Discover Bunraku (文楽), the traditional Japanese puppet theater, at our special lecture, performance, demonstration featuring the Seiwa Bunraku Village Association and Dr. Jyana Browne. Don’t miss this chance to experience the artistry and tradition of Bunraku up close! Seiwa Bunraku is the only remaining traditional puppetry organization in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. This puppet theater group originated about 170 years ago, toward the end of the Edo period, when local farmers in Seiwa Village (now part of Yamato Town, Kumamoto Prefecture) learned Bunraku techniques from visiting members of the Awaji Puppet Troupe.