【"BUNRAKU" on the world stage!】The National Theatre presents a spectacular fusion of tradition and anime in the United States!

Bunraku is one of Japan's representative traditional performing arts, refined over its 300-year history. This fall, the first American performance produced by the National Theatre will be held in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Fairfield (CT), and Houston.

Bunraku, designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, combines tayū narration and expressive, live shamisen music with the lifelike movements of puppets, with each puppet operated by three puppeteers. It's not just a puppet show for kids but rather a sophisticated art form aimed at adult audiences. The stories in Bunraku often blend real historical events with fictional elements and delve into the complexity of human emotions.

The USA tour of Bunraku
The performance in the U.S. will include two climactic scenes from classic Bunraku repertoire:Date Musume Koi no Higanoko (Oshichi, the Greengrocer’s Daughter) and Sonezaki Shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki), along with an additional demonstration to introduce audiences to the techniques of Bunraku. In addition, a separate workshop will be held to provide a closer look at Bunraku puppetry and give participants an opportunity to operate puppets themselves.

Of special interest for the U.S. tour production, the stage backdrop for "The Love Suicides at Sonezaki" will be animated footage based on original drawings by OGA Kazuo, who has worked on background art for animated films such as "My Neighbor Totoro," "Princess Mononoke," "In This Corner of the World," and other internationally-renowned works. This unique fusion of Japanese anime, which has many fans worldwide, and traditional performing arts is sure to delight audiences.

The tour is organized by Japan Society, a New York-based non-profit organization founded in 1907, and supported by the Japan Arts Council and the Agency for Cultural Affairs as a project co-organized by the Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 to introduce "The Beauty and the Spirit of Japan" to the world.

"Sonezaki Shinjū (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki)" (from BUNRAKU 1st SESSION) Photographer: OGAWA Tomoko

Program, Cast, Staff

"Hinomi Yagura (The Fire Watchtower scene)" from "Date Musume Koi no Higanoko (Oshichi, the Greengrocer's Daughter)"

Commentary with Demonstration

"Tenjin no mori (The Forest by the Tenjin Shrine scene)" from "Sonezaki Shinjū (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki)"


Written by CHIKAMATSU Monzaemon
Scripts and Compositions: NOZAWA Matsunosuke
Choreography: SAWAMURA Ryūnosuke
Supervision of the Images: KIRITAKE Kanjūrō
Art Director: OGA Kazuo　
Production of the Images: YAMADA Shinpei
Co-Production of the Images: Dehogallery, Inc.

〈Tayū (narrator)〉TOYOTAKE Todayū, TOYOTAKE Yoshihodayū, TOYOTAKE Sakijudayū
〈Shamisen〉TSURUZAWA Seishirō, TSURUZAWA Kantarō, TSURUZAWA Seiin
〈Puppeteers〉YOSHIDA Tamasuke, YOSHIDA Minoshirō, YOSHIDA Minotarō, KIRITAKE Mon'yoshi, KIRITAKE Kansuke, YOSHIDA Tamanobu, YOSHIDA Tamayuki, TOYOMATSU Seinosuke

Schedule of the tour

①September 28 (Sat.)
Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (Los Angeles, CA)／Aratani Theatre

②October 1 (Tue.)
Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT)／ Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Theatre

③October 3 (Thu.) - October 5 (Sat.)
Japan Society (Manhattan, NY)／Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium

④October 8 (Tue.) - October 9 (Wed.)
J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC)／Terrace Theater

⑤October 12 (Sat.)
Japan-America Society of Houston (Houston, TX)／The Jeannette & L.M.George Theatre（TBC）

* Tickets will be sold at the every respective venue.

Special cooperation and sponsorship

We thank ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS CO., LTD., Kikkoman Corporation, and Suntory Holdings Limited for their generous support, which made this performance possible.


ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS CO., LTD.


Kikkoman Corporation



Suntory Holdings Limited

Japan Society
Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business, and society with audiences in NYC and around the world. In over 100 years of work, the Society has inspired generations by establishing itself as a pioneer in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S., providing over 200 public programs each year at its NYC landmark building headquartered in Manhattan’s mid-town East.