A Unique Traditional Performing Art
Kept Alive in Hachioji
 
Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo is a form of traditional puppet theatre dating back to the Edo period. It was developed in the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate by Nishikawa Koryu I and subsequently spread throughout the Tama region.
 
The art was introduced to Hachioji during the Meiji period, and its techniques continue to be preserved today by the Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo Nishikawa Koryuza troupe.
 
The name Kuruma Ningyo, meaning “cart puppetry,” derives from the way it is performed. The puppeteer sits on a box-shaped wheeled seat known as a rokuro-guruma, which is fitted with two wheels at the front and one at the rear, and operates the puppet from this position.
 
Its distinctive appeal lies in a unique technique through which a single puppeteer moves in unison with the puppet, controlling everything from its subtle expressions to the intricate movements of its feet.
 
The puppeteer’s skillful use of the body and the mechanism that synchronizes the movements of the puppeteer and puppet have also attracted attention from the field of robotics.
 
Highly regarded in Japan and abroad as a distinctive cultural tradition, Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 2022.
 
Today, it continues to share its enduring appeal as one of the cultural traditions that symbolize Hachioji.

The traditional gassho-style farmhouse originally stood in Gokayama, Toyama Prefecture, a region known for its deep winter snowfall. It was relocated to UKAI TORIYAMA in 1968, four years after the restaurant was founded in 1964.
 
The relocation was inspired by the founder’s desire to bring something truly authentic to UKAI TORIYAMA as a gesture of hospitality to guests making the journey deep into the mountains of Takao.
 
Carefully entrusted to UKAI TORIYAMA by its former owners, the historic farmhouse was dismantled by a team of skilled craftspeople. Its pillars and beams were transported to Takao over the course of two days, after which the building was meticulously reconstructed to faithfully preserve its original appearance.
 
Since then, the building, affectionately known as Mae-Gassho, has welcomed countless guests as an enduring symbol of UKAI TORIYAMA.
 
Gassho-zukuri architecture embodies not only significant historical value, but also the wisdom and culture developed by generations of people living amid the challenges of a harsh natural environment.
 
Nearly six decades after its relocation, the building continues to be carefully preserved through ongoing maintenance, including repairs to its thatched roof.
 
Here in Tokyo, visitors have the rare opportunity to experience at close range both the traditional architecture of gassho-zukuri and a way of life passed down through generations in Japan’s mountain communities.