Awaji's puppet Musume

Puppet theater of Awaji in Hyogo is said to have a history of more than 500 years. In middle Edo period, 48 troupes from Awaji specialized in performance-tours. Most of the puppet theaters with sanni zukai survived in rural areas in Japan are thought to be influenced by this Awaji puppet. Moreover, the fact that dramas which became extinct in Osaka such as Shizugadake nana-hon yari (Hira-dake yukimi no jindate), Oshu hidehira uhatsu no hanamuko and so on have been handed down and survived in this land is remarkable. The popularity of Awaji ningyo joruri also affected Awa in Tokushima prefecture, excellent puppet makers such as Tengukyu and others appeared. The heroine Miyuki of this picture titled Ikiutsushi Asagao-banashi is a puppet head of Awaji puppet and was donated kept in a box like the photo in recent years.