Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu Book

Chikamatsu is a little like the Japanese Shakespeare. His work was groundbreaking and deeply influential in its time. But he wrote mainly for a type of puppet theater that went out of style for the most part (or out of business) and so his works haven't been remembered and produced to the same extent.

I only read parts of the book's introduction and the first play, mainly because the book is a bit mildewed (allergies.) I really enjoyed what I read and hope to find a copy that's in better shape. And I'd be interested in reading an in-depth history of Bunraku, the kind of puppet theater that Chikamatsu wrote for.

To quote Wikipedia: "His most famous plays deal with double-suicides of honor bound lovers."

The play I read, the first one in the book, is also his most famous, about two lovers who fall into complicated and untenable circumstances and in order to keep their honor and leave their problems behind, commit double-suicide.

It was interesting reading and trying to imagine what the staging might look like. There are some cool photos online of Bunraku and clearly the play has also been adapted for theater with live actors.

On a muppet wiki page there's some interesting discussion of the connection between traditional puppet theater like Bunraku, and Jim Henson's muppets.



I bet a graphic history of puppet theater would be pretty cool.