in multiple cities in different parts of the United States. We hope that the interest in Bunraku
will increase the momentum for enjoying full Bunraku performances in Japan, leading up to Expo
2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
The performance will include two climactic scenes from classic Bunraku repertoire: Date Musume
Koi no Higanoko (Oshichi, the Greengrocer’s Daughter) and Sonezaki Shinjū (The Love Suicides atSonezaki), along with an additional demonstration to introduce audiences to the techniques ofBunraku. In addition, a separate workshop will be held to provide a closer look at Bunraku puppetryand give participants an opportunity to operate puppets themselves. In New York, Japan Society
will also hold a Gallery exhibition entitled "Bunraku Backstage," providing a rare glimpse behindthe scenes of Japanese puppet theater. The National Bunraku Theatre, one of the theaters in
National Theatre group, has collaborated with Japan Society, offering some of its precious

1possessions, including Bunraku puppets, costumes, props, and musical instruments, to assemble apart of the exhibition.
Of special interest for the U.S. tour production, the stage backdrop for "The Love Suicides atSonezaki" will be animated footage based on original drawings by OGA Kazuo, who has worked on
background art for animated films such as "My Neighbor Totoro," "Princess Mononoke," "In This
Corner of the World," and other internationally-renowned works. This unique fusion of Japanese
anime, which has many fans worldwide, and traditional performing arts is sure to delight audiences.
The success of "BUNRAKU 1st SESSION" in Tokyo
In March 2024, we held the performance "BUNRAKU 1st SESSION" as a preview for our upcoming
performances in the U.S. The performance was only 60 minutes, including a commentary for Bunraku
newcomers and an excerpted scene from "The Love Suicides at Sonezaki." By keeping theperformance short and providing English pamphlets and audio guides, we successfully attracted adiverse audience, including many international visitors and Japanese people new to Bunraku. Our
efforts to crowdfund a collaboration between Bunraku and anime were also successful, with over 400
donors contributing a total of over 9 million yen, enabling us to bring the performances to the U.S.
Bunraku and "The Love Suicides at Sonezaki"
In Bunraku, the story's time, place, and season, as well as the lines and emotions of the characters,
are all expressed through the gidayū-bushi performed by the narrator, the tayū, and the shamisen
player. Gidayū-bushi was founded by TAKEMOTO Gidayū in 1684 and has been passed down
through the generations. In addition, the performance of the puppets is coordinated by threepuppeteers - the main puppeteer (operating the head and right hand), the left puppeteer (operating
the left hand), and the foot puppeteer (operating the feet) - who work in unison to create realistichuman-like movements and create a unique Bunraku world, all accompanied by the expressive
sound of Gidayū-bushi.
The main performance of this tour, " The Forest by the Tenjin Shrine scene" from "The Love
Suicides at Sonezaki,” depicts the feelings of the protagonists Ohatsu and Tokubē, who are driven
into a tragic situation leading to a double suicide, with a rich poetic portrayal against the backdropof the darkness of night spreading over the forests of Osaka, and is one of the scenes that best
conveys the charm of Bunraku.
"The Love Suicides at Sonezaki" premiered at the Takemotoza Theater in Osaka in 1703. It wasadapted from an actual double suicide incident by CHIKAMATSU Monzaemon, often likened toJapanese Shakespeare. Performances were discontinued for a period, but they were revived in 1955
with a new adaptation and composition, and since then, it has become one of the most popular
Bunraku works.
In this story, Tokubē, a clerk at a soy sauce shop in Osaka, falls into a difficult situation after
lending money to a friend, and is eventually driven to commit double suicide with Ohatsu, acourtesan who loves him. The story is easy to understand, and the sincere feelings of Tokubē andOhatsu shine through. The music for the revival is beautiful and rich in nuance.
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[Program, Cast, Staff]"Hinomi Yagura (The Fire Watchtower scene)" from "Date Musume Koi no Higanoko (Oshichi, theGreengrocer's Daughter)"Commentary with Demonstration"Tenjin no mori (The Forest by the Tenjin Shrine scene)" from "Sonezaki Shinjū (The LoveSuicides at Sonezaki)"
Written by CHIKAMATSU Monzaemon
Scripts and Compositions: NOZAWA Matsunosuke
Choreography: SAWAMURA Ryūnosuke
Supervision of the Images: KIRITAKE Kanjūrō
Art Director: OGA Kazuo
Production of the Images: YAMADA Shinpei
Co-Production of the Images: Dehogallery, Inc.
〈Tayū (narrator)〉
TOYOTAKE Todayu, TOYOTAKE Yoshihodayū, TOYOTAKE Sakijudayū〈Shamisen〉
TSURUZAWA Seishirō, TSURUZAWA Kantarō, TSURUZAWA Seiin〈Puppeteers〉
YOSHIDA Tamasuke, YOSHIDA Minoshirō, YOSHIDA Minotarō, KIRITAKE Mon'yoshi,KIRITAKE Kansuke, YOSHIDA Tamanobu, YOSHIDA Tamayuki, TOYOMATSU Seinosuke[Schedule of the tour]
September 28 (Sat.) Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (Los Angeles, CA)
October 1 (Tue.) Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT)
October 3 (Thu.) - October 5 (Sat.) Japan Society (Manhattan, NY)
October 8 (Tue.) - October 9 (Wed.) J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington,DC)
October 12 (Sat.) Japan-America Society of Houston (Houston, TX)*Tickets for the New York show will be available for purchase starting from August 8 (Thu.) at
www.japansociety.org. Tickets for other cities will be sold at their respective venues.
[Special cooperation and sponsorship]
We thank ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS CO., LTD., Kikkoman Corporation, and Suntory Holdings
Limited for their generous support, which made this performance possible.
The National Theatre3

The Theatre opened in 1966 to preserve and promote traditional Japanese performing arts. Itshowcases a wide variety of traditional Japanese performing arts, including Kabuki, Bunraku,
Nihonbuyo (traditional Japanese dance), Hogaku (traditional Japanese music), Gagaku (Japanesecourt music), Shomyo (Japanese Buddhist chant), and folk performing arts. After closing at the endof October 2023, the performance business has continued at various theaters in Tokyo.
https://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/en/theatre/national_theatre/
The National Bunraku Theatre
Opened in Osaka in 1984 as a base for preserving, inheriting, and developing the Bunraku and a wide
range of the Kyoto-Osaka area performing arts.
As a hub for Bunraku, the Theatre showcases Bunraku performances and various traditional
performing arts shows. Furthermore, it trains future Bunraku performers and curates collections ofBunraku-related materials for public display.
https://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/en/theatre/bunraku/
The Japan Cultural Expo 2.0
This tour is supported by the Japan Arts Council and the Agency for Cultural Affairs as a project
co-organized by the Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 to introduce "The Beauty and the Spirit of Japan" tothe world. For more information, please refer to the following website.
https://japanculturalexpo.bunka.go.jp/en/
Japan Society
Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business, and society withaudiences in NYC and around the world. In over 100 years of work, the Society has inspired
generations by establishing itself as a pioneer in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture,business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S., providing over 200 public
programs each year at its NYC landmark building headquartered in Manhattan’s mid-town East.
[Contact]

Public Relations Office
General Affairs and Planning Department
National Theatre (Japan Arts Council)
Email: prkoho-nt@ntj.jac.go.jp

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