TEARS OF JOY PUPPET THEATRE
 Tears of Joy brings amazing puppet theatre to audiences throughout the U.S. and abroad. Founded in 1971, the theatre is recognized nationally for its commitment to excellence and innovation. Three of The theatre's productions have received American puppetry's highest honor, the Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry. www.tojt.com

 LITTLE ONE - INCH

 --CURRICULUM GUIDE--

 BACKGROUND
A tiny boy, no bigger than a person's thumb, sets off to find his fortune. His parents give him a needle to use as a sword, a wooden bowl to use as a boat, and a chopstick to use as an oar. In his adventures he becomes the playmate of a princess and defeats a great ogre in battle. Little One-Inch is one of Japan's most-loved children's stories, one that was told over again in many versions to the never-ending delight of children, generation after generation. Stories like this, while appealing to children everywhere, are still true expressions of Japanese character and customs. As such they are sure to create a sympathetic understanding for the culture and ways of another land.

Our play, Little One-Inch, was written by Leo Kominz, a 16 year old student at Sunset High School in Beaverton. Leo speaks both Japanese and English fluently and spends part of each year in Japan with his grandparents and other relatives. Leo attended his first Tears of Joy puppet play when he was one year old.

STYLE OF PUPPETRY
Little One-Inch will be performed using an adaptation of Japanese bunraku puppetry, in which the performers are visible but dressed totally in black. In traditional bunraku each puppet is moved by three puppeteers. We often have two people moving a puppet.

CHARACTERS
 Grandmother
Grandfather
Issun-he is only one inch tall (His name means "Little One-Inch")
Rat
Kappa--a water creature, somewhat like a turtle, that loves cucumbers
Koi--a colorful fish
Messenger
Daimyo--the lord of the castle
Princess--daughter of the Daimyo
Wasp
Oni --a demon or ogre from Japanese folklore.

 VOCABULARY
Mallet --a big hammer
Evil --very bad
Oni --a demon or ogre from Japanese folklore. Onis could be red or green or black and
they usually had one or two horns on their heads.



BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE

 1. Read the story of Little One-Inch to your class.
Japanese Children's Favorite Stories edited by Florence Sakade, Tuttle Publishing, 1985

 2. Read other Japanese stories such as Peach Boy (Momotaro the Peach Boy)

 3. Locate Japan on a map or globe.

DURING THE PERFORMANCE
1. Listen to the Japanese folk song "Is sun Boshi"(Little One Inch). It is sung by the 5th grade class at the Portland Japanese School. The first stanza will also be sung in English, the rest in Japanese.

 Smaller than your finger, Little One-Inch Boy,
He's got a tiny body, but big dreams.
Rowing his rice bowl boat with a long chopstick,
He sails to the far away capital city.

 2. Watch how the scenes are changed for this performance.

AFTER THE SHOW
1. Draw a picture of the character you liked best. Tell why you like it.

 2. Read other stories about onis. (Momotaro also fights the onis in Peach Boy) Make a list of some of the bad things that onis do.

 3. What characters are in the play that do not appear in the original story? Why do you think they were added to the play by playwright Leo Kominz?

 4. Sing the first stanza of "Isun Boshi"

 5. What other stories can you think of about someone who was very tiny? (Thumbelina or Tom Thumb) How are these stories similar to Little One-Inch? How are they different from Little One-Inch?

 6. Make puppets for the characters in this story and perform your own play.

 7. Write a letter to Tears of Joy telling us what you liked about the play.

Tears of Joy Theatre - P.O. Box 1029 - Vancouver, W A 98666 or call (360)695-3050