History of the Puppets
Connection to Shinto Shrines
There is little to be confidently said about the history of the puppets. The earliest term for puppet in Japan was "kugutsu", which can be traced back to the Chinese word for puppet pronounced "kuai-luai-tzu". The words Kugu and kugutsu could be found in native shrine and diety names. This provides a connection between puppetry and religious practices. The Shinto puppets were not representations of divinities. The puppet, as well as the medium, would be temporarily possessed by the divinity they were playing during the religious performances. These performances depicted the deeds from the past for the future generations. Eventually, these performances became more dramatic. They were most likely to have been offered to the gods in exchange for additional prosperity. The performances were originally meant for the gods but eventually they attracted spectators. Unlike puppet performances in other countries, the medium in these made no attempt to hide the fact that she was moving the puppets. This feature is also found in Bunraku puppet theater. However, these performances were much different from Bunraku theater.
Chinese Mechanical Dolls
Evidence shows that Chinese mechanical dolls were brought to Japan around the tenth century. However, the Japanese lacked the technical skill to create new dolls and repair old ones. Because of this, the Chinese mechanical dolls did not last in Japan.
Marionettes from China
A revival of the art of puppetry occurred after the introduction of marionettes from China. These string-operated puppets moved like mechanical dolls. These puppets were no more than a foot tall and were used on a stage about three feet wide and one and a half feet tall. Even though these puppets were a huge success in China, they never attracted the Japanese as much as stick puppets did. Although they were not popular, they did lead to the revival of puppetry in Japan.
Bunraku Puppets
By the mid-fifteenth century, puppets were used to perform No dramas. Four ebisu-kaki, which were puppet operators, held performances of No attracting so much attention, that puppeteers were often invited to the palace. The word ebisu continued to hold the meaning of "puppet". In ebisu theater, the puppets would be held up at stage level from below by their operators. In the late sixteenth century, hotoke-mawashi, became another popular form of puppet theater. It was similar to ebisu but instead it consisted of hand puppets that were a foot and a half tall. Also, it was associated with Buddhist temples rather than Shinto shrines. When combined with narrated text, these performances would resemble Bunraku.
There is little to be confidently said about the history of the puppets. The earliest term for puppet in Japan was "kugutsu", which can be traced back to the Chinese word for puppet pronounced "kuai-luai-tzu". The words Kugu and kugutsu could be found in native shrine and diety names. This provides a connection between puppetry and religious practices. The Shinto puppets were not representations of divinities. The puppet, as well as the medium, would be temporarily possessed by the divinity they were playing during the religious performances. These performances depicted the deeds from the past for the future generations. Eventually, these performances became more dramatic. They were most likely to have been offered to the gods in exchange for additional prosperity. The performances were originally meant for the gods but eventually they attracted spectators. Unlike puppet performances in other countries, the medium in these made no attempt to hide the fact that she was moving the puppets. This feature is also found in Bunraku puppet theater. However, these performances were much different from Bunraku theater.
Chinese Mechanical Dolls
Evidence shows that Chinese mechanical dolls were brought to Japan around the tenth century. However, the Japanese lacked the technical skill to create new dolls and repair old ones. Because of this, the Chinese mechanical dolls did not last in Japan.
Marionettes from China
A revival of the art of puppetry occurred after the introduction of marionettes from China. These string-operated puppets moved like mechanical dolls. These puppets were no more than a foot tall and were used on a stage about three feet wide and one and a half feet tall. Even though these puppets were a huge success in China, they never attracted the Japanese as much as stick puppets did. Although they were not popular, they did lead to the revival of puppetry in Japan.
Bunraku Puppets
By the mid-fifteenth century, puppets were used to perform No dramas. Four ebisu-kaki, which were puppet operators, held performances of No attracting so much attention, that puppeteers were often invited to the palace. The word ebisu continued to hold the meaning of "puppet". In ebisu theater, the puppets would be held up at stage level from below by their operators. In the late sixteenth century, hotoke-mawashi, became another popular form of puppet theater. It was similar to ebisu but instead it consisted of hand puppets that were a foot and a half tall. Also, it was associated with Buddhist temples rather than Shinto shrines. When combined with narrated text, these performances would resemble Bunraku.
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