A wordless ‘musical puppet theatre’ featuring Bunraku-style puppets, accompanied by live music with a flute and a Japanese taiko drum. The theme is ‘prayer’.
- Artist/Company
- Mokugusha [From Osaka, Japan]
- Date
- Saturday, 20 September, 14:00-
Sunday, 21 September, 14:00-
*There will be a talkback after the performance on Saturday, 20 September. - Running Time
- 70 minutes
- Venue
- The Assembly Hall Theatre
- Price
- Adults: 3,000 yen*
Student discount: 1,000 yen
under 18: 500 yen
Preschool-aged children: Free
*Including one drink voucher for use at the Café - Language
- Non-verbal
- Message from artist開く
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This piece was first performed last October at Théâtre du Soleil in Paris.
Inspired by the Ubusunagami—a guardian deity once rooted in Japan’s rural landscapes—the story reflects on the bond between nature and human society, as well as the folly within that relationship.
Without spoken words, the tale is woven through gesture and sound, brought to life by a puppet animated by three performers.
With awe and gratitude toward the Ubusunagami of the Shikano area, we offer this performance.
- Cast/Staff開く
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Composed and Directed by Kanroku
Japanese flute / Japanese drum: ABE Kazunari
Puppeteers: Mokugusha
Stage Manager：TSUNEMATSU Tetsuya
Planning / Production: Mokugusha Kanroku
- Artist's Profile開く
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Puppeteer Kanroku
In 1978, he became a disciple of the late KIRITAKE Kanjuro II, a Living National Treasure. He took the name KIRITAKE Kanroku and began his career as a Bunraku puppeteer with the Ningyo Joruri Bunrakuza puppet theatre. He trained to master performing the aramono (a masculine, bold, exaggerated character puppet) for tachi-yaku (male roles).
In 2005, he founded the puppet company Mokugusha, aiming to plan and direct outdoor performances that incorporate elements of nature and are open to the participation of women and international people.
Since then, he has continued to present original works of musical puppet theatre, expanding beyond classical pieces to include productions featuring contemporary music and song, performed without spoken dialogue.
In classical repertoire, he has perfromed in pieces such as Haha Nasake Rakujitsu no Ono, Shinshaku Ubasuteyama, and Junrei Otsuru Namida no Komoriuta. In the realm of contemporary musical puppet theatre, he has created numerous works, including Kono Chikyū ni Umarete and True Life.
Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, he left the Bunrakuza and shifted his focus to Mokugusha, touring widely across Japan.
there, while also energetically engaging in support activities and consolation performances in disaster-affected areas of Japan.
In 2024, he conducted a Bunraku puppet manipulation workshop for European artists at Théâtre du Soleil in Paris and presented his new work, Fudoki.
He is a part-time lecturer at Tokyo Metropolitan University, a designated Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (Bunrakuza), and a resident artist of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale.
Musician ABE Kazunari
Born in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, ABE Kazunari is a shino-bue (bamboo flute) performer. He joined the Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble, Kodo, in 1995 and began his solo career in 2010.
Based in Shikoku, overlooking the sacred Mt. Ishizuchi range, he infuses his shino-bue performances with deep spiritual themes – prayers for the repose of souls, purification, and liberation.
In addition to solo performances and dedication concerts, ABE has collaborated with a wide range of artists both in Japan and internationally, including dancers, Bunraku puppeteers, and contemporary circus performers. His performances have taken him to 33 countries across six continents. He has released three original albums: Ryu no Koe (The Echo of Dragon Singing), Harukanaru Kaze (Distant Winds), and Sumasu (Purify).
