That is an interview with Amari Yōichirō, one of many few remaining conventional puppet makers in Japan. In it, he discusses his craft and demonstrates examples of the puppet heads that he carves at his studio in Tokushima, on Japan’s Shikoku Island.
Yōichirō-san creates puppet heads for Awa ningyō jōruri puppet theatre, a neighborhood type of Bunraku that dates again to the the Edo interval (1603-1868), when it was particularly common within the Tokushima countryside. On the peak of their recognition, the Awa performances enthralled audiences, utilizing music and elaborate puppets to inform tales of legends, love, loyalty and honour throughout levels in 300 native villages.
Awa puppet heads are costly, costing as much as ¥1,000,000 (roughly $6,750 USD) and take about one month to supply. Though they appear much like the puppets of the extra well-known Osaka-style Bunraku, Awa puppets are completely different, partly due to the calls for of acting on all these village levels:
The heads for Awa jōruri puppets are bigger than these for bunraku. As Amari explains, “As a result of the Awa dolls have been used for performances on village levels from night into the night time, it was darkish and tough to see them within the mild from oil lamps and candles. One of the best resolution was to make the heads greater in order that they may very well be seen from a distance.” Bunraku heads are created from hinoki cypress, however the bigger Awa heads want to make use of a lighter materials and are created from paulownia.
Supply: nippon.com
For those who ever have the chance to go to Shikoku, the most effective locations to see Yōichirō-san’s puppets for your self is on the Tokushima Puppet Theater & Museum, the place conventional artists are serving to to protect this wealthy custom for future generations.
Particular because of Conrad Hartz for locating and sharing this video!
