Puppet Theater (Bunraku Style)
Performance:
- Large puppets (3-4 feet tall) operated by visible puppeteers
- Puppeteers dressed in black (kuroko - “invisible” by convention)
- Multiple puppeteers per puppet (main puppeteer and assistants)
- Narration and music separate from puppeteers
Content:
- Similar to Kabuki but can depict things difficult for live actors
- Supernatural transformations
- Elaborate battles
- Love tragedies
- Folk tales
Cultural Role:
- Popular with families
- Puppets can be more expressive than actors in some ways
- Artisan craft (puppet making is respected profession)