Which Bunraku plays are known as the Three Great Masterpieces of puppet drama?
The "Three Great Masterpieces" of Bunraku (Japanese puppet drama) are all-day history plays written in the 1740s by the theatre manager and writer Takeda Izumo II in collaboration with other authors. These works are considered the pinnacle of mature puppet drama and are staples of both the Bunraku and Kabuki repertoires.1
The three plays are:
- Sugawara denju tenarai kagami (1746; The Secret of Sugawara’s Calligraphy)1
- Yoshitsune sembonzakura (1747; Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)1
- Kanadehon Chūshingura (1748; Chūshingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers)1
Among these, Kanadehon Chūshingura is noted as the best-loved and most frequently performed drama in Japanese history. It is based on the true story of 47 loyal retainers who avenged their lord’s death before committing ritual suicide. These plays are renowned for their intense emotionalism, particularly in scenes of self-sacrifice and tearful family separation, which were designed to showcase the sophisticated capabilities of the three-man puppet manipulation technique.1