Japan - Japanese Theatre Series III "BUNRAKU" 1972

JAPANESE THEATRE SERIES POSTAGE STAMPS (III) "BUNRAKU"
Date of issue: 01 March 1972

"Bunraku" is a puppet show traditionally performed by the Bunraku-za Theatre in Osaka. Along with Kabuki and Noh, it is one of the classical public entertainment peculiar to Japan played to joruri (a kind of ballad drama) accompanied by the shamisen (a three-stringed musical instrument).
Occupying a high place as the public entertainment, it was the designated as the national important intangible cultural asset in May 1955.

Design : "Kumagai-jinya"
Denomination : 20 yen
Size of impression: 27mm x 31mm
Printing process : 4 Colour Photogravure
Sheet composition: 20 (4 x 5) stamps
Photograped by : Koichi Mitsumura
Arranged by : Saburo Watanabe
Quantity issued : 32,000,000

Design : "Nozaki-mura"
Denomination : 20 yen
Size of impression: 25mm x 35.5mm
Printing process : 5 Colour Photogravure
Sheet composition: 20 (4 x 5) stamps
Photograped by : Kakichi Hayashi
Arranged by : Minoru Hisano
Quantity issued: 32,000,000 stamps

Design : "Awa-no-naruto"
Denomination : 50 yen
Size of impression: 48mm x 33mm
Printing process : Intaglio-tonal engraving, dry-offset
Sheet composition: 10 (2 x 5) stamps
Photograped by : Kakichi Hayashi
Arranged by : Hitoshi Otsuka
Quantity issued : 18,000,000 stamps