Culture Ministry’s Department of Cultural Promotion, the Japan Foundation host the Asian Puppet Theatre Exchange: Bunraku Demonstration and Workshop on August 26, 2014 at Thailand Culture Centre’s small hall. VDO by Somsak Natthong
It looks like it would be pretty difficult for me to get over the puppet master being so visible, a black mask or something to remove his human features would be nice.
when i noticed the articulated hands my jaw dropped. so much tiny little detail and it gives the performance so much character! must be awesome to see live.
this will scare those with phobia for dolls. They look partly doll-like and partly real and kind of in the uncanny valley that makes them creepy-looking.
That's the sign of a good bunraku puppeteer. The masters don't wear the black hoods because they're supposedly so good at the craft that your brain just omits them when watching the play.
@@rkr9861 I think it would be really hard not to be distracted by the facial characteristics of the puppet master. I don't know why they wouldn't choose to wear a black mask to make it as easy as possible for the audience to engage. Sure it looks incredible as is but I think it would be even better. It's the eyes nose and mouth that are really distracting to me.
came here after reading Mori's essay on Uncanny Valley. he placed Bunraku puppets on the other peak, considering them non uncanny and enjoyable. but honestly in my opinion they look disturbing af 😶
I was expecting marionette-type puppets but these bunraku are cool! I love the ninja-like stagehand outfits. Love to see those used in other parts of the world 🙂
When I was a little child, I saw an amazing version of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass where the Wonderland characters were giant Bunraku style puppets. I've been fascinated by this style of theater ever since.
This is a story called Yaoya Oshichi (八百屋お七). In Edo, a girl met a young man when she evacuated and went to a temple due to the fire at the city. She fall in love with him, and wanted to see him again, so, despite the punishment for the arson was death by fire, she put fire on her house deliberately. It is the scene that Ohichi climbs up the fire-warning bell tower to bang the bell frantically.
@@atsukorichards1675 Thank you. The stylized head movement (tossing the head forward) - that seems to be significant but I do not understand it. Can you clarify?
I know it's just personal aesthetic taste but I think it looks way better on a dark stage like this. I think it'd look even better if all the puppeteers were in black, but again that's just another personal preference. Back on the lighting, though, it's strange to me how many examples online are on brightly lit stages, making the puppeteers in black starkly stand out as opposed to gracefully fade into the dark surroundings like in this video. This production was excellently lit and I wish more could be similarly lit.
I was thinking the same thing it like Jim Henson puppetry you don't see the puppeteer so you totally believe and see the character as real. In thus case having the puppeteer in black against the darken stage would totally get u locked in.
Came here because of Tanizaki’s Some Prefer Nettles. The early chapter of the book is a scene on a bunraku play and I was partially unfamiliar to it (except for the shamisen ha ha ha). Seeing this clip now, I can find Kaname’s narration on the bunraku they were watching particularly vivid & entrancing.
These are so much more than a puppet show. We just don't have the kind of deep feeling for puppets as art in the US. Maybe that will change I sure hope so. I adore this kind of artistry.
Bunraku puppeteers train for years to become an omo-zukai (head puppeteer) and so they remain unhooded because they've earned that. It can take 20 years to achieve omo-zukai status and the other two puppeteers (the hidari-zukai who controls the left arm and the ashi-zukai who controls the feet) are still in their training to become an omo-zukai.
First time seeing this as Iv'e just searched it up after learning the name. Why do they not cover the persons face who puppets it ? curious because one of the fellas face is covered but the main guy's face is not ?
