Jōruri (music)

Jōruri (浄瑠璃) is a form of traditional Japanese narrative music in which a tayū (太夫) sings to the accompaniment of a shamisen.

[1] Jōruri accompanies bunraku, traditional Japanese puppet theater.

[2] As a form of storytelling, jōruri emphasizes the lyrics and narration rather than the music itself.

[3] According to Asai Ryōi, the first performer to have ever employed the shamisen during his storytelling, instead of the biwa, was chanter Sawazumi.

Following this event, every tale sung to the accompaniment of a shamisen became emblematic of the jōruri style.