Seiwa Village Bunraku Puppet Theater

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Category Name:Stage Performance

This is said to have been handed down by villagers who loved joruri from a puppet theater troupe from Awaji that had visited Yamato Town (formerly Seiwa Village) around the late Edo Period (1603-1868). Seiwa bunraku is performed by puppets, shamisen, and joruri. Puppets are operated by three people. Seiwa bunraku temporarily declined at the end of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), but was revived in the Showa Period (1926-1989) with the accession of the Emperor. A preservation society was formed in 1954. Today, the group continues to perform at the Seiwa Bunraku Hall and other venues, as well as at the adjacent Okawa Aso Shrine Farming Village Stage (a nationally registered tangible cultural property) under the name of Takigi Bunraku.

Municipality

Yamato Town

Category

Stage Performance

Specific Location

Yamato Town, Oohira (formerly Seiwa-mura)

Cultural Property Designation

Kumamoto Prefecture Designated Intangible Cultural Property October 8, 1979

Performance Date(s)

Performance dates available at Seiwa Bunraku Hall / Takigi Bunraku (performace on a rural stage) : early October

Performance Location

Seiwa Bunraku Hall Rural Stage : Ookawa Aso Shrine

Preservation Society

Seiwa Bunraku Puppet Theater Preservation Society