jōruri; dramatic narrative chanting with shamisen
A traditional Japanese performing art featuring a chanter who narrates a story to shamisen accompaniment, closely associated with bunraku puppet theater.
The narrator in jōruri is called a tayū.
In bunraku, the jōruri chanting and the puppeteers work together to advance the story.
The name is said to derive from the title of a popular 15th-century love story, 'Jōruri-hime Monogatari', which was often chanted in this style.