KYOGEN AND bUNRAKU
Traditional Japanese Theatre
Bunraku is a genre of Japanese puppet theatre, one of the specific performance forms attributed solely to Japan, alongside Noh and Kabuki. It developed out of older forms of performative recitation of stories, specifically joruri, which was a narrative poetic form, accompanied by a lute-like instrument called a biwa. Eventually the biwa was replaced by the samisen or shamisen, a guitar-like instrument that became closely tied to both what came to be known as Bunraku and Kabuki as well.
Bunraku is performed on a traditional stage, adapted for the specific details of the genre. The stage is divided into three lanes oriented from stage left to stage right. The farthest downstage and upstage lanes are at the same height, while the center lane is lowered a few feet, so as to hide the feet of the puppeteers. Offstage right and left are two screened in rooms, where puppeteers standby to enter from behind curtains. Also offstage left, but more downstage is the area known as the yuka, where the tayu and shamisen are seated for the performance.