COURTESY OF OUTREACH COLLEGE The Koryu Nishikawa Puppet Troupe created the hachioji kuruma ningyo style of puppetry about 150 years ago. The puppeteers are dressed in black to appear "invisible."

Classic
Japanese puppetry

Comedy lightens
the serious story matter

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By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

Mention Japanese puppetry to people who have any general knowledge of Japanese culture and they'll probably say "bunraku," where beautifully detailed figures about three feet high are manipulated by teams of three "invisible" black-clad puppeteers.

There is, however, a second type of Japanese puppet theater where the puppeteers sit on small seats with roller wheels, called rokuro-kuruma, with each figure animated by a single puppeteer instead of a team. This style, hachioji kuruma ningyo, was created by the Koryu Nishikawa Puppet Troupe almost 150 years ago.

"It's kind of an off-shoot of bunraku," said Tim Slaughter, director of community programs of the University of Hawaii's Outreach College. "The puppets are the same size, however -- they adapted it so that one puppeteer could operate it from below, vs. bunraku, where they pretty much come straight on from the back."

Besides coordinating cultural events for Outreach College, Slaughter also coordinated the troupe's larger tour of the western U.S.

"They follow a lot of the traditional subjects -- including love suicides -- but with a heavy dose of comedy sprinkled throughout. It's fairly typical of the type of stories in classical Japanese theater, whether it's this one, kabuki or bunraku. There's a lot of heroes and lovers and mixed-up situations."

There is, however, an important difference in the current style and presentation of the Koryu Nishikawa Puppet Troupe. Vocalist Wakasanojo Tsuruga has added a style of music known as shinnai to the puppetry.

"He's sort of an innovator, in that the shinnai music form developed about 50 years before this puppet form, and it was never intended to be presented with performing arts, with puppets or kabuki or anything like that. It was more like a soloist singing in a concert ... but he took it and, working with this troupe of puppeteers, specifically took the music to accompany the performance."

Tsuruga, the 11th member of his family to perform using that stage name, adds the narration and sings to the music of two shamisen players while the puppeteers animate the figures.

Slaughter said that hachioji kuruma ningyo is relatively unknown in Hawaii, and that there is no resident troupe of performers in Hawaii. People who want to learn more about it can attend a workshop tomorrow morning at 10 in the LCC Theatre that will include an introduction to the history and traditions of the Koryu Nishikawa Puppet Troupe and provide hands-on experience in operating a puppet. The workshop fee is $25 and registration information is available by calling 956-8400.

"There are no requirements for participation. It's for the total novice to the experienced -- not that there's many people that have experience in this art form," Slaughter said.

Koryu Nishikawa Puppet Troupe Where: Leeward Community College Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow Tickets: $25 ($20 military, seniors, students, and UH faculty and staff); available at UH-Manoa Campus Center ticket office and by phone Call: 956-6878

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