{"id":36889,"date":"2026-10-08T11:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/culture\/?p=36889"},"modified":"2026-10-08T11:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:39:47","slug":"%e3%80%90%e6%9c%83%e6%b4%a5%e5%85%ab%e4%b8%80%e8%a8%98%e5%bf%b5%e5%8d%9a%e7%89%a9%e9%a4%a8%e3%80%91%e5%af%8c%e5%b2%a1%e3%82%b3%e3%83%ac%e3%82%af%e3%82%b7%e3%83%a7%e3%83%b3%e5%b1%95-%e8%bf%91-2-2-2-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/culture\/news-en\/2026\/10\/08\/36889\/","title":{"rendered":"\u3010Yanai Initiative\u3011Open Talk “When a Woman Grieves in Bunraku: The Expression of Sorrow as Exemplified by Ushiro-buri<\/i>\u201d (November 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open Talk: When a Woman Grieves in Bunraku: The Expression of Sorrow as Exemplified by Ushiro-buri<\/em><\/h3>\n

The Yanai Initiative<\/a> welcomes NAKANO Fukune, a Part-time Lecturer at Kyoto City University of Arts, who will explore how sorrow is expressed by ushiro-buri<\/em> when a woman grieves in Bunraku.<\/p>\n

One of the highlights of Bunraku is the kudoki<\/em>, a scene in which a female character expresses her deep sorrow. As the music reaches its climax, the onnagata<\/em> (female puppet) suddenly turns her back to the audience, arching her upper body and spreading her arms like wings. Known as ushiro-buri<\/em>, this graceful movement marks a moment where the puppet momentarily transcends human form\u2014an aesthetic expression unique to Bunraku puppetry.<\/p>\n

Yet, this striking gesture relies entirely on the seamless coordination of three puppeteers. How do they collaborate to achieve this complex form, and why is such a visual spectacle employed to express grief? Drawing on video records of actual performances, this lecture analyzes the operational sequence of ushiro-buri<\/em> and examines its receptive effect on the audience.<\/p>\n