Takemoto Gidayū
Quick Summary
Takemoto Gidayū was a pivotal figure in Japanese performing arts, renowned as a chanter in the jōruri puppet theatre tradition. He collaborated with playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon in Osaka, helping to establish the popular Bunraku puppet theatre. Gidayū's unique chanting style, which involved narrating the play and providing voices for all puppet characters, remains influential today. This expressive delivery was crucial in bringing the wooden puppets to life, adding pathos and realism to their movements. The gidayū style, named after him, is characterized by its demanding vocal performance and the intricate musical accompaniment of the samisen.1
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- jōruri
…between Chikamatsu and the chanter Takemoto Gidayū (1651–1714) raised the puppet theatre to a high art. Gidayū himself became so famous that his style, gidayū-bushi (“Gidayū music”), became nearly synonymous with jōruri.
Read More…between Chikamatsu and the chanter Takemoto Gidayū (1651–1714) raised the puppet theatre to a high art. Gidayū himself became so famous that his style, gidayū-bushi (“Gidayū music”), became nearly synonymous with jōruri.
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Japanese performing artsTokugawa period…Monzaemon (1653–1725) and the chanter Takemoto Gidayū at the Takemoto Puppet Theatre in Ōsaka, the city which became the home of puppet theatre in Japan. The chanter is responsible not only for narrating the play but for providing the voices of all the puppet characters as well; Gidayū’s expressive delivery…
Read More…Monzaemon (1653–1725) and the chanter Takemoto Gidayū at the Takemoto Puppet Theatre in Ōsaka, the city which became the home of puppet theatre in Japan. The chanter is responsible not only for narrating the play but for providing the voices of all the puppet characters as well; Gidayū’s expressive delivery…
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JapanCommerce, cities, and culture…until the three great masters—Takemoto Gidayū as narrator, Chikamatsu Monzaemon as composer, and Tatsumatsu Hachirobei as puppeteer—made jōruri into a highly popular Tokugawa performing art, enjoyed by all classes of society.
Read More…until the three great masters—Takemoto Gidayū as narrator, Chikamatsu Monzaemon as composer, and Tatsumatsu Hachirobei as puppeteer—made jōruri into a highly popular Tokugawa performing art, enjoyed by all classes of society.
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