Puppet, Samurai

This rod puppet was made by the Burton Theatre of Puppets for a show called The Samurai which toured New Zealand Schools in 1974. The play was a combination of two Japanese folk tales.

This puppet is the samurai himself, a warrior of noble birth. He is wearing a hakama (pleated skirt) and kamishimo (jacket with winged shoulders).

In this play the samurai is called upon to deal witha kappa or water sprite whois blamed for the disappearance of children who had been last seen playing on the banks of the river. Upon reaching the riverbank, the samurai discovers that the real wrongdoer is the Long Evil One (a snake-like dragon) and after a fight, the dragon is driven out of the district.