Japan’s Living National Treasure narrative song master with puppetry masters to perform “Treasured Tales from Old Japan,” Oct. 14

 

Cultural News, August 2007

 

 

Shinnai narrative song master Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI (Courtesy of Shinnai USA)

 

 

Master puppetry artist Nishikawa Koryu V of the Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo troupe (Courtesy of Shinnai USA)

 

 Hanford, California -- From September 29 to October 21, 2007, Shinnai narrative song master Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI and master puppetry artist Nishikawa Koryu V of the Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo troupe will present workshops, demonstrations, lectures, and formal performances for audiences in Amherst, Massachusetts, Hanford, California, and St. Louis, Missouri.

 

    The troupe of 5, including Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI as narrator, two shamisen players, and two puppetry artists, will be carrying on a 20-year collaborative relationship between Shinnai and Kuruma Ningyo that has marked an innovative departure from the traditional roots of Shinnai as a narrative form that was originally performed independently of any other performing arts, unlike others narrative styles that have always been associated with Kabuki and Bunraku theater since their beginnings.

 

    On October 14 at Hanford in the central valley of California,  “Treasured Tales from Old Japan” is presented by The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford with the support of the Japan Foundation Performing Arts JAPAN Program and the Toshiba International Foundation.

 

    Acclaimed master of Shinnai narrative singing, Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI, and master of Kuruma Ningyo puppetry, Nishikawa Koryu V, capture light-hearted friendship and painful love from eighteenth-century Japan in their performance of "Yaji Kita," and "Snow" (Yuki).

 

    Dolls operated by Nishikawa Koryu V and his student gain voice through Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI. Together they re-create the world of townspeople in "Yaji Kita," a funny travelogue between fainthearted Kitahachi and a prankster, Yajirobei, who claims that he is not afraid of ghosts; and "Snow," a passionate dance number expressing a woman's suffering caused by love.

 

    Carrying on the name of the 18th century performer who created the art form of Shinnai more than 250 years ago, Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI was designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government in 2001, an honor accorded fewer than 70 performing artists in all of Japan. He has toured extensively outside of Japan as well as performing for exclusive audiences at home, including the Emperor and Empress of Japan in 2006.

 

   Born into the world of traditional puppetry, Nishikawa Koryu V is the fifth generation headmaster to bear this name since this innovative style of puppetry was invented in the mid-19th century and he serves as the leader of the Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo troupe, a group that was designated an Intangible Folk Custom Cultural Asset by the Japanese government in 1996.

 

   The two masters will be joined by two associates, Tsuruga Isejiro and Tsuruga Isetsuwa playing the shamisen, and a second puppeteer, Nishikawa Ryuei.

    The performance will be in Japanese with English projected supertitles. Due to the length of the performance and the written translations, parental discretion is recommended for children under 12 years old.

 

    “Treasured Tales from Old Japan” will be performed on Sunday, October 14 at 3 p.m. at the Hanford Fox Theatre, 326 N. Irwin Street, in downtown Hanford, (559) 584-7823. Admission is $15 for Clark Center members and $18 for non-members. A group ticket is $15 per person for over 12 people. Advance tickets to Clark Center members only will be available on August 15. General admission tickets will go on sale September 1.

 

   For more information, contact the Clark Center at (559) 582-4915 or rmiyazaki@ccjac.org for ticket information or see the tour website at www.shinnai-usa.org.