Art Festivals & Events

Bunraku, the puppet theater tradition carried on in Osaka since the Edo period, transmits essentially Japanese aesthetic sensibilities refined over the centuries. The program features three Bunraku classics: Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s “Love Suicides at Amijima,” the tragic story of ill-fated lovers and the sufferings of people around them; “Kagekiyo and His Daughter,” an interweaving of the themes of personal pride, love between father and daughter, and the transience and emptiness of life; and “A Tragic Love Triangle” a masterpiece of portraying the lives of the common people of the Edo period. Visitors from overseas can deepen their enjoyment of the performances by obtaining English information in advance from the theater web site and booklets providing commentaries in both Japanese and English.