Special In-Person Workshop Opportunity!
In-Person Workshop:
Kuruma Ningyō Technique with
Master Puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V
Sunday, May 31 - 2026
Schedule: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (with 1hr lunch break)
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Movement Training and Preparation with Tom Lee
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Masterclass with Koryu Nishikawa V translated by Anna Okuda
Location: Fine Arts Building, Studio 433, 410 S. Michigan Ave
Cost: $288
Please note: Limited scholarships available upon request, BIPOC encouraged to apply. Priority for this workshop goes to applications submitted by May 15th. Fill out interest form.
About the Workshop
Chicago Puppet Festival presents an extraordinary opportunity to experience the 160 year old Japanese traditional puppetry style kuruma ningyō (cart puppetry). Fifth Generation Master Puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V, headmaster of Hachiōji Kuruma Ningyō in Japan, will lead a master class with assistance from his student Tom Lee. English translation will be provided by Anna Okuda.
Kuruma ningyō is a unique solo puppetry tradition related to the Bunraku-style or sanninzukai (three person puppetry). A puppeteer sits on a wheeled cart (rokuro kuruma) and holds the head and arms of the puppet figure in their hands. The heels of the puppet figure are held between the toes of the puppeteer. The puppeteer moves around the stage on the wheeled cart, creating one of the world’s most expressive single puppeteer forms.
This six hour workshop has two parts. First, cultural context, warmup, sanninzukai movement training and preparation for the form will be taught by Tom Lee. After a break, Koryū Nishikawa V will begin a masterclass translated by Anna Okuda. Puppets will include traditional and contemporary kuruma ningyō-style puppets as well as traditional and contemporary carts.
Students will receive a pair of puppetry training sticks inspired by traditional methods to continue their practice at home.
Please note: The kuruma ningyō form is physically demanding. A physical warm up will be built into the process and participants should be prepared to move and wear appropriate clothing. Toe socks (tabi-style) are especially helpful if participants own them. If you have questions about the physicality required, please contact us.
About Koryū Nishikawa V
Koryu Nishikawa V is the fifth generation headmaster of the 160 year-old traditional puppet theatre company, Hachiōji Kuruma Ningyō (cart puppetry theatre of Hachioji), designated an Intangible Folk Custom Cultural Asset by the Japanese government. This unique solo puppetry form was developed by Koryū Nishikawa the First at the end of the Edo Era (1603-1868). As a child, Koryū Nishikawa V received instruction from his father and grandfather. Hachiōji Kuruma Ningyō has performed in over forty countries, including the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA) festivals in the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, Belgium, India, Hungary and France. Koryū Nishikawa V created Shank’s Mare, a collaborative puppet theater production with American puppeteer Tom Lee that sold out performances at The Art Institute during 2019 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Nishikawa returned to the Festival with Akutagawa in 2023 and keeps a bustling schedule of performances and mentoring the next generation in Japan and around the world.
About Tom Lee
Tom Lee is a puppet artist, designer and director based in Chicago. He began his career with Yara Arts Group at La MaMa with projects in Ukraine, SIberia and the U.S. He is a student of Japanese master puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V with whom he created Shank’s Mare (2015) and Akutagawa (2023). Professional performances include War Horse (Broadway), Florencia en el Amazonas & Madama Butterfly (Metropolitan Opera) and The Queen of Spades (Lyric Opera Chicago). Tom recently premiered the puppetry adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness at Chicago Puppet Festival and Mirrored Pool with Eighth Blackbird at Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts, in conjunction with Child of Wood, an exhibit of his puppet work. He is co-director of the Chicago Puppet Studio and Chicago Puppet Lab. www.tomleeprojects.com
