jōrurin.

1890 B. H. Chamberlain Things Japanese 342 The plays given at these [kabuki] theatres originated..partly in marionette dances accompanied by explanatory songs, called jōruri or gidaiyū.

1911 Encycl. Brit. XV. 170/1 The Jōruri is a dramatic ballad, sung or recited to the accompaniment of the samisen and in unison with the movements of puppets.

1965 W. Swaan Japanese Lantern xv. 175 Joruri singing or chanting or recitation derives from an ancient form of metrical story-telling analogous to that of the Greeks and the mediaeval bards.

1950 Chambers's Encycl. VIII. 60/2 The jōruri (puppet play) arose from recitations..which were combined in the early 17th century with marionette performances.

1954 F. Bowers Japanese Theatre i. 30 The word Joruri applies specifically to musical dramas which developed from this style of chanting, and which retain for their accompaniment a combination singer-narrator and one or more samisen players.

1959 E. Ernst Three Japanese Plays 36 It is not clear when the puppets were added to jōruri, but it is thought that puppet jōruri performances were given in 1596 in the city of Kyoto.

1966 C. J. Dunn Early Japanese Puppet Drama 4 The name bunraku has widely displaced jōruri as the name of the puppet drama.