Naoshima Onna Bunraku kicks off 40th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship

MANILA, Philippines - The Naoshima Onna Bunraku Puppet Troupe recently performed at the Maestranza Park in Intramuros to start the celebrations of the 40th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.

The venue was transformed into an improvised theater with a stage set against a newly restored Curtain Wall decorated by bamboos and cherry blossoms. 

Ambassador Toshinao Urabe remarked, “With our historical responsibility in mind, the Japanese Government supported the reconstruction of the curtain wall which was destroyed during the World War II” and that Intramuros hosting a Japanese traditional theater play illustrates the forward-looking nature of Japan-Philippines relations.

The main event featured three performances by the all-women troupe, the Dango Uri, Keisei Awa no Naruto and the Ebisu Mai. The strong affinity of Japan and the Philippines were depicted through the joint performance of Ebisu Mai by the Naoshima Onna Bunraku and the UP CIS Bunraku Ensemble.

The UP CIS Noh Theatre Ensemble complemented the event with the prize-winning piece of UP University Professor Emeritus Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio’s Ang Paglalakbay ni Sisa: Isang Noh sa Laguna, recounting the familiar story of Sisa in a different view. 

This event is co-organized by the University of the Philippines Center for International Studies, Department of Tourism and Intramuros Administration with the cooperation of the Japan Foundation Manila, and sponsored by Japan Tobacco International (Philippines) Hanamaru Udon and the Organization to Promote Japanese Restaurants Abroad (JRO).