傀かい儡らい師し

also: くぐつし

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ら

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Meanings

noun

puppeteer; puppet player

Literal sense: a person who manipulates puppets. The reading かいらいし is standard; くぐつし is a historical term for traditional itinerant puppeteers.

彼かれは人にん形ぎょう劇げきの傀かい儡らい師しとして活かつ躍やくしている。
He is active as a puppeteer in puppet theater.
くぐつしは中ちゅう世せいの日本にほんで旅たびをしながら人にん形ぎょうを操あやつった。
Kugutsushi were itinerant puppeteers who traveled around medieval Japan.

noun

wirepuller; string-puller; man behind the scenes

Only with reading かいらいし

Figurative sense: a person who secretly controls others or events from behind the scenes. Only used with the reading かいらいし.

彼かれは政せい界かいの傀かい儡らい師しと呼よばれている。
He is called the wirepuller of the political world.

Kanji

傀large
儡defeat
師expert, teacher, master
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM

Related words

人にん形ぎょう遣つかい
Refers specifically to a puppeteer in the context of traditional Japanese puppet theater (ningyō jōruri). 傀儡師 is a broader term that can also be used figuratively.
黒くろ幕まく
Means 'black curtain' and is a common term for a behind-the-scenes manipulator. 傀儡師 is more literary and less common in everyday speech.

Built from

傀かい儡らい+師し

Written forms

傀儡師
- かいらいし
  Standard kanji form for the reading かいらいし. Used for both literal puppeteer and figurative string-puller.
- くぐつし
  Alternate reading for the same kanji, used historically for traditional puppeteers. The reading かいらいし is far more common in modern Japanese.
傀儡くぐつ子しUsage100%
Historical/archaic spelling associated with the reading くぐつし, referring to traditional itinerant puppeteers.
くぐつし

Etymology

傀儡 (kairai, 'puppet') + 師 (shi, 'master' or 'specialist'). The reading くぐつし derives from the historical term 傀儡子 (kugutsu), referring to itinerant entertainers in medieval Japan.