Bunraku Performance in December 2023 in Theatre 1010 (Adachi Ward Cultural Arts Theatre)
Genpei Nunobiki no Taki
Venue : Theatre 1010 (Adachi Ward Cultural Arts Theatre)
Performance Dates
Dec. 4(Mon.) - Dec. 14(Thu.), 2023
Running Time : Approx. 2 hours and 20 minutes
Ticket Prices (tax included)
Adults: ¥6,500
Students: ¥4,600
Seating plan
*Only first floor seats are available.
*Japanese audio guides are available for rent. Click here for details of audio guide.
*Subtitles: Available only in Japanese. Displayed on screen beside the stage.
*English synopsis is available. It is included in the paid Japanese brochure.
*There will be intermission.
Booking Opens
November 14 (Tue.), 10:00AM
* If there are still tickets available for purchase on the day of the event, you may purchase them in person at the Box Office for this performance.
Box Office (on-site) : Open from 10:00 AM (4:00 PM on December 4) until each curtain time.
*Tickets for students and persons with disabilities for this performance are available online.
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Box Office (by phone)
0570-07-9900 (From overseas: +81-3-3230-3000) in Japanese and English
(10:00AM - 6:00PM)
Online Booking : https://ticket.ntj.jac.go.jp/top_e.htm
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in Japanese
Bunraku has an expressive technique that is the first of its kind in the world, through which the Tayū’s narration and shamisen performance relate the storyline with rich musicality, while three puppeteers manipulate a single puppet. This is a traditional performing art unique to Japan, through which you can enjoy both the worldview and detailed psychological descriptions of the story.
Genpei Nunobiki no Taki Chikubu-shima Yūran no Dan / Kurosuke Uchi no Dan
History has charms that stir the imagination of people, inspiring them to let loose their fancies about historical events and their backgrounds. Even today, period dramas/period novels are produced with a new spin put on the lives of historical figures or incidents from a unique perspective. People in the Edo period were likewise fascinated by history. Today’s program, Genpei Nunobiki no Taki, is inspired by “The Tale of the Heike,” a historical story popular among the people of that time.
Saitō Sanemori, a military commander of the Heike family, cuts off the arm of a woman named Koman, who tries to escape by swimming across Lake Biwa while raising the white Genji flag (flag of truce). Meanwhile in Koman’s parents’ house, Aoi Gozen, who is pregnant by the late Kiso Yoshikata, a military commander of the Genji family, is being sheltered. Under an order from Taira no Kiyomori, Sanemori and Senoo Jūrō arrive at the house to investigate whether Aoi Gozen’s newborn baby is a boy. As the interrogation comes to a head, Sanemori cooks up an explanation to sort out the difficult situation. He reports to Senoo that the arm, which was found and brought back by Koman’s father Kurosuke and her son Tarokichi, thought to be born from Aoi Gozen. After Senoo leaves, Sanemori explains the reason for his having cut off Koman’s arm. Sanemori’s formidable appearance as a vigorous warlord, a sense of the vanity of life from the life of Sanemori; precisely because his last moments had already been infamous, the surprising truth revealed by the villain Senoo, and the complex pattern of human relationships among the characters that becomes increasingly clear as Tarokichi grows up…this is a masterpiece full of the charms of Katari-mono (a traditional style of Gidayū narrative). You are sure to enjoy the appeal of the characters’ expressions, among many other things!