Imada Puppet Troupe
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Imada Puppet Troupe (今田人形座 Imada Ningyōza?) is a traditional Japanese Bunraku troupe based in Iida, Nagano.
[edit] History
The Troupe traces its origins to 1704, when a group of villagers purchased puppets to use in Shinto religious rites during the local shrine festival. In the 1820s and 1830s features of popular puppet entertainment were added to the group's performances, and by 1846 local puppeteers had begun traveling to nearby villages to perform. In the late nineteenth century the Troupe became established under its current name, enjoying considerable regional recognition and popularity.
Today the Troupe performs regularly on tour and in its own theater, the Imada Puppetry Hall, which was completed in 1993 on the grounds of the Omiya Hachimangu Shrine in Iida. The Troupe traveled abroad in 1993 to perform in France and again in 2003 for performances in Taiwan. It is actively nurturing the next generation of traditional puppeteers by providing puppetry training and performance opportunities for young adults and for students at local schools. The Troupe also hosts summer puppetry training programs for American students at the Imada Puppetry Hall in conjunction with the University of Missouri - Columbia and the American-based Japanese theater group, Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe.
