A water puppetry performance marked the commencement of the Viet Nam tourism and culture festival, which opened in the Japanese prefecture of Osaka on June 9.
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The inauguration ceremony of the Viet Nam tourism festival in the
Japanese prefecture of Osaka. |
Organised by the Viet Nam Consulate General in Osaka and the Viet Nam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the programme drew representatives from the Consulate General of ASEAN, the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Association, the Vietnamese Association in Kansai and crowds of local people.
This is the first time Vietnamese puppeteers have performed the traditional and unique art in Osaka , which was brought to the prefecture in celebration of 40 years since Viet Nam ’s reunification day and 70 years of the National Day.
Other activities such as folk music performances and cultural and people-to-people exchanges have helped increase mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and Japan .
Close to 5,200 Vietnamese are living and working in Osaka .
Water puppetry is believed to date back as far as the 11th century, originating in the villages of the Red River Delta region of northern Viet Nam .
Today’s Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the ancient Asian puppet tradition.
The puppets are made of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool; a large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers, who are normally hidden behind a screen, to control them.