NHK Documentaries
Bunraku in Paris - Oiran: Experts in the Art of Love
2016 • E28 Jul 22, 2016 50m
Designing shoes for Lady Gaga garnered a lot of attention for contemporary artist Noritaka Tatehana. Now he's turning his talents to staging Japan's traditional puppet theater in Paris. Collaborating with bunraku master Kanjuro Kiritake, Tatehana serves as an art director for a story steeped in Japanese aesthetics. The master himself is giving the grand role of the courtesan Akoya its premiere outside of Japan, bringing the soul of the character to the present. The program documents the 2 men's efforts to discover new dimensions of bunraku.