{{Nihongo, Imada Puppet Troupe, 今田人形座, Imada Ningyōza is a traditional

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

puppet troupe in the style that is commonly known as Ningyō Jōruri (人形浄瑠璃) or

Bunraku (also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers ...

, based in Iida,

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

History

Imada Puppet Troupe performance at Princeton University

The Troupe traces its origins to 1704, when a group of villagers purchased puppets to use in

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

religious rites during the local shrine festival. In the 1820s and 1830s features of popular puppet entertainment were added to the group's performances, and by 1846 local puppeteers had begun traveling to nearby villages to perform. In the late nineteenth century the Troupe became established under its current name, enjoying considerable regional recognition and popularity. Today the Troupe, headed by puppeteer Tamon Sawayanagi, performs regularly on tour and in its own theater, the Imada Puppetry Hall, which was completed in 1993 on the grounds of the Omiya Hachimangu Shrine in Iida. The Troupe traveled abroad in 1993 to perform in

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and again in 2003 for performances in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. In 2007 members of the Troupe traveled to the United States to participate in workshops, demonstrations, and offer performances at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

jointly with Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe. The Imada Puppet Troupe traveled to Taiwan to perform in late August 2009, and to the United States to perform in Oregon, Colorado, Missouri, and New Jersey in October 2009. The Imada Puppet Troupe performs a range of pieces from the repertoire common to the traditional puppet theater such as ''Hidakagawa Iriaizakura'', ''Yaoya Oshichi'', ''Kotobuki Shiki Sanbaso'', ''Tsubosaka Kannon Reigenki'', ''Tokaidochu Hizakurige'', and many others. The Imada Troupe has also created new pieces for the traditional theater, including ''Kotaro Monogatari'', which premiered in 1983 and was revived for the 30th Iida Puppetry Festival in 2008. Although written new for the Imada Troupe, ''Kotaro Monogatari'' is based on legendary material from the Ina Valley, in which the Imada Troupe is located. The Imada Puppet Troupe is actively nurturing the next generation of traditional puppeteers by providing puppetry training and performance opportunities for young adults and for students at local schools. Members of the Imada Puppet Troupe also train students at Ryukyo Middle School, where a large wooden stage has been constructed specifically for the use of the school's traditional puppetry club. The Troupe also has hosted summer puppetry training programs many times for American students at the Imada Puppetry Hall in conjunction with the

and the American-based Japanese traditional puppet theater group, Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe.

External links

Information on the Imada Puppet Troupe (in Japanese)Information on Bunraku puppetry training programs with the Imada Puppet Troupe in Japan for foreign students
Bunraku Puppet troupes

History

See also

External links