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Traditionally, Bunraku audiences were more interactive, reacting to the performance vocally, similar to contemporary theater-goers.

Bunraku, also known as Ningyō jōruri, is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century.

The narratives in Bunraku are often derived from traditional literature, including historical tales, love stories, and moral conflicts.

Bunraku puppets are intricate mechanisms, with some larger puppets requiring up to three puppeteers to operate them. They are capable of sophisticated and nuanced movements.

Puppeteers in Bunraku are highly skilled at conveying emotion through subtle movements of the puppet's hands, face, and body.

Bunraku has been designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognizing its importance and ensuring efforts to preserve it.

Bunraku puppets are made from wood, cloth, and leather, and can take up to a year to create due to their detailed craftsmanship.

There are typically three puppeteers for each puppet in Bunraku: the omozukai (head puppeteer), the hidarizukai (left-hand puppeteer), and the ashizukai (leg puppeteer).

The shamisen is a three-stringed musical instrument played alongside the tayu's narration, providing the emotional and atmospheric accompaniment to the story.

Bunraku puppets have unique features such as wigs made from human hair and multiple facial expressions achieved through mechanical means.

The traditional Bunraku stage includes a revolving platform and a curtain called a jōmaku, which is used for scene changes and dramatic entrances and exits.

Historically, Bunraku was used as a means to disseminate cultural stories and moral lessons to the populace.

Puppets in Bunraku can range from about one-half to two-thirds the size of a human, adding to the realism and allowing for detailed movements.

The tayu is the narrator and voice actor in Bunraku, responsible for all of the characters' voices, as well as narrating the story.

The puppets are clad in elaborate and historically accurate costumes that represent the era and class of the characters being portrayed.

Becoming a puppeteer in Bunraku involves years of rigorous training, starting from handling the feet to ultimately mastering the role of omozukai.

Jōruri is a style of chanting in Bunraku, which involves the tayu delivering the dialogue in a rhythmic fashion, often accompanied by the shamisen.

Kurogo are stagehands in Bunraku, dressed all in black to signify they are 'invisible', and they assist in scene changes and puppet manipulation.

In Bunraku, there is a strict hierarchy among puppeteers where the omozukai is the most prestigious position, followed by the hidarizukai, and finally the ashizukai.