“Bunraku in the Edo Period (1603-1867) was akin to modern-day TV gossip shows. It is said that a performance based on an actual homicide case was staged as early as a week after the incident ...

Seiwa Bunraku is believed to have started around ... to the kanji for reindeer. The debut performance was held on Nov. 5-6 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Theater’s drama hall in Kumamoto city.