Bunraku
Bunraku
Bunraku
lead me to study puppetry further at university, to work with Bread and Puppet Theatre, and to continue to work professionally today in the field of puppetry and puppet design. Through these experiences I have come to understand that puppetry is an international communication form with roots in nearly every culture and has the power to teach and impact an audience. My field trip began in Tokyo at the National Theatre of Japan studying Noh, the oldest surviving theatrical art in Japan and Kabuki, a constantly evolving art form that has responded with great sensitivity to the changing times. It was here that I was able to witness firsthand the religious origins of the Japanese theatrical practices, seeing the connections between the different forms of rituals dedicated to the gods with prayers for bountiful harvests at the Buddhist shrines and the sacred dancing and dramas which found the core of Noh and Kabuki performances. For even the stages themselves remind us of the shrines in which these theatrical traditions once performed. In Noh theatre the performance is still housed under the roof and pillars resembling a Shinto shrine whereas in Kabuki and Bunraku the roof has been removed and the pillars are often painted matte black covering the areas for musicians or hidden by stage sets. Puppetry has had a long rich history in Japan from as early as the 8th century. Often misunderstood by westerners because of its presentational form, Bunraku has a charm of its own through the concentration, coordination and collaboration of the three puppeteers, Tayu and Shamisen player, whose purpose as an ensemble is to bring the puppets to life. Thematic Bunraku dramas revolve around Confucian concepts of loyalty at the cost of
of the feet and another 10 years to be qualified to operate the left arm. A master puppeteer who will operate the head and right arm will only achieve this status when he has trained for 20-30 years. Through their training with the master puppeteers and Tayus an apprentice goes beyond learning an art with a long and venerable history but develops a spiritual connection to their ancestors and country. Master Kanjuro Kirjtake III Communication between puppeteers is complex. The second apprentice watches the back of the puppets head and shoulders as Master Kanjuro Kirjtake III communicates through this area to him on how he should move the arm of the puppet, whilst communicating to the third apprentice the movement of the legs by keeping contact through their hips. Master Kanjuro Kirjtake III said The 3 puppeteers must breathe together to manipulate the puppets on stage as if they are alive. It is also the job of the master puppeteer to assemble his puppet for the role assigned to him, seen as a form of characterization. The puppets are stored in pieces, with their heads and costumes all kept separately. For each production, the puppet is rebuilt. Limbs are attached, torsos, props, costumes fitted, and hair affixed and styled. Bunraku Puppet faces and heads are made for many and varying roles. Hair is replaced for each new role and costumes are sewn onto the puppet frame made similar to life-size fashions of the day. Costumes are padded to stiffen and give shape to the character and openings are placed in the back where the puppeteer inserts his hands to control the head and arms. Female puppets have no legs, the movement of the feet and legs being simulated by moving the hem of the kimono. The three puppeteers main focus is to remain inconspicuous, and therefore dress in black and cover their head with hoods (Jeffery Hunter). However, there are times when the master puppeteer will wear formal dress of the Edo period in cases of demanding roles or very important scenes. Master Kanjuro Kirjtake
III believes, When the three puppeteers are in complete harmony, and moving in perfect timing with the narrator and Shamisen, the puppet comes to life. This is the epitome of the art of Bunraku. During my time at the National Bunraku Theatre I was also honored to watch Sumitayu Takemoto, a Living National Treasures, transform the ancient tales of Yuki wa Konkon Sugata no Mizuumi (The Kind Hunter and the Female Fox) into vibrant human drama. Sumitayu Takemoto (narrator) and the Shamisen player sat in twin position, seemingly trying to top the other in their artistry as they bring the dramatic narrative to life. But in fact they are in perfect unison. Their remarkable synchronization is vital to the art, and involves sophisticated techniques of breath control. Sumitayu Takemoto kneeling at the Kendai (bookstand) his hips in between his feet, he uses this painful position to develop his broad vocal range. The Tayus often ties a special belt weighted with beans and sand around their abdomen and back to make sure they breathe deeply and maintain proper posture and balance. The belt is said to make the tayus voice deeper and more penetrating. The Tayu changes the tone of his voice skillfully and realistically according to the age and sex of each role, but most importantly his performance carries the rich emotions of human beings based on his profound interpretation of the nature and feeling of each character. His solo artistry encompasses not only story telling of the tale, but also setting the scenes, background, providing story background, and speaking the characters words. The last entails more than just the skillful creation of separate voices for different puppet men and women, young and old, so that they sound believable and real. He must also penetrate to the very heart of each character, revealing their true nature and feelings. For this he gives over his voice to the full spectrum of human emotion. Jeffery Hunter The Yukahon (libretto) is the Tayus most valuable possession, and is the script he uses on stage. Written five lines to a page, the tradition is that the narrator personally copies out each libretto he uses in performance (or in some cases uses an inherited copy from his master). The Tayu and the Shamisen player construct the story by performing together as equal partners. They harmonize their spirits, neither being the conductor and their tense collaboration advances the play. The Shamisen united with the narrator conveys the heart of the story. Jeffery Hunter
The Futzo-Zao Shamisen is generally used in Bunraku. It is the thickest of the three Shamisens used in Japanese Theatre practices. The deep dignified sound is suited to storytelling as it is meant to get to the true nature of humanity. It is said that even one note can express the background of an event and the sentiment of a character. It is hard to imagine who would put themselves through 30 years of training to become a master in the art of Bunraku. Even watching a Bunraku show can often be taxing as the pace is slow and somewhat tedious. Sometimes the chanting of a single word can take four minutes as the master puppeteers hold their puppets at the climax of the scene. For the true art of Bunraku isnt just the performance, which I now respect even more greatly, but it is in the secrets of the masters artistry and teaching. In his artistic memoirs Yoshida Bungoro, one of the great Bunraku puppeteers of the twentieth century says: The path of an artist is very difficult, but once you find the entrance, you can enter in just one step. Thanks to my master/teacher Tamasuke, I found the entrance. Since that day almost 60 years ago, I have never deviated from the way of the puppet. This is all because of my masters great, loving chastisement. To be a Bunraku puppeteer means to spend ones whole life working in shadow. Works Cited: Master Kanjuro Kirjtake III, National Bunraku Theatre: 1-12-10 Nippombashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka. Tel: 06-6212-2531 Nakamura Masayuki & Jeffery Hunter, A Bilingual Guide to Japanese Traditional Performing Arts, 2009, Japan. Hironaga Shuzaburo, Bunraku, 2010, The National Bunraku Theatre, Osaka, Japan. The Language of the Puppet by Laurence R. Kominz and Mark Levenson, editors. The Pacific Puppetry Center Press. A collection of essays by some of the worlds leading figures in puppet theatre. Eugen Herrigel, Zen and the Art of Archery, 1999, First Vintage Classics Edition, New York.