BUNRAKU – Traditional Japanese Puppet Theater Performance

07:30 pm, 05 & 06 July 2025
Cong Nhan Theater
42 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Registration form opens from 12 pm June 27, 2025 at here

From the organizer:

With the aim of introducing Vietnamese audiences to one of the finest expressions of Japan’s Bunraku stage art, the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam proudly presents an excerpt of “The Journey to Mt. Yoshino”, taken from the famous play “Yoshitsune and One Thousand Cherry Trees.”

Bunraku is Japan’s traditional puppet theater, renowned for its harmonious fusion of sophisticated puppet manipulation, emotionally rich narration, and evocative traditional music. Originating in the early 17th century and flourishing during the Edo period, Bunraku is not only a treasured cultural heritage of Japan but was also recognized by UNESCO in 2003 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Each puppet is brought to life by three puppeteers working in perfect unison. Every nod, glance, or subtle gesture becomes remarkably lifelike. As the lights dim and the performance begins, the voices of the Tayū (narrator) and the sounds of the Shamisen will draw you into a world where the puppets cease to be mere figures — they become living, breathing characters carrying stories of sorrow, hope, and deep human emotion.

Come and immerse yourself in this enchanting traditional art form — where what you see is not just a performance, but the soul of puppetry in motion.

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