People:
Gidayu: a tayu famous for having a beautiful voice; he collaborated with Chikamatsu and was the first tayu to ever perform in full view of the audience
Chikamatsu Monzaemon: the most famous playwright of the Edo period, who changed bunraku from the commoner's theatre to a highly respected and sophisticated event through his famous domestic dramas and use of classical prose and poetry in his plays
kugutsumawashi: street performers who settled on Awaji and made little puppet plays
Buddhist monks: they chanted in a style that would lead to the development of joruri
tayu: the chanter of bunraku theatre, who must have a versatile vocal range to be able to mimic the voice of a young child, elderly man, or young woman as he gives voice to all the puppets in the play
shamisen player: they played the shamisen and therefore set the pace and timing of the play, which was considered a large responsibility
omozukai: the principal operator of the puppet, with the highest status; he operates the right arm and the features of the face, supporting the puppet's weight. He, unlike his assistants, did not wear a black hood to make himself "invisble" to the audience; he had no hood and wore bright white and blue
hidarizukai: the first assistant to the omozukai who controlled only the puppet's left arm
ashizukai: the second assistant to the omozukai who controlled the legs, or if the puppet was female, manipulated the skirt to simulate the movements of the legs
Tokubei: the male lead in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, who is dishonored over the lending of dowry money to a friend and commits suicide
Ohatsu: the female lead in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, who kills herself out of love for Tokubei
Places:
Awaji: island that is the birthplace of bunraku
Sonezaki Wood: where Tokubei and Ohatsu kill themselves in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Puppets:
Yokambei: a head that represents a servant or comedic villain
Kukeoyama: a head that represents an important woman who is mature, intelligent, strong, kind to her children and husband, and beautiful
Gabu: represents a young girl, but interestingly it can also be turned into a demon of jealousy with exposed teeth and gold horns
Bunshichi: this is the most famous man's head and represents a strong warrior in his prime
Miscellaneous:
Edo/Tokugawa: the period in which bunraku is founded and flourishes
hayashi: bunraku's orchestra that is mostly percussion and make sounds such as wind, rain, or a flowing river rather than traditional music
kiri: the wood that is used to carve the puppets' masks
kendai: a stand for the chanters
shamisen/samisen: the most popular Japanese stringed instrument, composed of a body, neck and handle
ayatsuri joruri: the more correct name for bunraku (ayatsuri = puppetry, joruri = dramatic text and the chanting of that text)
joruri: the bunraku style of chanting, evolved from that of Buddhist monks
biwa: a musical instrument used by monks to accompany their chanting until the shamisen was imported and chosen over it
kabuki: popular theatre that was similar to bunraku in many ways, except, obviously, for the use of puppets
kugutsu: the earliest name for puppet
Image from https://prezi.com/iz0_v19lzogk/japanese-style-puppeteering/
Gidayu: a tayu famous for having a beautiful voice; he collaborated with Chikamatsu and was the first tayu to ever perform in full view of the audience
Chikamatsu Monzaemon: the most famous playwright of the Edo period, who changed bunraku from the commoner's theatre to a highly respected and sophisticated event through his famous domestic dramas and use of classical prose and poetry in his plays
kugutsumawashi: street performers who settled on Awaji and made little puppet plays
Buddhist monks: they chanted in a style that would lead to the development of joruri
tayu: the chanter of bunraku theatre, who must have a versatile vocal range to be able to mimic the voice of a young child, elderly man, or young woman as he gives voice to all the puppets in the play
shamisen player: they played the shamisen and therefore set the pace and timing of the play, which was considered a large responsibility
omozukai: the principal operator of the puppet, with the highest status; he operates the right arm and the features of the face, supporting the puppet's weight. He, unlike his assistants, did not wear a black hood to make himself "invisble" to the audience; he had no hood and wore bright white and blue
hidarizukai: the first assistant to the omozukai who controlled only the puppet's left arm
ashizukai: the second assistant to the omozukai who controlled the legs, or if the puppet was female, manipulated the skirt to simulate the movements of the legs
Tokubei: the male lead in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, who is dishonored over the lending of dowry money to a friend and commits suicide
Ohatsu: the female lead in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, who kills herself out of love for Tokubei
Places:
Awaji: island that is the birthplace of bunraku
Sonezaki Wood: where Tokubei and Ohatsu kill themselves in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Puppets:
Yokambei: a head that represents a servant or comedic villain
Kukeoyama: a head that represents an important woman who is mature, intelligent, strong, kind to her children and husband, and beautiful
Gabu: represents a young girl, but interestingly it can also be turned into a demon of jealousy with exposed teeth and gold horns
Bunshichi: this is the most famous man's head and represents a strong warrior in his prime
Miscellaneous:
Edo/Tokugawa: the period in which bunraku is founded and flourishes
hayashi: bunraku's orchestra that is mostly percussion and make sounds such as wind, rain, or a flowing river rather than traditional music
kiri: the wood that is used to carve the puppets' masks
kendai: a stand for the chanters
shamisen/samisen: the most popular Japanese stringed instrument, composed of a body, neck and handle
ayatsuri joruri: the more correct name for bunraku (ayatsuri = puppetry, joruri = dramatic text and the chanting of that text)
joruri: the bunraku style of chanting, evolved from that of Buddhist monks
biwa: a musical instrument used by monks to accompany their chanting until the shamisen was imported and chosen over it
kabuki: popular theatre that was similar to bunraku in many ways, except, obviously, for the use of puppets
kugutsu: the earliest name for puppet
Image from https://prezi.com/iz0_v19lzogk/japanese-style-puppeteering/