“Tamashii-Ire-No Gishiki” (traditional ceremony to animate Bunraku puppets)

On January 28, the Musée des arts de la Marionette of Tournai celebrated their new acquisitions, two Bunraku puppets. They are the first Bunraku puppets to be exhibited in public in Belgium. The museum managed to organise a special opening with “Tamashii-Ire-No Gishiki”, a traditional ceremony where a soul is breathed into the puppets. Ambassador Ishii and his wife, together with Ms. Kurihara, attended the ceremony performed by Mr. Hidehito Matsuura, puppeteer, and his team, who were invited from Japan for the occasion. The audience was enchanted with the puppets’ refined movements synchronized to the musical performance of a Belgian cellist, which was specially arranged for the ceremony in Tournai.