Bunraku

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bunraku

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the artistic discipline?Traditional Japanese puppet theatre
2. What is the period of origin?Early 17th century, Edo period
3. How many puppeteers are needed for one puppet?Each puppet needs three puppeteers. One controls the head and right arm, another the left arm, and the third the legs. They move together so the puppet can act like a real person.
4. Where did Bunraku start?Bunraku began in Osaka, Japan, in the early 1600s. It grew during the Edo period when people loved new kinds of entertainment. The art has been performed in special theaters ever since.

Bunraku: A classical Japanese puppet theatre form characterized by elaborate puppets, synchronized puppetry, and narrative chanting.
Ningyōtsukai: The collective term for the three skilled puppeteers responsible for operating a single Bunraku puppet.
Tayū: The principal narrator and vocalist in Bunraku, responsible for voicing all characters and the narrative.
Shamisen: A traditional three-stringed Japanese lute used to provide musical accompaniment and dramatic emphasis in Bunraku.