Bunraku lecture-demonstration and performance

The Japan Research Centre and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures is delighted to announce a rare appearance at SOAS University of London by bunraku (Japanese puppet theatre) performers from Osaka.

The evening will consist of a short performance with a lecture-demonstration (in Japanese with English translation) on the intertwined aspects of bunraku performance: the dramatically and musically thrilling narrative chanting, the beautiful accompanying music played on the distinctive futozao shamisen, and the complex, dynamic movements of the famous three-man puppets.

About the performers

Toyotake Yoshihodayu: chanter. Began his professional career in 2003 and had his debut performance at the National Theatre in September of that year. Since then, as his heart has deepened he has racked up a host of awards from the Bunraku Association, the Osaka Culture Festival, and the National Theatre.

Tsuruzawa Tomonosuke: shamisen player. Began his professional career in 2000 and had his first performance at the National Theatre in July 2002. Has won two Bunraku Association awards as well as the National Theatre Bunraku Encouragement Award.

Yoshida Tamasuke: puppeteer. One of the leading puppeteers of his generation, Tamasuke began his professional career in 1980 and first performed at the Asahi-za in April 1981. He succeeded to his current performance name in April 2018 at the National Theatre. 

He has won a host of awards over the years, including multiple awards from the Bunraku Association, the National Theatre (including an Outstanding Performance Award in 2019 and the Encouragement Award in March 2024), the Osaka Culture Festival, and the Jusannya-kai.

Organiser

Coten-Goten and the SOAS Japan Research Centre with the support of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, Gigglely Japan, and the Japanese Heritage Society

Contact

• centres@soas.ac.uk

Header image credit: Megumi Takizawa