- Address: 1 Chome-12-10 Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0073, Japan
- Phone: +81 6 6212 2531
- Website: www.ntj.jac.go.jp
- Opening date: 1984.
Bunraku is one of the types of national art in Japan : it is a puppet theater, where puppets are made almost in human growth (up to 2/3 of the growth of an adult), and the performance is combined with dzori, a song story that is performed accompanied by a traditional Japanese musical instrument, shamisen . Another ninja of the Bunraku - Ningyo joriuri - is precisely the mixing of the puppet show (the nyingo translates as a "doll") with the song narrative-dzori.
This art arose in the late 16th - early 17th centuries in Osaka. The Japanese puppet theater was called a bunraku in honor of Uemura Bunrakuken, the first organizer of such puppet shows.
Theater in Osaka
The National Bunraku Theater is located in the city of Osaka , where it originated. The building of the theater was built in 1984. The theater has the official name "Asahidza", but the Japanese themselves and the guests of the country often call it simply "the theater bunraku".
This is the largest puppet theater in Japan. Its main hall is designed for 753 seats. The building itself is a five-story building, in addition to the main hall there is a small additional one for 100 seats. In the theater there are workshops, rehearsal rooms. There is also an exhibition hall where spectators can see the tek dolls that are participating in today's performance.
Despite the fact that the theater in Osaka is not the only bunraku theater in Japan (another one is in Tokyo), true connoisseurs of this art come to watch performances in Osaka. The theater has excellent acoustics, the voice of the singer-narrator and the music are well audible in the whole hall.
The theater in Osaka without exaggeration can be called the national pride of Japan. By the way, the building is in the care of the state and looks very well-groomed.
Dolls and puppeteers
The bunraku doll is a construction with a wooden frame that replaces the body; over the frame put on multi-layer clothes. To the frame "put" a lot of threads, with the help of which the puppeteers guide the movements of the doll.
Usually dolls do not have legs. In some cases, they may be, but only for masculine characters. The heads are stored separately and can be used to create different characters. "Collect" the doll directly before the show itself.
Puppeteers (and most often they have three dolls) are always dressed in black, and even their faces are hidden by a dark cloth. In the semi-darkness (and usually only the puppets themselves are illuminated), the "operators" are practically invisible and do not distract attention from the view itself. By the way, they manage not only the movements of the "body" of the doll, but also its facial expressions, and this task usually goes to the most experienced "operators".
Other representations
In the building of the theater there are not only performances of bunraku, but also dance performances of nihon-buoy, performances of rakugo, manzai and other types of theatrical art. There are also concerts of folk music.
When is it better to visit the theater?
The theater shows the Bunraku in January, June, August and November. By the way, some of them go up to 8 hours in a row.
How to get to the theater?
The theater is a one-minute walk from the Nipponbashi Station (Nipponbashi) subway station of the Sennichimae / Sakaisuji line (Sennichimae / Sakaisuji).