The Takemoto-za (竹本座) was a ''
bunraku'' theatre in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, founded in 1684 by
Takemoto Gidayū
was a ''jōruri (music), jōruri''Though Japan's puppet theatre is more commonly known as "bunraku" in English, that term refers to a specific school of performance established nearly 200 years after Gidayū's time. chanter and the creator of a s ...
. Plays by many famous playwrights were performed there, including works by
Chikamatsu Monzaemon,
Namiki Sōsuke
Namiki Sōsuke ( ja, 並木宗輔; 1695 – c. 1751), also known as Namiki Senryū, was a prominent Japanese playwright who wrote for both ''kabuki'' and ''bunraku'' (puppet theater). He produced around 47 bunraku plays, nearly 40 of them co ...
, and
. Many of the playwrights working at the Takemoto-za worked together, as a committee, as was the custom at the time.
The Takemoto-za had a fierce rival in the
Toyotake-za, built by one of Takemoto Gidayū's former disciples.
Though ''bunraku'' remained exceptionally popular through 1764, at that time it began to be eclipsed by
kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought to ...
and to fall into decline. The Takemoto-za was forced to close in 1767, and though it opened once more after that, it soon afterwards closed again.
References
*Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Kabuki Glossary at Kabuki21.com Accessed 14 September 2006.
{{coord missing, Osaka Prefecture
Buildings and structures completed in 1684
1767 disestablishments
Bunraku
Culture in Osaka
Former theatres in Japan
1684 establishments in Japan