祭概要

串で人形を操り、喜怒哀楽を表現！珍しい操法で演じられる独特な人形芝居

説経節の語りに合わせて一体の人形を2人で操る、秩父市荒川白久に伝わる人形芝居。人形の手の操作に竹串を使うなど、全国的にも珍しい操法で演じられます。江戸時代末期～明治時代初期に、白久豆早原（ずさばら）の人々が太田村（現・秩父市）の人から38体の人形を買って一座を組織。寺の縁日や神社の祭礼などで上演していました。映画の普及や戦争のために一時中断しましたが、1952年に地元有志が復活させ、毎年4月に公演を行っています。

主遣いと手遣いの2人が串を用いて1体の人形を操作し、喜怒哀楽を表現。その繊細な技が、串人形芝居の醍醐味です。

"Various emotions of puppets brought out by puppeteers using sticks
Original puppet theater performed with unique techniques."
A form of puppet theater passed down through Arakawa Shiroku in Chichibu City, where each puppet is manipulated by two people to narrations. It is performed by techniques unique to Japan such as how the hands of the dolls are manipulated with bamboo sticks. The troupe consists of 38 dolls purchased by the people of Shiroku Zusabara from the people of Ota Village (currently Chichibu City) between the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. It used to be performed on festive days at temples and shrines. It was canceled for a while due to the popularization of cinema and wartime conditions, but was revitalized in 1952 by local volunteers and is now presented every year in April.
Each doll is manipulated with sticks by a main puppeteer and a helper to show various emotions of the puppets. These delicate techniques show the true appeal of stick puppeteering.

祭基本情報