Iwatani, to preserve a Japanese traditional performing art and art form, has established a fund to subsidize Bunraku, the Japanese puppet theater, which combines the arts of puppetry and joruri, popular music with dramatic recitation accompanied by a shamisen which is a kind of Japanese banjo. A person under the age of 30, irrespective of nationality, can watch a performance of Bunraku for 500. The purpose is to have a large number of young people come into contact with a Japanese traditional performing art and art form and transmit this to the next generation.

Bunraku came into being in Osaka at the end of the 17th century. It is a puppet theater and has even been registered by UNESCO as a preserved intangible cultural heritage. It is a tradition art form which has a high reputation worldwide.

Up to now, during the 2 year period from 2014 to 2015, Arts Support Kansai obtained a grant of 5 million as the “Keihanshin Building Bunrak Subsidy”, and chiefly targeting students in the Kinki Area, implemented a system whereby for a single 500 coin they can watch a performance of Bunraku. During this time period a total of about 1,000 young people visited the Bunraku Theater. Because there was an intention to continue this system on the part of Arts Support Kansai, Iwatani stood up for support by contributing another 5 million. During the 2 year period from 2016 to 2017 again for a single 500 coin young people will be able to attend a performance of Bunraku.

At a press conference on September 29, Iwatani Chairman Akiji Makino commented, “I think that preserving Japanese culture and art is one social responsibility of a company. Bunraku is an art form composed of a trinity of a gidayu reciter (a style of reciting dramatic narratives), the shamisen, and a puppeteer. A common feature is the importance of teamwork. We therefore set up the current fund.”

The performances which are a target of the fund will start on November 7. Applications can be made through the website. The URL is www.bunrakuza.com/onecoin/.