Imada Puppet company ［President　Message］

Imada Puppet Company President

Sawayanagi Tamon

It has been 310 years that Imada Puppet was born on the first year of Hoei era (1704）with villagers manipulating puppets in Joruri plays. There has been ups and downs but we overcame it with the passion and spirit of considerate people. Now, we are working in liveliness being grateful for all of these benefits. The current 20 members of the company is a reunion of puppet lovers amateur from a 100-year-old tayu to 20-year-old, from older to younger people. Aside from special occasions, we do practice and selected trainings once a week. But it is difficult when we cannot do the practice all together because there is everyone’s respective work, etc. Here, in the Ina Valley there are 4 troops including Imada Puppet, the Ina Puppet Preservation Council was inaugurated to improve skills together and host seminars on puppet manipulation, tayu and shamisen, with guest experts 2 or 3 times a year. The presentation of these seminars is opening in November.

In the 3rd year of Heisei (1991), performance in Charleville-Mézières, friend city of Iida in France. Performance at the Nagano Winter Olympics IOC opening ceremony. In the 16th year of Heisei (2004), performance in Yunlin county in Taiwan. Since the 17th year of Heisei (2005), teaching American trainees (university students）for about 2 months. Imada Puppet members are also working hard together to enter this era of exchange with foreign countries.Thanks to the support from Iida city and many other parties the Imada Puppet Hall has also been completed on the 6th year of Heisei (1994). Every year, we are welcoming the "Iida Puppet Festa" in August, the "Oomiya Yahatamiya autumn festival" in October and on its eve the "Yoi Matsuri candle performance", by all means please come and see the Imada Puppet Joruri play.

※A Joruri play is a traditional Bunraku play including songs

※A tayu is a reciter and singer in Bunraku puppet plays