Tama Traditional Culture Festival 2016

Head out to Hachioji in late November for a hearty serving of traditional performing art with roots in the Tama area west of central Tokyo. In addition to festival music, dancing by local geisha and amateur kabuki, you can look forward to a puppet show in the Hachioji kuruma ningyo style. Unlike traditional bunraku puppet shows, in which the dolls are controlled by three perfomers, this version sees the entire play performed by a single puppeteer. While obviously increasing the level of difficulty, this arrangement allows for more life-like movement than in bunraku. Furthermore, students from Tokyo Zokei University's graduate school will be showing off their version of kage-e, a form of shadow play sometimes referred to as 'Edo-era animation' and widely performed in the Tama region from the Meiji to the early Showa eras.