also: くぐつし
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.
彼は人形劇の傀儡師として活躍している。
He is active as a puppeteer in puppet theater.
くぐつしは中世の日本で旅
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.
彼は政界の傀儡師と呼ばれている。
He is called the wirepuller of the political world.
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.
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.
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.