Puppeteers

 人形遺い  Puppeteers

 *Needs 3 people to make the dolls move in a flowing nature.


 * Omo-Zukai- head puppeteer- operates the head and facial features. He holds a stick with levers in his left hand to operate these parts of the puppets and he operates the dolls right hand with his own right hand supports the puppets weight.
 *  Ashi-Zukai- youngest and least experienced- operates the feet of the puppet. Uses both hands to move the feet.
 *  Hidari-Zukai- operates the left hand but uses his right hand to operate it.

These 3 puppeteers make the doll come to life.

 *Main puppeteer wears special clogs so that hes taller than the other puppeteers so that it is more comfortable for the Hidari-Zukai. The clogs vary from 20 cm to 50 cm.



 *Training to become a puppeteer takes many years. They start their training from their feet, to the left hand and then o the head and the right hand. Puppeteers must work in perfect coordination to make the puppet move naturally. When they describe how long it takes to become a master puppeteer they say "ten years for the feet, ten years for the left"


 * Puppeteers dont speak lines of the puppets because they are too occupied with the motions of the puppet. The chanter/narrarator speaks the lines of the puppets


 * Narrarator sits with a script of the whole play at a special stand called the Kendai. He voices each of the characters as well as giving the setting and the story. The style of the narrarator is considered poetic or highly emotional.


 * During a preformance the puppeteers go up on stage with the puppets.

The puppeteers wear something they call Kurogo--this means "black robes" the puppeteers wear black robes and black head coverings while preforming.


 * Originally the color black represented "nothingness". The reason why bunraku adapted the color black was because the black showed that you couldnt see the puppeteers.


 * Throughout the years as bunraku became more popular the audience wanted to see the puppeteers. De-zukai was created. One puppeteer was unmasked during the preformance. The lead puppeteer was not dressed on all black, he wore a kimono marked with his family crest (Monsuki) and a divided skirt (Hakama). Sometimes he will be wearing the Hakama skirt over a broad shouldered outer vest (Kataginu).


 * The puppeteers become one with the doll during the preformances and they all become one with each other. Think of doubles partners in tennis. They have to be on complete sync with eachother in order to play a good game.