The Barbara Curtis Adachi Bunraku Collection, 1964-2003
Summary Information
At a Glance
- Bib ID:
- 6226404 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Adachi, Barbara C., 1924-2004; Chikamatsu, Monzaemon, 1653-1725; Yoshida, Tamao, 1919-2006; Yoshida, Bunjaku, 1928-2016; Yoshida, Minosuke, 1933-; Ōe, Minosuke, 1907-1997; Peccinotti, Harri; Sackett, Joel; Takeda, Izumo, 1691-1756; Chikamatsu, Monzaemon, 1653-1725 (Title of work: Sonezaki shinjū.); Chikamatsu, Monzaemon, 1653-1725 (Title of work: Shinjū ten no Amijima); Chikamatsu, Hanji, -1786 or 1787
- Repository:
- C. V. Starr East Asian Library
- Physical Description:
- 57 linear feet (57 linear feet of paper materials; 13571 slides; 7571 photographic items including negatives; 71 audio and video materials with 139 preservation master copies and 139 CDs of the same materials; 89 realia objects)
- Language(s):
- English , Japanese .
- Other Finding Aids
-
Barbara Curtis Adachi Bunraku Online Collection: https://bunraku.library.columbia.edu
- Additional Description:
- https://www.columbia.edu/sec/cu/lweb/eresources/archives/eastasian/adachi/ldpd.6226404.001.f.html
- Access:
-
This collection is available for use by qualified readers by appointment in the Kress Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room, C. V. Starr East Asian Library at Columbia University. Collections maintained in off-site storage will be retrieved with advance notification only; for further details, please consult the C. V. Starr East Asian Library staff. For further information and to make an appointment, please call (212) 854-4318.
Description
Summary
This collection contains slides, photographs with corresponding contact sheets and negatives, audio and video materials, performance-related printed materials, realia objects and personal papers. Visual, audio, video and printed materials, and realia objects are described at the item level with play titles, production dates, and performer names and other descriptors, if applicable. Personal papers are described at the folder level. 178 plays, 290 productions, and 183 performers of the National Bunraku Troupe are cited in this collection. Visual and printed materials for fifteen Living National Treasures of Japan in Bunraku are also included in this collection.
Arrangement
This material is arranged by format and genre in eight series: Slides; Photo Albums; Contact Sheets; Photographic Prints; Negatives; Audio and Video Materials; Printed Materials and Realia; Personal Papers. The arrangement of materials within each series is described at each series (or subseries) description.
Using the Collection
Other Finding Aids
Barbara Curtis Adachi Bunraku Online Collection: https://bunraku.library.columbia.edu
Restrictions on Access
This collection is available for use by qualified readers by appointment in the Kress Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room, C. V. Starr East Asian Library at Columbia University. Collections maintained in off-site storage will be retrieved with advance notification only; for further details, please consult the C. V. Starr East Asian Library staff. For further information and to make an appointment, please call (212) 854-4318.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Columbia University is providing access to the materials in the Library's collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of Columbia University is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, C. V. Starr East Asian Library, Columbia University. In addition to permission from Columbia University, permission of the copyright owner (if not Columbia University) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distributions, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. Columbia University makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.
Preferred Citation
Barbara Curtis Adachi Bunraku Collection. C. V. Starr East Asian Library, Columbia University.
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact starr@library.columbia.edu for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source of acquisition--This collection was a gift from Barbara Curtis Adachi in 2000.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, C. V. Starr East Asian Library
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Maiko Ota Cagno, Bunraku Project Archivist, and Azusa Tanaka, archivist assistant, C. V. Starr East Asian Library, in 2005-2007.
Biographical / Historical
Bunraku, one of the world's most highly developed forms of puppet theater, is an unusually complex dramatic form, a collaborative effort between puppeteers, narrators, and musicians. First developed in the seventeenth century, Bunraku was officially recognized as a "masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 2003.
Barbara Curtis Adachi (1924-2004), who lived most of her life in Tokyo, witnessed her first Bunraku performance in 1935, at the age of eleven. Her extensive involvement with the troupe began in the 1960s and continued throughout the rest of her life. She attended over four decades of Bunraku and kabuki performances, conducted over one hundred interviews of performers and craftsmen, and took thousands of photographs of both traditional Japanese theater and crafts. Adachi toured with the National Bunraku Troupe both in Japan and in the United States, appearing with them for demonstrations, lectures, and television performances. Adachi, a former columnist for two Tokyo newspapers, lectured widely on Japanese crafts and theater, and wrote several books including "The Voices and Hands of Bunraku" (1978) and "Backstage at Bunraku" (1985).
The Barbara Curtis Adachi Bunraku Collection at Columbia's Starr East Asian Library represents four decades of close contact and respectful collaboration between Adachi and the Japanese National Bunraku Troupe, the leading performance group of Bunraku in the world. Adachi's numerous superb photographs of rehearsals and performances reflect the depth of her understanding and knowledge, as do the other diverse artifacts she selected over the years for inclusion in her collection. The comprehensive combination of visual, audio, and textual materials provide researchers with the foundation for studying all aspects of the Japanese puppet theater in modern times, and for studying these aspects in relation to each other.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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