Artist Interview アーティストインタビュー
極限の声を追求する
文楽の義太夫
other
In search of the ultimate voice,
The Bunraku Gidayu
Rosetayu Toyotake (Bunraku gidayu)
Rosetayu Toyotake (born 1965), the winner of the 2013 Japanese Traditional Cultures Foundation Award, is seen by many today as one of the leading tayu (the vocalist reciting the
gidayu
script of Bunraku puppet plays) of the next generation of Bunraku performers. Born in Osaka in the 17th century, Bunraku is a form of puppet theater performed by three types of performers, the tayu vocalist, the shamisen (3-stringed instrument resembling a banjo) players and the puppeteers. In a Bunraku performance, the role of the tayu is particularly important, as he uses his vocal virtuosity not only in reciting the lines of the puppet characters, male and female old and young, but also the play’s narrative descriptions of the scenes and story background, thus expressing the very heart of the play in words and the vocal delivery. It is said that many years of practice and experience are necessary to master the art of the tayu. Among today’s younger generation of tayu performers, Rosetayu has won recognition in the Bunraku world for the richness of voice he brings to his performances of both the traditional Bunraku repertoire and new plays, including his role as tayu for the first Bunraku play by the popular comedy playwright and script writer Koki Mitani’s
Sorenari Shinju
that premiered last year amid much attention. In this interview we hear Rosetayu thoughts about Bunraku and the spirit he brings to his performances.
Interviewer: Kazumi Narabe, journalist