"THE SPECIAL MECHANIC OF JAPANESE PUPPET"

                                The Japanese puppet theatre has almost 1,000 years history
and in EDO-period their development reached a kind of peak
of theatre technology.
We try to make a head of puppet with precise mechanics from
the traditional BUNRAKU system which has specially mobile
neck and head.
Then we have a short lesson how to manipulate them.
You should be surprised how wonderful possibility of expression
they have !



                                                    

Schedule:           The process of production takes 4 or 5 days, everyday 4 or 5 hours.

Space:            Workshop space with tools. Something like atelier of theatre or
craft-school is best. We could also set up such an environment
somehow in ordinary meeting room.

Participants:     The number of participants depends on the size and equipment
of the working space.
I can control max.25 participants with assistants.

Material you prepare: * Wooden board with stand to make the head of puppet
by clay, about 300mm x 300 x 10 (thickness) and 300 height stand,
for each participant (cf. attached photo in website).

* Cube wooden block, about 60mm x 40 x 90.
1piece for each participant. This would be a neck for puppet.

* Cube wooden stick,
about 30mm x 30 x 120 (length).
1 piece for each participant.

* Cube wooden stick,
15mm x 15 x 300 (length) for each participant.

* Column wooden stick,ƒÓ15mm x 600 (length) for each participant.

* Clay, 1kg for each participant.

* Water bucket for clay work, 1 bucket for 2 participants.

* Plaster (for casting) 1kg for each participant.

* Glue for paper and wood (white one) about 250g bottle
for 3 participants.

* Epoxy glue, about 30g set for 3 participants.
This is a special kind of glue for wooden work. You will mix 2
different kinds of glue together (They are usually written A type
and B type on each tube) and it should be fixed very strongly in
20 or 30 minutes.

* Electric handy drill and its blades. If possible, 2 drills for all
participants.
We need the blades of ƒÓ1.5mm, 3mm, 8mm, 15mm.

* Chisel for wood, 1 chisel for 3 participants. The width of the blade
is between 15mm-20mm.

* Chisel for wood, 1 chisel for 3 participants. The width of the blade
is between 3mm-5mm.

* Sandpapers.

* Nail, the lengths are 10mm, 20mm, 30mm.

* Handy gas burner or gas burner, 1 for all participants.

* Strong string, maybe string for fishing, 500mm for 1 participant.

* Elastic string, 300mm for 1 participant.
Flat shape type is better than column shape type.
This is used for underwear, for example.

* Working desk for participants.
And the following things are possible to ask to each participant
to bring by themselves. But please prepare them (at least one-set)
also by your side in the worst case if somebody forgets them home
or breaks on the way of production.

* Saw for wood, 1 saw for 2 participants. We will do small work
on woods. So small saw is better.

* Hammer, 1 hammer for 2 participants.

* Knife for curving wood.

* Pincers, small type and big type.

* Scissors.

* Cutter-knife, small type and big type.

* Painting brush.
We use it for glue work. So used old one is better.

* Spoon for soup, this is for the plaster work.

* Rubber or plastic bowl for the plaster work.

* Working uniform.

* Some waste cloths.

* Pencil.

* Ruler, the length should be more than 200mm.

* Newspaper, 2 sets of newspaper at least.
It will be head of puppet by papier-mache.

* Spatula for clay, it can be teaspoon or small lunch knife.
This tool is used for clay work.

* If you have a pair of vernier calipers,
that is very useful.

E.O.F.