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The Bunraku Puppet Theatre of Japan: Honor, Vengeance, and Love in Four Plays of the 18th and 19th Centuries,New
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The plays presented here were first performed between 1769 and 1832, a time when the Japanese puppet theatre known as Bunraku was beginning to lose its preeminence to Kabuki. During this period, however, several important puppet plays were created that went on to become standards in both the Bunraku and Kabuki repertoires; three of the plays in this volume achieved this level of importance. This span of some sixtyodd years was also a formative one in the development of how plays were presented, an important feature in the modern staging of works from the traditional plebeian theatre. Only a handful of complete and uncut playsoften as much as ten hours longare produced in Bunraku or Kabuki nowadays; included here is one of these. Two among the four plays contained in this volume are examples of the much more common practice of staging a single popular act or scene from a much longer drama that itself is seldom, if ever, performed in its entirety today.Kabuki, while better known outside Japan, has been a great beneficiary of the puppet theatre, borrowing perhaps as much as half of its body of work from Bunraku dramas. Bunraku, in turn, has raided the Kabuki repertoire but to a far more modest degree. The final play in this collection, The True Tale of Asagao, is an instance of this uncommon reverse borrowing. Moreover, it is an example of yet another way in which some plays have come to be presented: a coherent subplot of a longer work that gained an independent theatrical existence while its parent drama has since disappeared from the stage. These later eighteenthcentury works display a continued development toward greater attention to the theatrical features of puppet plays as opposed to the earlier, more literary approach found most notably in the dramas of Chikamatsu Monzaemon (d. 1725).Newly translated and illustrated for the general reader and the specialist, the plays in this volume are accompanied by informative introductions, extensive notes on stage action, and discussions of the various changes that Bunraku underwent, particularly in the latter half of the eighteenth century, its golden age.
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- Q: What is the main focus of 'The Bunraku Puppet Theatre of Japan'? A: The main focus of this book is to explore the plays of the Bunraku puppet theatre from the 18th and 19th centuries, highlighting themes of honor, vengeance, and love.
- Q: How many plays are included in this volume? A: This volume includes four significant plays from the Bunraku tradition, some of which have become standards in both Bunraku and Kabuki repertoires.
- Q: Who is the author of this book? A: The book is authored by Stanleigh H. Jones Jr., who provides translations and insights into the plays.
- Q: What is the publication date of this book? A: The book was published on December 31, 2012.
- Q: What type of binding does this book have? A: This book is available in paperback binding.
- Q: Is this book suitable for both general readers and specialists? A: Yes, the book is newly translated and illustrated, making it accessible for both general readers and those with a specialist interest.
- Q: What are the notable features of the plays included? A: The plays are accompanied by informative introductions, extensive notes on stage action, and discussions of the changes in Bunraku theatre.
- Q: How many pages does 'The Bunraku Puppet Theatre of Japan' have? A: The book contains a total of 336 pages.
- Q: What condition is the book in? A: The book is listed as 'Used Book in Good Condition', indicating it has been previously owned but remains in usable shape.
- Q: What themes are explored in the plays? A: The themes of honor, vengeance, and love are central to the plays, reflecting the cultural and historical context of the time.