script freed Ishii from following the conventional Bunraku imageries. The most memorable look of the set was the scene where an enormous cherry tree with full blossoms (an adaptation of the Herne's oak tree from The Merry Wives of Windsor) dominated the stage (Figure 25). Placing a three-dimensional cherry tree was a major departure from the conventional flat painted pine tree, which is often used in Kabuki and is a permanent fixture on the Noh stage. In a bar scene, the multiple Bunraku conventions were broken with the classic architectural structure creating the depth and framing the shadow puppets in the back. For an art form that focuses on the artistry and operational techniques of puppets, the elaborate set Ishii designed combined with another art form (shadow puppets) was unthinkable in Bunraku before this event. The chance that the National Theatre of Japan took with these artists was nothing short of a miracle for such an old and established institution. The production was a success, and Ishii received the Yomiuri Figures 23 and 24. Puppet designs for Bunraku Shakespeare productions. | Photos courtesy of Mitsuru Ishii. Theatre Award (equivalent to the TONY awards) for Excellence in Design. Still, bringing change to a 400--year-old institution is difficult; to the performance of Farusunotaifu at the National Theatre of Bunraku in Osaka was canceled because the Bunraku Association did not grant permission. The Japanese aesthetic Ishii speaks of is ingrained in every Japanese from a young age when they are taught shuji, SPRING 2021 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 17https://www.iweiss.com/