Bunraku Theatre: The Love Suicide At Sonezaki

Clem Smith

Research Investigation

Bunraku Theatre

Research Question: Is there a common aspect from the play “The love Suicide at Sonezaki” that can be seen in the costumes in the Bunraku Theatre?

Word Count:

Bunraku theatre is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, a form of art, which the Japanese people are very proud of. The name “Bunraku” comes from the theatre that the puppet drama plays were originally performed, but the name was used so commonly that it eventually took on that name as the official name of that type of puppet theatre. The art known as “Bunraku” only became known at the end of Meiji (1868-1912) which is the period when Japan was ruled by the emperor Meiji Tenno, which was the mark of the modernisation and westernization of the country. (Web Japan) Bunraku theatre is known for its high quality artistic techniques, also for its music that is used and made and its unique ways of controlling the puppets. Each of the Bunraku puppets needs three people to bring the puppet to life. Most of the puppet theatres throughout the world are formed from legends and myths, but unlike the Bunraku theatre, which takes a day to unfold and understand the story. (Bunraku) In a Bunraku performance, a chanter speaks all the roles played by the puppets and often bursts into song.

This play is the most famous and best loved play by Chikamatsu, who is a Japanese dramatist. The play was first staged in 1703 and was based on a recent event, which was real and was a big hit instantly. This play to this day is still one of the most popular plays in Bunraku. The love suicide at sonezaki was the first play that Chikamatsu wrote and it was to be played by puppets but became so popular that it has since been used in movies, comic books, modern plays and adapted to kabuki which is a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized songs, mime, and