‘Bunraku Ningyo Awakenings’ on January 11, 2019
A Performance by Kanroku and Mokugu-Sha at University of Southern California
Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative
Performance Date: January 11, 2019 USC Brain and Creativity Institute’s Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall (BCI)
A Performance by Kanroku and his company, Mokugu-sha, based in Osaka, Japan
Featuring Music by Sage Romero & Robert Piper Jr. of AkaMya Culture Group, Big Pine, CA
Organized by
-Rebecca Corbett (USC Libraries)
-Velina Hasu Houston and Oliver Mayer (USC School of Dramatic Arts)
-Satoko Shimazaki (USC Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures)
-Maki Aizawa (Sonoma Cultural Exchange)
Performance Description: Experience traditional Japanese puppet theatre in a rare performance outside of Japan by renowned bunraku ningyo performer Kanroku and his company, Mokugu-sha. Taking inspiration from antique bunraku puppets from the USC Libraries’ East Asian Library, Kanroku and Mokugu-sha will create a special piece for the USC community. The performance will explore the tension between social obligations and personal desire—a conflict at the heart of the bunraku repertoire—and highlight the expressive possibilities for storytelling with non-human puppets and creative experimentation by bunraku ningyo practitioners past, present, and future.
Artists Description: Renowned Japanese bunraku ningyo puppeteer Kanroku studied at the National Bunraku Theater in Osaka under Master Kanjuro Kiritake II, and was named Kanroku Kiritake in 1979. He then apprenticed under Minosuke Yoshida III, and was renamed Kanroku Yoshida in 1987. In 2006, he started his own theatre company, Mokugu-sha. Kanroku teaches and practices the classical pieces of bunraku ningyo theatre while pursuing contemporary projects and collaborating with artists working outside of bunraku.
Film Produced by Sonoma Cultural Exchange
Film Directed and Edited by Ryo Araki
‘Feathers and Spirits’ on March 22, 2020 – A Postponed Performance
By Kanroku & Mokugu-sha with AkaMya at the Ishibutai Tumulus Area in Asuka, Nara
Due to unforeseen circumstances we are saddened to announce the cancelation of our Kanroku and AkaMya joint event at the Ishibutai Tumulus Area in Japan. We anticipate ‘Feathers and Spirits’ to be rescheduled later this year. AkaMya is a Native American cultural group that is committed to revitalizing indigenous culture through native song and dance. Kanroku is a renown bunraku ningyo performer of traditional Japanese puppet theater. Look for a future performance in Asuka, Nara.
この度、国営飛鳥歴史公園の石舞台古墳にて２０２０年3月下旬に開催を予定しておりました「Feathers & Spiritsー古代遺跡に身を寄せてー ネイティブ・アメリカンと文楽人形」は新型コロナウイルス感染症の影響のため会期を延期することといたしました。大変残念ではありますが、日時につきましては改めてお知らせいたします。
