YAMATO, Kumamoto Prefecture--A traditional puppeteering style passed down for 170 years in mountainous Yamato has adopted the “One Piece” manga as a new form entertainment.

Starting in November, the pirate comic series, which has sold more than 510 million copies worldwide, will be the basis of Seiwa Bunraku, a kind of “ningyo joruri” doll drama, at Museum Seiwa Bunraku here.

“We will improve our performances to win over new fans, including those outside Japan,” said Mamoru Yamashita, 31, a puppeteer. “I expect the title to become a pillar of Seiwa Bunraku from now on.”

Word had spread about the manga-inspired work in late August. Adding to the excitement was the sight of ordinary dolls arranged on a stage at the museum. Pieces of paper showing the names of “One Piece” characters, such as Nami and Zoro, were hanging from the puppets’ necks.

Specialized dolls that resemble the manga’s characters will be used for the actual shows.

In rehearsals, the puppeteers repeatedly adjusted the dolls’ positions with narration in the background. In one scene, a performer carefully confirmed the actions of swordsman Zoro wielding three blades.

“We had never tried to move dolls in such a way,” Yamashita said. “We plan to operate puppets better in hopes of re-creating the characters’ images in the original manga.”

Seiwa Bunraku is believed to have started around 1850, when residents bought dolls from a puppet drama troupe visiting Seiwa village (current-day Yamato) from Awaji in what is now Hyogo Prefecture. The locals learned how to use those puppets.

Four years ago, a young official at Seiwa Bunraku no Sato Kyokai, an association responsible for Seiwa Bunraku performances, suggested the use of a “One Piece” episode.

In it, main protagonist Luffy and other Straw Hat Pirates arrive on an island where doctors are living to save a feverish crew member. They meet a reindeer named Chopper who has learned medicine.

The puppet show portrays the mental trauma of Chopper, who was bullied because of his blue nose, and his encounter and farewell with a physician who healed his scar.

Chopper decides to leave the islet and join the Straw Hat Pirates. His departure is celebrated by snowflakes painted pink to resemble cherry blossoms.

Mikio Sakamoto, 70, chairman of the association, watched the anime version of the episode.

“The strong impression created from the episode was distinguished,” Sakamoto recalled. “I wanted to replicate the scene via ningyo joruri.”

CREATOR GIVES THE NOD

Behind the decision for the change was the difficult situation facing Museum Seiwa Bunraku.

The facility opened 30 years ago, but it has seen fewer group visitors in recent years. Avid fans of the shows and the puppeteers are aging.

The operator, thinking of ways to pass down the traditional art to posterity, saw many non-Japanese sightseers at the museum before the novel coronavirus pandemic hit.

The operator decided that “One Piece,” which has proved popular among young readers around the world, would be the best material to create a new Seiwa Bunraku show.

The manga’s creator, Eiichiro Oda, also hails from Kumamoto Prefecture.

Sakamoto and other officials first reached out to the prefectural government and the Kumamoto Prefectural Theater for advice.

They then won the consent of Oda, who has been working with the prefecture to use “One Piece” to promote recovery from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.

After the manga’s publisher, Shueisha Inc., agreed, development of a stage adaptation got under way.

Dozan Fujiwara, a shakuhachi player, was picked as chief stage director, while playwright and stage director Kensuke Yokouchi was selected as scriptwriter and assistant stage director.

The pair previously teamed together for a Kabuki version of a “One Piece” story.

“We are really looking forward to viewing the finished creation because it will present the appeal of ‘One Piece’ through a new way of expression,” said a Shueisha representative. “(As for the combination of Fujiwara and Yokouchi,) I have only feelings of excitement and security.”

The puppet adaptation is called “Chopper, Embarking from the Winter Sakura” in English. Its all-kanji Japanese title reproduces Chopper’s name pronunciation by adding the word “cho” (super) to the kanji for reindeer.

The debut performance was held on Nov. 5-6 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Theater’s drama hall in Kumamoto city.

Yokouchi said he plans to devise various gimmicks while making full use of the large 1,172-people venue.

Among his approaches is soliciting and training puppet performers and young dancers from the general public to make more local people familiar with Seiwa Bunraku.

Fujiwara aimed to combine “refreshing” dance factors with ningyo joruri’s typical “tense” acts to embody the dolls’ emotions.

“Forms of entertainment that are currently called traditional may have been deemed new when they were just introduced,” Fujiwara said. “Adding titles in line with the trend of the times will have significance.”

The puppet version of “One Piece” will be performed at Museum Seiwa Bunraku and other venues.