Like many classical Japanese arts, Bunraku, Japanese puppet theater, is refined, complex, and collaborative. While interest has ebbed and flowed over the centuries, UNESCO has officially recognized Bunraku as a "masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity," and the last several decades have seen a resurgence of popularity. This collection, largely donated and curated by Barbara Curtis Adachi, who grew up in Japan and spent several decades traveling with and documenting the Japanese National Bunraku Troupe, is one of the richest and most extensive documentations of Bunraku performance and culture in the world. Browse the Images on the site by Plays, Performers, Characters, or Kashira (conductor), or explore the numerous photo albums documenting this rich performance tradition.