The beginnings of the Seiwa Bunraku Puppet Theater are said to date back approximately 170 years, when villagers who loved Joruri, a traditional Japanese performing art, received dolls from a puppet theater troupe from Awaji that was visiting the former Seiwa Village and learned how to operate them.
The only place in Kyushu where one can enjoy Ningyo Joruri (puppet joruri), the Seiwa Bunraku Puppet Theater is comprised of three buildings—the stage building, the auditorium building, and the exhibition hall—and was built by bringing together the quintessence of time-honored traditional Japanese architectural techniques.
In particular, the auditorium building utilizes the “kibasen kumite (reciprocal frame)” construction method, which works on the principle of leverage, and the roof of the exhibition hall was built using a method called the “bat construction method,” arranging timber beams into a dodecagon. Both of these structures are beautiful to look at and allow visitors to feel the warmth of wood.
There are approximately 200 performances per year, put on by local tayu (high-ranking noh actors) and puppeteers.
Additionally, the “Seiwa Bunraku no Sato Matsuri,” or “Home of Seiwa Bunraku Festival,” is held every September, during which sales of local produce and other activities are held.