"I entered the world of bunraku by accident, without knowing anything about it," says shamisen player Tsuruzawa Enjiro, who has just received the prestigious stage name Tsuruzawa Enza (VI) previously held by his master.
In 1977, at age 18, Enza VI -- then known by his real name, Shinichi Tanaka -- applied to the National Theater's training program to study the shamisen, driven by a love of the minyo folk singing he watched on television.
"While attending classes at the National Theater, I came to like gidayu [narrative] music" he continues. Thus, when he completed his two-year training, he was assigned to work under Tsuruzawa Enza V, a living national treasure who was prominent in bunraku. This is how he unexpectedly came to be a part of bunraku, the traditional Japanese puppet theater that is accompanied by narrators and shamisen.