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Tadanobu Sato
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Traditional African and Japanese
Puppets Room
century to be shown during honorary presentations. Perhaps it
was given as a gift in recognition of honour, but to whom and
when? It remained shrouded in mystery from 1920 to 1969,
subsequently turning up at the Caracalla Gallery in Lyon from
where it was purchased by the Friends of the Museum Society.
Height
1m25 high by 50cm wide
Disassembled, this puppet comprises only a sculpted wooden
head placed on a costume supported at the shoulders by a sort
of arch. The doll’s body is empty. However, this type of puppet can
weigh up to 5kg. The main puppeteer can hang a mobile rod to
this arch and hang the heavy doll via its hip when it is not being
worked.
name, first name
Sato Tadanobu,
belonging to the Genji clan (Minamoto)
A man in turmoil
Tadanobu appears in a popular play in Japan, The Thousand
Cherry Trees of Yoshitsune, which was inspired by historical facts:
when power passed from the emperor to the military clans in the
12th c., a long fight ensued between two opposing clans, the Heike
(Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto). Minamoto no Yoritomo emerged
victorious and appointed himself Shogun, military governor. But
afraid that his younger half-brother would snatch the power from
him, he tracked him down across Japan.
grey words: items that can be seen in this room
The Thousand Cherry Trees of Yoshitsune, a play written in 1747
by Takeda Izumo 2, Miyoshi Shoraku and Namiki Senryu 1, is a
variation on the theme of this battle.
Tadanobu who, to him, had not really existed, was an officer
serving Yoshitsune.
Date and place of birth, nationality
between 1889 and 1920 at the National
Bunraku-za Theatre of Osaka - Japanese
Spiral, hallmark
of the Grand
Master Tamazo
Yoshida 3
Puppets from this illustrious theatre and
particular period are very rare. Two marks on the
object confirm its birth: an ideogram dating back
to 1889, showing where the head was sculpted,
and a spiral marking on the arm stem stating
that the doll was assembled by Tamazo Yoshida 3
(1860-1920).
It was undoubtedly assembled at the turn of the
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MARIONNETTES DU MONDE
Type of puppet
puppeteers perform in full view
of the audience. This
is currently known as
bunraku style
Bunraku? ningyô jôruri?
Strictly speaking, the bunraku
is, in fact, known as the ningyô
jôruri, a style created in the
late 16th c. in the Kyoto region
and based on two traditions: the
ningyô, puppets or dolls, and the
jôruri, a story accompanied by
the music of the shamisen.
In fact, the term, bunraku did not
appear until the 19th c., coined
after the name of the great Osaka
Sanninzukai,
operated by three people
puppeteer, Bunrakuken. As far
as the purists are concerned,
only the Osaka theatre, the Bunraku-za, presents ningyô jôruri
bunraku. It was included on the International Human Heritage list
as highlighting the innovations made since the 17th c. by the great
names of the Osaka Theatre: the famous works of the “Japanese
Shakespeare”, Chikamatsu, or the puppets for sophisticated
manipulation. Mounted on high getas, a master omo-zukai controls
the right hand and head of the puppet. With only his head exposed, he
directs his two assistants, whose faces are veiled with black gauze,
one of whom controls the left arm and the other one, the feet.
This technique known as Sanninzukai has fascinated many
You may find the notice boards of the museum rooms on our website,
at www.gadagne.musees.lyon.fr
.../...
Tadanobu Sato
english
Physical appearance
a wise young man of the Genta type
The thousand and one heads of the bunrakus
Most heads (kashira) can be used in different plays.
Thus, the puppeteer assembles his puppet before each
performance: He chooses a head from a collection of many,
repaints it, styles the hair and clothes it, etc.
There are approximately 70 types of heads, classified according
to gender, social status and individual characteristics. Apart
from the Genta type used for Tadanobu, the male heads currently
used include the Komei, a wise man of about forty or so, or the
Bunshichi, a man expressing sadness.
The wigs are generally made from human hair. Hair taken from
the tail of a yak can be added to create volume.
Profession
loyal officer (Bushi), serving Minamoto no
Yoshitsune
Tadanobu is a bushi, i.e. a warrior destined to fight in order to
make his clan – the Minamoto – more powerful. Attached to his
lord, he wears the coat of arms (Mons) of the Minamoto clan on
his kimono. In the bunraku theatre, the Minamoto is represented
by an oxcart wheel.
A highly specific bushi
According to the plot of A Thousand Cherry Trees…, Tadanobu
is a very mysterious bushi! Instead of going off to fight, he stays
at the side of Yoshitsune’s concubine, who he saves from the
clutches of the shogun. He often dances with her to the sound of
a certain sacred drum. The audience gradually understands that,
in reality, it is a fox spirit, Genkuro Gitsune, who dons the guise of
Tadanobu in order to follow the drum: in order to consolidate his
position among the fox spirits, Genkuro must pay homage to his
mother whose skin was used to produce the instrument.
In the end, the Minamotos present him with the sacred drum on
hearing his story.
Father
grand master puppeteer Tamazo Yoshida 3
(1860 – 1920)
This is the person who brought this puppet to life, even though
the head, which was undoubtedly sculpted anonymously, bears
the signature of puppeteer Eizo Yoshida. Both worked at the
Bunraku-za Theatre in Osaka over the same period.
Become a great puppeteer or living national treasure!
The Bunraku-za artists form a permanent troupe of professionals.
They stand out from other traditional dramatic actors (kabuki…)
where the names of prestigious scenes, styles of acting and roles
are allocated by blood relatives.
Here, the skilled disciple can take the name of the scene from
his master. To do this, he must have served his master and finetuned his art for thirty years or so. Since 1955, the most brilliant
performers are bestowed with the honorary title of Living National
Treasure.
Friends
Shizuka-gozen, dancing concubine
grey words: items that can be seen in this room
Dance to the tones of the Shamisen
In this play, the meeting between Shizuka and Tadanobu and
the legend of the drum set the tone for subsequent scenes, the
focal interest of which lies in music and dance (see: Yoshitsune
Senbuca, Osaka Bunraku-za theatre, Place au spectacle circuit
in the projection case). There is a dancing section (Michiyuki) in
each of the repertoires. It is used between tragic episodes and is
highly appreciated by the audience.
MARIONNETTES DU MONDE
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la
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rie Ca
racal
Scene from One
thousand cherry
trees of Yoshitsune,
with Tadanobu
and Shizuka,
Japanese print,
1866. © S. et J.
Pimpaneau
G al e
Foreign visas
1969
ŒUVRE
RESTAURÉE
2003
1: Essay by Paul Claudel
You may find the notice boards of the museum rooms on our website,
at www.gadagne.musees.lyon.fr
Y. Takai / C. Déglise / P. Gausset / photo credits : X. Schwebel, R. Agustin ©BNF / © Foundation Oriente - J. Pimpaneau / illustration: A. Le Hy ©musées Gadagne
western observers including Paul Claudel:
“The puppeteer controls them very closely, side by side and they
jump so violently you would think he would miss … The doll is
the collective soul of this shadowy fragment, of this group of
conspirators whose presence is soon forgotten”1.