Awaji's puppet joruri, which developed in close connection with Kamigata, toured all over western Japan and other parts of Japan from the early Edo period, transmitting joruri culture to the regions. Among the plays that have been handed down by the Awaji Puppet Theater, there are many that were abolished early in the central region, and many that were adapted or created in Awaji. AWAJI NINGYÔ JÔRURI has played an important role in the history of early modern theater.

Regarding the origins of Awaji Puppet Show, a scroll called ``Dokunbo Biography'', which has been carefully handed down by the Awaji-za, contains the story of a puppet master named Hyakudayu of Settsu Nishinomiya. Legend has it that he came to Sanjo Village in Awaji (Ichi Sanjo, Minamiawaji City) and introduced the art of puppetry. In Sanjo, there is an Ebisu shrine that enshrines Dokunbo and Hyakudayu, the ancestral gods of Awaji dolls, and even today, ``Shiki Sanbaso'' is dedicated in front of the shrine on New Year's Day.

In the Edo period, they quickly adopted new Joruri and techniques from Kamigata, and formed troupes to tour all over the country. They performed in temporary theaters called Nogakegoya at each stop, leaving Awaji in early January and returning in mid-December. Awaji puppet theater, unlike other rural theater, was originally a performing art that had been passed down and developed by a group of puppeteers who had made it their profession.

There were more than 40 puppet theaters in Awaji during the Kyoho and Genbun periods (1716-41), and 18 during the Bunsei period (1818-30). Among them, Uemura Gennojoza (Hyuuga nojo, Hikita Gennojo) boasted a long history and authority as the originator of Awaji dolls, followed by Ichimura Rokunojoza. . It is said that the first generation Gennojo dedicated ``Sansha Kagura (Shiki Sanbaso)'' to the Imperial Palace in 1570, and received the rank of Jushiinoge (Junior Fourth Rank Lower). Along with the ``Dokunbo Biography,'' ``Rinji'' has been passed down with great care as proof of the status of Awaji dolls.

In 1615, the first year of the Genna era, the Hachisuka family of the Tokushima domain was granted the entire province of Awaji for their achievements in the Siege of Osaka. Successive domain lords and their families frequently invited the Uemura Gennojo troupe to perform. The oldest recorded performance by the Awaji troupe to date is a performance in front of the Emperor in 1643. The domain also protected the Uemura Gennojo troupe by exempting it from tax (a type of tax), by having them perform special large-scale plays in Tokushima Castle town when they were in financial difficulty, and sometimes by lending them funds.

An example of a large-scale performance in Tokushima Castle is the performance that Uemura Gennojoza held in Higashitonda, Tokushima in 1693. According to the ``Shiba Nemotoki'' (owned by Hiroyuki Sakaguchi), which records this performance, in addition to the regular actors, three tayu and shamisen players were hired from Osaka, and the performance was held for 14 days. The program included seven new Joruri titles at the time, and in particular, ``Tiger Osana Monogatari'' (written by Monzaemon Chikamatsu) was performed over a year earlier than the previously known premiere. This was an era when puppets were handled by one person, but the 8-ken (1 ken is about 1.8 m) stage had the same double handrails as today, and the Hiradoma and the box seats surrounding it were The audience was ``3,000 Tsumo Riya''.

During the Edo period, Awajiza toured as far south as Kyushu, and as far north as Chubu and Hokuriku to Tohoku. The records of Hamanoichi, a feudal domain in Kyushu Prefecture (Oita Prefecture), include performance records of the Awaji-za Theater from 1704 onwards. In the Chubu region, the Ichimura Rokusaburo-za, and in the Hokuriku region, the Nakamura Seiemon-za, Ichimura Rokunojo-za, and Yoshida Denjiro-za were active. These wide-ranging activities of Awaji-za made puppet theater take root in various regions and had a great influence on local culture.

The founder of Bunraku, Uemura Bunrakuken

In Tsukechi-cho, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture, the ``Okinamai'' (shikisanbaso), which was learned from a puppeteer in Awaji in 1682, has been passed down. Inadani, Nagano Prefecture, along the Tenryu River, was a popular area for puppetry, and during the mid-Edo period, many puppeteers from Awaji lived here and taught puppetry. In 1985, old documents including the ``Dokunbo Biography'' were discovered in the Suzue family's closet in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, along with an old doll that had been kept by one person. According to this, the ancestor of the Suzue family, Shirobei, was the younger brother of Suzue Matagoro, a headman in Sanjo Village, Awaji Prefecture. It is said that he has become active. The founder of Bunraku, Bunrakuken Uemura, was also from Awaji, and the playhouse he opened in Takatsu, Osaka in the early 19th century was called ``Bunraku-za'' in 1872, when he was the third Bunrakuken.

Although it is similar to Bunraku in that it is a three-person puppet show using Gidayubushi (the main puppeteer controls the kashira and the right hand, the left puppeteer controls the left hand, and the foot puppeteer controls the feet), Awaji no Kashira is different from Bunraku. Quite large. Starting in the middle of the Meiji period, each theater competed to increase its size, and the dynamic performance of period pieces using large puppets became popular with local audiences. In addition, the Awaji dolls retain a strong Shinto ritual feel, while pursuing a style that is rich in style, such as quick changes. The background changes one after another until it becomes a large Senjojiki hall, using an optical illusion known as ``Dogugaeshi'' (fusuma karakuri), and luxurious costumes are hung from many poles and move up and down in time with the shamisen. ``Kimonoyama'', which will be performed in conjunction with the performance, is also Awajiza's unique production.

Ningyo Joruri as entertainment

There is a saying in Awaji Island that says, ``The play starts in the morning, and the lunch box starts in the evening.'' When the puppet show came, I prepared a box full of treats the night before and watched the puppet show all day long, which was my greatest pastime. During the New Year, ``Sanbaso'' goes from house to house, and at the Ryo Fishing Festival, ``Sanbaso'' goes from house to house. Ebisu-mai (Ebisumai)” to pray for a bountiful catch. There were joruri rehearsal halls all over the island. The ``Danjiri-uta'' sung at festivals is also derived from joruri, and each region has continued to sing their favorite foreign themes. Puppet shows were deeply integrated into the lives of people in Awaji, but their popularity was taken away by new forms of entertainment, and they rapidly disappeared in the 1950s.

The Awaji Doll preservation movement began around 1930, but in 1978 the Awaji Doll Association was established by one city and 10 towns in Awaji, and full-scale preservation efforts began. Managed by Awaji Doll Association Awaji Puppet Theatre is the only troupe currently active, and in addition to regular performances at its permanent hall, it actively holds regional and overseas performances, working to pass down Awaji's unique joruri. Additionally, Minami-Awaji City Kashu Fukui Children's Association, Ichi Elementary School, Nandan Junior High School, Mihara Junior High School, Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Mihara High School, and working groups are also working hard to pass down Awaji dolls. . In 1997, the Awaji Puppet Show Support Club was formed, and the circle of support for Awaji Puppet Theater is expanding.

AWAJI NINGYÔ JÔRURI The original Uemura Gennojoza staged a large-scale performance in Tokushima Castle in 1693. The details of the play have been revealed through the discovery of the Shibai Kongenki (Collected by Hiroyuki Sakaguchi). ``Shibai Nemotoki'' is a scroll compiled by a person named Chien Kiyosumi through careful research, and the only one that exists today is a manuscript transcribed in 1779. There are no detailed records from such an ancient period, including the oldest puppet stage drawings, and they are extremely valuable historical materials.

This play was produced in 1692 when the Uemura Gennojo troupe, which had fallen into financial difficulties, borrowed three kanme of silver notes from the Tokushima domain and applied to hold a performance in the castle town the following year in 1693; it was a "government-funded play" backed by the domain.

The show was run by 20 full-time puppeteers, tayu, and shamisen players, along with newly hired Koshigawa Gondayu, Takemoto Sanai, and shamisen player Harukatsu Yamamoto from Osaka. It was held for 14 days from April 13th to May 8th at a hanging hut built in Tomita. The Tsuji tag mentions the name of Takemoto Gidayu, the founder of Gidayu-bushi and the most popular, but Gidayu actually did not come.

One joruri and four kyogen performances were performed on the 1st, and the program changed daily. Joruri at that time consisted of five stages, and between the intermissions of each stage, ``Aikyougen'', such as dances and skits, was performed. According to Mr. Sakaguchi, joruri was a new production at the time, and ``Oiso Torachi Monogatari'' in particular was performed more than a year earlier than the earliest known performance date (July 7th year of Genroku). The day before the Tayu and Joruri performances changed, we went around town playing the drums.

In those days, puppets were performed by a single person, but the stage was eight bays wide (one bay is about 1.8m) and had a double handrail, so it was the same size as today. A curtain hangs at the front of the stage. Until the current storytelling floor was installed in 1728, the tayu and shamisen player performed behind the curtain at the front of the stage.

The seating area was a flat dirt floor (14 bays x 13.5 bays) surrounded by a box stand, and the scale of the venue was astonishing - it was estimated to accommodate a total of 3,000 people. There was also a concession stand (a hut selling sweets and other items).

Spectators pay 5 minutes to buy tickets at the bill counter and enter through the Kido exit. General customers rent a rug at the Nakakido and sit on the Hiradoma. The price of rugs was 1 monme 3 minutes for 1 tatami mat, 7 minutes for ususuberi, and 1 minute for half tatami mat. The box seats sought by high-class customers ranged from 5 monme to 17 monme, and the price varied greatly depending on the location. The prices of Kitosen and rugs were about the same as those at local performances of top-class plays in Kamigata, such as Takemoto Gidayu. Initially, 800 tickets were prepared, but it was such a success that they ran out of tickets and had to increase the number by 600.