Although they both originated in the Edo period, an era that experienced a blossoming in the performing arts, particularly for popular audiences in the entertainment districts of the capital of Edo (now Tokyo), Shinnai narrative singing and Kuruma Ningyo puppetry evolved as two separate art forms until the modern-day collaborations first begun between Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI and the late Nishikawa Koryu IV.
Click on the links at right to learn more about the history of Shinnai, Kuruma Ningyo, and their innovative new collaborations.
2007 USA Tour sponsors
Supported by the Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN Program
Toshiba International Foundation