Title of the performance ：Nakanoshima BUNRAKU 2025 – The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Organizer：Osaka City /Executive Committee for Promotion of Bunraku Theatre [Osaka City, BUNRAKU KYOKAI]
Venue：The Main Hall, 1st Floor, Osaka City Central Public Hall
Nearest Station：Exit 1, “Yodoyabashi” Station, Osaka Metro Midosuji Line/Keihan Main Line
Exit 26, “Kitahama” Station, Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line/Keihan Main Line
Exit 1, “Naniwabashi” Station, Keihan Nakanoshima Line
Date： 2025-08-30〜2025-08-31
Opening time： 8/30（Sat）12:30-13:00・16:30-17:00 ／ 8/31（Sun）12:30-13:00
Starting time： 8/30（Sat）13:00-15:00・17:00-19:00 ／ 8/31（Sun）13:00-15:00
Admission： Advance tickets 2,500 yen (same-day tickets 3,000 yen ) / High school students and younger: Advance tickets 500 yen (same-day tickets 700 yen )
＊No entry for preschool children
Contact Information：TEL06-6372-6707
URL： https://www.osakabunraku.jp/english.html
Buy tickets： https://experiences.travel.rakuten.com/experiences/60081
More Information：On August 30 (Sat) & 31 (Sun), 2025, Nakanoshima Bunraku 2025 will take place at the historic Osaka City Central Public Hall in Nakanoshima.
This special performance presents Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s masterpiece “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki”, blending Bunraku (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) with kōdan storytelling and dynamic projection mapping.
The program lasts about 2 hours (with intermission). The first half features kōdan storytelling: Osaka Pilgrimage to 33 Kannon Temples and In Front of Ikutama Shrine. The second half presents Bunraku: The Temmaya Scene and The Tenjin Forest Scene, including rarely performed episodes that allow audiences to experience the full drama.
Supertitles in modern Japanese and English will be provided. With your smartphone, you can also enjoy an audio guide (Japanese/English) that explains the story and highlights.
Main Performers
[Tayu (Narrator)] Toyotake Tōdayū, Takemoto Oritayu
[Shamisen] Tsuruzawa Enza, Tsuruzawa Tozo
[Puppeteer] Yoshida Tamao II (Living National Treasure), Yoshida Ichisuke
[Kodan] Kyokudo Nankai
[Art] Natsuko Tanihara
The event will be hosted by Takahisa Fujikawa, announcer at Radio Osaka.
