ITO Project was established in 2001 by volunteers from a marionette theater company. The company creates contemporary pieces and conduct puppeteer workshops while working to pass down the techniques of string puppetry. This production, our second collaboration with Amano Tengai, is a reworking of the original from 2018.
The show is based on Shibusawa Takahiko’s masterful final work, the fantasy novel “Takaoka’s Travels.” It depicts the extraordinary journey of Prince Takaoka through Southeast Asia, where he encounters a whirlwind of adventures on his way to India. He meets strange creatures such as talking beasts and a tapir that eats dreams. A princess is afflicted with a disease curable only by eating the tapir’s flesh, so Takaoka is imprisoned in order to provide dreams to keep the tapir fed. He then has a fateful reunion with the ailing princess. The story intricately intertwines themes such as dream worlds and embedded structures, the symbolism of spherical bodies such as eggs and pearls, mirrors and alter egos, disruptions in time-space, and eroticism. At the end of his journey, knowing his death is near, the prince employs an ingenious plan to reach India…
This fantastical world is brought to life through the delicate movements of marionettes. Midway through, a dream sequence in the desert highlights the surreal yet beautiful movement of the marionettes, where body parts split and combine at will and fingers emerge out of nowhere to manipulate marionettes that are themselves manipulating marionettes. The love for marionettes and strings is evident even after the story concludes as the character for “The End” transforms into a living creature.

2023
Menicon Theater Aoi

Presented by The Japan Foundation (JF) (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/)
In cooperation with EPAD (https://epad.jp)

＜Performance Credits＞
Narrated by CHIKU Toshiaki
Performed by UEDA Yatsuki（Puppet Theater OMAKE NO OMAKE）, TAKENOSHITA Kazumi（Puppet Theater OMAKE NO OMAKE）, NAGATSUKA Aki（marionette appuu）, BANDO Ayako（JIJO）, YAMADA Toshihiko（Puppet Troupe Cocon）, IWAMOTO Sonoko（Shonen Oja Kan）, GOTO Wataru（IIDA PUPPET CENTER）, SUGAWARA Yoshiteru（Yamanekoken）, YOSHIDA Mayumi（kiinajikkensitu）
Written and Directed by AMANO Tengai（Shonen Oja Kan）
Based on the novel: SHIBUSAWA Tatsuhiko
Music by Tamami（Shonen Oja Kan）
Scenic Design by AMANO Tengai（Shonen Oja Kan）
Production Coordinator: TAKENOSHITA Kazumi（Puppet Theater OMAKE NO OMAKE）

＜Subtitling Credits＞
Multilingual subtitling: Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

Chinese Translation (Simplified): LIN Shu
Chinese Translation (Traditional): nonunique solutions
English Translation: YAMAGATA Mirei
French Translation: SOEJIMA Aya
Spanish Translation: José Antonio AMBRIZ
Thai Translation: Piyawan Ning SAPSAMROUM

＜Promotional Text＞
TAKASHIMA Megumu

＜Company Website＞
https://itoayatsuri.com/