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Bunraku, also known as Ningyō jōruri, is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century. Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance: the Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai (puppeteers), the Tayū (chanters), and shamisen musicians. Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724), playwright and Japanese dramatist of jōruri, first popularized Bunraku. Yari no Gonza kasane katabira, or "Gonza the Lancer," is a love suicides puppet play written by Monzaemon in 1717. The play centers around a samurai wife named Osai, and her lover Gonza, who end up deciding to die together since they cannot be together in life.
Taped from TV by Naohiro Terada, who sent copy to Maddie Terada (Beta II tape) who made copy for Archives.
Additional content: excerpt from a NHK documentary on Awaodori (a folk dance from Tokushima prefecture)
Performers: Main puppeteers - Yoshida Minosuke (Gonza), Yoshida Bunjaku (Osai), Yoshida Bungo (Ichinoshin), Yoshida Tamao (Jinnai); Singer (Scene 2) - Takemoto Shikitayu; Singers (Scene 3) - Takemoto Aioitayu (Gonza), Takemoto Komatsutayu (Osai), Takemoto Ryokutayu (Ichinoshin); Shamisen (Scene 2) - Takezawa Danroku; Shamisen (Scene 3) Nozawa Katsuji, Tsuruzawa Kiyotomo, Takezawa Yasaburo, Nozawa Kinya.
Contents:
1) An excerpt of a NHK documentary program on Awaodori (a folk dance from Tokushima Prefecture)
2) Bunraku (Japanese traditional classical puppet theater); "Yari no Gonza Kasane Katabira" - Scene 1 - Synopsis of previous scenes; Scene 2 - Scene at Ichinoshin's house in his absence; Scene at a tea house; Scene 3 - Megatakiuchi (Revenge of adultery)
Documentation: Synopsis of play