Traditional puppetry Ningyo Johruri Bunraku, will be presented in Ha Noi.

HA NOI (VNS)— Ningyo Johruri Bunraku, traditional puppetry from Japan, will be performed in the capital by Osaka's Bunraku Company.

Bunraku puppet theatre blends sung narrative, instrumental accompaniment and puppet drama. Some are historical plays set in feudal times, while others are contemporary dramas exploring the conflict between affairs of the heart and social obligations.

The artists will perform an extract of Date Musume Koi No Higanoko (The Furious Love of a Greengrocer's Daughter), based on affairs from the Edo period about 300 years ago. Approximately 160 of the 700 plays written during the Edo period remain in today's repertory.

When the protagonist Kichisaburo loses his sword, he is about to commit seppuku (suicide by disembowelling). His lover, Oshichi, a greengrocer's daughter, finds out where he lost the sword, but she can't go to inform him because all the city gates are closed. Since gates are opened if there is a fire, Oshichi climbs a watchtower and sounds an alarm bell.

Presented by the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Viet Nam, the performance will take place at the Viet Nam Puppet Theatre, 361 Truong Chinh Street, Ha Noi, on August 30. Free tickets can be collected at the Japan Foundation, 27 Quang Trung Street. — VNS