Album with two colored woodcuts of costumed puppets, and 17 mounted gelatin silver prints showing 40 puppet heads. Each page faced with mounted text in Japanese, and added tipped-in English translations. (Oblong) 19.1x27.9 cm (7½x10"), beige boards with mounted Japanese woodcut, string tied.

Bunraku is a blending of storytelling and puppetry and possibly the most developed form of puppetry in the world. Starting out in Osaka in 1684, the art flowered during the eighteenth century and then lost favor until recent times. The puppets are large usually about half life-size and the main characters are operated by three puppeteers, The main puppeteer, who manipulates the head, is seen on stage, generally dressed in bright robes, while his assistants wear black.